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EXHIBITOR / GlobalShop 2014 Recap: Word on the Street — March 17 thru March 21st

March 22nd, 2014 Mel White 3 COMMENTS

Kevin Carty, VP Classic Exhibits

My nose is bleeding, my eyes are burning, and I am exhausted! Yep, you guessed it, I was in Vegas for the past week. 🙂

Like many of you, the Classic Team descended on Vegas starting last Friday for both EXHIBITOR Show and GlobalShop. Since we exhibited at both shows, let me break this into two blog posts starting with EXHIBITOR.

EXHIBITOR 2014 was nothing short of spectacular for Classic Exhibits, Classic Rental Solutions, ClassicMODUL, and Eco-Systems Sustainable. I know that sounds a little “sales-ish” to say spectacular, but it really was one of the best, if not THE BEST, EXHIBITOR in my nearly 20 years with Classic.

Our “Sweet Solutions” exhibit was well received and showed WHO we are and WHAT we do. The main structure was a Custom Rental Solutions, a design that was up for an award in the Design Awards this year.

New Products

We were also showing several new products.  The new OTM Furniture debuted at EXHIBITOR. We had the portable tables and chairs in our booth as well as three other exhibits. The response could only be compared to that of the iPad kiosks we debuted two years ago. The OTM Table and Chairs are going to be a big, big hit.

We also introduced the SEGUE VK-1118 SuperNova Backlit Inline. The VK-1118 takes its cue from our very successful Visionary Designs iPhone and iPad inlines, two designs iconic to Classic Exhibits. The difference is the backlighting. While there were many lightboxes at EXHIBITOR, the VK-1118 and the 20 ft. VK-2959 are the only inlines on the market with storage, headers, standoff graphics, large monitor mounts, and accessory options. This is a game changer my friends. Inlines will never be the same going forward.

Across the show floor, we had a great presence of Classic designs. We built exhibits for PRG, EliteXpo, DS&L, Cort, Slim Furniture, and EXHIBITOR Magazine. In addition, there was a Sacagawea, a Magellan Miracle, and an eight year old Visionary Designs VK-1001 hybrid that looked brand new. We appreciate being a part of our key vendor partners look and presentation at EXHIBITOR. Thank you for trusting us with your brands once again.

The mood in the building was inspiring. There was a lot creativity, and a lot of new innovative products and services. As a whole, the industry should be very proud. Well done all. I felt a great sense of pride as I walked the show floor this year. In particular, there was more originality booth to booth and competitor to competitor. Which is not always the case.

There were a few lows, such as companies that would rather COPY than innovate through design. But I won’t dwell too much on that since a few four letter words come to mind that describe these iPad solutions copycats.

EDPA Portable/Modular/Hybrid Summit

On a personal note, I would like to thank everyone who attended the Annual EDPA Portable/Modular/Hybrid Summit on Tuesday afternoon. I really appreciate the insights by the audience. And a special thanks to the panelists — Greg Beach, Cindi Cody, Maureen Borzachello, Anita Mitzel, and Jocelyn Welles. Your perspectives we invaluable.

I do have a challenge to my fellow competitors in the Portable/Modular/Hybrid segment. So many of you weren’t there. Why? Your perspective and input matters to the growth of our segment, whether you are an F, N, S, O, L, or one of other letters of the alphabet. You had distributors at the meeting . . . but not many of you came. So, hopefully, when we hold our next meeting at EDPA ACCESS, you (and you know who you are) will participate. Special thanks to ExpoDisplays, Octanorm, Highmark, and Classic Exhibits for supporting and participating in the session. Yes, we are competitors, but we are also a community. Don’t let others chart your future and the tone of our segment.

