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30 Second Audio Clips in Exhibit Design Search

September 2nd, 2011 Mel White COMMENTS

Audio Clips in EDS

Audio in EDS — Are You Listening?

Exhibit Design Search (EDS) has a new feature — Audio. Now, that may not seem so new, what with the explosion of video, but brief audio clips are an excellent way to communicate product benefits and features. Each audio clip reviews a product line, such as Sacagawea or a specific kit, such as the iPhone VK-1032. The audio complements the renderings and bullet point descriptions, while elaborating on the most important benefits of the product.

As with all EDS features, you’ll see it on the distributor-branded EDS websites as well. It’s an enhancement at no to cost to those distributors who have decided to add this tool to their website toolbox.

The audio clips do not require a media player. They launch in any browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome), the only exception is IE 7 and below (which isn’t supported).

To hear an example(s), click on any of the links below, then click on the triangle below the thumbnail image.

http://www.classicexhibits.com/trade-show-exhibit-design-search/perma/default/vk-1230-sacagawea/2684/

http://www.classicexhibits.com/trade-show-exhibit-design-search/perma/default/vk-1900-segue-inline/3563/

http://www.classicexhibits.com/trade-show-exhibit-design-search/perma/default/vk-5077-island-new/3699/

http://www.classicexhibits.com/trade-show-exhibit-design-search/perma/default/ltk-1118-counter/617/

All the recordings were done by professional voice talent. Yes, we were tempted to put Kevin or Reid in front of a microphone and have them give it their best shot, but in the end, common sense and good taste prevailed. There’s no need to see dogs howl or children cry unnecessarily.

Currently, there are 35 distinct audio clips, with another 15 or so in the works. Not every product has this feature, but we’re working to get that in place no later than January 2012.

Let us know what you think.  We hope you and your clients like what you hear.

–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.

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Islands and Summer Just Go Together: Word on the Street — June 13th thru June 17th

June 18th, 2011 Mel White COMMENTS
Islands and Summer

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

Five Weeks of New Island Designs

It is officially summer next week . . .  although in the Pacific Northwest you would be hard pressed to know that. Until a week ago, we’ve rarely approached highs of 70 all spring. But today, as I write this, it’s 75 degrees with no clouds in the sky. About time!

As the title of the blog suggests, summer is when we dream of a tropical island vacation.  While I can’t offer you that, I can announce the release of a five new Island Designs. Beginning this week and over the next five weeks in Design Monday, we’ll showcase five fresh and exciting Island kits.

Admittedly, our focus has been on inline designs over the past two years. We reacted to the market. Our responsibility was to create kits for a recessionary economy that appealed to more modest budgets. We think we did a pretty darn good job — Magellan, Sacagawea, and SEGUE Sunrise to name a few. But we didn’t completely ignore islands. Our rental islands have been strong, and our rental division has done a spectacular job designing affordable, yet customizable kits. But from the purchase side, we have been designed to specific distributor projects rather than to creating island kits. With the economy improving, we have spent the past six months designing five unique “kits.” We hope these kits will appeal to your clients for their late summer and fall shows.

The basic plan of attack was simple. First, we listened to you and to what your clients wanted. Namely, islands that not only could stand alone on their design merits, but could also be reconfigured into other island and inline configurations.

Trade Show Island Design from Classic Exhibits

VK-5075 Island Design

Second, we designed these kits to take advantage of large format fabric and SEG graphics, TSP profiles from ClassicMODUL (where possible), and creative accent lighting options. We also recognized that truly custom elements, such as fully assembled counters and workstations, add design heft to islands without adding significant weight.

Finally, while the designs are custom-looking from an aesthetic standpoint, they are designed for “repeatability” and “expandability.” Those two factors allow us to price them more competitively, since we believe these kits (or variations of these designs) will be purchased again and again, much like Sacagawea or Perfect 10 kits. This week, we’re presenting the VK-5075,  branded for Barnes and Noble. By using similar towers and counter units, this unit can easily be rearranged with minimal effort and money to create alternate footprints for the second, third, and fourth shows.

So enjoy! Please let us know what you think. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome.

Be well and have a great weekend. And for all the fathers out there, relax and enjoy time with your family.

–Kevin Carty

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

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A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: Word on the Street — May 2nd thru May 6th

May 6th, 2011 Mel White COMMENTS
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

This week, I was on the road visiting new and potential distributors for Classic and ClassicMODUL. Meeting with these folks reminded me of the power of photos in our business. Frankly, I take photos for granted since we take multiple shots of every display we build. I assume other manufacturers do the same thing. It makes sense. Photos document the order and serve as a convenient point of reference if there are questions once the exhibit arrives or several years later when the client wants to modify the design or reorder parts.

