If you’re not attending EXHIBITORLIVE, Classic Exhibits still wants you to experience it. On Tuesday, November 2, Kevin Carty will host a live one-hour virtual tour at 10 am PST/1 pm EST. You’ll see the Classic booth, chat with some interesting guests, and walk the floor. All live… so it’s bound to be entertaining. ALL are WELCOME!
Topics:
Day One Review of Show (attendees, traffic flow, atmosphere)
Current Protocols on the Show Floor
Trends in Exhibit Design from the Show Floor
Feedback from Attendees
Be sure to add the Live Feed to your calendar. November 2 at 10 am PST.
Thirty-two months have passed since EXHIBITORLIVE
2019… Nearly three years. We understand not everyone will be attending for a
variety of logistical, financial, and personal reasons. And that’s OK. For
those who will be in Las Vegas, either as an attendee or an exhibitor, let’s connect
– before, during, or after show hours.
The Classic EXHIBITORLIVE team will be Kevin Carty, Mel White, Jim Shelman, Jen LaBruzza, Katina Rigall Zipay, and Harold Mintz.
For those not attending, we will be hosting a live feed on
Tuesday. See below for details.
Booth Space and Times
Classic Exhibits, Booth 324
To visit the Classic booth, turn right and head to the perimeter wall, a 10 x 30 booth (#324). We have lots and lots to show you, like the NEW Symphony Portable System. We’ll also have examples of the tool-less Gravitee Wall System and SuperNova Lightbox, along with a wireless charging table, hand sanitizer stand, and custom counter.
If you are unavailable during normal show hours, visit us during the Strategic Partner hours: Monday 4 – 5:30 pm and Tuesday 8:30 – 10 am. And if those don’t work, then contact us. Each of us has our secret hiding place before and after show hours where we’ll be happy to treat you to a coffee or a drink. If you get there on Sunday, Jim and Mel will be in Las Vegas pretending it’s not Halloween. Harold will be wearing his Sam Elliot costume. As usual.
Our Live Feed, Tuesday November 2
If you’re not going to the show, Classic still wants you to experience EXHIBITORLIVE. On Tuesday, November 2, Kevin will host a live one-hour chat. He’ll stroll through the show and meet and greet attendees and exhibitors. You’ll see the Classic booth, chat with some interesting guests, and walk the floor. All live… so it’s bound to be entertaining (and perhaps a little post-Halloween scary).
Topics:
Day One Review of Show (attendees, traffic flow, atmosphere)
Surprise. Surprise. Our entry is the Symphony Portable Display System. We won’t launch into a sales pitch, which took an impressive amount of self-control.
Instead, we invite you to visit the New Product Showcase page and scroll past the losers to the “S” listing. Yes, that was mean and snarky, but we’re not in the New Product Showcase for a participation trophy. We intend to win!
If you happen to see any of the judges roaming the floor, don’t be shy about asking them if they’ve seen the remarkable
Treasure Hunt w/ Prizes
Who doesn’t love a Treasure Hunt where winning valuable
prizes is only half the fun? We do! And you will too!
Captello, a lead capture and interactive gaming company, has organized a treasure hunt with 10 stops. Simply visit the Captello booth to get started (#942 and #544), and then scan the QR codes at each stop, like at Classic Exhibits.
For bonus points, Classic Exhibits has designed a Symphony Memory Match game. Complete it in 2 minutes or less and you’re on your way to winning a year’s supply of Rice-a-Roni, the San Francisco Treat. Or something like that. The details are a little fuzzy to us right now.
If you want to play the Memory Match for fun, click on this LINK. But be warned. It’s a little addictive.
WIE Booth and Breakfast
The Women in Exhibitions annual breakfast will be on Tuesday, November 2 from 8-10 am at the Border Grill in Mandalay Bay. Register HERE:
The discussion topic will be “5 Key Skillsets to Know and
Hone Now” with an expert panel consisting of:
Moderator: Liz Nacron, Partner, President Creative and Production, Live Marketing
Kent Agramonte, Marketing Director, beMatrix USA
Jen LaBruzza, Holistic Health Coach and National Sales Manager, Classic Exhibits
Anne Trompeter, Partner, Strategic Account Development, Live Marketing
Kelly Noonan, Global Event Marketing Manager, Tate&Lyle
You can also visit the WIE at booth #1428 on the EXHIBITORLIVE show floor. WIE can’t wait to see you there!
