Kevin Carty, Katina Rigall Zipay, and Jen LaBruzza are in Dusseldorf, Germany this week at EuroShop 2023. While there, they are taking photos and videos to share with the Classic Distributor Network.
Below are photos from Day 1 along with a short video from Katina about design trends. For more photos and videos, check back on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Classic Exhibits has been designing and building solutions since 1993. We’ve been honored as an Exhibitor Magazine Find-It Top 40 Exhibit Producers and an Event Marketer Fab 50 Exhibit Builders multiple times. Along with numerous Portable Modular Awards.
With over 200 Distributor Partners throughout North America, there’s a Classic representative close by to assist with any rental project. Contact us today whether you need an inline rental display, a double-deck island exhibit, or a contemporary kiosk rental. At Classic, we’re not just different. We’re better.
The Exhibitor Advocate recently published a 2022 Material Handling and Labor Rate Survey. The survey is an important benchmarking tool that provides industry stakeholders with cost comparisons of average labor and material handling rates across 16 major US cities. The survey was previously conducted by Trade Show Week and then EDPA through 2017. The key data findings in the survey show that exhibitor costs continue to rise. Installation and dismantle labor, electrical labor and material handling are outpacing inflation some by more than 30%.
To most of the industry, this isn’t surprising. We’ve been
feeling these increases for a while. It just happens to be that now we have the
data to confirm our suspicions. Every year, exhibitors have seen prices go up,
and we get more and more creative on how to manage our costs. We work with our exhibit
partners to try to figure out how to stretch every dollar. We compromise on our
booth size, the products we choose to bring, and the way we promote or showcase
our brand. I’ve sometimes heard stakeholders say, if exhibitors don’t want to
pay the increasing fees, they should walk away from the show. But it’s not that
easy. Trade shows are important to our business. There are interactions that
happen here that are unparalleled. We support our associations, and we want to
be part of the community that naturally occurs at these events.
Download the Survey (FREE)
There is more and more scrutiny on these events and the
budgets that go along with them. Are we getting a ROI? Can we return from the
show and explain the value of being there even if it was the intangibles that
made it successful? Rising costs are an important part of the equation, not the
whole equation. We must focus on the overall value. As costs go up, so too must
value. Lately, we’ve seen rising costs outpace inflation and value. It’s why
The Exhibitor Advocate exists. We started this non-profit trade association to
amplify the voice of exhibitors. We’re not here to tell any stakeholder what
they should charge. We are here to share pain points and data in an attempt to
improve this important marketing channel. Labor and material handling rates are
one of those areas. As an industry, we must look at these challenges and work
together to find solutions to the value equation.
Having information available to the industry, like the Material
Handling and Labor Rate Survey, is just the first step. As we all know,
data is power. With this information, exhibitors can more accurately budget for
upcoming shows and plan their participation accordingly. Show Managers can
evaluate and compare their exhibitor rates to city averages. Facilities can
utilize competitive exhibitor rates to attract shows to their destination. And
so much more! Having the data is one step. Taking action is the next. This only
works when we come together to address these issues and balance the value
equation. Share this data with your network and support exhibitors in speaking
up on what they need to be successful. If the exhibitor is successful, so too
is the industry.
Download your copy of the 2022 Material Handling and Labor
Rate Survey at www.ExhibitorAdvocacy.com.
You’ve done your research, chosen an exhibit house partner, worked with an exhibit designer on the build and completed your graphic design. That’s impressive! Now, it just has to be built to your design specifications and in time for your trade show!
For many marketers, once the actual production starts, i.e., the building of your trade show booth, they sit back and relax. For others, the exhibit construction is another step in the overall marketing process, and they continue to be both curious and involved.
Whether you want to be involved or take a hands-off approach, understanding the exhibit production process can be beneficial. Not only do you learn about the materials and the construction process required to build your booth, but you see how the exhibit will be assembled, packed, and disassembled on the show floor. That knowledge can be invaluable when supervising labor at the show and solving unexpected problems. Time is money at a trade show and knowing how to quickly find a solution can save you hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars.
