Kevin shares his Happy Holiday vlog (I know. It just doesn’t sound right). He also discusses 2017 business trends, including predictions about corporate environments, Gravitee One-Step, and our internal expansion.
We would love to hear your thoughts about 2017 trends, and let us know if you enjoy these vposts (which sounds better to my ears).
It’s that time of year. The 2017 Portable Modular Award Finalists were released, along with the People’s Choice Voting page. From its inception four years ago, Classic Exhibits has been a huge supporter because we believe that portable and modular exhibits deserve creative recognition. And each year, the competition gets better, with spectacular designs from some of the best suppliers and exhibit houses in our industry.
This year, Classic Exhibits has six finalists, our most ever. You may recall that Classic has won a PMA award the past two years and has had multiple finalists each year.
This year we have finalists in the following categories:
We STRONGLY encourage you to visit the People’s Choice Voting page and vote for your favorite(s). You can cast one vote per day for the next three months. So, bookmark the page and vote often. We will. 😉
Also, we would enjoy hearing your comments about our banner ad on the People’s Choice page. We’re a reluctant advertiser as you know, but supporting the PMA takes precedence. The ad isn’t your typical exhibit manufacturer message. But, then again, we aren’t a typical exhibit manufacturer.
p.s. A BIG THANKS to Katina Rigall, our Creative Director, for pulling together Classic’s PMA entries.
–Mel White
mel@classicexhibits.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/melmwhite
https://twitter.com/melmwhite
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We wrapped up Shared Knowledge University last week. Another amazing group of attendees! There’s just something about SKU that sparks joy, delight, and the urge to sing kumbaya (at least silently). Kevin offers his take on SKU, EDPA Access, and several other topics in this vlog.
The Past is Not a Predictor of the Future.
Just ask Nokia and Blackberry. But that doesn’t mean you can ignore it. So, let’s end on a happy note and chat about trends. Namely, what we’ve seen in 2016 that (we believe) will continue in 2017.
Sometimes it’s good to be both lucky and smart. We’ve sold lots and lots and lots of charging tables and stations in 2016 by tapping into a design need. Exhibitors want charging options that don’t look like they stole them from the airport. They have to blend into the exhibit or event environment.
Charging stations say to clients, “Come into the booth and linger. Let’s talk about your business needs.” If you are a fishbowl exhibitor, then a charging option may not make sense, except for your staff. Which is OK too.
Rental Displays are the fastest growing division of Classic Exhibits Inc. That’s not going to change in 2017. Exhibitors are looking for financial and design flexibility. Quality rentals are no longer a compromise either for the exhibitor or for the exhibit sales professional. And truth be told, there’s far more money to be made on repeat rentals than on a purchase.
When a client enters your door, your first question should be, “Are you looking to purchase or rent?” You can’t lose if you offer both at the get-go.
I’m not telling you anything you don’t know. Lightboxes are on fire! Well, you know what I mean. What you may not realize is that LED lighting has become a hot add-on for counters, workstations, monitor stands, even perimeter graphics as well. The price is reasonable, and the visual effect is amazing.
We’ve become experts at RGB programmable LED lights. Tune them to the right color to match a logo or let them dance through the color spectrum.
The change is noticeable. We are seeing a double-digit uptick in orders in events, retail, and corporate environments. The event business is evenly divided between rentals and purchase. Corporate environments and retail are all purchases, evenly divided between custom builds and SEG solutions. We would all be naive to think this trend is slowing any time soon.
Is it just me or is there a lot more rental furniture on the trade show floor? I asked several Exhibit Appointed Contractors (EAC) last summer to estimate the percentage of booths with rental furniture. I expected them to say 20-30 percent. They told me 70-95%. Yowsa!
About 5 months ago, we partnered with CORT to add two Rental Furniture Galleries to Exhibit Design Search. We recognized that Classic distributors could make money on rental furniture by adding it to EDS with retail prices. Every time you don’t use it, you are giving money away to the General Service Contractors. Like they need any more money. Sheesh!
I hope you enjoyed these 25 tips. I know I did. Look for three new charging stations in Design Monday this week.
Have a terrific weekend.
–Mel White
mel@classicexhibits.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/melmwhite
https://twitter.com/melmwhite
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You Love Your Children Equally.
But you have a favorite, even if just a little. Yesterday, we talked about the Top 5. Today, we discuss five online children who deserve more love and attention.
Glenna Martin, our Graphic Design Manager, is the genius behind the Graphic Inspiration Galleries. She knows, as do you, that most graphic designers rarely tackle 3D graphic design. They understand print and web, but designing for a display is a foreign language. Glenna lends a hand.
She created four galleries from Past Five Day photos. In each gallery, she describes why a graphic is successful. There are over one hundred examples. All positive. It’s a wonderful instructional playground for any graphic designer.
In the old days, every exhibit manufacturer had a top-secret distributor section. It was the vault of prices, literature, policies, etc. Those days are largely gone. However, we still have a condensed version where you can find literature, forms, and other helpful tools. It also contains a link to the Rental Gallery wholesale prices. So, how secret is it? Here’s the username (classicexhibits) and password (easypeasy). But don’t share!
At the top of the Classic home page, there is a rotating banner. If you click on it at just the right time, you will be taken to a magical page where you can download printable literature. This includes 22 product and “Under” brochures. I’m not opposed to using guilt as a motivator. So… You’ll hurt my feelings if you don’t click on this link.
The “Hear Audio” buttons are my baby. Most kits have a Hear Audio button where you can listen to a 30-60 second description of the product. All are done by professional voice talent. Ditto on the “hurt feelings” if you don’t click on them.
Trade Show Tips is a happening place, much like a middle child who wants attention. End-users find it via Google or Bing. I often hear from newbies in the industry who tap into it as their “Introduction to Trade Shows and Trade Show Marketing.” And like the Trade Show Tales blog, new articles are added to keep it fresh. We encourage you to suggest article ideas.
Wondering about the latest trends in Trade Show Land? Check out #21 thru #25 tomorrow.
–Mel White
mel@classicexhibits.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/melmwhite
https://twitter.com/melmwhite
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