We wrapped up Shared Knowledge University last week. Another amazing group of attendees! There’s just something about SKU that sparks joy, delight, and the urge to sing kumbaya (at least silently). Kevin offers his take on SKU, EDPA Access, and several other topics in this vlog.
Get ready. Classic’s Shared Knowledge University is just around the corner, November 14-15. Distributors who have attended SKU, many multiple times, know it’s an immersive two days into all things Classic Exhibits: products, processes, and people.
Add in presentations by CORT, Optima, and Eco-Systems Sustainable and frankly, it’s overwhelming (in a good way). Then we mix in great meals, social events, and mixers with other distributors. This is your invitation to attend. See the graphic below for details and contact Reid Sherwood or Jen LaBruzza to reserve your spot.
On behalf of the entire Classic Exhibits Family, we hope to see you there!
I hope you had a wonderful holiday season. I know I did! It included nap time on the couch — something I rarely get these days.
We started the year on an upswing with a record-breaking Q1 across all divisions at Classic, including ENW, ClassicMODUL, and Rentals. There were several promising trends — some new, others cultivated in 2012-2014 but coming to fruition in 2015.
EDPA Booth
Lightboxes were HUGE — literally! All year, inlines and islands seemed naked without a SEGUE lightbox. Our designers found new and creative ways to add light, whether as a backlit feature or using LED perimeter lights in counters, workstations, and accessories. This extended into Corporate and Retail Environments as well.
To meet this expanding need, Classic developed two new profiles: a single-sided option for walls and a remarkably thin double-sided option for freestanding lightboxes. If you attended EDPA Access, you saw them both in our booth.
Custom Wood Fabricated Exhibits. Easily the largest growth segment for Classic Manufacturing. We joked that Classic Exhibits has become the largest, most invisible custom builder in North America. And that’s just fine. Never has our unbranded approach been so valuable. Each and every day we build Custom Exhibits showcasing YOUR brand on crates and setup instructions.
With a heavy focus on design and the use of our CNC shop, Classic builds custom exhibits for our Modular/Hybrid Distributors as well as our Custom Distributors who turn to us when they don’t have the time or capacity to build an exhibit. This has been a very welcome and creative challenge to the Classic staff.
Pokémon World Championships Retail Space
Retail Displays and Corporate Environments. Our work in the Retail and Corporate Environments continues to grow as our Distributors look beyond trade shows. The three largest examples were the Pokemon World Championships Retail Space, The Bonneville Power Administration Visitors Center, and our work inside the Nike Campus.
But it doesn’t stop there. We have open bids on several new corporate environments and are currently building an interactive space within a Midwest car dealership.
Patting Ourselves on the Back. At EXHIBITORLIVE, Classic Exhibits, Eco-Systems Sustainable, and several Classic Distributors were honored with five nominations for the Portable Modular Awards.
2015 PMA Winner Island less than 400 s.f.
Just being nominated is amazing… but we also WON two awards! Classic took home the prize for Best Island Design (400 sq. ft.) and Eco-Systems won best 10 x 10. Both a testament to the beautiful work of our talented Designers!
As if that was not enough, Event Marketer named us one of the Top 50 Manufactures in North America for the third straight year. The award speaks to the amazing work of our Production and Project Management teams!
We have three finalists in this year’s upcoming PMA’s. Be sure to vote for your favorite at the People’s Choice Voting.
Education. Whether in life or work, education is the key to success. Classic Exhibits’ Shared Knowledge University provides a platform for valuable education in our professional worlds. In 2015 we held two SKU sessions. The groups learned about Classic, our people, our products, and our great WEIRD Portlandia home. This year included a new twist… a trip to Cartlandia, one of Portland’s idiosyncratic food cart pods that make Portland… well Portland.
SKU benefited from the participation of great partners and speakers: Optima Graphics, Cort Furnishings, Display 
Supply and Lighting, 3 Dog Write, Tim Patterson (The TradeshowGuy) and Pinky Gonzales, the LinkedIn Specialist. They all helped to make Content King at SKU.
Over 65 students earned bachelor degrees, and a few earned graduate degrees. Our congratulations to our first Ph.D. — Dr. Cody. Contact Reid or Jen about attending in May.