Trade Show Production: Planning & Important Steps
In meetings with the exhibit house, you’ll be asked about your goals, budget, show schedule, booth size requirements, and packaging. Experienced exhibitors often write an RFQ which lists these requirements, along with many more. Those requirements will include some of the following:
Purchase or Rent. Purchase suggests creating custom exhibits or modifying from an exhibit kit. Rental means creating an exhibit from existing components like aluminum modular wall systems, light boxes, and fabric graphics. However, both purchase and rentals can be built from a wide range of materials and/or systems.
Portable, Modular, or Custom. For new exhibitors, what may appear to be a straight-forward request, often isn’t – “The devil is in the details.”
Portable in “trade show lingo” usually means the cases can be shipped via UPS or FedEx. It doesn’t mean the display is lightweight, or the assembly is toolless. They can be both, but not always.
Modular means “reconfigurable” at some point. Reconfigurability may require additional components and cases or crates. There are portable modular displays and custom modular exhibits.
Custom often suggests “wood construction” but not always. The exhibit industry often uses the terms “custom” and “customization” interchangeably but customization can mean a standard kit or design has been “modified.”
Cases or Crates. Roto-molded cases typically come with wheels. Sizes vary but must fit within FedEx or UPS guidelines. Weight can vary as well, with some packed cases weighing as little as 40 lbs. to others tipping the scale at 120 lbs. The number of cases also matters. If the display requires 5 or more cases, then consider a crate option instead. The purchase price and shipping costs will be comparable at this point. Unlike cases, crates are built using wood sheets and jigged to fit the exhibit components. They are heavy and ship via common carriers. Some exhibits require one crate, and others may require up to 20-30 depending on the size of the exhibit.
Storage. Where’s it going to go after the show? Exhibitors are often surprised by that question. While smaller properties can be stored anywhere, larger ones like crates are more problematic, which is why exhibit houses offer storage services. The exhibit will be stored in a climate-controlled facility, usually at the exhibit house. The exhibit house can then check the exhibit and booth for damage after a show and stage it before a show to ensure there are no issues.
Building a Trade Show Booth: How Long Does it Take?
Let’s pretend you don’t know the answer to the question: “How long does it take to build a trade show booth”? Answer: It depends. Many inexpensive portable displays are pre-packed in boxes and only require printing graphics. Other smaller booths, like modular inlines, are built to order and take anywhere from two to three weeks.
Custom exhibits are the wild card. If the custom exhibit is based on a previous design, then it may only take a month. However, some custom exhibits are massive with LED video panels, multiple hanging signs, double-deck structures, and large-format graphics. Those can take months to design, detail, build, stage, and pack. Similar to building a single-family home, but one that has to disassemble for shipping.
Build time depends on other factors as well. For example
Seems pretty simple, right? On occasion, the pretty rendering doesn’t seamlessly translate into something buildable. Builders have to make changes not only to the design but also to the materials. Quality exhibit houses stay in constant communication with the client and ensure the client approves any changes. No one wants a surprise AFTER the EXHIBIT is DONE.
#2. Wire Management.
Just like with a house, an exhibit often has electrical and data wires. The exhibit builder will make sure those wires are integrated into the exhibit during the detailing and build process. However, they can account for wires they don’t know about such as tablets, charging pads, audio/visual devices, and products. The exhibitor MUST SHARE this information with the exhibit house before the building starts. Fixing any wiring issues on the show floor is guaranteed to be both expensive and ugly.
#3. Ease-of-Assembly.
Your booth is BEAUTIFUL, but it’s a nightmare to assemble. No one wants that. As an exhibitor, you should be reviewing the build details before construction starts on your booth. And don’t be afraid to ask questions about the assembly.
#4. Detailed Setup Instructions.
Bad setup instructions are more common than you might think. Why? Because it’s usually left to the end of the build, it’s a pain in the ass for the building, and the builder doesn’t make any money on the setup instructions. Require the exhibit house to show you examples of previous setup instructions. If you can’t follow it without coaching, then the labor crew on the show floor will have the same problem. If they struggle with the instructions then it can lead to damage and almost always means the setup takes more time.
#5. Material Choices.
You may be surprised to learn that an identical design could be constructed with either wood or aluminum extrusions. Even the type of wood can vary, along with the aluminum extrusion system. Ask for details and an explanation. Just because an exhibit house has 10 carpenters doesn’t mean the exhibit should be wood construction.
