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100 Things to Watch in 2011

January 4th, 2011 COMMENTS
Global Trends 2011

2011 Global Trends

At the start of every New Year, the experts roll out their “trends” for the coming year. This one from JWT (J Walter Thompson) takes a global perspective on technology, media, consumerism, and social trends in alphabetical order. You may not agree with every one or even recognize others, but frankly, that’s half the fun. Enjoy!

To view the presentation in full screen mode (recommended), click on “Menu” and “View Fullscreen.” Or view the presentation on SlideShare.

Word on the Street — December 27th thru December 31st

January 2nd, 2011 COMMENTS
2011 Trade Show Predictions

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

Out with the Old and In with the New

This past week was filled with a flurry of new (albeit last minute) orders and lots of quote requests for the New Year. It was a promising sign heading into 2011.

Around Classic, talk was about what to expect in the first quarter of 2011 . . . internally and externally.

Mel and I have been in full blown planning mode for the past eight weeks, and this past week was no different. We have many things on tap for 2011, especially the first quarter. Along with the recent launching of the new SEGUE Sunrise, we are launching new variations of existing systems as well as multiple Island exhibits that reflect current “minimalist” trends and the growth of silicone edge graphics.

Along with that, we are refining our internal “customer experience.” Some examples include setting better expectations to make the overall process more predictable. The advent of tighter time lines, which have become the new “norm,” bring new challenges to our process. I am personally addressing many of these not only for you but also for our internal Project Management and Production Departments.

Pricing will receive some attention in the first quarter of 2011 as well. As many of you have probably seen in the financial markets, aluminum and plastic prices have slowly been on the rise. Does this mean an increase is pending from Classic Exhibits and ClassicMODUL? Yes in part, but we have been looking at more creative buying practices to control costs, so it will not be an across the board price increase. You will actually see some price decreases as well.

In the next few weeks, I will publish my Annual Company Letter. I am currently working on it and do not know the exact release date, but it will be in January.

I hope you and your families had a safe and happy New Year’s celebration. Be well.

–Kevin Carty

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

Shooting from the Hip — 16.10 (EDPA Access)

December 20th, 2010 COMMENTS
Shooting from the Hip (trade show tips)

Shooting from the Hip by Reid Sherwood

The Exhibit Designers and Producers Association (EDPA) held its annual meeting a few weeks ago – ACCESS 2010. The meetings are always held at a warm weather resort the week after Thanksgiving. It starts on Wednesday with a golf tournament or a fishing trip for the non-golfers (I always play golf since I can fish in ice in Michigan but can’t golf in it). Mel and I attended as the representatives of Classic Exhibits and ClassicMODUL.

The Marriott Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL was the resort this year. Yes it was chilly, but it was Sawgrass, so who cares. Our scramble group finished 2-under on the valley course. The team consisted of Ken Karns (Elevation Exhibits), Ray Montague (Avalon), Gina Porcaro (Optima Graphics), and me. I think Gina and Ken got tired of carrying us. Ray had a bit of a breakthrough moment on a 100 yard chip shot. He yanked it left by 25 yards and said, “I must just have to aim to the right. I have been pulling that shot left for 45 years.” We all had a good laugh. Well, not Ray, but the three of us and our caddy did.

Our caddy, Donald, was part golf coach, part psychiatrist, and part travel agent. He knew the distance from the edge of every rough to the center of the green on each hole. I was approaching the green on a short par 5, and Donald tells me I am about 75 away. I said, “Ah, a sand wedge. My favorite club.” So I take dead aim and proceed to scuff the ball about halfway to the green. Donald, who is clear across the fairway (up in some rough looking for Ray’s golf ball), hollers loud enough for the entire course to hear, “YARDS REID! YARDS!”

EDPA

As most of you know, unlike TS2 or EXHIBITOR, this event is specifically for builders, suppliers, and distributors of the trade show industry. There are no end-users. This makes the event more casual and generally more cooperative. There’s more time to chat with distributors, strategic partners, suppliers, and competitors.

I want to commend Jeff Provost and the staff of EDPA. For the first time since I have been involved (about 7 years), I felt like our involvement in the Supplier Showcase was appreciated. I had Jeff and several staff members thank us for participating in the Showcase. I don’t recall that happening in the past, and it was very refreshing. Traffic in the Supplier Showcase was solid on both days because the EDPA made sure to place the sugar, caffeine, and carbohydrates in the show hall. Very smart.

Sessions focused on design as well as other relevant topics. We know design sells. We were reminded of it again. Thanks to those who presented.

Congratulations to Optima (Dave Brown and Gina Porcaro) for taking 1st Place in the Golden Ham Awards, sponsored by Exhibit City News. To see a video of their skit, click here. No offense Gina, but it will never compare to the Golden Pharaoh commercial Dave and I did in Tucson. Although we took second because a Brit pronounced “ALUMINIUM” as only a Brit can, it was the best skit (and everyone knows it).

A special thanks to Dave Mihalik and Lara Davie from ELITeXPO for all their hard work on the silent auction. The pheasant hunt I won will be a blast.

In the end, it was a great few days. My thanks to all who made it possible.

Merry Christmas!

–Reid Sherwood
reid@classicmodul.com

Word on the Street — December 13th thru December 17th

December 19th, 2010 3 COMMENTS
2011 Trade Show Predictions

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

Are You Ready for the Most “Predictably Unpredictable” Two Weeks of the Year?

Anyone who has been in this business long enough knows what I mean. The final two to three weeks of the year are like playing Roulette. The odds aren’t good, but if you put enough chips on the table, you may hit a ginormous jackpot.

Activities outside of the office are always hectic during the holiday season:  planning and/or attending holiday parties, Christmas shopping, wrapping gifts, seeing the lights in your neighborhood, keeping your brother-in-law out of the liquor cabinet, etc. There’s so much to do and not enough time in the day.

At the office, you expect the opposite. That orders and quotes will slow down. It seems logical as folks are on vacation or getting ready for the holiday. This is very true, but not always.

Here’s what us trade show pros know. Starting around December 15, you wonder if this is going to be a quiet or busy year-end because there is never any middle ground!

Quoting activity in early December is a pretty good indicator, but not always. Many companies need to dump their budget before the end of the year (the “use it or loose” theory). At Classic, we often see quotes for multiple quantity units, or quotes from earlier in the year which need to be massaged in hopes of pulling the trigger before the year ends. Sometimes this indicates a very busy end of year . . . other times it ends up being a lot of wishful thinking by Marcom Managers.

Well, back to Wednesday the 15th 2010. The orders started heating up, and by Friday, we could tell the finally two weeks were going to be busy. Even better, the orders do not appear to be “budget dumping” expenditures. Rather, they are exhibits being purchased for January and spring shows. It’s something we haven’t seen for two years.

So, please keep them coming. 🙂 We will be working Monday through Thursday this week and next to fulfill your orders.

From the entire Classic Exhibits family, may your holidays be filled with joy, peace, and wonder. Thank you for making us part of your lives.

–Kevin Carty

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

Optima Graphics Wins the Golden Ham Award

December 14th, 2010 COMMENTS

Congratulations to our friends at Optima Graphics for winning the Golden Ham Award at the 2010 EDPA Access Conference in Ponte Verdra, FL. Dave Brown and Gina Porcaro are the feature actors in this one-minute spoof of a Progressive Insurance commercial.

Click on the Image to See the Video on Optima's Website