You only have 7 days to vote for your favorite 2024Portable Modular Award finalist! Click on the image or link above to choose the People’s Choice Award!
Our sincere thanks to the Classic Distributor Partners who either submitted them to EXHIBITOR or allow us to submit them on their behalf.
Classic Exhibits | (8) Portable Modular Award Finalists:
DID YOU KNOW? EXHIBITOR Magazine’s 2021 Find It ~ TOP 40 includes 29 Classic Exhibits Distributors. Actually “30” if you include Classic Exhibits. But who’s counting? 😉 Now that’s impressive!
Portable Modular Awards and Find It — Top 40
For the fifth straight year, Classic Exhibits was named a 2021 Find It — TOP 40 Exhibit Producer in North America. In addition, Classic won honors in the Portable Modular Awards for Best 10 x 10, Best 10 x 20, and People’s Choice Award (voted by EXHIBITOR Magazine readers).
Best 10 x 10 Exhibit
This stunning little stand for Verity Global Solutions LLC is the perfect case in point. Designed by Exhibits NW Inc. and constructed by Classic Exhibits Inc., this 10-by-10 was born out of Verity Solution’s straightforward demands: Create a booth that’s clinically clean, highly technical, and representative of the health-care field. The company, which provides software and services for administration of the U.S. federal 340B drug-pricing program, also hoped its new 10-by-10 could be paired with existing pieces to expand to 10-by-20-foot and larger spaces.
Hailed by judges
as “clean and inviting” and “both visually and technologically effective,” the booth
debuted at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Midyear
Conference. Here, attendees discovered a back wall comprising a SuperNova LED
lightbox, which was made from Classic Exhibits extrusion and featured backlit
interchangeable graphics, allowing messaging to be tailored to individual shows
and audiences.
Designers also positioned a large flatscreen monitor in front of the lightbox, permitting Verity Solutions to offer videos and messaging in a high-tech and dynamic format. Meanwhile, the lightbox’s clean-white frame spoke to the high-end, clinical nature of the product and the health-care industry. A divider wall along one side and reception desk on the front corner of the footprint, which were also internally lit, further delineated the space. Married with the exhibitor’s existing inventory, the components also have been used to craft everything from a modular 10-by-20-foot stand to a continuous in-line ensemble spanning 40 feet.
Best 10 x 20 Exhibit
Crafting an authentic-looking outdoor environment in the middle of a trade show floor is no small feat. But NuNaturals Inc. made it look effortless with its 10-by-20-foot in-line that debuted at Natural Products Expo West.
Going into the
show, the provider of plant-based sweeteners and baking ingredients wanted to
grow its existing 10-by-10 stand into a 10-by-20-foot booth, creating a
cohesive environment that offered a reception zone, a casual meeting space, and
ample product displays and storage. However, NuNaturals also sought to foster
an outdoor feel that would serve as a logical backdrop for its logo, which includes
a silhouette of a woman riding a bicycle.
The resulting booth from Classic Exhibits Inc. married the previous structure — a 10-foot-long ClassicMODUL Aluminum Extrusion with SuperNova LED lighting — with a new, equally sized lightbox comprising the same materials and similar graphics. Together, the two structures presented a dynamic backdrop depicting a brilliant field of dandelions beneath an azure-blue sky. In front of the backwall, designers positioned staggered-height product counters on the right of the footprint and an L-shaped seating area on the left, the latter of which included storage space accessible via hinged seat-top panels.
Front and center
in the design, designers added a reception desk comprising Euro Lt Modular
Panels. Here, a 3-D logo and edge-lit countertop garnered additional attendee
interest. And rather than traditional booth carpet,
designers opted for artificial turf, which seemed to capture attendees’ eyes
and lead them straight into the NuNaturals world.
Throughout the exhibit natural elements and clever features, such as wood finishes, floral silhouettes on the display cabinets, and planters atop the seating ensemble, furthered the outdoor vibe — and delighted jurors. “All of the details were on point,” one juror remarked. “Designers managed to create a functional yet aesthetically pleasing environment that became a breath of fresh air on the show floor. Brilliant!”
People’s Choice Award
To accomplish its goals for the 2019 Nationwide Marketing Group PrimeTime show, GE Appliances, a Haier company, needed nothing short of a Jedi mind trick. For the event, GE wanted to draw attention to an out-of-this-world sponsorship. Its Profile Series line of appliances would be an official sponsor for the then soon-to-be-released “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” In fact, it had set aside a 16-by-30-foot space within its 80-by-100-foot booth for this endeavor. However, The Walt Disney Co., which owns the franchise, forbid GE from referencing past characters and key parts of the upcoming film. Thus, designers at Classic Exhibits Inc. and Deckel & Moneypenny Exhibits needed to craft an experience attendees would immediately connect to Star Wars but that didn’t cross sabers with Disney’s demands.
