Trade Show TalesBlog

Posts Tagged ‘Portland’

Portland’s 2017 “Inclement” Weather Via the Aerial Tram and Oregon Zoo

January 12th, 2017 1 COMMENT

You either love snow… or you don’t. I love snow and have no hesitation braving the elements either in a car or on foot. However, there is the reality of how cities handle winter weather conditions. Portland, “bless its heart” (as they say in the South), is ill-equipped to manage snowstorms. That’s not a criticism of PDX. We get so little snow that the capital investment would be silly. So rather than complain or grumble, let’s revel in the beauty. Here are two videos: one showing DT Portland via the aerial tram and the other at the Oregon Zoo.

Plus, it’s Snow Day at the Oregon Day.

Bob’s Sage Advice: Trade Shows Work

January 26th, 2012 COMMENTS

Bob Moore, Bob's Red Mill

Bob’s Red Mill Natural Products Article

If you’ve ever visited us in Portland, you know that we always treat you to lunch at Bob’ Red Mill. Bob’s Red Mill packages whole grain products, such as oatmeal, beans, bread mixes, etc., for supermarkets in North America and around the world. You may not recognize the name, but the next time you visit your local supermarket, head to the “healthy foods” section and you’ll see Bob’s Red Mill products in clear cellophane bags. They also happen to have a restaurant and company store on International Way.

We do not work with Bob’s Red Mill directly, nor would we, even though they’re just 100 yards down the road from our facility. They work with a Classic Exhibits trade show distributor based in Salem, OR.

Recently, there was a short article in Oregon Business where Bob Moore, the founder of the company, shared his advice about staying independent. The article is insightful, and you’ll love his quote about trade shows at the bottom.

“You can’t grow outside your territory unless you go to trade shows.” Sweet.

Enjoy.

–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.

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

January 23rd, 2011 COMMENTS
Portlandia

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

Portlandia

This past week, I spent a lot of time in coffee shops working on pricing. Whenever we look at price changes, I typically check out of the office for a few days and work remotely. That way, I can concentrate exclusively on raw material prices and how those increases affect our designs.

So last week, I camped in three Starbucks, of which there must be several hundred in Greater Portland. Starbucks, as you can imagine, is a microcosm of any community and Portland is no exception. I grew up in Portland, and even to a native like me, it’s a little different! Both good and bad. I should have taken photos. I saw every brand of cereal come into Starbucks those three days.

After getting home on Friday, I was flipping through channels and saw a teaser ad for a program on IFC called Portlandia (to be broadcast later that night). It’s a new show about the uniqueness, again good and bad, of Portland and Oregonians. So I hit the DVR  so I could watch it later. Portlandia stars Fred Armisen from Saturday Night Live and Carrie Brownstein from the band Sleater-Kinney (a favorite NW band of mine).

Keeping Portland Weird

Only in Portland!

I watched it the next day, and clearly recognized it as a satire of Portland. Satire by it’s very nature embellishes and exaggerates, but Portlandia was spot on in a lot of ways, especially the scene with the bicycle delivery person and the scene at the library with the hide-and–seek teams.

It got me thinking. Is this what people really think of us? Even if in an exaggerated way? And the answer is, probably yes. And that is OK. If nothing else, it really shows the beauty of the city.  At least what I consider beautiful about the city itself. And the people, well, let’s just say this, there is a motto in Portland — “Keep Portland Weird.” That philosophy certainly comes through for better or worse. [see the NY Times article which appeared today]

Anyway, back to the price change. It is coming. It will begin to roll out in mid February through the end of month. You will be happy to know that there are some products that are going down, some that are staying the same, and yes many that are going up. All in all, the increases are moderate, particularly when you consider that we haven’t increased prices for almost three years and on some kits decreased prices during the recession.

On another note, you’ll see a promotional e-broadcast next week called Tightwad Tuesday. If you grew up in the 1980’s, you will remember the same marketing idea for movies, where you could see a movie at a discount on Tuesdays. This promotion will be much the same (but without the movies) and feature discounted prices in February and March.

Lastly, a sincere thanks for your kind emails about the 2010 Annual Letter. If you have not had a chance to read it, we’ve uploaded the letter into the Trade Show Tales blog. See the link for a summary of business last year and a window into new products and programs in 2011.

Thanks as always for the continued support and business. Hope you had restful weekend.

–Kevin Carty

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

Shooting from the Hip — 6.10 (More Favorites)

June 2nd, 2010 COMMENTS

Shooting from the Hip (trade show tips)

Shooting from the Hip by Reid Sherwood

More Favorites

Last week was moving week for the Sherwood family. This week is putting stuff away week. How can a family with two house fires in less than two years have this much stuff? I’m blaming an 11 month old girl. Little Reida (not really her name, but it is MY blog) weighs 17 pounds and takes up 1100 square feet of living space. Once we actually re-purchase bedroom furniture it won’t seem so bad.

