Trade Show TalesBlog

New Outdoor Display Products Gallery

March 28th, 2012 Mel White 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

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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.

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“I’m So Sweaty!”: Word on the Street — March 19th thru March 23rd

March 25th, 2012 Mel White 3 COMMENTS
I'm So Sweaty

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

Is it Just Me?

As many of you know I have twins, Nicholas and Presley. They are five now, and while they have always provided comic relief, they seem to be taking it to a whole new level. This week, rather than talk about business, I want to share a story that recently happened at home.

Now that the kids have turned five, they are much more aware of their actions . . . which means they are more easily embarrassed by what they say and do. I’d like to think my wife and I are good parents and don’t ever embarrass our children. But it’s hard sometimes to suppress the laughter. Our kids are at the stage where they try to cover up when they’ve “flubbed,” especially if it is something they feel they have outgrown.

On a weekday morning about a month ago, my alarm went off at 5 am, waking both my wife and me. We were chatting until we heard a noise. It was my son’s door opening. Now if my son hears us, he’ll come in the bedroom, and my wife has no chance of getting back to sleep. So we tried to be quiet, which of course didn’t work. Most kids are chatty, but Nicholas is a talker, like his dad. He loves to share, and it didn’t take long before he wandered into our bedroom.

“Dad? You awake?”

“Sure dude. What’s up?”

“My room is sooooo hot! I can’t sleep. It’s sooo hot.”

Now this seemed a little odd to me. So I said to Nicholas, “We set the temperature the same every night buddy, so I can’t imagine why it’s so hot in your room.”

“Well,” (after a long pause) “I am so SWEATY, not so much here” (he points to his shoulders and chest), “and not so much here” (he points to his head) . . . “but HERE!” (he makes a large circular motion around his crotch).

Nicholas "Darth Vader" Carty

As anyone who has kids knows, this moment is one of the BIG tests of your parenting skills. You want to laugh even at the risk of emotionally scarring your child for life. It’s funny. Really funny. I can hear my wife smile; she has her back turned away from Nicholas. But I don’t smile or laugh. I say to Nicholas, knowing what happened and that he is clearly embarrassed, “Did you wet the bed pal?”

“NO Daddy. It’s just SOOO hot. So hot that my crotch is all sweaty.” Again, he explains where on his body it “is” and “is not so much” sweaty. Chest, shoulders, head. No. The circular middle section. Yes.

I try not to laugh, but it’s hard. Again I say, “Dude, if you peed the bed it’s OK. It happens.”

“NO!” he says. “I just have a really sweaty crotch Dad.”

I follow Nicholas into his bedroom. Ya gotta give the kid credit. He knows how to sweat. There’s a sweat stain the size of Wisconsin in the bed.

What’s the best part of this story? In about 16 years, Nicholas will bring his college girlfriend home to meet us. The word “perspiration” or “sweat” will be mentioned in some innocent context, and, I will no longer care about not embarrassing my son. The phrase, “I am so SWEATY, not so much here, but HERE” will be repeated again and again.

Please share. I could use some sound parental advice. And a good laugh.

–Kevin Carty

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

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An Exceptional Video from Display Supply and Lighting (DS&L)

March 22nd, 2012 Mel White COMMENTS

Display Supply and Lighting Video

Rob Cohen, from Display Supply and Lighting (a strategic partner of Classic Exhibits), sent us this video. It’s so well done that we just had to share. Here’s a summary what you’ll see, along with a little “smooth salesmanship” from Mr. Rob.

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What did DS&L do at EXHIBITOR Show 2012? DS&L challenged attendees to THINK, IMAGINE, and CREATE what can be done with creative lighting products and design assistance from DS&L.

The focus of this video piece is on the back wall. This Classic Exhibits structure, covered with a tension fabric designed and produced by Optima Graphics (top and bottom pieces), was the centerpiece of this exhibit.

The top of the back wall was front lit with our new LED8822 arm lights. This is the highest light output LED arm light in the marketplace, providing the light equivalent output of a 125 watt halogen lamp. The fixture is a fully listed, ETL approved product with an integrated custom heat sink. The LED board uses all silicone coated diodes so there is no breakage of LED’s with this product when in transit. Compare this to anything else offered in the market and you will not find a better product.

The back wall contained two different lighting systems to demonstrate different ways of lighting the same exhibit property.

