Your Women in Exhibitions Meeting at EXHIBITORLIVE
Calling ALL women in the exhibition industry! The Women In Exhibitions (WIE) meeting will be held on Monday, March 13 at 5 pm at Mandalay Bay – Palm F, Level 3. Please join us as we network and build key relationships with other women in our industry.
Ahhh, The Elusive Email Subject Line
Anyone who writes marketing or sales emails sweats over subject lines. Admittedly, I’ve read quite a few articles from experts, each with kernels of wisdom. Yesterday, I read a great one from Tina Brown at Warp Corp, a builder and printer of tension fabric structures in Seattle. Tina brought it all together in a tidy, well-written package. So, I’m sharing.
EXHIBITORLIVE — Get the Skinny from Classic Exhibits
I don’t know about you, but we are delighted EXHIBITORLIVE is a bit later this year. It was a crazy January at Classic Exhibits, and February has already gotten even wackier with designs, quotes, and orders. Thanks for all the business.
So, what can you expect from Classic Exhibits at EXHIBITORLIVE? [All future references to the show will be “EL.” If I have to type all caps and then change LIVE to italics again, I will lose my friggin’ mind]. As a reminder, the show runs from March 12-16 at Mandalay Bay.
Some Thoughts… After Visiting Classic Exhibits Distributors
In January, I had the pleasure of visiting distributors in Southwest Ohio and Chicago. So, what did I hear from over 20 distributors? Industry trends, of course. It’s an interesting time to be in the trade show business.
10 Big Trade Shows in March 2017
March can be a little crazy both in weather and in basketball. Not only do we have the “Luck o’ the Irish” working in our favor, but there are also some OUTSTANDING trade shows that month.
10 Big Trade Shows in February 2027
January was a slamming month for trade shows. February holds strong and makes us wanna say, “I Heart Trade Shows!” Here are 10 of the Biggest Shows in North America this month.
“Inclement” Weather Via the Aerial Tram and Oregon Zoo
You either love snow… or you don’t. I love snow and have no hesitation braving the elements either in a car or on foot. However, there is the reality of how cities handle winter weather conditions. Portland, “bless its heart” (as they say in the South), is ill-equipped to manage snowstorms. That’s not a criticism of PDX. We get so little snow that the capital investment would be silly. So rather than complain or grumble, let’s revel in the beauty. Here are two videos: one showing DT Portland via the aerial tram and the other at the Oregon Zoo.
2016-17 Design Insights by Katina Rigall (Vlog)
Katina Rigall, the Creative Director at Classic Exhibits, shares her perspective on 2016 and what to expect from the Design Department in 2017. It was challenging year with the loss of Mike Swartout, our long-time Design Director. Since last spring, the Design Department has added two experienced (and amazing) designers and a stable of contract designers.
Is Imitation the Sincerest Form of Flattery? Nope!
In the past month, our designs have been copied three times. Three clear examples, all very different in scope. Question: When do you throw up your hands vs. taking legal action to protect your intellectual property? Thought you might like to read what we decided to do in each situation.
Exhibit Design Search Tutorial Videos
Recently, a tech savvy Classic Distributor and friend created four Exhibit Design Search tutorials. These 2-3 minute tutorials cover: Exhibit Specials, Search, My Gallery, and Photo Galleries. You can find them in our Video Library and on YouTube, but I’ll make it even easier by posting them below. Enjoy and let us know your thoughts.
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Recent Posts
Trade Show Flooring Galleries in EDS — WOW!
Brumark has made significant changes and additions to the Flooring — Carpet and Padding and Flooring – Other Options galleries of Exhibit Design Search!
In addition to enhanced product descriptions and updated images, they’ve added a variety of flooring products to meet just about any application and budget requirement. Here’s a description of the changes from Brumark:
Polishing Perfection: Word on the Street — June 24th thru June 28th
First, the issue. We design, manufacture and sell tradeshow exhibits. We depend on you to find new clients or to work with your existing clients to develop their tradeshow program. But there is, at times, a fly in the ointment or a pink elephant in the room. It’s YOU!
Magellan Portable Hybrid Displays
The Classic distributors who attend Shared Knowledge University (SKU), our comprehensive training program, hear the history and the explanation of our hybrid lines. They always tell us that what was confusing, now makes sense. So, over the next few weeks, I’ll do my best to encapsulate the SKU review into a series of blogs about the Classic Hybrid lines. We’ll begin with Magellan.