Exhibit Design Awards

The Inaugural Exhibit Design Awards ceremony was held on Tuesday night, an event near and dear to my heart. I could do a blog on just that. What a great event! Special thanks to the entire team from EXHIBITOR Media Group. Especially Randy Acker and John Pavek. I personally appreciate that you took one company’s suggestion, truly listened to it, and then ran with it. I know this event will only grow to be bigger and better over the coming years. But for a first time event, you need to take a bow for a job very well done. Our industry is led by design on all levels, and to spend an evening celebrating the designs that are shaping the industry was a pure joy for me and the team from Classic. Finally, my congratulations to all the winners in all the categories. You have a reason to celebrate.

GlobalShop 2014

GlobalShop 2014 was happening right above EXHIBITOR this year. It ran from Tuesday thru Thursday. GlobalShop is a very different show for Classic. Those who came by to visit our booth can attest. We are a bit of an outlier in that world, but it is a market that continues to grow  for Classic. And we are seeing more and more distributors join us in that world.

The show was great, and since we do not sell direct, we focused on gathering leads for our distributors and finding new Retail Design partners. iPad Solutions, Charging Kiosks, SuperNova Lightboxes, and the new OTM Counter and Chairs were the stars.

That’s all I will say at this point on GlobalShop. Look for a separate blog. I think there are more and more opportunities for us all in that market.

Thanks

Overall, I want to say thanks to our entire team at Classic Exhibits. This past week provided huge challenges. Two shows to assemble/dismantle. Two booths to staff. Two clienteles to entertain (the easy part 🙂 ) .But as you can imagine, two of everything makes it more difficult at the shop/office. So to those who stayed back and manned the ships — THANK YOU!! We appreciate you covering for us all.

And to the staff that came to Vegas. Thanks again for making me so very proud to be a part of this great organization. We have a terrific family at Classic, and I hear from so many during the events that our “family” atmosphere really shines through at EXHIBITOR.

To all my industry friends and partners, all I can say is I wish we could spend more time together. A busy show means you get less and less time to spend with your partners at the show. But we all agree that’s a good sign for the industry. So let me say this — Our partners are a big part of the success we experience at Classic. Without you and your partnership, we would not be doing as well as we are. So thanks to you all.

Get some rest now that you’re home and more importantly get some quality time your families this weekend. They and you deserve it.

Be well.

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

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Polishing Perfection: Word on the Street — June 24th thru June 28th

June 30th, 2013 Mel White COMMENTS
Who are We Trying to Impress?: Word on the Street -- June 24th thru June 28th

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

This has been on my mind for some time so I am going to share a little more “Seth-Wisdom” with you. Seth Godin that is. Only because he nails this conundrum.

First, the issue. We design, manufacture and sell tradeshow exhibits. We depend on you to find new clients or to work with your existing clients to develop their tradeshow program. But there is, at times, a fly in the ointment or a pink elephant in the room. It’s YOU!

Whether it’s in design, build, or even in the final review, we sometimes find ourselves tweaking and revising the salesperson’s wishes rather than what the customer wants. Especially in design. I am amazed at how many times a designer has participated in a design meeting(s) with the end-user, then comes up with a great design for the client only to have it incessantly revised based upon what the salesperson wants — not what the client wants. And, of course, we make the changes, but 100 percent of the time once the design lands on the client’s desk, we end up changing it back to the original design.

This is not a complaint . . .  but it kinda is. No one questions your wisdom or your knowledge of exhibit marketing gleaned from years and years of working with exhibitors. It’s invaluable. It’s indispensable. Your guidance ensures that your client makes smart decisions about trade show marketing.

Ours is a specialized business, a knowledge that comes primarily from working with hundreds of clients.  However, and far too often, the account executive makes decisions based on their preferences, not their client’s preferences. You hear statements like, “I’m doing this for the client’s best interests.” Which is fine . . . kinda . . . but not when there’s a laundry list of “best interests” that the client never hears about and then discovers at the preview or the show site.

What really impacts the project is when we are in the final staging of an exhibit and then have to make last minute production changes based on what the account executive wanted only to find out later that the client was not expecting the changes. But I digress.