The first lighting system used our Flex product. These are programmable LED nodes on wires. Each individual node can be addressed by the controller and told what to do. As a result you get the ultimate flexibility in programming to really paint your canvas with programmable LED lighting.

The second lighting system used our linear Fuse product. The top and bottom of the lower graphic was lined with this linear, programmable product and you can see the smashing color changing, washing, and fading effects in this video.

Of course even more was being shown.  The four cubes in front were manufactured by Classic Exhibits and the graphic inserts were printed by Optima Graphics. Inside each cube, different color temperatures of white light were used to visually teach attendees the different effect that color temperatures have on illuminating an object. The far left was warm white products at 2700 degrees kelvin, the next cube was lit at 3500 degrees kelvin, the next was a neutral white 4100 degrees kelvin, and the far right cube was daylight at 6000 degrees kelvin.

Bring your design ideas to DS&L and see what we can do to help bring your designs to life with vibrant lighting solutions.

–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.

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There’s a New Regime in Town: Word on the Street — March 12 thru March 16

March 18th, 2012 Mel White 4 COMMENTS
There's a New Regime in Town

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

A Fly in the Ointment

As you all know, I think EXHIBITOR Show 2012 was AMAZING. But it did not go off without a hitch. It had nothing to do with the organizers. They did a fantastic job! It had to do with the local union steward unfortunately.

Here is the deal. There is a new regime in the local Las Vegas union, which at first glance and given the economic hardships of the past three years would lead you to believe that positive change is coming.  Unfortunately NO. And to make matters worse, the union leadership decided to flex their muscle at an industry event. To me that is counterintuitive, but to them it made perfect sense. Let me explain.

As we always do, we hired an independent labor contractor. On Day One, our setup crew was approached by the local union rep and told that the two Classic employees could not touch anything and had to stop working. In VEGAS? Really! That has never been the case. You could always have at least one employee assisting, and there were three union laborers working on our exhibit at the time. When questioned, the response was — “Read your Show Book for starters, and secondly, there is a new regime in town and we know that the Exhibit Builders are the worst offenders so we are making a stand. The idea is that you will go back and let your clients know that Vegas is tightening the reigns.”

Again, this confuses me. Isn’t it the exhibit builders, exhibit industry vendors, and show organizers that help to make sure that trade shows are in VEGAS and other cities? Are we not sending bigger and better business your way every year? It seems odd that the union leadership would want to send the “wrong message” to your industry colleagues, especially when, after reading the show book, we were following the rules.

Like I said, EXHIBITOR was an amazing show. One that we should be very proud of, but there was one black eye. What have we learned from the Great Recession? Clearly not everyone in our industry is on the same page, the page that says let’s keep moving this train forward in a positive fashion. We want everyone to continue working, the industry to grow, but we can’t do that unless (at the end of the pipe) it’s the best possible experience for our customers, the exhibitor. If you treat your family like this, I am pretty sure you treat those outside the family even worse.

To be fair, after a very strong push-back by our I&D lead, the union steward did relent a little. But he was clearly not happily.

Sorry to vent after such a great week in Vegas. But it just baffled me.

Be well!

–Kevin Carty

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

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Posted in Kevin Carty, Word on the Street | 4 Comments »

What Really Goes On at Conventions in Vegas

March 12th, 2012 Mel White 1 COMMENT

Vegas, Conventions, and . . . .

I’m back from EXHIBITOR, jazzed about the trade show industry and excited about what 2012 brings . . . then I stumble into this story on BusinessWeek.com. Joe Stein, the author, agreed to go to seven conventions in three days in Las Vegas. That’s just plain crazy. Heck, I can’t even go to seven fast food joints in three days without suffering from intestinal rumba.

Nevertheless, it’s a good read . . . even if he takes the easy path with some very, very broad generalizations.

What Really Goes On at Conventions in Vegas

“I am stuck on this convention floor because I agreed to go to seven conventions in three days to better understand a business that is as important to Las Vegas as the card tables, and presumably important to the 4.5 million conventioneers who come here each year and spend double what tourists do, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. When the convention hours end, some will indeed go mad, like escaped monkeys.” [click to read the full article]

Got a bone to pick with his analysis. Be sure to leave a comment at BusinessWeek.

–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.

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Posted in Mel White, Trade Show Exhibit Tips | 1 Comment »

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