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Posts Tagged ‘Perfect 10’

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Kit Changes to Sacagawea Portable Hybrid Displays

April 21st, 2010 Mel White COMMENTS
Sacagawea VK-1236 Portable Hybrid Display

PS Series (VK-1236)

You asked . . . and we responded.

Sacagawea Portable Hybrid Displays now include ALL tension fabric and direct print graphics in the kit price. Updated kit and retail price list sheets are available in the Distributor Section of Classic’s website.  The checklist sheets have also been updated to include the new PS Series designs.

Perfect 10 and Magellan (MOR and Miracle) Hybrid Displays should be completed within the next three weeks. Please contact a Classic Exhibits Project Manager if you have any questions.

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Word on the Street — April 12th thru April 16th

April 18th, 2010 Mel White COMMENTS

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

“On the Road Again”!

I hope last week was a great one for you! It certainly was for me. I was on the road visiting customers and partners. I also met with several “future” partners.

Here are some of the things I learned that continue to give me hope for the state of the trade show industry.

#1 — Sales are increasing everywhere.

Mostly inline displays but A LOT OF THEM. I received many positive comments about the Classic Hybrid lines such as Perfect 10, Magellan, and Sacagawea. Distributors appreciate the design differences they see in our lines.

#2 — The outlook, while still tenuous, is looking brighter.

Our crystal ball shows that sales are increasing, which is what we all want. There’s more chatter about ordering new displays and attending shows.

#3 — Smaller island designs are coming back. This fall looks good in that regard.

Mainly 20 x 20 and 20 x 30 hybrids, but with good budgets. Yippee!

#4 — New product development at Classic is in full swing.

Expect some unique product designs from Classic in Q3. We’re keeping it under wraps for now, but I promise you they will be truly different.

#5 —  Our partnerships are stronger than ever.

I am anticipating a big announcement as it relates to ClassicMODUL sometime in the next six months. But again, I’ll just tease you with that for now.

Everyone during my trip seemed to agree that May, June and July are “wait and see” months. There’s a great deal of optimism right now, and from the look of things, we expect the normal summer doldrums to be healthier this year.

So . . . to those I visited, had nice meals with, had productive meetings with, played games with at Dave and Busters, and planned the future with . . . thanks so very much for making my week enjoyable and productive.

Be well and have a safe and restful weekend. Let me know what you are hearing and seeing in your market.

–Kevin Carty

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

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Word on the Street — March 29th thru April 2nd

April 3rd, 2010 Mel White COMMENTS

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

It’s Evolution Baby!

Not only is it a great song 🙂 . . . but it’s a living philosophy at Classic. As a company, if you fail to evolve or fail to take chances then you stop giving people a reason to turn to you for solutions.

For example, we have reinvented our very first hybrid exhibits — the VK-1001, VK-1002, etc. You can see the first wave in Design Monday this week. We’ve made three significant changes. Two are construction related and one is graphics. And, for those of you who are wondering, the price includes ALL the graphics: dye-sub and direct print alike. As well as all the monitor mounts.

But back to the changes:

Segue Hybrid Trade Show Displays

Segue Hybrid Trade Show Displays

Change #1: We have re-engineered the uprights. Gone is the Q 914, a larger square profile, and in is the S 44, a smaller but still structurally solid upright. The smaller profile means less weight and a kit that can (and should) be packed in portable roto-molded cases with wheels.

Change #2: Like the Perfect 10, Magellan, and Sacagawea, the new kits are primarily “knob assembly.” That means less assembly time and much happier customers and much sadder show contractors. I want to cry for them but the tears just won’t come.

Change #3: Silicone Edge Graphics (SEG). To our knowledge, these are the VERY FIRST SEG hybrid exhibit kits in the exhibit industry. Going forward, any hybrid kit, lightbox, or island primarily using SEG technology will go by the name Visionary Designs “Segue.”  I’m sure I don’t have to explain the name, but I can’t help myself. Seg for SEG and Segue for the seamless transition we’re seeing in trade show graphics. Anyone who attended EXHIBITOR saw the proliferation of SEG profiles and applications. Change is coming and it’s coming quickly. Fortunately for Classic and ClassicMODUL, we have over 10 SEG profiles and can bend many of them (unlike our competitors). However, if you want to use Velcro on these kits, just let us know. It’s an easy switch.

Oh yes, one more minor but aesthetically interesting change. We have modified several of the previous “flat” designs to a gentle curve. Looks nice! Adds a really dimension to the standard units.

Lastly . . . take a look at the new, sleeker designed base plates. Pretty nice huh?