Speaking of Reid and Jen. Reid Sherwood and Jen LaBruzza, our resident Road Warriors, hit the streets hard in 2015 visiting distributors, conducting onsite training, and generally spreading joy. If you missed them last year, they have very busy travel schedules in 2016.
Expect them to share news about New Product releases (more on that coming), Exhibit Design Search training, and your needs.
Distributor Visits. I have been doing this for 22 years and 2015 was a record year for distributor visits at Classic. Looking back at my calendar, we averaged a visit about every two weeks. Many were scheduled around client previews of large exhibit builds. Others arranged their own private one-on-one Distributor training — a mini-SKU if you will.
I appreciate these visits so much since I don’t travel much anymore due to my family’s schedule — 9 yr. old twins are BUSY. I appreciate the opportunity to introduce Distributors to our great staff/family at Classic. They’re the people who really make things happen, the folks you don’t see at EXHIBITORLIVE or other industry events.
Please know that our doors are always open. We welcome your visits with or without your clients. And our staff loves meeting you all as well. It helps seal the relationship they have developed with you all over the phone. Not to mention our food, wine, and craft beers are best experienced in person.
Rental Project from 2015
Rental Growth. Classic Rental Solutions continued its double-digit growth. And it’s really no surprise. Jim Shelman and his crew do what others “can’t” or simply are “unwilling” to do in a rental solution. I love walking through their area to see what they are building. So much of it is as custom as what we are doing on the new build side.
Congrats to the entire CRS team on their growth. It speaks to your ongoing dedication to the service and solutions that customers expect… and often exceeding those expectations.
Strong Sales. In 2015 we experienced increases across the board at the Classic Family of Companies, including a record Q1, Q2, and Q3. Q4 is yet to be determined.
I would humbly suggest two reasons for our growth.
1. Classic Distributors tapped into our designers earlier in the sales process. By using them as YOUR designer on the initial calls with the clients, we saw our close ratio increase three-fold.
2. More distributors visiting Classic or attending SKU. There is this “moment” when someone steps into our manufacturing plant. It’s tangible and it’s hard to explain fully, but somehow it seems to validate everything that person has heard or been told by Reid, Jen, Mel, Jim, or myself over the years. They see our process, our capabilities, and our people.
Exhibit Design Search (EDS). Last year brought multiple changes to EDS. All of which were geared to make your sales process easier. Some of the highlighted changes/additions include
100-Day Return Guarantee
BELIEVE IT – 100 Day Return Guarantee. In 2015 Classic introduced a 100-Day Return Guarantee on Sacagawea, Perfect 10, Quadro, and FGS. It was an easy decision since we build it right the first time! We’re proud to be the first company in the exhibit industry to offer this guarantee.
Association Participation. EDPA and E2MA are a key part of the Classic Exhibits’ DNA. I sit on the Board of Directors for The Exhibit Designers and Producers Association while Mel sits on the Board of Directors for the Exhibit and Event Marketers Association and serves as the Treasury Chair. Both associations focus their efforts on the betterment of our industry through Education, Scholarships, Industry Round Tables, and bridging the gaps between the stakeholders in our industry.
I know I speak for Mel when I say we are both very proud of our work in these two associations, and that we are always available to speak to anyone interested in learning more about how they can become more involved.
John Zipay, Exhibits Northwest, GM
John Zipay (JZ). Classic was excited to add John to our management team in 2015. John is the General Manager of the Exhibits Northwest division of Classic Exhibits which focuses on the Pacific Northwest market.
More than that, John brings a wealth of knowledge to the company with his I&D experience. It’s a perspective we lean on frequently in manufacturing when analyzing a potential exhibit build. His knowledge of the trade show floor has also been beneficial to our distributors when finding the right labor in certain US cities.
Be on the lookout! We are about to launch a new product line. What is it? You will have to wait, but we are close to the formal unveiling. Expect a “soft launch” in late January. You’ll see the full product line at EXHIBITORLIVE. It will change the way you look at building exhibit systems!
Lastly, I offer my sincere thanks to you for being great partners and for supporting the Classic Family. I look forward to working with and seeing you in the coming year.
