Trade Show TalesBlog

Show Floor Preparation | EAC Deadlines | OSHA 30 & 10 Certificates in Nevada

May 25th, 2021 COMMENTS
Momentum Management

Momentum Management, an EAC labor company, recently emailed the following post-COVID update to their customers. We’re sharing it “as is” since we felt the information was valuable to both Classic Exhibits Distributor Partners and their clients.


Momentum Management looks forward to joining you on the show floor soon. For the foreseeable future, there will be many changes to operating procedures, rules and protocols that we will all need to adhere to. Over time we’ll adapt, but for now much of it will be new. Our hope is that our memos are useful as you venture back onto the floor.

1.  SHOW FLOOR PREPARATION

  • Plan for delays.  Each city, venue, and show will have potentially different access rules on getting into the show. Please communicate with your show management as to how you will access the building and understand the requirements necessary to gain access. Give yourself extra time to do this each day.
  • Remember the safety optics. In talking with our exhibit houses clients across the country, many are indicating that their customers are concerned about safety on the show floor. Our research indicates that our industry has never been more health conscious. The amount of time spent cleaning and preparing is incredible. That said, please come to the floor knowing the basics will go a long way to put everyone at ease. 
  • Momentum has developed our national safety protocol procedures which will be implemented by our Operations Teams and City Managers for every show and every projects we are supporting. We want our Exhibit House clients to know the procedures we have in place so the exhibitors will feel safe when we are in the exhibit space.

2.  EAC DEADLINES   

  • Momentum, an EACA Member, has recently learned that some general contractors have required all exhibitors have their EAC forms filed 60 or even 90 days prior to show install. If the exhibitor has not filed their EAC request and chosen their labor provider, you could be forced to use the general contractor to set up and dismantle your booth. Postponing placing your orders could be costly.
  • To avoid this situation, please check your show kit to confirm the timing of the EAC form submission.
  • If you are forced to use general contractor labor to set up your booth, and you wish to use another EAC, contact the show management company. Normally, they can get things worked out quickly.
  • If you have contacted show management and still having an issue, please contact Jim Wurm, Executive Director of Exhibitor Appointed Contractor Association (EACA).  His email is jimwurm@eaca.com or contact anyone on your Momentum Management Sales Team.

3. OHSA 30 & 10 Certifications

  • It is now a Nevada State Law that anyone supervising, installing, or dismantling a trade show booth must be OSHA 30 certified. If the Exhibit House sends people from out of town to Las Vegas, or anywhere else in Nevada, your supervisors must have taken and passed OSHA 30 Certification. If your supervisors do not have their certificate card on them while on the show floor, you stand the chance of having your installation or dismantle stopped by show management.  
  • The OSHA website is www.osha.gov/training/outreach/training-providers. This rule applies to all international companies who expect to work on the floor while in Nevada and US companies sending people to supervise from out of town with the intention of supervising projects. OSHA 30 training is required in both circumstances.
  • There is fee for the OSHA 30 certification and will take multiple hours to complete. The following is the website for certification: www.usfotiec.org/30-hour-general-industry/.
  • Any workers you hire in Nevada must have taken and passed the OSHA 10 training to work on your projects. The Momentum staff and teams are OSHA 10 Certified.  

Contemporary Rental Designs $Under Sheets

May 20th, 2021 COMMENTS

The sheets below show some, but not all, of the rental kits available from Classic Rental Solutions under various price points. All kits can be modified to fulfill the specific marketing requirements of an exhibitor.

For more information about Classic Rental Solutions or Rental Exhibit Designs, including Islands, Inlines, and Accessories, visit https://classicexhibits.com/ or https://eds.classicexhibits.com/.

Rentals Under $8K

Trade Show Rental Exhibits under $8000

Rentals Under $12K

Trade Show Rental Exhibits under $12,000

Rentals Under $18K

Trade Show Rental Exhibits under $18,000

Rentals Under $28K

Trade Show Rental Exhibits under $28,000

Rentals Under $33K

Trade Show Rental Exhibits under $33,000

Rentals Under $40K

Trade Show Rental Exhibits under $44,000

53 Reasons to Rent Your Trade Show Exhibit

May 13th, 2021 COMMENTS
Trade Show Rental Exhibit
RE-2042 Rental Exhibit

Classic Rental Solutions has the largest inventory of contemporary rental displays, exhibits, and accessories in North America. Our extensive rental program and creative design capabilities can be customized to fulfill any trade show, event, or sales meeting needs. Whether it’s a 20 x 20 island, a 10 x 10 portable display, or 50 counters with locking storage.

How about 300+ More Reasons?

With over 200 Classic Distributor Partners throughout North America, there’s an exhibit professional closer than you think. Give us a call or send an email to rentals@classicexhibits.com to learn more.

–Mel White
mel@classicexhibits.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/melmwhite
https://twitter.com/melmwhite

**********************************************

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.

