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Word on the Street — March 8th thru March 12th

March 14th, 2010 Mel White COMMENTS
Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

(With Kevin in Las Vegas at EXHIBITOR, Jim Shelman, GM of Exhibits NW Portland, has assumed the “Word on the Street” duties this week.)

Now That You’ve Decided to Rent Your Trade Show Exhibit . . .

There are lots of articles about the benefits of renting vs. buying an exhibit, including this one on Classic’s website. But, I don’t recall ever reading an article that discussed the do’s and don’ts once you have decided to rent. After 20 years of managing exhibit rentals for clients, including the past five managing the Rental Program for Classic Exhibits, I’ve learned that deciding to rent is the easy part. The hard part comes after the rental decision has been made. With all humility, please allow me to share these tips from someone who has experienced his fair share of rental bruises over the years.

Think Ahead about Future Shows
You’ve decided to rent your exhibit. Now take it a step further by planning your trade show schedule over the next two to three years. Developing a long-term plan could save you thousands of dollars by committing to a multiple-show rental contract. Most companies offer a substantial discount if you agree to multiple rentals up front, even for various size exhibits and different designs.

Customization
Rental exhibits have come a long way. Work with a company that’s willing to offer customization so you can achieve your specific exhibit marketing goals. Everyone should be wondering, “Is it a rental or not?” There are a number of ways to achieve a custom look. It can be achieved with graphic applications and/or materials such as infill panels for conference rooms and workstations. Sometimes all it takes is a small accent piece with your corporate colors to make a big difference in the overall design. Just because you’re renting doesn’t mean you don’t want to jazz it up a bit and give it your own personal touch. It should have a similar look and feel to an exhibit you would purchase but with the added benefit that you can change things out from show to show.

rental_jimGraphics
Be sure you have all of the specs you need for your graphics. There are many graphic applications. Working with an exhibit professional will ensure that you choose the method that works best for your rental exhibit. And if you choose to sign a multiple show contract, you’ll want to design your graphics with future shows and exhibit designs in mind. There are usually graphic components that can be re-used, so keep that in mind as you work through each design concept.

Monitors
If you’re planning to use monitors, check that the mounts can be incorporated into the design. In other words don’t waste money on monitor stands if you can use the existing structure. A good rental exhibit company will offer a variety of solutions for monitors and wire management.

(more…)

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Cocktail Party Espionage at EXHIBITOR 2010

March 9th, 2010 Mel White 5 COMMENTS
Join Us at the Classic Hospitality Suite at EXHIBITOR 2010

Join Us at the Classic Hospitality Suite at EXHIBITOR 2010

This Tuesday (March 16), Classic Exhibits will host our EXHIBITOR Show Hospitality Suite at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. There will be no awards, but there will be a bunch of very nice Classic friends and employees.

In anticipation of the event, the Classic paparazzi have gathered tidbits, rumors, innuendos, and general gossip about some of the attendees. However, we need to enlist your assistance to ferret out the remaining dirty truth so we can use it as blackmail throughout year.

For example, these folks can expect a not-so-subtle phone call when sales are slow in June . . . “Hey Chris, how about purchasing a Sacagawea Hybrid Display this week (or even three or four), and we’ll consider burning a certain incriminating ‘photo’ in our possession?”

If you are uncomfortable dabbling in the gentle art of espionage, consider using the following helpful conversation starters. Once you get them talking, be sure to ask about any “funny” or “embarrassing” stories they may have from spring break, college, or their trip to Argentina to visit a “friend.” We’ve found that casually dropping the word “experiment” seems to be particularly effective after a few drinks.

Just a little hint . . . Be wary of the swizzle sticks and cocktail napkins at the party. They may not be what they seem.