Meet Katrina Broten, Our Design Intern: Word on the Street — June 17th thru June 21st
The Classic Family is very happy to welcome Katrina Broten to our Design Department as a Summer Design Intern. Many of you might remember Katrina from earlier postings. She and I met through the EDPA Mentorship Program with Bemidji State University last fall. During her final year, she collaborated with Mike and Katina from the Classic Exhibits Design Department as she worked on her senior projects.
Custom Island Exhibit by Classic Exhibits
The 40′ x 40′ Calypto Island Exhibit was built by Classic Exhibits for Exhibits Northwest Portland. The custom construction island featured a 40 ft entrance with downlighting, backlit reception counters, silicone edge graphics, and three large monitors all framed by two large “C” bookends. Behind the entrance was private meeting rooms. Built using wood cam-lock construction, primarily 4 x 8 panels.
Let Your Fingers Do the Talking: Word on the Street — June 10th thru June 14th
It’s on your desk, in the battery charging cradle at home, or in the tray in your car. Some are black, some are white, some are shiny. They all have numerical keypads . . . keypads that rarely get used by anyone under 35.
It’s Your Phone
iPad Mount — Don’t Be Fooled by This Copy
Whenever I hear someone say, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” I know it’s because they just copied something. We see that a lot with our designs and our innovations. At EXHIBITOR2013, there were two exhibits, one from a Chinese manufacturer and one from an American distributor, that were EXACT copies of our designs. Sigh.
An Example of a Video Testimonial by a Classic Exhibits Distributor
In February, we built a custom 30 x 30 island for Communication One Exhibits in Salem, OR. The client was Bob’s Red Mill, a manufacturer of whole grain products. Anyone who has visited us is familiar with Bob’s Red Mill. The company has a visitor center and restaurant just down the road from Classic Exhibits. We almost always take our out-of-town guests to Bob’s for lunch.
10 Reasons to Love June and July in the Exhibit Biz
Everyone knows the trade show biz is cyclical. It’s busy in August, September, and October. November is a snoozer. December is always a gamble. Then comes January, February, March, and April when all hell breaks loose. And just when you can’t possibly work any harder or sleep any less, it’s late May.
Celebrating Grandma: Word on the Street — May 27th thru May 31st
This weekend, the Carty Family celebrates my grandmother’s 95th birthday. I come from a huge Irish Catholic family, meaning we’ll have 40-50 in attendance at her party. She has chosen an ice cream social, and it’s sure to be a great event. She is an amazing woman!
The Ultimate EDS Webinar — Tips, Tricks, And Techniques
Are you a POWER USER of Exhibit Design Search? You can be . . . all in 60 minutes. With our certified training program, you’ll impress co-workers with your savvy EDS knowledge, close more display sales, reduce visible wrinkles, and regrow hair (lots and lots of hair). Trust us. We’ve done tests.
Join us on Tuesday, June 11 at 10 am PST (1 PM EST) for EDS Tips, Tricks, and Techniques.
Honoring Memorial Day: Word on the Street — May 20th thru May 24th
Whether you’re camping, on a road trip, outta town to see family and friends, or just hanging at home for three days like me, I trust you are enjoying your long weekend.
We all work very hard and while long weekends like Memorial Day Weekend provide us with an extra day to relax, I hope we all take time to reflect and celebrate the reason for the weekend. Please remember those who lost their lives to protect this great country.
Measuring the Impact of Social Media Marketing: Free Webinar
MEASURING SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
“Social Media Metrics: What To Measure And Why” will be the subject of a free webinar on Wednesday, May 22. It is intended to give business leaders perspective on the differences between social media marketing and traditional advertising approaches; and to provide them with an understanding of what data should be driving their analysis of the success of their efforts.
When Simple Statements Make a Difference: Word on the Street — May 13th thru May 17th
You have experienced it a million times: Sometimes the simplest statements can either ruin your day or make it all worthwhile!
As a parent, I am very conscious of this. There’s nothing worse than when your child shows you something they drew or created with Lego’s, all excited, and your response is, “What is it?” or “I am busy. I will look at it later.” No matter how bad or unrecognizable it may be, I always tell my kids, “That’s beautiful. Tell me all about it.”
Katina Rigall Describes the TF-506 Hybrid Display
Katina Rigall, an exhibit designer at Classic, explains why she designed the TF-506 Portable Hybrid Display.