To download a PDF showing many of the new SEG profiles, click on this link:  TSP Sheet.

I would love to hear your thoughts and feedback on the new look Segue VK kits. Send me an email or leave a comment.

Be well and Happy Easter

–Kevin Carty

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

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Word on the Street — March 1st thru March 5th

March 7th, 2010 Mel White COMMENTS
Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

Life is Like a Box of Chocolates!

But should your trade show exhibit buying experience be?

For starters, yes I did just watch Forrest Gump. And YES, I do think life is like that. Meaning, you never know what you’re gonna get in many situations.

However, when buying an exhibit, things should be predictable. What you see is what you get. Well, lesson learned. Within the next three weeks, the Sacagawea, Perfect 10, and Magellan kit prices will include all the fabric and direct print graphics shown in the renderings. It will take a few weeks to re-price these kits. However, we expect to complete it by the end of March. It’s not done yet . . . so don’t jump the gun. We’ll announce the new prices once we’ve updated the PDF and online sheets.

Back to the movie . . . the “box of chocolates” line made me understand how frustrating the experience of buying an exhibit can be for an end-user. Just spend a little time looking at many online trade show exhibit sites. They’ll show a 10 x 10 hybrid with nice graphics, a couple of backwall pedestals, and a front freestanding pedestal. All for only $3200 (or something nutty like that).

But if you dig a little deeper or open the box of chocolates, this is what you’ll find.

In reality, that $3200 price tag includes just the backwall and the canopy header. Once all the elements shown in the rendering are included, the exhibit really costs $7500. Seems sort of deceiving to me at best, and “bait and switch” at worst. If I were an end-user, I would be saying, “What the hell?!”

forrest-gumpI may be making a mountain out of a mole hill. I don’t know. But just this week, I had three distributors ask how a competitor could sell essentially the same configuration that we show in Exhibit Design Search for $4000 – $5000 less! Only after I took them to the online site and walk them through the math did they realize that their customer had been hoodwinked. In all three situations, the end-user came back to the Classic Distributor expressing their frustration that the “other” company had “misrepresented” the price and that they would be ordering a Visionary Designs Hybrid from Classic . . . and not the “cheap” hybrid the other company was offering. What do you think — Mountain or Mole Hill? Or would you agree with Forrest that, “Stupid is as stupid does”?

Have you seen any “Bait and Switch” practices online?  Click on the comment link and share your experiences.

Oh yes . . . For the next 10 days, watch for my Twitter and this blog postings as I share our our EXHIBITOR 2010 journey. We expect this to be our most successful EXHIBITOR SHOW EVER!

If you are coming to the show, see us at booth #929 and join us in our Hospitality Suite on Tuesday.

–Kevin Carty

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

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That Annoying Plastic Screw is Gone

February 23rd, 2010 Mel White COMMENTS
A10 Knob for Sacagawea, Magellan, P10, and Visionary Designs

A10 Knob for Sacagawea, Magellan, P10, and Visionary Designs

Let’s take a quick and entertaining quiz:

Question:  What’s the name of the part that holds the plex wings on Visionary Designs, Sacagawea, Magellan, and Perfect 10 displays?
Answer:  A10.

Question: What do you dislike most about the A10?
Answer:  The annoying plastic tension screw that requires a flathead screwdriver (or dime) to tighten.

Final Question:  How much would you love us if we eliminated that annoying tension screw?
Final Answer:  I WOULD LOVE CLASSIC A LOT, A LOT, A LOT!!

Effective immediately, the annoying plastic screw is gone . . . unless you want it for an island display. We have replaced it with a clear plastic knob that requires neither tools nor spare change. We have black version as well, but if you want the black knob you’ll have to request it. Our default choice will be the clear one unless you tell us otherwise. Should you want to order replacement knobs for your current A10’s, they are available at $2 retail per knob. Contact Customer Service for details.

Why did it take us so long? Fair question. It was not for a lack of trying. On and off for nearly three years, we searched North America and Europe for an off-the-shelf knob with the correct thread and knob head. About six months ago, we finally found one in the Netherlands but at a price, even buying in bulk, that would have made gold a better investment. So, we did the honorable thing. We bit the plastic bullet, designed a custom knob, and paid for a mold.

classic_knob1

Yes, it’s a small change but an important one. One more incremental improvement at Classic made with you and your customers in mind. Now you no longer have to borrow a dime on the trade show floor or request a screw driver from the labor pool (and get hit with a four hour minimum).

Now, say it with me, “I Love the knob. I Love Classic.” Thanks. That’s very sweet.

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

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