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A Groovy First Year Retrospective

July 9th, 2013 Mel White COMMENTS
First Year Retrospective

Lessons Learned by Jen LaBruzza

Lesson #56 – Problems Can be Opportunities in (a really bad) Disguise

Some might say “astounding.” Others may choose “astonishing.” I choose “G-R-O-O-V-Y”!

The past year has been, well, groovy. I’m imagining a few LOL moments from those who have spent time with me. This month marks my one-year anniversary with Classic Exhibits as the Western Regional Manager.

As a former teacher, I would be remiss if I didn’t pause for a little self-reflection on my first year. To those who have allowed me into your businesses and into your lives — “Thank You!” I am grateful for every conversation and every meeting. I realize that it’s not always easy meeting with a newbie.

Which brings me to the sometimes challenging part of my job:  problem solving and wheel greasing. You may recall Reid Sherwood’s timely blog post last year, What You Should Expect From a Manufacturer’s Rep. It was published just as I was heading out on my first trip and hearing a lot of, “Now what is your role with Classic Exhibits?” It was a great insight into the expectations for Regional Managers at Classic Exhibits and ClassicMODUL.

Did you lose my manuscripts?

It also brought to light a part of our job that we sometimes dread — Problem Solver. Having worn many hats over the years in this industry, this is still the one hat that drives me the most crazy. It eats up everyone’s margin on that “oh so easy” job. But without something breaking, without trouble that shakes up the normal course of things, there is no opportunity to introduce new and better solutions.

Ernest and Ezra

In the 1920’s, when Ernest Hemingway was working hard to perfect his craft, he lost a suitcase containing all his manuscripts. The devastated Hemingway couldn’t conceive of redoing his work. He could only think of the months he’d devoted to his arduous writing . . . all for nothing, he was now convinced.  But when he lamented his loss to his friend and poet, Ezra Pound, Pound called it a stroke of luck. Pound assured Hemingway that when he rewrote the stories, he would forget the weak parts and only the best material would reappear. Instead of framing the event in disappointment, Pound cast it in the light of opportunity. Hemingway did rewrite those stories, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Last year, there have been problems, ranging from “I need an extra length of cord cover for our customer’s extrusion” to the generic “This job has problems and I need you to fix them.” Recently, one of the latter took me to the show site.

The “opportunity” involved Classic stepping up to the plate and correcting some mistakes. They weren’t huge, but measuring mistakes depends on who has the ruler. The distributor requested that we send someone to the show site to assist their client. All was well until the final phase, when things were being plugged in and tested. The last SEG graphic was not going to work, not because of size but because the client was unhappy with the standard rear projection fabric. Did I mention this was on a Sunday?

I was able to call in the cavalry, a.k.a. Dave Brown from Optima Graphics who suggested an alternative fabric. He rallied his troops and got the new graphic printed and on a flight. Did I mention that the show opened on Monday at 9:30 am? For me, it meant waking up at 4:15 am to arrive at the airport at 4:30 to ensure that the graphic was installed by 7:30. This was clearly an opportunity waiting to happen and thanks to Optima, the new rear projection fabric worked perfectly.

A sure sign of a successful person or a company is how they tackle problems. Are they creative and innovative? Do they turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones. It’s often those hidden opportunities that can cement your relationship with your client and serve to make it stronger because you have weathered it together. As the saying goes, “Problems happen. It’s how you handle them that is important.”

Now go out there and focus on turning challenges into opportunities rather than into disappointments and problems. And most importantly, let me know how I can help.

Jen LaBruzza, Western Regional Manager
Classic Exhibits/ClassicMODUL
jen@classicexhibits.com

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Based in Portland, Oregon, Classic Exhibits Inc. designs and manufacturers portable, modular, and custom-hybrid exhibit solutions and engineered aluminum extrusions (ClassicMODUL). 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.

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What Do You Do With Your Time?: Word on the Street — July 1st thru July 5th

July 7th, 2013 Mel White COMMENTS
What Do You Do With Your Time?: Word on the Street -- July 1st thru July 5th

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

Happy 4th of July

This past week was and probably will go down as the slowest sales week of the year. Having the holiday land on a Thursday can do that. Add to that it’s in July, and you get a whole lot of nothing.

Now that is the sales side of me speaking, but the productivity side of me loves weeks like this past week. You can get so much done on your “To Do” list. I am not talking about the normal day-to-day stuff. I am talking about that list you have in your head or on a notepad somewhere buried in your desk. You know the list of things you swear you will get to when you have the time. You know the one.

For me, it included a lot of database projects, organizing (at least starting to organize) my office, and cleaning out some files. And starting a pricing analysis project on Wednesday, the beginning of a much larger pricing project for late summer.

I know many people take vacation this time of year. I will the latter part of next week. But I am curious. To those in the office this time of year, what do you do with your time?  What are the “long term” projects you tackle in June and July?

