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Word on the Street — January 18th thru January 22nd

January 24th, 2010 Mel White 2 COMMENTS
Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously!

Those who know me, know that I don’t take myself too seriously. The same can be said about Classic Exhibits. Just look at our recent contest “Find Reid’s Head.” Clearly, we are laughing at ourselves while making a point about Exhibit Design Search. And it’s not just about picking on Reid. 🙂 While he’s a great sport about these sorts of things, so are the rest of us. Need I remind you of the AeroMan campaign several years ago. You remember, the one where I was portrayed as a cartoon superhero — Defender of Hanging Signs and Lightweight Tabletops. Sheesh!

(Still looking for Reid’s Head in Exhibit Design Search? There’s a hint in the first paragraph.)

That said, you also know we are very serious about what we do. We take our responsibility as a designer, builder, and marketer of portable, modular, and hybrid exhibits very seriously. We are dedicated to you and to your customers. But balance, just as in our personal lives, is the key to a successful work life. After all, we spend at least one-third of our lives at work or working, another third sleeping, and the remainder doing what we love in our personal lives. So our attitude, which is probably no different than yours, is that we might as well have fun when we’re at work.

AeroMan -- Defender of Hanging Signs

AeroMan -- Defender of Hanging Signs

Personally and professionally, I have no desire to be a stiff. Sorry, but that’s how I would characterize it. If I am going to spend 50-60 hours a week working, then I am going to have fun and enjoy what I do. Too many companies in this business see themselves as “corporate.”  They may have a party once a year, but otherwise they are paragons of control, aloofness, and authority. When they speak, you listen . . . silently. Laughter, silliness, and parody are not part of their Corporate Culture — especially when it comes to their interaction with distributors.

We believe that our relationship should be based on Who We Are. Does that mean that we sometimes “cross the line”? Sometimes. But it’s a risk that applies to everything we do. Without that willingness to “cross the line” there wouldn’t be Perfect 10, Magellan, Sacagawea, or the countless other designs that have defined Classic in recent years. Without that willingness to expose ourselves, there wouldn’t be Past Five Days, Exhibit Design Search, Design Monday, and the Trade Show Tales blog.

I take a lot of pride in what we do, and I often hear you comment about how easy it is to work with Classic. You tell us “we’re flexible, we’re accommodating, we’re receptive. That tells me we’re not a bunch of stiffs. It also tells me that we see each request as a chance to solve your unique display challenge and not force it into a neatly defined Classic box. Now I could be wrong here, but I firmly believe that our willingness not to take ourselves too seriously, means in some odd way, that we take your projects very, very seriously. While I don’t expect to see that rule in a Tom Peters’ management book, it works for us.

But that’s just me. What about you?

Please share your comments via the blog comment section and have a safe and restful weekend!

–Kevin Carty

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

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Annual State of the Company Letter from Kevin Carty

January 19th, 2010 Mel White COMMENTS
Kevin Carty, VP of Sales

Kevin Carty, VP of Sales

Thankfully, 2009 is in the rear view mirror. It was a rough but enlightening year.

How did Classic do in 2009? There’s both a short and a long answer. As you may recall, Classic Exhibits began developing a series of affordable hybrid exhibit solutions in 2008, starting with the Perfect 10 Portable Hybrid Display. In 2009, we added the Magellan Miracle, MOR, and Sacagawea. This push will continue in 2010 with the Segue, but more on that later. So the simple answer is . . . as the market downsized and orders for larger exhibits decreased, portable hybrids became our bread and butter. Thankfully, we were prepared to handle this shift with fresh designs and competitive prices.

Now, here’s the longer answer . . . .

Social Media
Social Media was the buzzword in 2009, and Classic wasn’t shy about using it to communicate with distributors and industry partners. I have to admit that I didn’t understand it at first, and I had no desire to “Tweet” or “Blog.” But I have found it to be effective and pretty fun, whether it’s our activity in Twitter, our new Classic Exhibits Group on LinkedIn, or our blog, Trade Show Tales.