Be well!
–Kevin
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Kevin Carty, VP Classic Exhibits
The title is something only a recent graduate of Shared Knowledge University (SKU) can fully appreciate. 🙂 This week, we proudly graduated another remarkable class from SKU (Go “Fighting Hybrids!”).
Twice a year, we invite 30-40 distributors from around the country to learn about all things Classic Exhibits and several strategic partners.
This group, like those in past SKU sessions, was amazing. They arrived with a positive attitude, mixed with a perverse smidge of curiosity to see the REAL Portlandia. It was one of the most diverse groups we have seen to date and included companies ranging from two-to-three person operations to several hundred.
As in past sessions, the great takeaway was the opportunity to meet and/or reconnect with some smart people in our industry who clearly share our goals. So to the graduating Fall SKU 2015 Class– A warm and heartfelt congrats! And many, many thanks for spending time to learn more about the weirdos in the Pacific NW. Yes, that includes us.
To the Classic Exhibits Inc Team (Exhibits NW, Classic Manufacturing, Classic Rentals Solutions and ClassicMODUL), thanks again for all your hard work pulling the event together in flawless fashion. The Shared Success Formula came shining through because of YOU!
To our participating vendor partners — Optima Graphics, Cort Furnishings, Eco-Systems Sustainable, and 3 Dog Write — your attendance, participation, presentations, and partnerships are appreciated beyond words. [D. Brown — We rechecked your scores. You are an official graduate. Please feel free to add this academic accomplishment to your LinkedIn profile.]
I am exhausted, much like the others on the team, so I plan to sleep all weekend. I hope you have a great and restful weekend with your families as well.
Spring 2016 SKU will be held May 15-16. Contact Jen or Reid to reserve a seat.
Be well.
–Kevin
http://twitter.com/kevin_carty
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kevin-carty/3/800/32a
Kevin Carty, VP Classic Exhibits
Last week was not your normal May at Classic Exhibits. Why?
We held our most recent edition of Shared Knowledge University (SKU), Classic’s bi-annual distributor training session.
This SKU was so great that my friend Dave Brown from Optima coined the term “SKU-Tastic!” I wholeheartedly agree.
Like other SKU’s, we had a terrific mix of folks from all over the country, folks who gave their time to learn more about the Classic Family and products. And learn they did. They were engaged during the classroom sessions, and while I always gush a bit over our students, this group as a whole was truly impressive.
As always, there were sessions from our partners — Eco-Systems Sustainable, Optima and Display Supply and Lighting. To our partners…Matt Wish, Dave Brown, Brianna Ziomek and Tom Beard, I can’t begin to thank you all enough for your partnership and your investment in our joint customers via SKU.
We also had a lot of fun… as is always the case at SKU. We are proud of our weird little city and love to show others what makes Portland — Portlandia. 🙂 During this SKU, we visited local food carts for lunch (www.cartlandia.com), an historic old elementary school turned brewery/restaurant/bar/movie theater, and finished with a great evening at Bridgeport, one America’s foundational Craft Breweries.
As we gathered toward the end of SKU, we asked the SKU Graduates for their takeaways. Their responses warmed my heart. Each person mentioned that one of their greatest takeaways was The People at Classic — their devotion, dedication, and care that they clearly have for the Company and for the Distributors they serve daily.
This is the one thing that makes it easy to wake up every day eager to go to work. Sure there are other things but the quality of our team is what drives me. So to the Classic Family, my sincere thanks, not only for all your hard work preparing for Shared Knowledge University but also for your daily commitment to the Shared Success Mission.
To the Graduates, Don’t Forget the PLEDGE. I will be checking in on that. And thank you so so much for your time and dedication. We never forget that it’s your efforts that allows us to put food on our tables each night.
For those distributors who have never attended an SKU, don’t miss your next opportunity, tentatively scheduled for November 9-10. You won’t regret it. Contact Reid Sherwood or Jen LaBruzza for details. Space is always limited.
Have a great Memorial Day weekend and take time to reflect upon those who gave the ultimate sacrifice over the years fighting to help keep our country great.
Be well!
–Kevin
http://twitter.com/kevin_carty
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kevin-carty/3/800/32a
