Another excellent animation by Mike Swartout, the Classic Exhibits Design Director, for the Magellan MOR Portable Hybrid Display. The animation video shows the Magellan MOR VK-1076 with curve wings, two 50 watt halogen lights, and a large tension fabric graphic. All the MOR designs, from the 10 ft. VK-1077 and VK-1078 to the 20 ft. VK-2098 and VK-2100, assemble with attached knobs and MODUL hex key locks.
Perfect 10 Portable Hybrid Display — Setup Animation for Trade Show Exhibit (Cool!)
July 4th, 2009
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Excellent animation by Mike Swartout, the Classic Design Director, for the Perfect 10 Portable Hybrid Display. The animation video shows the P10 Helio (VK-1507) with inline wings, hard rock maple laminate, and a rectangle header. The background jazz music is the perfect compliment to this video.
Word on the Street — June 29th thru July 3rd
July 3rd, 2009
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Word on the Street by Kevin Carty
Rumors on the Street
Since this was a short week and many of the people I call on or chat with were on vacation, I opted to write about something a little bit different: Rumors on the Street.
There is a bit of an inside joke with this week’s blog.
Many who know me and or who have known Classic for some time know that Classic’s closest vendor partner is Optima Graphics in St. Louis. Optima provides all the tension fabric graphics for the Magellan Displays, Perfect 10 Displays, Visionary Designs Displays, Aero Table Top Displays and Aero Overhead Structures. This had led to the most asked question and assumed rumor over the past 18 months.
Does Optima and/or Jim Hoffmann own Classic Exhibits? If I told you I field this question once a week, I would be lying. Some weeks, I get that question (or a related comment) up to three times a week. Mr. Hoffmann tells me he gets the same question all the time.
Do you ever wonder where industry rumors and assumptions like this come from? I do. Most are harmless and can even be funny.
In doing my “research” for this blog, I went straight to the source, Jim Hoffmann. Here is how the conversation went . . .
Kevin — “So big bossman . . . I mean Mr. Hoffmann, do you own Classic? You know the same Classic Exhibits where I have worked for 15 years?”
Mr. Hoffman — “I get that question a lot Kev. My answer is simple. In my dreams! 🙂 Now get back to work, I am not paying you to goof off!”
In all seriousness, Classic Exhibits is not owned by Jim Hoffmann or Optima Graphics. We are, however, very close Vendor Partners that share a lot of common customers in the trade show exhibit industry.
So, how about you? Have you heard any good juicy industry rumors that you would like to share? Have you been the subject of any tantalizing rumors recently?
Have a great 4th of July Weekend with your families.
Talk to you next week.
Be Well!
–Kevin Carty
http://twitter.com/kevin_carty
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kevin-carty/3/800/32a
Building a Better Trade Show Booth – Design and Planning
June 30th, 2009
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Building a Better Trade Show Booth
What You Should Know about Exhibit Planning
- Start the planning process early and assign someone to handle the schedule
- Create a budget that reflects the true costs of exhibiting
- Select the right size exhibit for your budget and marketing goals
- Trade shows can be expensive, but it’s not difficult to maximize your Return on Investment (ROI)
“Build it and they will come”– This phrase should be your mantra when designing your trade show booth. With a carefully designed booth, you stand a much better chance of attracting potential clients, making sales, gathering contacts, and generally spreading the word about your company. Think of your booth as a microcosm of your business.
Planning and Budgeting
It is best to plan early. Assign one person to be in charge of timetables and scheduling. Assign another person to draw up the budget and to define the marketing goals. This person will have to account for the cost of renting or buying a booth, the cost of accessories such as literature racks, as well as travel expenses. Travel expenses will vary depending upon the location and duration of your stay. If you decide to rent, you should expect to budget:
- 25% on renting your booth space
- 20% on design and graphics
- 15% on electrical, cleaning, and drayage
- 10% on shipping materials to and from the trade show
- 10% on press kits and preshow promotions
- 20% on staffing, travel, and other miscellaneous expenses
5 Surefire Ways to Drive Your Graphics Provider Crazy
June 27th, 2009
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How to Drive Your Graphics Provider Crazy
Your graphics provider has it pretty easy. After all, you do all the work. You create print ready files, follow the rules for good output, and double-check everything to make sure you get what you expect from the process. All the graphics people have to do is push a button, right?
Here are some tried and true tips to assure your graphics provider rewards you with the PIA (Preferred Ideal Account) status you deserve.
- Submit your art and request a proof or PDF. Approve the art for output, then, 1 hour later, request a change and a new proof. Approve new proof but 2 hours later call to request another change. You can repeat this several times to impress your graphics rep about how you are both detail-oriented and a perfectionist.
- Every time you submit a job, deliberately exclude a link or font from your artwork. Time how long it takes before you get a phone call. Keep score.
- Mystery jobs are fun and exciting. Send art to your graphics company without a return address or known company name. Do not include instructions. Call the day you expect the work to ship to see how your rep will solve the case.