Last week was also favorite’s week. Food and beverage favorites to be exact. Here are some of my other favorites, and the why’s. I have nothing to base these on but my opinion, so if you don’t agree, that’s fine.

Favorite AirlineAmerican Airlines. When you travel as much as I do, you notice that things tend to go wrong.  Unless you learn to deal with that quickly, you will be in the cardiac care unit. Everyone thinks that it’s all about points and miles. And it is to a point. But when things go wrong, it’s how an airline handles it that sets them apart. Because I fly from Grand Rapids most of the time, and American has a small presence here, I have gotten to be friends with some of the gate agents. In my case, a quick phone call to them and many things get “fixed” (and you don’t ask questions). They take care of their customers.

Favorite Hotel ChainHILTON all the way. They know customer service like nobody else. I have been a diamond member for 11 years now. They ONLY thing they do that bothers me is that they refer to me as Mr. Sherwood. Mr. Sherwood was my father. I am not old enough to be Mr. anything. It seems as though sometimes they can read your mind. It doesn’t matter if you stay at a Hampton Inn or the Conrad. The service is always impeccable. And their loyalty program is second to none.

Favorite Car Rental Company – Here is where I have NO loyalty . . .  this is all about MONEY or saving it. Lately I have been using Priceline and have gotten some great deals. Only a couple things matter to me about a rental car. First – it must be a 4 door. I was cool 30 years ago. Now I am practical. The other thing that matters is that it’s an American-made car. No, I am not prejudice. American cars allow your cell phone to charge while the car is off and you are at an appointment.

Newaygo, Michigan

Newaygo, Michigan

Favorite City to Visit – This is a mixed bag. As a general rule, I am not a fan of cities, which is why I live in Newaygo, Michigan. But if I were picking favorites, I’ll break it down into super large cities and small cities.

Super Large – Chicago. The Rush Street life is great and the pizza rocks.

Small Cities – This is a coin toss. Both Savannah, Georgia and Portland Maine are great towns. They offer much of the same. Lots of history, great seafood, small homey atmosphere. Savannah has great music on the waterfront every night, so I guess that is the deciding factor.

Favorite Sunset – There are some awesome sunsets around the world. I don’t believe there is a better one than at the end of Mallory Square in Key West, Florida. And they serve cocktails there.

Favorite Stadium – Emotions aside, I think the greatest place to see a game is Joe Louis Arena — possibly because I am a Michigander at heart — probably because it is just that special of a place — absolutely because you get to throw octopus on the ice! There’s no place like it.

Favorite TV Show – Anyone who knows me very well knows that I am a sitcom junkie. It comes down to four shows:  MASH 4077, Friends, All in the Family, and Seinfeld. My favorite is Seinfeld. How they pack so much laughter in a 30 minute show is amazing to me. I have seen every episode a dozen times. I don’t even have a favorite. Just all of them.

Favorite Exhibit CompanyClassic Exhibits by a light year. Home of the Portable Hybrid: Sacagawea, Magellan, Perfect 10, and Visionary Designs.

Now if I missed anything of importance, please comment and let me know.

Talk to you next week  . . .

–Reid Sherwood

ClassicMODUL Opens an East Coast Extrusion Facility

April 19th, 2009 COMMENTS
ClassicMODUL Aluminum Extrusions and Accessories

ClassicMODUL Aluminum Extrusions and Accessories

ClassicMODUL, a designer and manufacturer of aluminum extrusions and accessories, announces the opening of an East Coast facility. The Cheshire, CT manufacturing and warehouse facility will stock select aluminum extrusion profiles for exhibit houses, retail designers, and museum display builders. Aluminum profiles and accessories currently unavailable in Cheshire, CT will continue to ship from Portland, OR.  With the exception of metal bending, the East Coast facility can handle the manufacturing requests for these aluminum extrusions.

According to Kevin Carty, VP of Sales, “We are excited by this opportunity to better meet the needs of our clients on the East and West Coasts and anywhere in between. Now with locations in the NW and the NE, ClassicMODUL offers much greater shipping flexibility than any other aluminum extrusion supplier. Choosing the right aluminum profiles was important, and we want to thank our distributors for their feedback over the past nine months. We feel confident that we have chosen the right location and group of extrusions. However, this is just the start. We will continue to add profiles to the Cheshire facility based on our distributor’s feedback and demand.”

The ClassicMODUL product line includes over 200 aluminum extrusions and hundreds of accessories for the trade show, exhibition, and retail environments. MODUL products are available through Classic Exhibits and ClassicMODUL, Inc. Design expertise is also available. ClassicMODUL is a division of Classic Exhibits, a designer and manufacturer of portable, modular, hybrid, and custom displays.

For questions about availability or to place orders, contact Tom Jones at tjones@classicmodul.com or 866.864.8686. For more information about ClassicMODUL, go to www.classicmodul.com.