Trade Show TalesBlog

What You Should Know about Event and Trade Show Etiquette

September 2nd, 2009 Mel White 4 COMMENTS

Magellan VK-2048 Trade Show Exhibits

  • Booth etiquette refers to the conduct, presentation, and performance of your booth staff
  • An exhibit is a public stage and you are the host—be gracious, be knowledgeable
  • Set clear expectations and measurable goals for your exhibit staff and conduct training
  • Use off hours effectively to help achieve your company’s exhibit marketing objectives
  • Be discrete and professional. You never know who is watching, who is listening

You have worked hard to design the perfect exhibit and the most effective marketing materials, but your performance in the booth—how your staff greets and assists attendees—will determine whether your show is a success. Booth etiquette refers to the conduct, presentation, and performance of your booth staff. The following are commonsense booth etiquette tips.

Booth Etiquette Tips

Make no mistake about it, trade show attendees and your competition are monitoring your behavior. Your exhibit is a public stage, and you are the host. As such, you and your staff must behave with the warmth and graciousness expected of a host. These include: 

  • Humility
  • Active Listening
  • Genuineness
  • Hospitality
  • Graciousness and empathy

Your staff is nice but are they knowledgeable, personable, and presentable? As company representatives, your staff should also demonstrate the following professional characteristics: Read the rest of this entry »

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Word on the Street — August 24th thru August 28th

August 28th, 2009 Mel White COMMENTS
Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

Who is Classic Exhibits?

The headline this week is clearly self-promoting. But there’s a good reason. Last week, we talked about the upturn in business. This week, the upturn continued, so much of my time was devoted to orders, quotes, and production. 

During the busy season, I am frequently reminded, often by distributors, of all the reasons that Classic is different, so indulge me for a few minutes while I discuss “Nimble Manufacturing,” a core concept at Classic Exhibits.

Nimble Manufacturing  

We are a nimble manufacturer. What does that mean? In short, we are a not only a Manufacturer of Portable, Modular, Custom Modular and Custom Hybrid Displays, but we are also an Exhibit Builder. This is an important distinction that needs to be made when comparing Classic Exhibits to our competitors.

Do we design and manufacture “kits”? Yep!  Lots of them. In our humble opinion, we design and manufacture the most creative line of exhibit kits in the world. 

Being nimble is important. When you decide to be an exhibit builder and a kit builder, you have to be willing to be nimble, creative, AND reasonable. For example, let’s say your client wants a 10 x 20 Magellan Hybrid Kit, but they want it modified. They want the counter top lime green (not standard black), and they want to move one of the interior uprights 6″ to better fit their graphic layout requirements. We do it . . . and we do without major upcharges or ridiculous turnaround times. In our minds, why make it painful if it doesn’t have to be. In this case, we can get the laminate in a couple of days, and we have everything it takes to reconfigure the metal, so why demand a huge upcharge? If we have to air freight in the laminate, there may be a fee to cover the shipping.  But other than that, we should be able to build the modified kit without too much trouble and without creating a process and procedural nightmare. After all, we are exhibit builders.

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What the Heck are Hybrid Exhibits (and why is everyone talking about them)?

August 27th, 2009 Mel White COMMENTS
Hybrid Trade Show Displays

Hybrid Trade Show Displays

Perhaps no term is more hyped and less understood in the exhibit industry than “hybrid.” Nearly every exhibit manufacturer and custom builder refers to their latest designs as portable hybrids, modular, hybrids, or even custom hybrids. Why the emphasis on this term? The answer is simple: Value. More than ever, exhibitors are demanding displays that do everything – assemble quickly, look custom, ship light, and reconfigure. Just a few years ago that would have been impossible, but not any more.

The Building Blocks

If you’ve walked a trade show recently, you’ve seen a profusion of aluminum structures and tension fabric graphics. Those are the building blocks of hybrid displays. Aluminum is attractive, structural, and lightweight. Tension fabric is vibrant, durable, and cost-effective. Together they serve as the creative foundation for displays priced from $4,000 to $250,000.

But what makes them hybrids. For the past 30 years, the exhibit world was divided into two worlds:  portable/ modular displays or custom exhibits. Portable/modular displays have been dominated by pop ups, panel displays, and modular laminate exhibits. These “systems” have well-defined configurations, components, and accessories, but limited design flexibility. Custom exhibits, built primarily from wood, have offered exhibitors endless design possibilities but are rarely portable or modular.