PP (Post Pandemic) Trade Show Design Trends

May 12th, 2021 COMMENTS

Last summer, we “predicted” (5) post-pandemic display trends (based on hunches, educated guesses, and a six pack of PBR tall boys). So… how well did we do?

What We’re Seeing:

  1. Graphics – Not surprising. Mostly for smaller displays; however we anticipate larger graphic orders in Q3 & Q4 as exhibitors dust-off their storage properties.  
  2. Portables – We expected the new Symphony Portable System to do well. However not this well. What’s even more shocking… it’s being driven by end-users who specifically ask for Symphony.
  3. Rentals – We predicted far more inline than island requests. We’re seeing more islands than inlines. Very encouraging!
  4. Custom Modular (and Lightboxes) – The eager beaver exhibitors are driving this. Since shows are still evolving, exhibitors are forced to be flexible. As a result, we’re seeing a significant interest in Gravitee Modular Wall designs and SuperNova Lightboxes (both tool-less and modular).
  5. Pandemic – It would end by September 2020. 😉

Well, #5 was a swing and a miss. And #3 is very encouraging. All the others are spot on!

I asked Edie Arambula, Classic’s Customer Service Manager, and Jim Shelman, GM Classic Rental Solutions, to share what Classic Distributors have requested over the past two weeks. We thought you might find the trends interesting.

Symphony Portable Displays

Custom Modular (and Lightboxes)

Rental Islands

Rental Inlines

Are you seeing any other trends?  If so, let us know so we can share with our sales, project management, and design teams.

–Mel White
mel@classicexhibits.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/melmwhite
https://twitter.com/melmwhite

**********************************************

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.

Trade Shows…. Don’t Bother! Unless You’re Serious.

May 10th, 2021 6 COMMENTS
Tradeshow Island Exhibit at ExpoWest
Trade Show Island Exhibit

Trade Shows are Back!

Trade shows are back, and exhibitors are talking about new graphics, giveaways, and Las Vegas. I love the renewed excitement for trade shows… and to some extent, loath it. I get to hear exhibitors grumble about the cost of a display, poor leads, drayage, and their ROI. And, no matter how much we coach them, there’s always a few marketing managers who just don’t get it. They buy cheap, basic displays, don’t do any pre-show marketing, bring the wrong staff, and then take a cavalier approach to show leads. Their results suck, and they wonder why.

It’s not an age thing. Baby boomers are no better than Millennials, Gen X’ers or Gen Y’ers. So, let’s draw a comparison to other advertising. Would most marketers make these advertising choices?

blogheaderMarketing2

Magazine Ad:

1. So… the black and white ad is cheaper? Yes, I realize this is a glossy color publication, but B&W ads are  “artistic,” and I can run two for the price of one.
2. Thanks for the publication’s circulation numbers and demographics. No need to explain. I’ll review it later in my “reading” room.
3. My unemployed second cousin is designing the ad with a pirated copy of Illustrator. I’m paying him in pizza and PBR.
4. The sales team doesn’t need to see the ad. It’s their job to sell whatever we tell them to sell.
5. That B&W ad didn’t work. I’m not going to advertise there again. Stupid magazine!

Television Commercial:

Pasted image at 2016_01_12 01_40 PM

1. “Video Production for Commercials” [Google Search]. That first one looks just fine.
2. Concept storyboard? Nah! Creativity should be spontaneous!
3. Those 2-4 am slots are cheap. I can run the spots 6 times an hour.
4. Neilsen ratings? That’s for amateurs who don’t trust their “gut.”
5. That television commercial didn’t work. I’m not advertising with them again. Stupid TV station.

Online Banner Ads and PPC:

1. My admin assistant manages our banner ads and PPC. Ruthie — Don’t you handle that?
2. Of course, we have a Google Analytics account. I have the password around here somewhere.
3. $2.50 a click? No brainer. Here’s my credit card. How much could that possibly cost?
4. You saw my banner ad on what site? For what? Oh that’s bad. That’s really bad.
5. That online advertising and PPC didn’t work. I’ve canceled my accounts. Stupid Internet.

Social Media:

1. Blogging? Love it. I’ll post every day for the next year! Starting tomorrow.
2. Who doesn’t love cats and kittens? Let me share.
3. Aren’t LinkedIn and Facebook basically the same? I post the same stuff on both.
4. 75 Tweets today. Where did the day go?
5. That social media didn’t work. What a colossal waste of time. Stupid Social Media.

You get my point. Trade show marketing should be treated with the same intensity, analysis, and professionalism as every other form of marketing. For many companies, it can represent up to 40% of their annual marketing budget; yet, they often see it as a distraction, not an opportunity. If you don’t have time to become an expert, hire an expert. There are many trade show consultants who have devoted their careers to ensure their clients succeed at face-to-face marketing.

Stupid? Not if trade show marketing is done right.

–Mel White
mel@classicexhibits.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/melmwhite
https://twitter.com/melmwhite

**********************************************

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.