Trade Show TalesBlog

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Trade Show Marketing Insights from Marlys Arnold, the ImageSpecialist

April 8th, 2012 COMMENTS

Download a Free Book on Trade Show Marketing

If you visited our booth at EXHIBITOR 2012, you probably met Marlys Arnold. Known as the ImageSpecialist, Marlys travels the country consulting and training both exhibitors and show managers, and is the author of Build a Better Trade Show Image (2002), host of the Trade Show Insights blog-cast, and creator of the ExhibitorEd Success System.

We’ve teamed up with Marlys to offer her book, Build a Better Trade Show Image, to Classic Exhibits customers. Through the end of May, we’re including an “Our Gift to You” promotional postcard with most inline and island hybrid displays, such as Sacagawea, Magellan, Perfect 10, Visionary Designs, and SEGUE. The postcard has a unique code where exhibitors can download the 280+ page e-book on how to launch, improve, finesse, or fix their trade show marketing program. It’s an excellent book, valued at $25, which every trade show expert or novice should own.

If you are unfamiliar with Marlys, here are three sample posts from her excellent blog.

What Exhibitors Can Learn from Birds

“Have you ever spent any time birdwatching? It’s fun to see how birds behave and interact with one another. In fact, there’s a lot we can learn by watching them, including some very valuable lessons for your upcoming trade shows!

Birds know how to find food.
In order to survive, birds must learn where the food is most likely to be found and then hang out there.

Exhibitor Lesson:
Go to the shows whose audience best matches your target demographic.

You’ve got to show off!
Birds aren’t shy. Peacocks display a fan of their colorful plumage, cranes dance, and many birds have loud calls to gain attention.

Exhibitor Lesson:
Don’t count on being noticed on the crowded show floor — DO something to attract attention.” [continue]

The Challenge of Using Salespeople as Booth Staff

“Following a recent exhibitor workshop, several attendees came up to me with a similar story: their sales team comes to the show, hangs out in the booth, and becomes more of a handicap than an asset. They wanted to know how they can turn that situation around.

Unfortunately, this is a common problem because the very things that make a sales person great at what they do often create a challenge in the trade show environment:” [continue]

Banish the “Little Voice”

“A fairly new exhibitor recently shared that what holds her back in the booth is the “little voice” on her shoulder who keeps telling her, “No one wants to talk to you … you’re just another salesperson.” I think every exhibitor could admit to battling that little voice at one time or another, but how can you banish it?” [continue]

To learn more about the book, visit www.imagespecialist.com/build.html or check out Marlys’ blog-cast at www.tradeshowinsights.com.

–Mel White
http://www.linkedin.com/in/melmwhite
mel@classicexhibits.com

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Based in Portland, Oregon, Classic Exhibits Inc. designs and manufacturers portable, modular, and custom-hybrid exhibit solutions. 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.

Excellent Posts on www.tradeshowguyblog.com

April 5th, 2012 COMMENTS

Classic Exhibits at EXHIBITORSocial Media and Trade Show Marketing

Our friend Tim Patterson at www.tradeshowguyblog.com continues to amaze me. If you are fascinated about the intersection of Social Media and Trade Show Marketing, there’s no better source than his site. Here are some recent posts including one where he reviews his work with Classic Exhibits and EXHIBITOR 2012.

Case Study: Classic Exhibits and Social Media at EXHIBITOR 2012

“Starting three weeks before the show, we started posting short teaser videos. The videos slowly revealed the “Be Better” concept using a lighthearted investigative reporter approach.  Getting the inside scoop from Classic was the main theme.  They appeared on the Tradeshowmarketing YouTube channel, here on Tradeshowguy Blog, and on Classic Exhibits’ blog, Trade Show Tales. In addition, we posted these on Classic’s LinkedIn group and Facebook page. Almost immediately, traffic to Classic’s blog tripled.” [continue]

Social Networking and your Tradeshow

9 things I Learned from #EXHIBITOR and #ExpoWest

“Reflecting on the week I spent in Las Vegas and Anaheim in early March . . .

  1. People are learning how to use QR Codes. Finally.
  2. Video gets people’s attention. The various videos I posted on the YouTube Tradeshowmarketing channel got me recognized time and time again.
  3. NetworKing is king. By hanging out with people I knew, I kept meeting more people that I may work with in the future.” [continue]

Why Don’t Exhibitors Return?

“After walking the floor at the Natural Products Expo West for a full day, it occurred to me that a number of exhibitors I had met and talked to the past couple of years were not here. Even though it’s huge show with thousands of exhibitors, and it might be easy to overlook them, that’s not the case: I looked them up on the show app and couldn’t find them.

They had vanished. Why? I wondered.” [continue]

–Mel White
http://www.linkedin.com/in/melmwhite
mel@classicexhibits.com

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Based in Portland, Oregon, Classic Exhibits Inc. designs and manufacturers portable, modular, and custom-hybrid exhibit solutions. 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.

Education for the Future of our Industry: Word on the Street — March 26th thru March 30th

March 31st, 2012 COMMENTS
Education for the Future of our Industry

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

EDPA Foundation Scholarship

I have been fortunate to sit on the EDPA Foundation Scholarship Committee for many years. It’s something near and dear to my heart: supporting those within our industry getting their education.