Hybrid Exhibit Systems

Hybrid exhibits merge those two worlds. Hybrids start with tension fabric and aluminum extrusion systems (such as MODUL). Beyond that, the design can be anything and can include anything. There are portable hybrids, such as Sacagawea, consisting of an aluminum extrusion frame and tension fabric graphics, which pack in portable roto-molded cases. There are modular hybrids, like Euro LT, which add modular laminate components and pack in roto-molded tubs or small crates. And there are custom hybrids, such as Visionary Designs, which combine extrusion with just about anything else – metal, wood, plex, glass, and sometimes even portable or modular systems. As with all custom exhibits, the final design is whatever fulfills the marketing and budgetary requirements of the client.

Hybrids may not be the ideal for solution for everyone. For many exhibitors, a basic pop up or full custom makes more sense for their exhibit marketing goals. However, hybrid exhibits are here to stay. Only hybrids offer the lightweight strength of aluminum extrusion, the bold impact of tension fabric graphic, and the flexibility of unlimited design – all at a terrific value.

–Mel White
http://www.linkedin.com/in/melmwhite
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Word on the Street — August 17th thru August 21st

August 21st, 2009 Mel White COMMENTS
Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

Sales Uptick You Say? Feels Like You are Getting Busier?

 Hallelujah!

Well, I am a happy to say that you are not the only one busy this week, although I was beginning to wonder if the August through October trade show season was ever going to kick into gear. I am working on multiple quotes and projects, trying to get them all finished by mid-afternoon so this week’s post will be brief.  

Thankfully, we are seeing an increase in business, albeit about a week or two later than usual. But it is here and that’s all that matters.

I spoke with many of you this week. You said that design and quoting have been very busy the past few weeks, and now the orders are finally starting to roll in. You’re seeing a lot of 10′ x 30′ and smaller inlines, primarily hybrid booths, such as Visionary Designs, Perfect 10, and Magellan. We are seeing much of the same, with a small mix of larger exhibits and an onslaught of rental orders. The rental business is insane right now.

Everyone is saying that it feels like we are going to have a great finish to the year, but that the economy continues to be unpredictable. So we will see.

So what is the one thing that stands out the most to you with the sales uptick? For me, it is the aggressiveness required to win the business — whether it’s the quick turn times on quotes and production, or the unrealistic budget constraints. It’s clear there’s business out there, but everyone is holding onto their money a little tighter and looking for creative, cost-effective solutions. It’s understandable, and in most cases, very doable.

In the end, it’s new business and it feels good to be busy, even if it means a busy weekend as well.

Look for even more Sacagawea Hybrid Designs next week.  You’ll like the designs. We already know you love the prices.

Be Well!

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

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The Secret Life of a Pop Up Display

August 18th, 2009 Mel White 1 COMMENT
The Secret Life of a Pop Up Display

The Secret Life of a Pop Up Display

If Only a Pop-Up Display Could Speak . . .

As you can imagine, pop up displays have secrets. Although they usually don’t share their stories, they’ve decided it’s about time to reveal them in the hopes of improving the lives of all pop ups. Pop Up Secrets . . . Direct from the Source!

Secret #1:  We’re Not All the Same
In that sense, we’re just like you. We may look similar, but some pop ups are fragile while others are strong. Some are built to withstand years of trade show abuse. Those pop ups get shipped from show to show and assembled by rough inexperienced hands and continue to do our job year after year. Others are not as robust. We are made to be handled with TLC and our lifespan is much shorter. How do you know the difference? Sometimes it’s difficult to tell, but just like any product, whether it’s a car, shoes, or tools, price is a good indicator of quality and features. Not always, but there’s usually a reason why one pop up costs $999 and another $1,999.

Secret #2:  We Love Graphics
Why? We’re exhibitionists by nature and graphics draw attention. The more eyeballs staring at us the happier we are. However, we are also very picky, some would say egotistical, about our appearance. We love large graphics. These can be full mural graphics or Velcro-attached graphics to fabric panels. If you want to humiliate us in front of our friends at a trade show, just slap on graphics you printed from your home or office printer. It’s the pop up equivalent of attending a formal black tie event wearing Larry the Cable Guy’s flannel shirt . . . with Larry’s “too friendly” cousin as your date.
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