Photos are such a day-to-day occurrence for us that I’m always a little surprised by a distributor’s reaction during a presentation. During the meeting, we invariably head to Classic’s website, or if they have Exhibit Design Search, to their website. We review the product lines and/or changes and at some point, we click on the photos button either on the home page or on a Design Detail page. That’s when the magic happens.

Potential distributors are always stunned that there are photos of kits; in fact, that there are multiple photos of actual orders. Then, once we dive a little deeper, they are delighted “slash” shocked that there are literally thousands of photos dating back to September 2006 . . . and that they can search, filter, and sort these photos. The next shock comes when they realize that these photos are not hidden behind a password protected site and that the photos can be emailed from their address using the “Email Image” tool.

Some of you may know the history of Past Five Days (P5D), our photo database, but for those who don’t I’ll share it.

P5D History

Past Five Days Photos

Past Five Days Photos

On 09/23/06, we started an experiment when we launched Past Five Days (P5D). We decided to publish photos of exhibits, components, and accessories on Classic Exhibits. Mostly, we used the photos taken in our QC Setup Area, but occasionally we used photos from the Rental Setup area. We couldn’t publish every exhibit, which would be unrealistic, but we did want to show representative designs in as close to real time as possible. At the time, it seemed risky for two reasons.

  1. We would be showing exhibits, not as perfect renderings or as show photos, polished to perfection just minutes before the trade show opens, but as exhibits often without the final graphics and the client’s product accessories and collateral.
  2. We would be sharing new designs and innovations with anyone who happened to click on Past Five Days. Including our competitors. However, we quickly realized that the benefit of sharing far out weighed the risk of espionage.

Five years later, P5D seems obvious. Distributors and clients get to see photos in addition to renderings, even if those photos are of displays still in production. Renderings are the lifeblood of the exhibit design process. They allow us to illustrate concepts relatively quickly, in both the purchase and design phase.  But renderings are renderings. Photos are photos. We need to see both in order to make intelligent decisions about which display to purchase and which exhibit manufacturer to purchase from.

Many of you visit P5D at least once a week to review new projects. For those who don’t, we encourage you to take a peek once in a while. You’ll be surprised at the variety of orders flowing through our shop. Yes, there are the standards, such as Sacagawea, Magellan, and Perfect 10 kits, but you’ll also see islands, custom workstations and counters, unique Aero Hanging Sign orders, and recently, Eco-systems Sustainable projects. Plus, if you enjoy graphic design, you’ll see how others present their message . . . both successfully and occasionally, not so successfully.

Hope you all have a restful weekend.

Be well.

–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 — April 4th thru April 8th

April 10th, 2011 Mel White 2 COMMENTS
Quarter 2011

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

One Quarter Down . . . 3 to Go!

It’s hard to believe how quickly the first quarter flew by. But it did, and what an interesting first quarter it was. January was strong. February a little dicey. March was a monster! I am glad to report that Q1 2011 was one of the best in Classic’s history. We owe it all to your hard work with your customers and to the positive attitude of the Classic team. Thanks so much!

It’s always a little dangerous in our business to predict Q2 sales based on Q1, but, what the heck, let’s put on our Jeanne Dixon psychic hat for a moment and peer into the crystal ball. The second quarter looks to be upbeat from what we are seeing and are hearing. This past week I spoke to quite a few distributors who told me that expect more of the same in the second quarter. They are seeing more activity from both existing and new customers, who are adding to existing structures, changing graphics, and in quite a few cases, purchasing new displays.

It would be easy to see Q1 as an anomaly, but the first quarter was a blend of sales with a healthy mix of larger exhibits, custom inlines, counters and workstations, and standard kits. In 2010, you may recall that we had a lot of kit sales without much customization, especially 10 x 10’s and 10 x 20’s. But so far in 2011, while kit sales have continued to set the pace, we are building more “souped” up kits and a lot more high-budget islands.

Product Mix

We continue to sell quite a few hybrids like Visionary Designs, Sacagawea, Magellan, P10, and SEGUE, but we are also selling Intro Folding Fabric Systems, Quadro Pop Up Displays (both S and EO), and Aero Table Tops. And I can’t even keep track of the Aero Overhead Hanging Sign sales. It seems like every time I walk onto the setup floor there is another Aero Overhead Sign being assembled. Some are part of larger exhibits, but also a lot are add-ons to a client’s existing exhibit.

Looking forward, it appears the mix of sales is continuing. Most of what we have quoted or have headed for Production in April and May is either customized kits or larger island exhibits.

So what does all this mean? I was watching a video from EXHIBITOR interviewing attendee’s who were asked about the climate of business. Most of the responses were “We’re back!” or “We’re on the way back.” And I have to agree that it certainly feels that way, despite all the news you hear regarding the state of our economy.