After rejecting a
host of options, the team finally identified an element that was a constant
through the movies but that Disney also deemed safe for public consumption: the
Millennium Falcon. Thus, the team devised a unique show-floor experience
devoted entirely to promotion of this upcoming Star Wars sponsorship that wowed
not only attendees but also visitors to ExhibitorOnline.com, the latter of
whose votes ultimately identified this project as the People’s Choice Award
winner.
The spacy
encounter comprised a tunnel-shaped structure that mirrored the interior of the
Millennium Falcon. Designers employed curved, black-powder-coated ClassicModul
Aluminum Extrusions and meticulously crafted graphic infills that replicated
the spaceship’s walls. To simulate the Falcon’s panels, fabricators employed high-density
foam, which was cut via computer numeric control (CNC), sanded, shaped, and
painted. Custom SuperNova LED lightboxes along the floor and in the walls
highlighted the custom graphics.
To round out the attendee experience, GE also incorporated several movie-theater elements. For example, staff distributed passes for attendees to view the encounter. Costumed ushers collected these tickets at the spaceship entrance and distributed bags of fresh popcorn.
For 10 years, Classic Exhibits has been an enthusiastic supporter of EXHIBITOR Magazine’s Portable Modular Awards. This year is the 8th Annual PMA.
You may be wondering how Classic could be a supporter for ten years if the awards are only eight years old.
For several years, Classic, along with several other portable/modular manufacturers, lobbied EXHIBITOR for an award program that recognized our segment. EXHIBITOR already had multiple design awards but none that recognized portable modular design. EXHIBITOR was receptive to the idea, if we could drum up enough sponsorship support for the award program. That took some time and some convincing, but eventually we twisted enough arms. And in fairness to EXHIBITOR, they lost money on the first PMA but kept the program going. Including this year when sponsorship was undoubtedly challenging.
We encourage you to checkout all 40 finalists and vote for the People’s Choice Award. Did we mention that we won the People’s Choice Award last year?
Occasionally, we get to “Toot Our Own Horn.” At EXHIBITORLIVE, Classic Exhibits had six finalists for the EXHIBITOR Portable Modular Awards. Our most ever. We won two: Best Inline and Best Use of Graphics. Here is background on each winner from an article that will appear in EXHIBITOR Magazine.
Best Inline
Exhibitor: Spirion LLC (formerly Identity Finder LLC) Design/Fabrication: Classic Exhibits Inc. Design: ProExhibits System: Classic Exhibits Inc. Event: RSA Security Conference, 2016 Budget: $20,000 – $39,000 Size: 10-by-20 feet
2017 PMA Best Inline
2017 PMA Best Inline
2017 PMA Best Inline
Bathed in Spirion blue and accented by a pop of orange across the top, the SuperNova lightbox featured nothing more than text proclaiming the product name and three benefit statements. By selecting a mere 13 words with maximum impact, Spirion communicated its key messages in a glance — and managed to wow visitors and judges alike.
In the words of one juror, “Spirion’s space is proof positive that one powerful graphic can deliver an effective message. Elaboration is unnecessary — and often functions as a powerful foe capable of fouling even the most skillful design.”
Best Use of Graphics
Exhibitor: Classic Exhibits Inc. Design/Fabrication: Classic Exhibits Inc. System: Classic Exhibits Inc. Event: EXHIBITORLIVE, 2016 Budget: $80,000 – $149,000 Size: 20-by-30 feet
2017 Best Graphic Design
2017 Best Graphic Design
2017 Best Graphic Design
2017 Best Graphic Design
Throughout the space, graphics comprised mostly grey-and-white line drawings of trees and apples, with delicate curls and curves used to craft the intended images. Accompanying text such as “It didn’t just fall from a tree. Introducing Gravitee One-Step Wall System” suggested the new product’s evolution.
The apple imagery comprised both line-drawn, neutral-colored fruit as well as full-color versions, whose shades of red, yellow, and green popped against the otherwise neutral palette. In addition, a roughly 10-foot-tall tower at the front of the space featured a tree illustration along with apple images that sporadically lit up, courtesy of imbedded LEDs.
Our thanks to Katina Rigall, Classic’s Creative Director, for all her work submitting the PMA applications. A very special thanks to Glenna Martin, our Graphic Design Manager, for her award winning design, which we loved so much that we used an updated variation on our 2017 booth. And finally, a huge pat on the back to the project managers and production associates at Classic Exhibits who managed and built these exhibits. There’s a reason why Shared Success is our #1 core value.