The Best Exhibit Designs Make an Emotional Connection
How do you create a design the client loves without multiple meetings and revisions?
Get the designer and the decision-maker to talk to one another. It works! It’s why the designers at Classic want to be on phone calls with our distributors and their clients. We are happy to be introduced as YOUR DESIGNER. In fact, we are your designers so there’s no need to pretend! If for logistical reasons it’s not possible to have a designer participate in a discovery call with the client, the next best thing is to Answer These 15 Questions (in no particular order).
15 Essential Exhibit Design Questions
1. Does your company have branding guidelines/logo or graphic files/website address? Can you share these files?
2.What size is the exhibit? Do you plan to reconfigure the exhibit for other shows? If so, what sizes? Knowing this will guide both the design and the choice of materials.
3.What is the budget? This is essential. Still undecided about an exact budget? The next best option is a workable budget range. No exhibitor wants to be surprised with a beautiful booth outside their budget or underwhelmed by a booth designed for a lower budget.
4. Do you want to purchase or rent? Or a combination of both? This assists the designer in choosing material and designing to a specific budget.
5. What physical properties does the exhibit need to have? For example, workstations, counters, slatwall, semi-private or private conference area, monitors, storage, etc? This information allows the designer to create a functional trade show design.
6. What type of display have you used in the past? Are you looking for something similar or different? What did you like or not like about the previous booth?
7. Are there any materials or construction methods you prefer? Are you looking for something similar or different? Many experienced exhibitors have a strong attraction or aversion to specific materials.
8. Are there any unusual dimensional restrictions? Can you provide show regulations? Some shows have unusual restrictions for the height of the booth or setbacks from the aisle.
9.Do you show product(s)? What are the dimensions and specifications? How do you prefer to show the products? Display cases, counter top, shelves, hooks, etc.?
10. Does the display need to be portable or modular? Does it need to ship via FedEx or UPS or are you OK with packing in custom crates? This will guide our use of materials.
11.Who will assemble the display: show labor or your own team? We have great solutions for both scenarios.
12. Do you have any images of design elements you like? Even if these “inspiration images” are not trade show related, they are very helpful. For example, architectural elements, finishes, colors, natural elements, retail environments, etc.
13.Design Due Date? Typically, designs are completed within a few business days. However, every project and every client has their own timeline. We do our best to accommodate requested timelines.
14.Show Opening Date? So very important! Creating the design and them building it depends on the time frame. Designers can make material selections which will go a long way toward meeting a three-week vs. a three-month window.
And My Personal Favorite:
15. Are there any descriptive words you use to describe your company? What do you want visitors to your booth to “feel” about your company? From “opulent” to “bad-ass,” we have heard some interesting descriptors, and this gives the designer the insight to craft a personalized, experiential space.
Are there any other questions on your “must ask” list? I’d love to hear them if you do! Leave me a comment or connect with me at Katina@classicexhibits.com.
So you bought or are renting a new trade show exhibit. It is exciting the possibilities in front of you. When you are on the trade show floor you have one chance to capture someone’s attention. The structure is just part of it. The bigger thing?
Trade Show Graphics!
Let’s talk graphic design. What do you think of when you hear someone is a graphic designer? Do you think about logos? Websites? Flyers? Social Media? Here is what I think (I really should say know, but I don’t want to sound arrogant).
Graphic Design is TOO broad of a category. Let’s run a little scenario. You have a “marketing firm”. That marketing firm helps you with campaigns, print campaigns, email campaigns, social media campaigns, maybe some logo design and other fun things like that. Then you decide it is time to update your trade show exhibit. Who do you turn to? Your marketing agency?