  • Chris Griffin (Trade Show Supply) —  “Did you really beat Dale Earnhardt Jr. in a bicycle race through the Orange County Convention Center?”
  • Kim Merkin (Czarnowski) – “Kim, I hear you have put on two very successful and informative Open Houses over the past couple of years. What is your secret?”
  • Jay and Carol Larimore (Tradeshow STOP) – “Do you really have the largest collection of iPod accessories East of the Mississippi?”
  • Robert Keller (Bay Area Exhibits) – “I hear your building contains one of world’s largest trampolines . . . what’s that all about?”
  • David Hanken (Total Displays) — “What’s the secret to selling an expensive hybrid display to your wife’s software company?”
  • Dave Desko (The Exhibit Source) – “Did you really paddle across the Boston Harbor using only a lacrosse stick?”
  • Joe Shelman (Exhibits Northwest Seattle) – “Are you really excited about the off-season signing of Cliff Lee by the Mariners?”
  • Mark Bendickson (Exhibit Design) – Did you really supplement your 2009 sales by publishing a book titled Texts from Last Night?
  • Jim Shelman (Exhibits Northwest Portland) – “Jim, is there some sort of curse on the Blazers this year? What’s up with all the injuries? Did you put a voodoo hex on them?”
  • Ron Armstrong (Armstrong Display Concepts) – “Have you ever lost an Elvis impersonator competition?”
  • Cindi Cody (Xzibits) – “Why do you carry two Chapsticks with you?”
  • Susan Coppola (Imagecraft)– “Susan, rumor has it you have the coolest lunch spot ever near your facility. It’s located in an Apple Orchard or something?”
  • John Snyder (Atlantic Exhibits) – “Did you think this was the Safari Club International Show? Is that why you’re wearing camo?”
  • Larry Crumlish (InSource LC) – “Have you been given the finger lately?”
  • Justin Hersch (Delphi) – “Justin, you have to have one of the more unique manufacturing facilities . . . an old airplane hangar. I hear some episodes of Myth Busters have been shot there. Is that true?”
  • Sean Combs (Steelhead Productions) – “Sean, exactly how many times a day do people refer to you as Puffy or P-Diddy?”
  • Dave Walens (Brumark) – Do you really have to be in New York by 11:30 pm to lead the Late Night Orchestra?

As you can plainly see, we will be surrounded by greatness. Please stop by for a wonderful event on March 16 (from 3:30 to 6:30 pm). You’ll be contacted afterward to report your findings. The urine test . . . and blood test will not be optional.

Till the next time,

Reid

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Posted in Fun, Reid Sherwood, Trade Show Exhibit Tips | 5 Comments »

Word on the Street — March 1st thru March 5th

March 7th, 2010 Mel White COMMENTS
Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

Life is Like a Box of Chocolates!

But should your trade show exhibit buying experience be?

For starters, yes I did just watch Forrest Gump. And YES, I do think life is like that. Meaning, you never know what you’re gonna get in many situations.

However, when buying an exhibit, things should be predictable. What you see is what you get. Well, lesson learned. Within the next three weeks, the Sacagawea, Perfect 10, and Magellan kit prices will include all the fabric and direct print graphics shown in the renderings. It will take a few weeks to re-price these kits. However, we expect to complete it by the end of March. It’s not done yet . . . so don’t jump the gun. We’ll announce the new prices once we’ve updated the PDF and online sheets.

Back to the movie . . . the “box of chocolates” line made me understand how frustrating the experience of buying an exhibit can be for an end-user. Just spend a little time looking at many online trade show exhibit sites. They’ll show a 10 x 10 hybrid with nice graphics, a couple of backwall pedestals, and a front freestanding pedestal. All for only $3200 (or something nutty like that).

But if you dig a little deeper or open the box of chocolates, this is what you’ll find.