Finally, our sincere appreciation to Classic Distributors for your support and business. It means so much to us!
I’m at 32,000 feet, headed home from EXHIBITORLIVE 2016 in Las Vegas. After four weary days (and nights), I wanted to share with you the overall show vibe from the Classic Exhibits perspective.
To those not in attendance, I hope you viewed our videos highlighting Day 1 and Day 2. They show how slammed we were both days. On the morning of Day 2, I was approached by another exhibitor who said, “Kevin, ya know in grade school where we all learned to share. Would you mind sharing some of your attendee traffic with the rest of us?” 🙂
All joking aside, we were fortunate to have heavy traffic on all three days. Exhibitors came to see our charging stations, tablet stands, and lightboxes, but the BIG DRAW was our new Gravitee One-Step Wall System. Gravitee was a HUGE HIT. We heard the accolades in our booth, but it was the compliments we heard while walking the show floor and at after-hours functions that was more impressive. Lots of kudos and several comments of “Gravitee is the next big thing in our industry.”
At the airport waiting for our flight home, my wife asked me why Gravitee was so impactful compared to past product releases. I will tell you the same thing I told her, using a recent build as an example.
Gravitee is the culmination of 23 years of Classic manufacturing expertise and growth. When we initially developed this new product, we sat down and reviewed the entire Classic Family of Products. What made the Intro Fabric Panel System so successful in the mid 90’s? The patented hinge! What made the Euro LT Modular Laminated System so successful in the late 90’s and early 2000’s? The slide clip connection system and panel lock! What has made Visionary Designs, our hybrids, and our custom builds so successful to this day? Our ability to customize, be nimble, and do what others either can’t… or simply are unwilling to do.
Gravitee was born out of 23 years of knowledge and Intellectual Property. In the end, we developed Gravitee, a revolutionary wall system that self levels, requires absolutely NO TOOLS, has two corner options that allow you to make ANY angle connection, works seamlessly with Euro LT and MODUL, and accepts direct print or SEG graphics. Plus, you NEVER have to notch the SEG when a graphic extends over multiple panels or curves.
Pretty cool. Now let me use a real world example. You may recall our show booth from EXHIBITORLIVE 2015 and 2014. It was a modified version of the VK-5095 Island featured in the Visionary Designs and Rental galleries. One of our distributors asked if we could create the same design for their HIMSS clients… but using Gravitee. Well, you know we said, “Yes!” Our show booths in 2014 and 2015 took three guys eight hours to set up, and it packed in two crates at 2200 lbs total weight. But the Gravitee version took three guys four hours to set up the booth! Half the time! AND it shipped in one crate, not two. Think about that from an operating cost. Your exhibitor will save up to 1/2 on labor , 1/2 on shipping, and 1/2 on drayage compared to the previous Visionary Designs build. Oh, I should probably mention, the booth cost about 7% less retail as a Gravitee System.
The Rest of the Show
Alright… you can clearly tell I’m excited about Gravitee. But let’s talk about the rest of the show. We saw so many wonderful Classic Distributors as well as a few new distributor prospects. End-users stopped by the booth in numbers we haven’t seen in the past, so there will be a about 80-90 leads sent to distributors next week.
We won! Classic Exhibits took home another EXHIBITOR Portable Modular Award! Last year we won for Best Small Island. This year we won for Best Inline 10 x 10 for the “So Young” booth designed by our very own Katina Rigall. A special thanks to Tim Patterson at Communication One Exhibits for bringing us this great project. Way to go TradeshowGuy.
The mood on the show floor was upbeat and the vast majority of distributors and suppliers told us they are growing. Frankly, the show floor itself looked better than it ever has. As an industry I applaud everyone for putting their best foot forward from a design perspective. Two people who walked HIMSS (which is HUGE as you know) said the EXHIBITORLIVE floor looked infinityly better from a design perspective.
Lastly, there are never enough words to describe the pride I have in our team/family here at Classic. To John, Jim, Reid, James, Jen, Glenna, Jim P, Katina, and Mel who joined me in LV, I can’t thank you all enough for all that you do as co-workers and friends in this business. Once again, you made the entire company proud with your efforts and enthusiasm on and off the show floor. And to each and every Classic employee who wasn’t in Vegas, you were with us in spirit and your efforts showed each and every time a distributor heaped praise on Classic Exhibits.
Now, my back is killing me, my feet are numb, and my brain is genuinely fried, so I look forward to the weekend with my family. I hope you do the very same.
Thanks again to our distributors and our vendor partners for continuing to trust in your relationship with the Classic Family.