#6. Over or Under Construction.
If you’ve ever seen the back of a film or theatrical set, you know it’s a facade. Building a facade lowers the cost and weight, both of which are good. The same can be said for exhibit construction. There’s a sweet spot when building an exhibit. You want it to match the design rendering, be durable over multiple shows, be as lightweight as possible to save on shipping and drayage, and assemble without any issues.
#7. Locking Storage.
Most larger booths have storage for products, giveaways, literature, refreshments, and personal items like coats, purses, and briefcases. However, locking storage does not always mean secure storage. Countertops may not be attached to the counter. Counters are open on the bottom. And graphics can be easily removed to access storage in a pedestal or closet. If you require “secure storage,” then make the storage actually secure from sticky fingers before, during, and after show floor hours.
#8. Crate Construction.
Designing and building quality wood crates is an art form. Not only does the crate have to be rock solid to survive shipping and material handling, but the jigging has to be cleverly designed to secure all the exhibit components in the least amount of space. Be clear about your expectations regarding your crates.
#9. Staging.
Every exhibit, purchase or rental, should be staged at the exhibit house. Sadly, that’s not always true, either because of time constraints or cost. However, staging identifies 99% of any build problems, which can usually be addressed quickly and inexpensively. Those same problems become exponentially more complicated and expensive on the trade show floor. As an exhibitor, even if you can’t see the staging in person at the exhibit house, there’s no reason not to expect photos, video, or a live video review.
Over 30 Years of Trade Show Production Experience
For 30 years, Classic Exhibits has been designing and building exceptional trade show exhibits. Those solutions include both purchase and rental exhibits, including inlines, islands, tabletops, overhead signs, and a wide range of accessories, like counters, charging solutions, and workstations.
Classic Exhibits has been designing and building solutions since 1993. We’ve been honored as an Exhibitor Magazine Find-It Top 40 Exhibit Producers and an Event Marketer Fab 50 Exhibit Builders multiple times. Along with numerous Portable Modular Awards.
With over 200 Distributor Partners throughout North America, there’s a Classic representative close by to assist with any rental project. Contact us today whether you need an inline rental display, a double-deck island exhibit, or a contemporary kiosk rental. At Classic, we’re not just different. We’re better.
Every group has its own rules and etiquette. Trade shows are no different whether you are an exhibitor, attendee, or an industry insider. While many behaviors might seem normal to you as a member of the trade show community, others are downright bizarre to those who rarely set foot in a trade show hall.
Here are 40Things You Do @ Trade Shows You Would Never Do Anywhere Else. It was originally much longer, but this is a PG-rated blog.
Drinking doesn’t count. We know you drink. You just don’t always start at lunch. And for the sake of discretion (and possible litigation), we’ve ignored trade shows where other forms of “relaxation” are legal.
Feel free to contribute in the comments. And enjoy!
Wear Matching Unisex Clothing
Throw trash in the aisle and expect others to clean it up
Spend $8.50 for a 12 oz. bottle of Aquafina
Bribe someone to look the other direction. Brag about it later
Have Accounting panic because you just max-out your credit card on one transaction (drayage perhaps?)
Wear matching unisex clothing
Take anything that appears to have a value of less than $10 (candy, hats, pens, mugs…)
Share “steamy” industry gossip with competitors
Chat with 500 strangers in 72 hours
Gush about the double-padded carpet in booth #1108
Buy a gaudy new belt in the casino shop for $165 (after forgetting to pack one)
Spend $350 to Vacuum Your Carpet
Party until 3 am with Steve in Accounting, Larry in HR, Melissa in Engineering, and Rebecca in Quality Control
Bum breath mints from strangers
Arrive at work at 11 am. Leave at 3:30 pm
Get agitated when someone walks across the corner of your booth space
Take a Lyft to Lowe’s or Best Buy at 9 am
Pretend you don’t smell that awful face-melting smell
Debate the existential meaning of portable, modular, and custom
Act interested in (insert topic)
Complain about how much it costs to vacuum 400 sq. ft. of carpet. Vow to do something about it
Allow strangers to take your stuff without a receipt for three days and not know where it is, how it’s getting stored (or if it will be returned undamaged), and that you have zero ability to get it back early.