Trade Show Tales, in particular, has been quite the hit. Whether we are writing about some of the industry’s most sensitive issues such as Bundling or just posting a whimsical article regarding “Trade Show Fashion Do’s and Don’ts,” the blog gives Classic, Classic Distributors, and Industry Partners another avenue in which to communicate and share ideas.

Rentals

With a downturn in the economy comes less spending on new exhibits. The ClassicExhibits/Exhibits NW Rental division really stepped up in the past 12 months. Looking back at their creations from the past year, I am amazed at how many of those displays were rentals. It certainly explains why the rental division had such a banner year. Kudos to Jim Shelman, James Sharpe, and the rental crew for their amazing job in 2009.

Rental Exhibits from Classic

Rental Exhibits from Classic

For a peek at the rental designs from last year, go to Past Five Days and type “rentals” in the search tool.

Distributor and Partnership Development

You could feel the love in 2009. There was a palatable sense of “we are in this together, so let’s find ways to make it beneficial for us all . . . without sacrificing our margins.” For companies unwilling to “partner” with distributors or for those who didn’t have a history of reaching out to friends and colleagues, 2009 had to be a painful, lonely year. It was not the year or the market to go it alone.

Partnership development was not just with distributors. Classic spent a lot of time deepening its relationships with existing vendor partners as well as opening doors to new relationships. This manifested itself in the development of new “joint products”as well as partnering on larger inventory buys to help decrease raw costs, allowing us to continue to offer competitive pricing.

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15 Notable Exhibit Projects in 2009

December 28th, 2009 Mel White COMMENTS
2009 Notable Exhibit Projects

2009 Notable Exhibit Projects

We may be jumping the gun a bit, since it’s still early December, but we thought we’d review the Top 15 Notable Exhibit Projects in 2009. How do we define “notable?” To be honest, it’s a little arbitrary (actually it’s probably a lot arbitrary). After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. However, we relied on the following criteria to guide us as we made our selection:

  • Overall Creativity
  • Representative Design Trends
  • Graphic Treatment
  • Customization 

If you don’t see your notable project on the list, chances are it just missed the cut or it shipped from Classic without graphics. We decided to exclude counters and workstations from the list — not because there weren’t any creative designs but because there were so many. Nearly every day we shipped standard or customized counters, pedestals, and workstations.

The following, although listed numerically, are in no particular ranking. 

TOP 15 (drum roll please)

  1. Watchguard — (04/13 and 04/14):  Visionary Designs 10′ x 20′ with LED header lights and MOD-1219 Counter. Re-configures into a 20′ x 20′ Island.
  2. Odyssey — (08/26): This is actually a ClassicMODUL project (but let’s not quibble). Hybrid 20′ x 40′ island with showcases and multiple conference rooms.
  3. SpaBooker — (10/06): Custom Perfect 20 Portable Hybrid Display with 2-sided projector screen.
  4. Boston Scientific — (06/10):  Fun project. All wood custom exhibit with fully assembled counters. Eight lightboxes were mounted above the counters along the backwall.
  5. Cumberland — (11/13): Euro LT 10′ x 20′ Custom Modular Exhibit. There are photos showing it at our facility and at the show with graphics. Excellent example of a modular laminate display and custom LTK-1001 (modified) tapered counters.
  6. ESPN — (10/21): This may seem a little puzzling until you watch Monday Night Football. This is the powder- coated blue aluminum frame for the on-field desk. The custom house that ordered the frame completed the build.
  7. Arizona State — (05/21): We love a challenge. We built this using Aero Overhead aluminum tubing. Optima Graphics printed and fitted the graphics to the frame.
  8. Marine Stewardship — (02/26): Visionary Designs 10′ x 10′ Hybrid Exhibit. A Classic distributor sent us the design. We engineered and built it according to their specifications. There was even a complementary table top display.
  9. Verizon — (09/21): Visionary Designs Modified VK-2044 Hybrid Exhibit. There have been many VK-2044 (iPhone) designs built this year, and this is an excellent example of how this very popular design changes to accommodate any company’s marketing goals.  
  10. Viatech — (01/27): We liked this Perfect 20 Portable Hybrid Display so much that it became a kit. See VK-1803 for the kit version.
  11. Guidance Software — (02/03): Like the VK-2044, the Visionary Designs VK-1032 Hybrid Display has been a monster hit all year. It’s got it all — large monitor mount, counter, brochure holders, large tension fabric graphics, and sexy header.
  12. Geico — (07/27): New kits rarely remain constant for long. This is a customized Magellan Miracle VK-1063 with a practical modification of a Perfect 10 VK-1602 counter.
  13. Engility — (09/01): Without a doubt, the Perfect 10 VK-1501 Hybrid Display was a popular choice all year. We could have chosen several to represent this kit, but the graphics on this one made it our first choice.
  14. BriteCore — (09/08): Euro LT Custom Modular LTK-5207 Modified Exhibit. Very elegant 10′ x 20′ inline.
  15. ConnectiMED — (11/23): Magellan MOR VK-1077 Hybrid 10′ x 10′ with a modified MOD-1235 Workstation. Upscale and inexpensive.