Alternatively, it seems like many recent marketing graduates or unemployed graphic designer has created a home based business to offer graphic design services to companies. Be very careful hiring these people without vetting them first. I am all about entrepreneurship, but your trade show graphics will have a HUGE impact on your success at a trade show.
Let me tell you a little secret. DESIGNING FOR TRADE SHOW DISPLAYS IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THAN ANYTHING ELSE! We have seen trade show graphics that read like a marketing flyer. We have seen backwall graphics that are so busy with lifestyle or action shots and color that your brain goes, ‘WHHHOOOOOAAAA”, just looking at it.
Graphic Design Tips and Advice
You have 2.5 seconds to catch someone’s eye at a trade show or event. Here are some high level things to consider.
People are NOT going to read all your copy. Your trade show exhibit is not a marketing flyer. Yes, I will say this multiple times.
Putting graphics behind a counter or a table? The graphics are lost.
Trying to align images (depending on the system) across structural seams is VERY difficult for fabric graphics.
Putting messaging on the bottom of your display? No one will see them.
Busy, busy, busy graphics with lots of images, color and text will be ignored (unless that is part of your brand).
Images from a website or print media do not generally enlarge well for trade show exhibits.
A jpeg of your logo may not enlarge well.
We have had numerous interactions with “trade show exhibit graphic designers” over the years. Based on the questions they ask and the designs they create, it’s often pretty clear they do not specialize in trade show graphic design. It is a completely different animal from digital marketing, website, or even print marketing.
If you are designing new graphics for a trade show exhibit, here are a couple of suggestions.
Ask for references from your agency of choice for large format, trade show exhibit design clients.
Check their website. A bullet item that says they do trade show booths or graphics, doesn’t mean they excel at trade show graphics.
Check their website or ask them for examples of previous trade show work.
If most of their work is digital marketing, web design and social media marketing? Find another designer. Your bank account will thank you. Your patience will thank you.
Make sure you have a library of your marketing assets, logo source files, high resolution images etc.
Tried and True Suggestions
Here are some simple, tried and true suggestions for trade show graphic design.
Trade show graphics are meant to be viewed from 6 ft. or more away.
Don’t use strange fonts or fancy fonts.
Put important messages or images, like your logo, up high for visibility.
Use white or empty space. Don’t be afraid of white space.
Reference/use PMS colors to be sure to stay true to your brand.
Less is more. Don’t try to put an entire flyer on your trade show graphic.
If this is for a large exhibit, make sure your graphics have a plan and/or coherency, don’t just place random product images on a wall because the wall is there. Have a plan. Be purposeful with your graphics.
If you need help with trade show graphic design? I recommend starting with your trade show exhibit company. A good partner should have resources or recommendations that they know have experience in large format, trade show exhibit design.
Total Displays can help. Contact us a sales@totaldisplays.com or 952-941-4511 to set up a free design consultation call. Click HERE to see more blog posts from Lori Hanken
As many of you have heard, I’m retiring and calling it a career. It’s been a fantastic 27-year run working in the trade show and events industry for some great companies including Eco-Systems Sustainable and Classic Exhibits. I’m leaving with many great memories and with more friendships than I can count. Our industry has some of the hardest working, creative, and caring people I’ve encountered in my 45-year working career, and I feel blessed to have stumbled into this crazy industry! The past 18 months have been difficult for all of us, but it has brought to light the true collaboration and culture of Classic and Classic Distributor Partners. It was pretty amazing to witness!
Having traveled extensively over the years, I’ve seen the United States through the lens of airports, hotels, convention centers, and businesses, and it’s time to hit the road and see what the country looks like outside of these areas. You never know… I might stop by and regale you with stories about a giant ball of twine or other amazing sights in the US.
Your friendship and support over the years made my decision to retire very difficult, but I will stay involved with the Midwest EDPA Chapter and hopefully attend future EXHIBITORLIVE shows so I look forward to connecting down the road. I’ll say good-bye for now and leave you in the capable hands of Jen, Harold, and Mel.