This came from my daily Seth email.

Polishing Perfect

Perfect doesn’t mean flawless. Perfect means it does exactly what I need it to do. A vacation can be perfect even if the nuts on the plane weren’t warmed before serving.

Any project that’s held up in revisions and meetings and general fear-based polishing is the victim of a crime. It’s a crime because you’re stealing that perfect work from a customer who will benefit from it. You’re holding back the good stuff from the people who need it, afraid of what the people who don’t will say.

Stop polishing and ship instead. Polished perfect isn’t better than perfect, it’s merely shinier. And late.

Now I am not saying that we don’t strive to be perfect. We most certainly do! But in the end, our goal is perfection per the end-user’s expectations. Not my expectations. Not the account executives.

If you take exception to my comments, please share your thoughts.

Hope you have big plans this coming week for the 4th of July holiday. Have a great time with your family and friends.

Kevin (not yet perfect) Carty
http://twitter.com/kevin_carty
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kevin-carty/3/800/32a

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Magellan Portable Hybrid Displays

June 28th, 2013 Mel White COMMENTS

Whenever we conduct an Exhibit Design Search (EDS) webinar, we reserve 5 -10 minutes to review the Classic Hybrid product lines. We have five hybrid lines . . . well kinda. In reality, we have six or seven or even eight if you toss in the rentals, table tops, several Euro LT designs, and even Eco-systems Sustainable (which is a separate company but represented in EDS). It can be confusing.

The Classic distributors who attend Shared Knowledge University (SKU), our comprehensive training program, hear the history and the explanation of our hybrid lines. They always tell us that what was confusing, now makes sense. So, over the next few weeks, I’ll do my best to encapsulate the SKU review into a series of blogs about the Classic Hybrid lines. We’ll begin with Magellan.

What Makes a Magellan a Magellan?

Magellan Miracle Hybrid

Magellan Hybrid Displays was Classic’s third hybrid line, launched (if I remember correctly) in late 2008 or early 2009. I  remember very, very clearly why we created the Magellan line, and in particular, the Magellan Miracle. Several months into The Great Recession, sales of our existing hybrid lines, Visionary Designs and Perfect 10, had stalled. We were hearing from distributors that price, while always a factor, was now paramount. We knew we needed to react quickly, but we didn’t want to create a basic aluminum box with a graphic. It had to have “presence,” but be less expensive than a Perfect 10.

Many of you have heard me say the price of a hybrid is not complicated. There are three major elements:  the metal (size and shape of the profile, straight, or curved), the graphics (size and quantity), and the accessories and components. You can add a four element if you collectively include design, assembly, and packaging, which also contributes to the price. To reduce the cost of a hybrid, you use less expensive profiles, have fewer bends, smaller or fewer graphics, and limited accessories.

Z 45 Aluminum Extrusion

The Magellan line is (almost exclusively) built with the Z 45 profile. Why the Z 45? It’s relatively inexpensive, extremely versatile, and very attractive. In addition, our metal bending expertise allows us to bend it in both directions (what we call the hard and soft edges). That means the Z 45 can be used as both a horizontal and a vertical, and bent to create a variety of interesting shapes.

Miracle

The Miracle was the first Magellan. Like the Perfect 10, it has two large fabric graphics, each 96 in. tall. And, like the Perfect 10, the verticals are curved. However, the Miracle has less extreme curves, fewer accessories, and a limited set of options. The Miracle, as with all Magellan Displays, is a “Knob-assisted Assembly” system, meaning that about 85% of the assembly uses attached knobs. Where a knob would be visible or impractical, a hex key tool is required. These changes allowed us to price it about $1300 less than a comparable Perfect 10.

Fortunately, the Miracle was an instant success. One distributor was so sold on the concept (and hungry for sales) that she based her entire quarterly marketing campaign on the Miracle. It saved her quarter and jumped started her year. The positive feedback encouraged us to create other Magellan designs, some with similar price points such as the MOR and the Magic. But we didn’t stop there. The versatility of the Z 45 meant we could design more intricate, more upscale, and more expensive designs such as the VK-1043 and VK-2056.

