Trade Show TalesBlog

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

February 6th, 2010 Mel White 3 COMMENTS
Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

The Best “Pre-Show Marketing” I Have Ever Seen

After 15 years in the trade show industry, I don’t consider myself an expert, but I am a pretty good judge of certain things — like pre-show marketing.

In late December and early January, I witnessed one of the very best ever. It was created and implemented by Griffin Technology, an aftermarket accessory provider for iPods, iPhones, Blackberrys, and the upcoming iPad. And it was implemented specifically to generate buzz and traffic for their booth at CES 2010.

The Griffin Team clearly put a lot of thought and effort into making this happen, including tapping into two of the most prevalent mediums in our society today: Social Media and Reality Television.

Griffin Pre-show Marketing

Griffin Pre-show Marketing

The Griffin team created the website www.cesbound.com. It was a Griffin Technology meets The Real World experiment. Griffin employees would travel from their home office in Nashville, Tennessee to Las Vegas for CES. All the while, they would document their road trip via social media sites like Twitter.

To start, they acquired a beat-up old VW Bus and started “tweeting” and posting YouTube videos as they restored the van to look like a Griffin marketing piece on wheels. Then, they totally outfitted the van with Griffin products so they could “stay connected” on their journey. Product placement in action!

Equipped with a loyal following on Twitter and YouTube, they set out to drive from Tennessee to Vegas for CES minus all the gratuitous interpersonal crap you expect from reality television shows. Much to the contrary. It was a small group of employees on an adventure that would end up creating an unbelievable buzz at CES 2010.

I will not spoil the whole story, because you really need to go back and follow it for yourself. Whether it was the highlights from national monuments like the Alamo or the Grand Canyon, or simple stuff like stopping for some chow at Popeye’s along the way, or the Mexican Wresting Mask that made several appearances, CES attendees followed them religiously, always checking to see the latest video, photo, or blog posts.

Griffin Technology CES 2010

Griffin Technology CES 2010

All of this concluded with them driving the VW Bus onto the show floor  and placing it in their booth along side their two-story exhibit. I would be remiss if I did not mention that Classic Exhibits Rentals provided them with their exhibit. The project came to us from Carol Larimore and the team from Tradeshow Stop in Nashville. The final exhibit was spectacular! Evidence of the thought and care put into the project by Carol and her team. See the photos in P5D by clicking on the photo.

In the end, when CES 2010 opened the first day, Griffin was swamped with people who had been following them along the way. These were people who had been entertained not only by the personalities of the employees that embarked on the trip, but also by the product used during the trip.

The show was an enormous success for Griffin. And in the end, those of us who have ever taken a road trip of any length know that the overall expense must have been a fraction of what it would have been through traditional advertising and pre-show marketing.

It was a true example of thinking way outside the box.

Let me know what you think. What are some truly “unique” pre-show marketing plans you have seen implemented. Both good and bad.

Please share your comments via the blog comment section and have a safe and restful weekend!

–Kevin Carty

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

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Classic Exhibits, ClassicMODUL, and EXHIBITOR2010

February 4th, 2010 Mel White COMMENTS
EXHIBITOR 2010

EXHIBITOR 2010 in Las Vegas

In case you were wondering, we will be in Las Vegas at EXHIBITOR2010 from March 15-17. You can find us at booth #929, a 20′ x 30′ island. Just turn left once you enter the hall and look for the large pinwheel hanging sign with the distinctive (and always attractive) Classic logo.

We will have multiple workstations in the booth so you can explore our extensive product line. The sweet spot for Classic the past twelve months has been our affordable portable hybrid exhibits such as Perfect 10, Magellan, and Sacagawea. You’ll also see our new line of Segue Silicone Edge Graphic (SEG) aluminum extrusion profiles. No one has a larger assortment of SEG solutions than Classic, and no other exhibit builder has our expertise in shaping and bending metal. Not to brag, but we’re pretty darn good at it!

And, if you like the booth, it’s for rent. It’s one of the many island and inline displays in our extensive rental inventory.

For Classic and ClassicMODUL Distributors:

las-vegas-and-classicThe booth this year will include a semi-private conference room so if you would like to schedule a meeting with Kevin, Mel, Reid, or Jim Shelman during show hours, please let us know. Obviously, we are very happy to meet with you in the booth or before or after show hours. After all, we’re there for you . . . and the food and the drinks and the Vegas nightlight. But mostly for you.