Classic Exhibits Displays in 2009

We would enjoy hearing your comments on these projects. Are you seeing any design trends in your market for 2010? Please share.

–Mel White
http://www.linkedin.com/in/melmwhite
mel@classicexhibits.com
Classic Exhibits Network (LinkedIn)

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Word on the Street — August 17th thru August 21st

August 21st, 2009 Mel White COMMENTS
Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

Sales Uptick You Say? Feels Like You are Getting Busier?

 Hallelujah!

Well, I am a happy to say that you are not the only one busy this week, although I was beginning to wonder if the August through October trade show season was ever going to kick into gear. I am working on multiple quotes and projects, trying to get them all finished by mid-afternoon so this week’s post will be brief.  

Thankfully, we are seeing an increase in business, albeit about a week or two later than usual. But it is here and that’s all that matters.

I spoke with many of you this week. You said that design and quoting have been very busy the past few weeks, and now the orders are finally starting to roll in. You’re seeing a lot of 10′ x 30′ and smaller inlines, primarily hybrid booths, such as Visionary Designs, Perfect 10, and Magellan. We are seeing much of the same, with a small mix of larger exhibits and an onslaught of rental orders. The rental business is insane right now.

Everyone is saying that it feels like we are going to have a great finish to the year, but that the economy continues to be unpredictable. So we will see.

So what is the one thing that stands out the most to you with the sales uptick? For me, it is the aggressiveness required to win the business — whether it’s the quick turn times on quotes and production, or the unrealistic budget constraints. It’s clear there’s business out there, but everyone is holding onto their money a little tighter and looking for creative, cost-effective solutions. It’s understandable, and in most cases, very doable.

In the end, it’s new business and it feels good to be busy, even if it means a busy weekend as well.

Look for even more Sacagawea Hybrid Designs next week.  You’ll like the designs. We already know you love the prices.

Be Well!

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

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When It Comes to Graphic Design, I’m an Idiot

April 23rd, 2009 Mel White 3 COMMENTS
Classic Exhibits and Graphic Design

Classic Exhibits and Graphic Design

When it comes to graphic design, I am an idiot. I’m not embarrassed to admit it, although I probably should be since I manage the marketing for Classic Exhibits and ClassicMODUL, and assist in the marketing for Exhibits Northwest. Yet, there’s rarely a day that I don’t make graphic design decisions about our websites, sales literature, email marketing broadcasts, and trade show displays. Does my lack of graphic design expertise show? I certainly hope not. Frankly, I think we do a pretty good job.

Like most marketing managers, or any manager who understands his or her limitations, I rely on talented people, such as graphic designers. Not only do they understand the tools, such as Photoshop, Illustrator, or Quark, but they spend their days immersed in graphic design issues.  They understand the nuances and the trends. They remind me that this color text on that background is unreadable and that I’ve created visual clutter and confusion in my effort to say and show too much.  If I ask them to add a “star burst” with a price, they guide me to a more contemporary solution that doesn’t reek of 1980’s clip art.

Fortunately, I’ve learn some valuable lessons over the years regarding graphic design, which I’ll share. These aren’t font, color, or layout tips. Remember, I’m an idiot. These are tips for anyone working with graphic designers, tips that hopefully will save you time, money, and slow the aging process.

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