What Have We Learned?

History Repeats ItselfHowever . . . I want to ask you a question before we get too comfortable with the “recovery.” What did we/you learn about our industry, about business, and about our customers over the past two plus years?” Did we learn anything that will make the industry stronger, our businesses healthier, and our sales increase?

I suspect the answer is not as transparent we would all like to believe. Not to rely on a cliche, but as we all know, history tends to repeat itself when we don’t analyze and understand the past. We are already getting hints of this it relates to inflated trade show charges, arbitrary rush fees, and inflexible customer service within our industry.

Let me know your thoughts, and next week I’ll share mine as well as your comments, observations, and rants. Give me a call, send me an email, or simply reply in the comments section of the blog.

Thanks again for making the last quarter so great. Have a great week ahead.

–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 28th thru April 1st

April 3rd, 2011 Mel White 3 COMMENTS
EXHIBITOR 2011 Follow-up

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

EXHIBITOR Show Follow-up

To those who attended EXHIBITOR in Las Vegas, I hope you had an enjoyable time.

This past month was a very exciting one at Classic. I am delighted to announce that March will be the second largest sales month in Classic Exhibits’ history! Thanks to you, our distributors and friends, for your support, your orders, and for believing in our “Shared Success” philosophy.

Since I did not attend EXHIBITOR this year, I hope you will share your feedback and reactions via the blog. The Classic Team had only positive comments about the show: great traffic, quality leads, and an overall upbeat tone.

As you may have noticed if you were at the show, Classic Exhibits, ClassicMODUL, and Exhibits NW were fortunate to have built not just our own booth but also several others on the show floor.

Here are just a few. Let us know what you thought of these designs:

Cort Furnishings. The island display included ClassicMODUL black anodized extrusion, Aero Overhead Hanging Structures, and tension fabric graphics from Optima Graphics . . . and of course all the beautiful trade show furnishings from Cort.

Display Supply and Lighting @ Exhibitor 2011Display Supply and Lighting (DS&L). This inline included Silicone Edge Graphic profiles from ClassicMODUL, SEG fabric graphics from Optima, and some truly amazing LED lighting from Display Supply. Check out the picture, but don’t miss the video. Great work to Rob Cohen and his team. And additional kudos to Steve Pinette for a stunning design.

EliteXPO at Exhibitor 2011EliteXPO. This inline had a very cool lounge theme. It included several ClassicMODUL profiles, large format Duratrans and tension fabric graphics from Optima Graphics as well as LED backlighting panels from Display Supply and Lighting. Kudos to Dave, Lara, and Chuck. I heard a lot of great feedback from attendees on your booth design and theme. Nicely done!

New Leads 10 x 10. A great example of a Classic Exhibits 10 x 10 Sacagawea hybrid! Take a look. Turned out very beautiful and highlighted a very functional design. New Leads at Exhibitor 2011And special thanks to New Leads for allowing us to use their lead retrieval technology which runs off iPads. Very easy to use.

Optima Exhibitor 2011Optima Graphics Island. Not only was there a nice ClassicMODUL Tower in the booth, but did you see that Aero Hanging Sign structure?  Well done Jim, Dave, and the whole team at Optima.

EXHIBITOR Magazine. EXHIBITOR’s inline booth was a custom rental exhibit from Classic Rentals with a dynamic A/V presentation. The display demonstrated our flexible rental inventory and design capabilities. This was no kit. It was built using their design requirements for the show. Exhibitor2011_Booth

Classic Exhibits / Eco-systems Sustainable. And last but not least. I hope you enjoyed OUR booth: Your Home for Exhibits. Take a look at the pictures. What you might not know is that the structure is a Rental Exhibit! It highlights the true custom nature and capability of Jim Shelman and his whole crew at Classic Rentals / Exhibits NW. Thanks to Flying High Design for all the beautiful graphic work, to Optima for the printing, to Brumark for the carpeting, to Cort Furnishings for the comfy chairs and stools, to Nature Wall for the cool “real” grass wall in the ECO-Systems portion of the display. At the end of the day, that was probably the best overall design and display we have ever shown.

That being said, I want to say a personal thanks to Mel, Jim, James, Laura, Erik, Eric, Michael, Tim and of course Reid for their hard work last week. Not being there myself, I want you all to know how proud I am of our team and the job you did. Thanks!

Lastly, a huge thank you to our strategic partners:  Eco-systems Sustainable, Momentum Management, Cort, Optima Graphics, EliteXPO, and Display Supply and Lighting. Your guidance, generosity, and support made this year’s show particularly special.

Please share your comments about the show.

Have a great and restful weekend.

–Kevin Carty

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

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