You are also invited to our hospitality suite on Tuesday. The suite will open shortly after the show closes that day. Stop by the booth, and we’ll let you know the room number at Mandalay Bay. The suite is always an excellent opportunity to spend time with your industry friends and meet new people. And, it’s just about the only place in Vegas where you can get a free drink and not gamble.

We look forward to seeing you in about a month. And remember, the more you purchase from Classic and ClassicMODUL over the next 30 days, the larger the drink we’ll pour you. Don’t make us serve you wine in a thimble.

See you there!

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Word on the Street — January 25th thru January 29th

January 31st, 2010 Mel White COMMENTS

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

Presentation Surprises!

Let’s face it . . . it has happened to all of us.

  1. Your shipment of samples is lost by UPS or FedEx. Or, if they are packed with your luggage, your luggage arrives in Dallas but you are in Pittsburgh and on your way to Baltimore.
  2. Your presentation files are corrupted.
  3. You stop by just to “see how things are going.” It’s supposed to be a casual meeting with the “team” only to discover that the “team” is an audience of 30 people expecting a full-blown presentation.
  4. You go into a meeting planning to present one thing, only to find out that the audience is expecting something entirely different.
  5. Take your pick:  Your laptop crashes. The projector blows a bulb. The internet connection is down or is so slow that you start talking in single Slow-Mo syllables as each page loads.

The list could go on forever.

So what do you do? Here are a couple quick things that can help . . .

  1. I always have a copy of my presentation and website on a thumb drive. That way if either 2, 4 or 5 happen, you can react quickly and have something to show your audience. If you are like me and you travel a lot, you know that things get lost. Last year alone, this happen to me four times! What saved me was the ability to pull up images and a static version of our website off a thumb drive. This allows you to present, even if you do not have your samples or your laptop. You can drop the thumb drive into any machine and you are off and running.
  2. Always have at least 2 or 3 presentations available. Call them “canned” or whatever, but they are presentations that you can always fall back on in an emergency.

Last year I was set to present to a large group about doing business with Classic. For about two years, we had worked with a few folks within the business, but this was my opportunity to show the entire staff our capabilities. I was psyched, since this represented a potentially large account.

So I arrived and set up my laptop and projector, got all my samples out and placed them around the room, and then the staff arrived. I started with the history of the company, and iust as I was about to talk about the product lines and capabilities, one of the Senior Executives raised his hand and said,  “Kevin, I don’t mean to interrupt, but everyone here has a solid understanding of all that Classic can do from the purchase side of things. We held a separate meeting last week just to cover that. What we really wanted to learn about today was your Rental Program. Can you take the hour and get us educated on that specifically?”

Initially, to be honest, I was a little disappointed. I was ready to WOW them with the Classic pitch. And, I was a little irritated that no one had informed me that the meeting was to focus on rentals. But then I remembered that I had a presentation on my laptop that was just for rentals. In no time, I pulled up that PowerPoint and spent the h next hour covering exactly what they wanted to hear from me.

How about you? What do you do when the game changes at the drop of a hat?

Please share your comments via the blog comment section and have a safe and restful weekend!

–Kevin Carty

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

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Word on the Street — January 18th thru January 22nd

January 24th, 2010 Mel White 2 COMMENTS
Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously!

Those who know me, know that I don’t take myself too seriously. The same can be said about Classic Exhibits. Just look at our recent contest “Find Reid’s Head.” Clearly, we are laughing at ourselves while making a point about Exhibit Design Search. And it’s not just about picking on Reid. 🙂 While he’s a great sport about these sorts of things, so are the rest of us. Need I remind you of the AeroMan campaign several years ago. You remember, the one where I was portrayed as a cartoon superhero — Defender of Hanging Signs and Lightweight Tabletops. Sheesh!

(Still looking for Reid’s Head in Exhibit Design Search? There’s a hint in the first paragraph.)

That said, you also know we are very serious about what we do. We take our responsibility as a designer, builder, and marketer of portable, modular, and hybrid exhibits very seriously. We are dedicated to you and to your customers. But balance, just as in our personal lives, is the key to a successful work life. After all, we spend at least one-third of our lives at work or working, another third sleeping, and the remainder doing what we love in our personal lives. So our attitude, which is probably no different than yours, is that we might as well have fun when we’re at work.

