Trade Show TalesBlog

The Bucket List Project Revealed: Word on the Street — Sept. 5th thru Sept. 9th

September 11th, 2011 Mel White 1 COMMENT
Bucket List Project Revealed

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

So . . . here I sit on my way home from what can only be explained as one of the most unique, COOL and special “jobs” I have ever had the opportunity to work on.

A few weeks ago, I described it as a “bucket list” project. But it really became so much more than that. What once started out as a bucket list project quickly turned into one of the longest, hardest and most personally gratifying project/event I have ever been a part of.

PJ20 was the name of the project:  A Celebration of the 20th Anniversary of Pearl Jam. Click Here to see photos.

20 years ago, Eddie Vedder was living in San Diego, writing music, and performing without really much of a band when he submitted a demo tape called the Mommason Demo to Jeff Ament and Stone Goddard of Mother Love Bone. MLB was a local Seattle band that recently suffered the loss of their lead singer Andy Wood.

After receiving the demo tape, they listened to it and heard for the first time tracks such as “Once,” “Alive,| and “Footsteps,” foundational tracks that would later become hits for Pearl Jam. They invited Eddie to Seattle to jam with the band which consisted of Jeff, Stone, Mike, and Jack Irons. If you remember, this was the same time the Seattle Grunge scene was exploding.

Right away, they opened for the likes of Alice in Chains and Soundgarden, but at that time they did not have a band name. So they called themselves “Mookie Blaylock” after the NBA basketball player.

After several shows, they cut their first album, again a foundational album of Rock and Roll for the era. The album was called TEN and they came up with the band name Pearl Jam. And 20 years of great music began, music that was written with the times and their fans in mind.

I was 19 when that album came out, and I will never forget the first time I heard it. It was on cassette, and I was in my car driving around getting ready to make a move to New York. The music spoke to me, moved me, whatever clichés apply. I connected with the music instantly, and for this geek fan, a long-lasting passion was born.

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30 Second Audio Clips in Exhibit Design Search

September 2nd, 2011 Mel White COMMENTS

Audio Clips in EDS

Audio in EDS — Are You Listening?

Exhibit Design Search (EDS) has a new feature — Audio. Now, that may not seem so new, what with the explosion of video, but brief audio clips are an excellent way to communicate product benefits and features. Each audio clip reviews a product line, such as Sacagawea or a specific kit, such as the iPhone VK-1032. The audio complements the renderings and bullet point descriptions, while elaborating on the most important benefits of the product.

As with all EDS features, you’ll see it on the distributor-branded EDS websites as well. It’s an enhancement at no to cost to those distributors who have decided to add this tool to their website toolbox.

The audio clips do not require a media player. They launch in any browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome), the only exception is IE 7 and below (which isn’t supported).

To hear an example(s), click on any of the links below, then click on the triangle below the thumbnail image.

http://www.classicexhibits.com/trade-show-exhibit-design-search/perma/default/vk-1230-sacagawea/2684/

http://www.classicexhibits.com/trade-show-exhibit-design-search/perma/default/vk-1900-segue-inline/3563/

http://www.classicexhibits.com/trade-show-exhibit-design-search/perma/default/vk-5077-island-new/3699/

http://www.classicexhibits.com/trade-show-exhibit-design-search/perma/default/ltk-1118-counter/617/

All the recordings were done by professional voice talent. Yes, we were tempted to put Kevin or Reid in front of a microphone and have them give it their best shot, but in the end, common sense and good taste prevailed. There’s no need to see dogs howl or children cry unnecessarily.

Currently, there are 35 distinct audio clips, with another 15 or so in the works. Not every product has this feature, but we’re working to get that in place no later than January 2012.

Let us know what you think.  We hope you and your clients like what you hear.

–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.

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Quadro Pop Up — FREE Monitor Promotion

August 30th, 2011 Mel White COMMENTS

Quadro Pop Up Promotion

Fall in Love:  Quadro Pop Up FREE Monitor Promotion

Here’s a recent trend that may surprise you:  Half of all Quadro Pop Ups orders include a monitor mount option. That’s true whether it’s a curve or a flat frame, or a Quadro S or a Quadro EO kit. Monitors have become a “gotta have” option for a pop up, and no system makes it easier than Quadro. It makes sense . . . we invented the monitor mount option for flat screen LCD’s and Plasmas for pop ups. In fact, the Quadro S Pop Up Display is the only frame that can handle as many as five monitors. Yes, FIVE!