To date, the EDPAF Scholarship Committee has awarded nearly $110,000 in scholarships! Isn’t that awesome!! And it has been awarded to a myriad of people from the kids of industry employees, industry employees themselves, as well as spouses who have chosen to further their education.

This year is no different. An open call for applications will be announced soon, but I thought I might get a head start for those in the Classic Exhibits Network who might be interested. Here is the application.

Please take a second to review. There are people in our network who have applied and received scholarships. Some scholarships have been for tuition, others for books.

The deadline is July 1, but don’t delay until then. Every year the number of applications continues to grow. Please don’t pass up this opportunity if it applies to YOU or Your Family.

Hope you all had a great weekend.

Be well.

–Kevin Carty

http://twitter.com/kevin_carty
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kevin-carty/3/800/32a

Something for (Almost) Nothing — FREE Pop Up Panels

March 29th, 2012 2 COMMENTS

For Classic Distributors Only

Quadro Pop Up Fabric Panels

Typically, we wouldn’t post this information in a blog, but this is our way of rewarding our loyal blog, Facebook, and LinkedIn followers. We have an inventory of Quadro S and Quadro EO Pop Up fabric panels in discontinued fabrics. We have been holding onto them, just in case a customer needed one or two, but now it’s time for a Spring Cleaning.

The following fabric panels, complete with magnet and hanger and kicker strips, are FREE. First come. First serve (within limits). Simply email me at the address below. You’ll have to pay for packaging ($35 wholesale per box) and shipping, but there’s no other obligation. We’ve even eliminated all the fun of haggling, unless you count the packaging fee (which is non-negotiable). Perfect for the kindergartener who needs a durable sleeping mat. 😉

Let us know. If you are a hoarder by nature, please curb that impulse. Offer ends April 10.

Quadro EO and Quadro S Fabric Pop Up Panels

EO Pop Up Panels [Curve Frame]

(1) Silver FR – 6 ft Table Top (complete)

  • (2) Front Panels
  • (2) End Caps

(1) Imperial FR – Full Height (complete)

  • (3) Front Panels
  • (2) End Caps

(2) Koala FR – 6 ft Table Top (front)

(4) Imperial FR – Full Height (front)

(2) Eclipse Prelude – Full Height (end caps)

(2) Coal FR – Full Height (end caps)

S Pop Up Panels [Curve Frame]

(2) Silver FR – 6 ft Table Top (complete)

  • (2) Front Panels
  • (2) End Panels

(1) Silver FR – 8 ft Table Top (complete)

  • (3) Front Panels
  • (2) End Panels

(6) Silver FR – Full Height (front)

(4) Silver FR – Full Height (end caps)

(4) Silver FR – Table Top (front)

(2) Lava EcoFi – Table Top (front)

S Pop Up Panels [Straight Frame]

(6) Silver FR – Full Height (front)

(4) Silver FR – Full Height (end caps)

(2) Windsor FR – Full Height (end caps)

* All are complete with magnet and hanger and kicker strips

–Mel White
http://www.linkedin.com/in/melmwhite
mel@classicexhibits.com

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Based in Portland, Oregon, Classic Exhibits Inc. designs and manufacturers portable, modular, and custom-hybrid exhibit solutions. 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.

New Outdoor Display Products Gallery

March 28th, 2012 COMMENTS

Outdoor Display Products -- BansheeWe love to share good news about Exhibit Design Search.

There’s a brand new gallery in EDS — Outdoor Display Products. This Optima Graphics gallery includes 11 popular outdoor products, such as Banshee, Kapow, Ridgeline, and Valet. There’s even a listing for Event Tents. As with many of the new features in EDS, the gallery was added at the request of several Classic Distributors. And the timing couldn’t be better with Spring at hand and Summer just a few months away. Our thanks to Gary Camarato at Optima for all his hard work on this gallery.

To make room for the Outdoor Displays gallery, we shifted Table Throws to the Banner Stand gallery, which has now been named Banner Stands / Table Throws. It contains the full selection from both categories.

Exhibit Specials and Red Tags

Exhibit Specials in Exhibit Design SearchYou may have noticed a “Red Tag” feature in EDS. About two weeks ago, we made it much easier to find our bimonthly Exhibit Specials. You could always find them in the Exhibit Specials Gallery. We’ve now added a visual “Red Tag” to the image whenever a product is on special. If the special includes a price discount, there will be a strike-through of the original price and a new red-line price. You’ll see the “Red Tag” specials both in the Exhibit Specials gallery and in the original “parent” gallery of the product(s). For example, select Visionary Designs inlines and islands and scroll down. You’ll see quite a few specials. These specials run through May 31.

Eco-Systems Sustainable Designs

Lastly, I want to give a pat on the back to Eco-systems Sustainable. Over the past two months, they have added lots and lots of new trade show display designs to the eSmart Display gallery. If you haven’t visited the gallery recently, I encourage you to take a stroll through their update offerings. Lots of cool designs whether your client wants an eco-friendly display or simply a modern hybrid design. We keep hearing from distributors that your customers are asking, “What’s new and fresh?” Take a look in the eSmart gallery.

–Mel White
http://www.linkedin.com/in/melmwhite
mel@classicexhibits.com

*********************************

Based in Portland, Oregon, Classic Exhibits Inc. designs and manufacturers portable, modular, and custom-hybrid exhibit solutions. 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.