Most portable displays look portable. That’s always been unfortunate fact. But… what if you could have all the benefits of a portable system, like UPSable roto-molded cases and tool-less assembly, with all the design impact of a modular or custom exhibit? It’s possible with Symphony Portable Displays.
Zero Compromises
Choose from 54 kits or configure the design to meet your unique trade show marketing requirements. With Symphony, there are no compromises, no tradeoffs. Simply a beautiful, upscale display at a price that’s thousands less than most custom modular exhibits.
The Experiential Designers and Producers Association, via their Exhibitor Advocacy Committee, recently published a statement regarding the future of post-pandemic trade shows. It’s a MUST MUST READ.
The first three paragraphs are below with a link to the full statement on the EDPA website.
WHO WE ARE
“The Exhibitor Advocacy Group is an ad hoc group whose members come from the corporate exhibitor community, exhibitor-appointed contractors, unions, show management, and general service contractors. Our mission is to ensure the successful future of trade shows, conventions, congresses, and other face-to-face business events. Our focus is on promoting transparent and reputable business practices, consistent standards, and new business models. We encourage all trade show industry constituents to join us in identifying best practices and helping to build a profitable and equitable industry for all constituencies.”
BACKGROUND
“Before COVID-19, the exhibitor experience on the show floor was deteriorating. Every year, exhibiting costs increased, and issues around transparency, metrics, and cost savings became more problematic. Exclusive show site services from the general contractor like material handling, electrical, and rigging became more complex and expensive, creating a lack of transparency for these services and the associated costs. Leads and data from attendees became proprietary information of show management, and the data was rarely shared so that exhibitors could calculate a meaningful ROI.
Most importantly, there was a significant lack of support from most show management organizations to find cost savings for exhibitors. Instead, the general contractors’ cost savings went to show management and were subsequently recovered through higher costs to exhibitors. Expenses continued to increase without added value. The industry had become stuck in a rut and very hesitant and reluctant to change. Many shows found themselves in a ‘business as usual’ scenario that added no value to anyone – organizer, attendee, or exhibitor.”
The Portable Modular Awards and Find-It Top 40 Presentation will be on Thursday, April 8. Look for an announcement from EXHIBITOR Magazine next week.
Classic Exhibits has supported the PMA’s from the beginning both as a sponsor and as a participant (with 5 finalists this year). We will also be an advertiser during the virtual Facebook presentation.
We gave EXHIBITOR two identical ads but with different music backgrounds. Let’s call one “upbeat” and the other “inspirational.”
Vote
Here’s your chance to vote on which video you like better. Let us know in the comments. Thanks.
Introducing three multi-function Stand Tough™ Sanitizer Stands with tablet, literature, and graphic options. The ideal solution for events, trade shows, and information kiosks.
Ben Hindman of Splash, in a recent article written by Matt Swensen in TSNN, discusses 6 Event Predictions in a post-COVID world. It’s an important read for anyone who organizes or participates in events or trade shows. The full article is HERE.
According to Ben, “My expectation is you’re going to see smaller events coming out front — small is going to be big.“
Ben’s 6 Event Predictions
1. Fortune will favor the first. While not advocating doing anything unsafe, Hindman says the groups that meet the fastest will be strongest in the long run. “There is a real opportunity to capture the hearts and minds of those that are ready to come back into the world,” he said. “The companies that figure out how to hold safe, trustworthy, relevant and valuable events, are going to have an opportunity to recapture and rebuild a community of attendees — an audience that is going to skyrocket their event programs over the next couple of years.”
2. Pre-meeting communities will emerge. Building trust, as noted above, is vital to nudge attendees back to IRL — in real life — events. One way to build comradery ahead of the in-person component with a virtual meeting. Attendees get to know each other in this early networking session and help set boundaries for face-to-face. It’s a wonder this was not utilized prior to COVID.
3. Hybrid will split in different directions. Hindman loves lists, to the point he has categorized various hybrid offerings. “Hub-and-spoke” is how he describes the model many of us are accustomed to, namely with concurrent events happening in-person and online. “Hybrid livestream” is a variation of this, but with presenters at one venue but the audience remains at home. “Hybrid interactive” features in-person guests interacting with virtual attendees but “I actually haven’t seen a great product for that,” Hindman noted. Lastly, there is “hybrid parallel” in which the tracts hardly integrate, which Hindman said is a precursor to moving entirely online. There are opportunities for both in-person and online guests to find each other, but they are separate event experiences happening in parallel.
4. Bad meetings will fall to the wayside. “There are so many sh*tty events and you can feel free to quote me on that,” Hindman said. More eloquently, the Splash CEO clarified that many events have lost their path and there is no particular need to meet in-person versus online. Between inertia, health concerns and economic realities, attendees will skip any show they are on the fence about. The meandering shows will be gone. “That’s a good thing,” he added.
5. Connections will overtake content. Event companies have filled quiet time with content — webinars, podcasts, virtual events, etc. — since the pandemic began. The emphasis for face-to-face will turn toward networking, Hindman said. “The host of organizers of the future are going to spend as much time on connection as they do on content, if not more,” he said. “That’s connected to the unique value” of an event.
6. The bar will be raised. “I am seeing a deeper craving for the in-person experience as I’ve ever seen,” he said. Yet the expectations are going to be different. Attending in-person will have to be worth the ROI. That places the burden on event organizers to raise a show’s engagement level, which benefits exhibitors, buyers and other attendees. In some ways, the past 12 months have emphasized what we missed most of all. “There is a lot of value in this reset,” Hindman said.