To make this “gotta have” even more enticing, we’re giving away a FREE Acer 22″ LCD monitor with any Quadro Pop Up that includes the monitor mount option.

Here are the Details:

The promotion runs from 9/1/11 to 10/31/11.

Receive (1) FREE 22″ Monitor with the Purchase of a Quadro S or EO Pop Up with the Monitor Mount option. Basically, we’ll give your customer a free monitor (a $165 value) just for ordering a Quadro display. Heck, they were probably going to order it anyway, but now they’ll feel some extra love from you and Classic.

If your client wants to order additional monitors, to match the look and feel of the free one, that’s cool. We’ll have them available at a slight markup over cost to cover freight and handling ($165 wholesale). And before you ask, because I know you will, the monitor does not fit in the existing roto-molded case (size-wise). Should your client want a separate case for the monitor, please let us know. We know of several options, including shipping it in the existing manufacturer packaging.

Click Here to download the jpg flyer with all the details.

Finally, we’ve created an unbranded version of the promotional e-broadcast so you can add your logo and contact information. Let me know if you want it.

–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.

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Update — When Your Bucket List and Your Job Converge (8/29/11)

August 28th, 2011 Mel White COMMENTS

Kevin's Bucket List Project

Happy Monday to you all. Hope your weekend was good.

Thanks to our wonderful production staff here at Classic and to our Project Manager, Edie Arambula, mine was much less stressful than it certainly could have been. Starting on Friday, I began an annual endurance/idiotic event called the Hood to Coast: a 200 mile run from Mt. Hood to Seaside on the Oregon Coast. And thanks to our great employees, I did not have to worry about work on my Bucket List Project that shipped while my team and I were running.

The project is on the road and should be at its first stop later today to join up with other materials and goods for the event. Then it moves to its final destination tomorrow. Then setup begins.

I thought I would share some quick shots of a few elements. While it may not look like much yet, once it’s all up, in place and fully loaded with the clients own treasured memorabilia it will be outstanding for sure!

Link to P5D

Final footprint size will be 50′ x 100′ x 14 ft. tall at its highest. We should be done with setup and installing all the goodies by Friday afternoon. I will post more pictures as we work through the setup.

Have  a great week.

–Kevin Carty

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When Your Bucket List and Your Job Converge: Word on the Street — August 15th thru August 19th

August 21st, 2011 Mel White COMMENTS
When Your Bucket List and Work Converge

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

Thursday, August 4 at 1 p.m.

I was returning to the office from a lunchtime doctor’s appointment when I got the call. The call came in on my cell phone and was from one of our newer and most consistent Classic Exhibits Distributors. To be honest, my first thought was, “Oh boy, I hope nothing went wrong on our recent project.” The owner normally doesn’t contact me on my cell. Usually their project management staff works directly with our Customer Service team.

So, I answered the phone. And if I told you that the conversion that ensued blew my mind, it would be the understatement of my life. This call was an offer to personally work on a project that I could never have imagined would ever come across my desk. So much so that I literally told our customer that I had to call him back. Then I immediately called home and told my wife, which was hard because I was seriously hyperventilating.

Now let me be very honest about one thing. Aside from family and close friends, this project touches on something that I am passionate about. And, it’s not just something I have a passing knowledge about. I literally know enough to talk about it for weeks on end.

If it sounds like I am being coy or avoiding telling you what this project is — I am. I will tweet about the project as we begin the install on August 31. But nothing before that. 🙂 Personally, this is the project of a lifetime for me. And I will be eternally grateful to our distributor who brought this to me. It’s just one of those things in life that honestly, they could have not picked a better person to project manage.

I have been spending most of my work and free time thinking about this project since August 4, wanting to make it perfect for the end-user. And it’s not like I or we don’t try to do that on all projects, but truthfully, we all know that every once in a while something comes along that hits so close to home that you find yourself going much further with your efforts than you ever even knew you were capable. Purely out of a desire to truly honor the recipient.

Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever been such a huge admirer of something or someone and then been literally given the opportunity to “memorialize” that person, group, or company? Please share your story. And I will do the same over the next two weeks.

I look forward to hearing your stories when you landed the project of a lifetime.

–Kevin Carty

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

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