Based on our crystal ball, you better tackle them soon. We’re seeing an earlier start to the fall season based on design activity. So enjoy the down time while it lasts. Which the sales side of me hopes ends this week.  🙂

Hope you had a terrific Independence Day Holiday.

Kevin
http://twitter.com/kevin_carty
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kevin-carty/3/800/32a

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Polishing Perfection: Word on the Street — June 24th thru June 28th

June 30th, 2013 Mel White COMMENTS
Who are We Trying to Impress?: Word on the Street -- June 24th thru June 28th

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

This has been on my mind for some time so I am going to share a little more “Seth-Wisdom” with you. Seth Godin that is. Only because he nails this conundrum.

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!

Whether it’s in design, build, or even in the final review, we sometimes find ourselves tweaking and revising the salesperson’s wishes rather than what the customer wants. Especially in design. I am amazed at how many times a designer has participated in a design meeting(s) with the end-user, then comes up with a great design for the client only to have it incessantly revised based upon what the salesperson wants — not what the client wants. And, of course, we make the changes, but 100 percent of the time once the design lands on the client’s desk, we end up changing it back to the original design.

This is not a complaint . . .  but it kinda is. No one questions your wisdom or your knowledge of exhibit marketing gleaned from years and years of working with exhibitors. It’s invaluable. It’s indispensable. Your guidance ensures that your client makes smart decisions about trade show marketing.

Ours is a specialized business, a knowledge that comes primarily from working with hundreds of clients.  However, and far too often, the account executive makes decisions based on their preferences, not their client’s preferences. You hear statements like, “I’m doing this for the client’s best interests.” Which is fine . . . kinda . . . but not when there’s a laundry list of “best interests” that the client never hears about and then discovers at the preview or the show site.

What really impacts the project is when we are in the final staging of an exhibit and then have to make last minute production changes based on what the account executive wanted only to find out later that the client was not expecting the changes. But I digress.

This came from my daily Seth email.

Polishing Perfect

Perfect doesn’t mean flawless. Perfect means it does exactly what I need it to do. A vacation can be perfect even if the nuts on the plane weren’t warmed before serving.

Any project that’s held up in revisions and meetings and general fear-based polishing is the victim of a crime. It’s a crime because you’re stealing that perfect work from a customer who will benefit from it. You’re holding back the good stuff from the people who need it, afraid of what the people who don’t will say.

Stop polishing and ship instead. Polished perfect isn’t better than perfect, it’s merely shinier. And late.

Now I am not saying that we don’t strive to be perfect. We most certainly do! But in the end, our goal is perfection per the end-user’s expectations. Not my expectations. Not the account executives.

If you take exception to my comments, please share your thoughts.

Hope you have big plans this coming week for the 4th of July holiday. Have a great time with your family and friends.

Kevin (not yet perfect) Carty
http://twitter.com/kevin_carty
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kevin-carty/3/800/32a

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Magellan Portable Hybrid Displays

June 28th, 2013 Mel White COMMENTS

Whenever we conduct an Exhibit Design Search (EDS) webinar, we reserve 5 -10 minutes to review the Classic Hybrid product lines. We have five hybrid lines . . . well kinda. In reality, we have six or seven or even eight if you toss in the rentals, table tops, several Euro LT designs, and even Eco-systems Sustainable (which is a separate company but represented in EDS). It can be confusing.

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.

What Makes a Magellan a Magellan?

Magellan Miracle Hybrid

Magellan Hybrid Displays was Classic’s third hybrid line, launched (if I remember correctly) in late 2008 or early 2009. I  remember very, very clearly why we created the Magellan line, and in particular, the Magellan Miracle. Several months into The Great Recession, sales of our existing hybrid lines, Visionary Designs and Perfect 10, had stalled. We were hearing from distributors that price, while always a factor, was now paramount. We knew we needed to react quickly, but we didn’t want to create a basic aluminum box with a graphic. It had to have “presence,” but be less expensive than a Perfect 10.

Many of you have heard me say the price of a hybrid is not complicated. There are three major elements:  the metal (size and shape of the profile, straight, or curved), the graphics (size and quantity), and the accessories and components. You can add a four element if you collectively include design, assembly, and packaging, which also contributes to the price. To reduce the cost of a hybrid, you use less expensive profiles, have fewer bends, smaller or fewer graphics, and limited accessories.

Z 45 Aluminum Extrusion

The Magellan line is (almost exclusively) built with the Z 45 profile. Why the Z 45? It’s relatively inexpensive, extremely versatile, and very attractive. In addition, our metal bending expertise allows us to bend it in both directions (what we call the hard and soft edges). That means the Z 45 can be used as both a horizontal and a vertical, and bent to create a variety of interesting shapes.