AeroMan -- Defender of Hanging Signs

AeroMan -- Defender of Hanging Signs

Personally and professionally, I have no desire to be a stiff. Sorry, but that’s how I would characterize it. If I am going to spend 50-60 hours a week working, then I am going to have fun and enjoy what I do. Too many companies in this business see themselves as “corporate.”  They may have a party once a year, but otherwise they are paragons of control, aloofness, and authority. When they speak, you listen . . . silently. Laughter, silliness, and parody are not part of their Corporate Culture — especially when it comes to their interaction with distributors.

We believe that our relationship should be based on Who We Are. Does that mean that we sometimes “cross the line”? Sometimes. But it’s a risk that applies to everything we do. Without that willingness to “cross the line” there wouldn’t be Perfect 10, Magellan, Sacagawea, or the countless other designs that have defined Classic in recent years. Without that willingness to expose ourselves, there wouldn’t be Past Five Days, Exhibit Design Search, Design Monday, and the Trade Show Tales blog.

I take a lot of pride in what we do, and I often hear you comment about how easy it is to work with Classic. You tell us “we’re flexible, we’re accommodating, we’re receptive. That tells me we’re not a bunch of stiffs. It also tells me that we see each request as a chance to solve your unique display challenge and not force it into a neatly defined Classic box. Now I could be wrong here, but I firmly believe that our willingness not to take ourselves too seriously, means in some odd way, that we take your projects very, very seriously. While I don’t expect to see that rule in a Tom Peters’ management book, it works for us.

But that’s just me. What about you?

Please share your comments via the blog comment section and have a safe and restful weekend!

–Kevin Carty

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

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Annual State of the Company Letter from Kevin Carty

January 19th, 2010 Mel White COMMENTS
Kevin Carty, VP of Sales

Kevin Carty, VP of Sales

Thankfully, 2009 is in the rear view mirror. It was a rough but enlightening year.

How did Classic do in 2009? There’s both a short and a long answer. As you may recall, Classic Exhibits began developing a series of affordable hybrid exhibit solutions in 2008, starting with the Perfect 10 Portable Hybrid Display. In 2009, we added the Magellan Miracle, MOR, and Sacagawea. This push will continue in 2010 with the Segue, but more on that later. So the simple answer is . . . as the market downsized and orders for larger exhibits decreased, portable hybrids became our bread and butter. Thankfully, we were prepared to handle this shift with fresh designs and competitive prices.

Now, here’s the longer answer . . . .

Social Media
Social Media was the buzzword in 2009, and Classic wasn’t shy about using it to communicate with distributors and industry partners. I have to admit that I didn’t understand it at first, and I had no desire to “Tweet” or “Blog.” But I have found it to be effective and pretty fun, whether it’s our activity in Twitter, our new Classic Exhibits Group on LinkedIn, or our blog, Trade Show Tales.

Trade Show Tales, in particular, has been quite the hit. Whether we are writing about some of the industry’s most sensitive issues such as Bundling or just posting a whimsical article regarding “Trade Show Fashion Do’s and Don’ts,” the blog gives Classic, Classic Distributors, and Industry Partners another avenue in which to communicate and share ideas.

Rentals

With a downturn in the economy comes less spending on new exhibits. The ClassicExhibits/Exhibits NW Rental division really stepped up in the past 12 months. Looking back at their creations from the past year, I am amazed at how many of those displays were rentals. It certainly explains why the rental division had such a banner year. Kudos to Jim Shelman, James Sharpe, and the rental crew for their amazing job in 2009.

Rental Exhibits from Classic

Rental Exhibits from Classic

For a peek at the rental designs from last year, go to Past Five Days and type “rentals” in the search tool.

Distributor and Partnership Development

You could feel the love in 2009. There was a palatable sense of “we are in this together, so let’s find ways to make it beneficial for us all . . . without sacrificing our margins.” For companies unwilling to “partner” with distributors or for those who didn’t have a history of reaching out to friends and colleagues, 2009 had to be a painful, lonely year. It was not the year or the market to go it alone.

Partnership development was not just with distributors. Classic spent a lot of time deepening its relationships with existing vendor partners as well as opening doors to new relationships. This manifested itself in the development of new “joint products”as well as partnering on larger inventory buys to help decrease raw costs, allowing us to continue to offer competitive pricing.

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