One of the best decisions EXHIBITOR ever made was creating Strategic Partner Hours from 10-11:30 am on Tuesday and Wednesday. We enjoy meeting with our Distributor Partners and Vendors during those times because it offers uninterrupted sessions to discuss your business and how Classic Exhibits can assist in your success.
Stop by during those hours, or even better, schedule a meeting with the Classic Exhibits Management Team. That will ensure you’ll have our undivided attention. See you in Vegas Baby!!
My first job in the trade show industry was with a portable pop-up display manufacturer in the mid-1990s. By then, there were half a dozen major manufacturers. To put this in perspective, the original pop-up display was introduced in 1975 by Ted Zeigler, who founded Nomadic Display.
The Pop-up Display War
At the time, there was a fierce sales battle based on the features and benefits of pop-up displays. It was war, and the side you took was fought with a take-no-prisoners approach. And lest we forget, those were the days when your salesperson would arrive at your office and demo the pop up with a certain theatrical flair.
This may seem a bit silly now. However, at the time, pop-up displays, nearly all designed and built in the United States, were an amazing invention. They made life for trade show exhibitors in 10 x 10 and 10 x 20 spaces much easier (and they were fun to open and assemble).
They shipped in portable cases, greatly reducing drayage, and could be assembled quickly and with minimal instructions. Plus, you could choose between fabric panels with Velcro graphics or spend more and have mural graphics. Prices ranged from $3600 for a basic 10 ft. with fabric panels to nearly $10,000 with graphics, shelves, lights, and a case-to-counter conversion. It seemed like a bargain compared to traditional custom wood exhibits. And it was.
Pop-up Displays with Mural Panels
So, what were the differences between the various systems that seemed so important at the time?
Aluminum vs. Fiberglass
Most pop up displays were made with aluminum. Some with round tubes. Others with square tubes. And even in the round tube community there was bickering about the quality of the aluminum (aircraft grade vs. non-aircraft grade) and the diameter of the tube. One manufacturer took a different approach and make their frame with fiberglass rods.
Self-Locking vs Connectors
There was no middle ground on the connector feature. The self-locking frame zealots included the original and most well-known brand. Anyone who demo’d it made sure to emphasize the “magic” when opening it. And frankly, if you hadn’t seen it before, it was pretty darn impressive. All other frames had connectors which gave the frames rigidity. The number of connectors varied — some having as few as six to others having as many as 15. Then there was the battle of which connector was easier and more durable, which was valid if often overstated.
Channel Bars
As if the frame differences weren’t enough, then there were the channel bars, which are the vertical bars that hold the fabric and graphic panels. This was a financial goldmine for intellectual patent attorneys as manufacturers engineered changes to address or negate their competitor’s perceived advantages. In short, the differences fell into three camps: individual channel bars, attached channel bars (using fabric or elastic), and folding or sliding channel bars.
In addition, salespeople would sing the praises of whether the channel bar was steel, aluminum, or plastic and whether the panel connection was magnet-to-magnet or magnet-to-metal. If you believed them, it really, really mattered and making the wrong (or right) decision could alter the course of your life.
Roto-molded Portable Cases
This came down to three distinctions:
Does the 10 ft. pop up pack in two smaller (and lighter) cases or one larger case.
Does the internal packing have all the bells and whistles to keep at the parts tidy or more basic packaging to save cost.
Do the case(s) allow for a case-to-counter conversion option and how easy was the conversion to assemble.
Floating Graphic Pop-up Displays
In 2022
Let’s jump ahead to 2022. Are there the same differences among pop ups on the market? Yes. But they don’t seem to matter to most exhibitors. It’s really about features, price, and whether the exhibitor wants to make a short-term or long-term investment in their pop-up display. Even that depends on how often they use it every year.
Fortunately, exhibitors no longer have to settle for a basic 10 ft. curve. There are now pop up frames with tension fabric graphics, backlighting, and even SEG, along with LED lights and robust shelving options. And as you can imagine, price points vary widely depending on features and quality.
It pays to ask questions even on the less expensive models, especially if the price seems too good to be true. We live in a find-and-click world, but a display purchase should always include a conversation or email/text exchange with a knowledgeable professional to make sure the display will fulfill your trade show marketing goals. Things break. Will the display last multiple years? Are replacement parts available? Where do you go when you need new mural panels?
Let us know if we can assist you with your next display purchase, whether it’s portable, modular, or custom. See the links for more information about the FGS and Quadro Pop Up Displays. Happy Exhibiting!
Classic Exhibits Inc. designs and manufacturers portable, modular, hybrid, custom, rental 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.
So much has changed over the past 10 years regarding recycling and sustainability. Most medium to large companies have corporate sustainability policies. And we are all much more aware of how our actions affect the planet.