Steam Your Clothing in the Shower
Let someone point a scanning device or smartphone camera in the general vicinity of your chest and crotch. Repeatedly.
Be convinced a 15-minute conversation will lead to $500,000 in new business
Assemble a 3D structure that costs somewhere between a new car and a McMansion, only to disassemble it three days later
Spend 20% of your entire annual marketing budget over five days. Never calculate the ROI
Compare the work ethic in Philadelphia, Boston, NYC, Chicago, Orlando, Anaheim, San Francisco, and Las Vegas to the work ethic in your hometown. Vow to do something about it.
Hang your clothing in the bathroom with the shower running for 30 minutes to steam out the wrinkles
Explain, once again, to your family and friends that it’s a “business trip” and not a vacation
Get visibly excited about the phrase “traffic congestion”
Guard your giveaways like a momma bear (Day #1). Beg show labor to take them in bulk (Day #3)
Sneak off to the bathroom just to find a quiet place to work
Hide in a Storage Closet
Hide in a storage closet to scarf down a Starbuck’s scone, while dusting your co-workers coats, purses, and briefcases with gooey crumbs
Judge people based solely on their trade show name badge
Convince your boss that the 300 fishbowl leads are new clients clamoring for your product (and not the iPad giveaway)
Pretend the President’s son is not still drunk. Allow him to talk to potential clients and competitors (I know I said I wouldn’t include drinking but this one was too good to exclude)
Spend 3 days with 100 of your best friends and not speak or see them again for 362 days
Fly from the Midwest in January to Las Vegas, Orlando, or New Orleans and NEVER leave the hotel/convention center complex
Reintroduce yourself to the same person three times. Act embarrassed
Toss the sales literature you carefully collected over three days so there’s more room for tschotskes. Pretend it’s for your children
Be REALLY, REALLY EXCITED to leave Las Vegas or Orlando!
Finally… Wonder (after scanning the room and mumbling quietly to yourself) why the Federal Government hasn’t filed RICO charges against certain segments of the trade show industry. Vow to do something about it.
That’s it. Please share your “Trade Show Things” below. And thanks for playing along.
Classic Exhibits Inc. designs and manufacturers portable, modular, hybrid, and custom exhibit solutions, including SuperNova LED Lightboxes. Classic Exhibits products are represented by an extensive distributor network in North America and in select International markets. For more information, contact us at 866-652-2100 or www.classicexhibits.com.
Recently I attended a charity
event with a social mixer. Several introductions later,I was conversing with a CEO about trade shows.
He grumbled about drayage, shipping, and labor. I sympathized. Then he shifted to ROI.His company’s trade show ROI was terrible. Not surprisingly, his company didn’t have clear trade show objectives or a pre-show or post-show strategy.
It Got Me Thinking
Are we asking our clients the wrong questions?
Perhaps we shouldn’t be asking exhibitors about their trade show goals or objectives. Instead, we should encourage them to share everything they don’t want to happen. In other words, ask them to describe their trade show hell. We know the list will be LONG and DETAILED, and include topics like terrible booth traffic, the wrong prospects, worthless lead management. Or disengaged staff, ugly graphics, insufficient storage, or simply a boring booth.
Suddenly, your boring 5–10-minute conversation about goals becomes an intense (and entertaining) 30-minute session about their trade show nightmares. Guess what… They’ve told you what they don’t want. Nowguide them toward the solutions they need. I suspect they’ll be more receptive. And the conversation will be a lot more fun!
I challenge you to test this technique. What do you have to lose? You just might turn a disengaged trade show marketer into a dynamic trade show marketing cheerleader. Sans the pom poms.
Classic Exhibits has been designing and building solutions since 1993. We’ve been honored as an Exhibitor Magazine Find-It Top 40 Exhibit Producers and an Event Marketer Fab 50 Exhibit Builders multiple times. Along with numerous Portable Modular Awards.
With over 200 Distributor Partners throughout North America, there’s a Classic representative close by to assist with any rental project. Contact us today whether you need an inline rental display, a double-deck island exhibit, or a contemporary kiosk rental. At Classic, we’re not just different. We’re better.