In reality, that $3200 price tag includes just the backwall and the canopy header. Once all the elements shown in the rendering are included, the exhibit really costs $7500. Seems sort of deceiving to me at best, and “bait and switch” at worst. If I were an end-user, I would be saying, “What the hell?!”

forrest-gumpI may be making a mountain out of a mole hill. I don’t know. But just this week, I had three distributors ask how a competitor could sell essentially the same configuration that we show in Exhibit Design Search for $4000 – $5000 less! Only after I took them to the online site and walk them through the math did they realize that their customer had been hoodwinked. In all three situations, the end-user came back to the Classic Distributor expressing their frustration that the “other” company had “misrepresented” the price and that they would be ordering a Visionary Designs Hybrid from Classic . . . and not the “cheap” hybrid the other company was offering. What do you think — Mountain or Mole Hill? Or would you agree with Forrest that, “Stupid is as stupid does”?

Have you seen any “Bait and Switch” practices online?  Click on the comment link and share your experiences.

Oh yes . . . For the next 10 days, watch for my Twitter and this blog postings as I share our our EXHIBITOR 2010 journey. We expect this to be our most successful EXHIBITOR SHOW EVER!

If you are coming to the show, see us at booth #929 and join us in our Hospitality Suite on Tuesday.

–Kevin Carty

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

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Recent Changes to EDS — Caterpillar to Butterfly

March 3rd, 2010 Mel White COMMENTS
EDS Detail Page with Tab Menu

EDS Detail Page with Tab Menu

If you spend anytime at all in Exhibit Design Search, whether on Classic’s site or on your own version of EDS, you’ve watched it change from a caterpillar to a butterfly over the past 30 days. Nearly every day, there have been small but important changes either to the functionality or to the User Interface.

Print Button:

We added a print button to the Design Detail page (upper right-corner). If you use this button, rather than the IE, Firefox, or Safari print command, you’ll get an organized page showing both the design and details.

User Interface (UI):

Lots and lots of changes . . .

  • New Design Detail Page with Organized Tabs
  • New Accordion-fold Commands for Filter & Sort and Product Galleries
  • Streamline Gallery Buttons on the Exhibit Design Search Home Page
  • Top 12, Photo, Quick Ship, Exhibit Specials, and Trade Show Tips buttons have a new look and are organized into a convenient bar at the top of the page
  • Streamline “Enlarge” Feature for viewing the main product rendering
  • Embedded Product Videos (where available)
  • “See Photos” link to the corresponding design photos in Past Five Days
  • Accessories and Options Links (we’re still working to add these)
  • Clearer terminology in the menu commands such as “Back to Product Gallery”
  • Cleaner UI for the My Gallery pages

Code:

I’m not going to pretend to describe this in any detail except to say that the underlying code has been re-written and streamlined. This means the pages load faster and future site changes will be much easier. I’ve also seen, although I can’t claim this is happening to your site, that the search engines are having an easier time indexing it.

As always, we welcome your suggestions on how we can improve EDS. We view it as an ongoing work in progress, which means we are always receptive to change. Let me know if you would like to “test drive EDS” at EXHIBITOR. Kevin, Reid, or I would be happy to give you the 0- to-60 “Hold on to Your Dentures Grandma” version. Or, just give me a call. I’m always happy to take EDS out for a spin.

Thanks.

–Mel White
http://www.linkedin.com/in/melmwhite
mel@classicexhibits.com
Classic Exhibits Network (LinkedIn)

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Posted in Exhibit Design Search, Mel White | No Comments »

Aero Portable Table Top Display — Setup Video

March 2nd, 2010 Mel White COMMENTS

This creative video by Mike Swartout, the Classic Design Director, shows how the Aero Table Top assembles. Every Aero Table Top assembles with push-button connectors. The lightweight aluminum frames are then wrapped in tension fabric graphics.

Aero Table Top Displays are designed to be beautiful, adaptable, and recognizable, whether it’s for a trade show or special event. Choose from 14 imaginative designs such as the TF-404, TF-407, TF-411, and TF-414. Aero Displays are economical to own, simple to assemble, and easy to maintain.

To see the full line of Aero Table Top designs, visit http://www.classicexhibits.com/aero-table-top-displays.

To see the video on YouTube, click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iqx9lLP_3ck&fmt=18.

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Posted in Display Videos, Trade Show Exhibit Tips | No Comments »

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