Eco-Systems Sustainable Exhibits has been a leader in responsible trade show exhibiting since 1997. From the very beginning, they focused on combining green materials with affordable upscale design. They believe that a booth doesn’t have to look “crunchy” to be green. It simply has to be sustainable.
Recently, we sat down with Tom Beard, the National Sales Manager of Eco-Systems Sustainable Exhibits, and asked him eight questions about the company and 2019 trade show marketing trends.
Q1. You’ve been on the road a lot in 2018 visiting Eco-Systems distributors. What have you learned/discovered?
I’ve discovered that distributors love our designs. It’s the one thing I hear the most when visiting our partners, followed by how much they enjoy working with our team.
I have spent a fair amount of time this past year being a myth buster. There was a belief that purchasing an eco-friendly booth was more expensive and only for exhibitors needing a sustainable exhibit. Both are not true.
Q2. What are your plans for 2019?
My plan for
2019 is to visit the Eco-Systems distributors that I didn’t meet in 2018 and make
follow-up visits with those I was able to see. I’m an old school guy that loves
meeting people face-to-face and learning about their business and talking about
how the Eco-Systems team can be a valuable resource to them.
Feedback from our distributors is very important to us and helps us to become a better partner. I will also continue to dispel any myths about purchasing a sustainable exhibit.
Q3. Have you seen any specific design trends the past year
based on your distributor requests?
We continue
to get a lot of requests for Islands that can be reconfigured to 10 x 10 and 10
x 20 inlines using the same components. We have seen more solid wall structures
incorporated with SEG graphic light boxes and quite a few requests for custom
designs outside of the kit options we have on our website.
Q4. The term “FSC Certified Wood Crate” is listed on most
Eco-Systems kits. What does that mean and why is it important?
FSC is The Forest Stewardship Council which certifies that the wood we use is harvested sustainably and comes from responsibly managed forests. It’s important because the FSC certification helps protect fragile eco-systems, prevents illegal logging, and provides re-planting plans to ensure we have plenty of resources in the future.
Q5. What do you wish the typical Eco-Systems Distributor
understood about Eco-Systems?
That our singular goal is to provide our distributors with a design that meets their client’s expectations visually and financially regardless of the materials we use to build the exhibit. Plus, we’re more than just a portable modular manufacturer. We have amazing custom capabilities as well.
Q6. My client hasn’t asked for an eco-friendly exhibit. Why
should I show them Eco-Systems designs?
It’s all
about the designs we offer and how we support our distributors. Then there’s
the added benefit of using eco-friendly materials that are of equal quality to
standard materials and aren’t more expensive. The best of all worlds!!
Q7. What’s the history of Eco-Systems Sustainable Exhibits?
Eco-Systems
was founded in 2007 and is based in Grand Rapids, MI. We immediately began
using ClassicMODUL extrusions in our systems, and until 2010, we did all our
manufacturing in Grand Rapids. In 2010, we were acquired by an investor and
became a sister company to Classic Exhibits and moved our production to
Portland OR but kept our corporate office in Grand Rapids.
Q8. Assuming you’ll be at EXHIBITORLIVE 2019, what are the three questions you want attendees or
Distributors to ask you about Eco-Systems?
What
makes your designs different?
Are
the eco-friendly materials you use of equal quality and price to standard
materials?
What
makes Eco-Systems unique?
Visit Eco-Systems Sustainable Exhibits at www.ecosystemsdisplays.com. You can contact Tom Beard, National Sales Manager, at tom@ecosystemsdisplays.com or 616-726-6563. Or visit them at EXHIBITORLIVE in Booth #1941.
Exhibit Hall Hours Monday, Feb 25, 11:30 am to 3:30 pm Tuesday, Feb 26, 11:30 am to 3:30 pm Wednesday, Feb 27, 11:30 am to 3:30 pm
Strategic Partner Connections Exclusive exhibit hall hours for manufacturers, dealers, and suppliers. Tuesday, Feb 26, 10:00 – 11:30 am Wednesday, Feb 27, 10:00 – 11:30 am
While there were many exciting projects in 2018, the custom Odyssey Foods Island for Exhibits Northwest, Inc. was one of our favorites. The “Wow!” factor is off the charts. The exhibit debuted at Seafood Expo North America 2018.
This modern 20 x 30 Island Cafe included retail food service with seating and food sampling. The 16 ft. compound curved tower, clad in reclaimed wood planks and recessed ivy trim with large halo lit dimensional logos, served as the visual anchor.
The booth was equipped with a large commercial freezer, custom chef station with a curved metal counter top, and pendant lighting suspended from wood frame laminated canopy. The exhibit had a custom fresh food display and raised platform decking with seating flanked by large backlit branding and literature displays.
The space was capped with a twenty ft. diameter tension fabric hanging sign for maximum visual presence. The project was built by Classic Exhibits.
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Classic Exhibits Inc. designs and manufacturers portable, modular, hybrid, custom, rental 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.