Miracle

The Miracle was the first Magellan. Like the Perfect 10, it has two large fabric graphics, each 96 in. tall. And, like the Perfect 10, the verticals are curved. However, the Miracle has less extreme curves, fewer accessories, and a limited set of options. The Miracle, as with all Magellan Displays, is a “Knob-assisted Assembly” system, meaning that about 85% of the assembly uses attached knobs. Where a knob would be visible or impractical, a hex key tool is required. These changes allowed us to price it about $1300 less than a comparable Perfect 10.

Fortunately, the Miracle was an instant success. One distributor was so sold on the concept (and hungry for sales) that she based her entire quarterly marketing campaign on the Miracle. It saved her quarter and jumped started her year. The positive feedback encouraged us to create other Magellan designs, some with similar price points such as the MOR and the Magic. But we didn’t stop there. The versatility of the Z 45 meant we could design more intricate, more upscale, and more expensive designs such as the VK-1043 and VK-2056.

So, when should your client consider a Magellan Hybrid? There are two directions:

1. Limited Budget/Attractive Design

  • 10 ft. and 20 ft. Inlines
  • A budget that won’t stretch for a Visionary Design or a Perfect 10
  • Your client requests a portable system that they can assemble at the show
  • They want something more than a basic curve, box, or pop-up
  • They want large vibrant fabric graphics
  • They need a workstation for a monitor
  • Die-cut reusable foam packaging and numbered components
  • Examples:   Miracle, MOR, Magic

2. Larger Budget/Distinctive Design

  • 10 ft and 20 ft. Inlines
  • Larger, more flexible budget
  • Loves curves. Wants the booth structure to be unique
  • Likes the idea of portability, whether they need it portable or not
  • Needs counters, workstations, headers, multiple large fabric graphics
  • Die-cut reusable foam packaging and numbered components
  • Examples:  VK-1083, VK-1085, VK-2049, and VK-2045

Next time, we’ll review Perfect 10 Portable Hybrid Displays. That’s an interesting tale of what happens when you discover a major, untapped segment of the market that EVERYONE has ignored.

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

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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.

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Meet Katrina Broten, Our Design Intern: Word on the Street — June 17th thru June 21st

June 23rd, 2013 Mel White 1 COMMENT
Katrina Broten, Our Summer Designer Intern: Word on the Street — June 17th thru June 21st

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

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. She also made a visit to the Classic facility for several days and attended EXHIBITOR2013 where she met many of you at the Classic Exhibits Distributor Appreciation Suite.

We look forward to spending the summer with her and hope that we can assist her career as an exhibit designer.

Here is a brief introduction she wrote.

Katrina Broten (not to be confused with Katina)

I’m on the right. 😉

Hi. I’m Katrina, a graduate from “Burrmidji” State University (a university in northern Minnesota known for bitter cold weather and lots of snow) with a B.A. in Design Technology with an emphasis in Exhibit Design. My mentor, Kevin Carty and the team at Classic Exhibits, has granted me the privilege of starting my career here as an intern. I’ll be learning the ropes and gaining real world skills of the exhibit industry.

In an ironic/destiny sense, it’s funny how this amazing opportunity presented itself. First of all, I have always had a love for Portland Oregon. My aunt lives here, and I have visited many times. Portland is a beautiful city where I have a strong connection. Knowing this will help explain where the irony of my story.

I was introduced to Kevin through the mentor/mentee program that, as a student, I applied for while attending my final year at Bemidji State University. Well to tell you the truth, I kind of spaced out the deadline for this application, what with homework, projects, and multiple jobs. Eeeek!  BUT, using my quick-witted communication skills, I managed to get squeezed into the system and was lucky a few pairings were left. Shortly thereafter, I was sent an email informing me that Kevin Carty was my mentor.

Katrina Broten

Since I started the program late, I thought, “Oh great! I’m going to get stuck with the opposite of what I’m looking for. This is going to be a mess. Will he even have any advice to share with me or want to share with me? Why did I do this? I’m going to be punished for being late! Cripes, I’m screwed!” I emailed Kevin with the hope that I would not be wasting my or his time. About a week went by and I figured I was right . . . but then to my surprised he emailed me back.

This email gave me some reassurance that I would actually have contact with my “mentor.” I was relieved, but still didn’t know what to expect. A few more days went by, and I was contacted again and after some small talk, Kevin invited me to Portland to visit Classic and tour the company. I was shocked! In January, we planned a time that would work and after a nervous plane ride, I arrived and had the most amazing experience meeting everyone and learning the “Classic Way.”

After the trip to Oregon, I kept in touch with Classic and Kevin. At EXHIBITOR2013, we met again and Classic invited me to their hospitality suite, their booth, and we had some amazing adventures in Las Vegas. Now I am back in Portland with the entire team whom I have come to enjoy! I look forward to this internship. I’m already immersed in Design working with Katina and Mike and understanding their world. Pretty eventful to say the least. Honestly, I couldn’t have asked for a better mentor or company.

I look forward to working with you, the Classic Distributors, over the next three months.

Katrina Broten
kbroten@classicexhibits.com

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