So, when should your client consider a Magellan Hybrid? There are two directions:

1. Limited Budget/Attractive Design

  • 10 ft. and 20 ft. Inlines
  • A budget that won’t stretch for a Visionary Design or a Perfect 10
  • Your client requests a portable system that they can assemble at the show
  • They want something more than a basic curve, box, or pop-up
  • They want large vibrant fabric graphics
  • They need a workstation for a monitor
  • Die-cut reusable foam packaging and numbered components
  • Examples:   Miracle, MOR, Magic

2. Larger Budget/Distinctive Design

  • 10 ft and 20 ft. Inlines
  • Larger, more flexible budget
  • Loves curves. Wants the booth structure to be unique
  • Likes the idea of portability, whether they need it portable or not
  • Needs counters, workstations, headers, multiple large fabric graphics
  • Die-cut reusable foam packaging and numbered components
  • Examples:  VK-1083, VK-1085, VK-2049, and VK-2045

Next time, we’ll review Perfect 10 Portable Hybrid Displays. That’s an interesting tale of what happens when you discover a major, untapped segment of the market that EVERYONE has ignored.

–Mel White
http://www.linkedin.com/in/melmwhite
mel@classicexhibits.com

**********************************************

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.

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When Simple Statements Make a Difference: Word on the Street — May 13th thru May 17th

May 19th, 2013 Mel White COMMENTS
When Simple Statements Make a Difference: Word on the Street -- May 13th thru May 17th

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

You have experienced it a million times:  Sometimes the simplest statements can either ruin your day or make it all worthwhile!

As a parent, I am very conscious of this. There’s nothing worse than when your child shows you something they drew or created with Lego’s, all excited, and your response is, “What is it?” or “I am busy. I will look at it later.” No matter how bad or unrecognizable it may be, I always tell my kids, “That’s beautiful. Tell me all about it.”

As adults, we are much the same. We want people to respect what we do.

Well, I’m going to toot our horn a little, and honestly, I am fine with that. This week, we had one of the best compliments you could receive. Tyler Poage from Exhibits Northwest Portland had a client preview at Classic Exhibits. The job is a 40 ft. custom island with multiple backlit counters, downlighting, and large silicone edge graphics. After several long days and nights on the Production floor wrapping up the project, our crew had 95% of the booth set and ready for the preview on Friday afternoon. The only things missing were some graphics that had not shipped.

Well, the client walked in and took a few minutes to check it out. Then Tyler introduced me to her. Her first comment was, “This is the best first look at a new build I have ever been a part of. Thank you!”

Now, take it how you want, but to me, and more importantly to Edie (the PM of the project) and about 15 production guys that poured their sweat into this build, that was a simple but powerful statement. I shared it with everyone a few minutes later to make sure they all knew their hard work was appreciated by the client. And every last one of them got a new look on their face. Before that, they just looked tired, but after hearing the feedback, they all brightened up and humbly said they were glad the client was happy.

Sometimes, what may seem to be a simple compliment, can make a significant impact on others. This was the case here. I am not sure the client knows how much her compliment meant to our crew, but I look forward to sharing the reaction if I see her again.

Kudos to Wood Fab, Set-up and Assembly, Instructions, and Edie for a job well done. And thanks to Tyler and Exhibits Northwest for bringing us such a great project.

I hope you have a great and restful weekend with your families. Like you, we will be hitting the reset button this weekend in preparation for more creative projects coming through the shop.

Take care.

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

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NEW Features in Exhibit Design Search (EDS)

May 15th, 2013 Mel White COMMENTS

For those Exhibit Design Search groupies, and you know who you are, we’ve added some enhanced features. These features are available on Classic’s EDS, on your branded EDS sites, and on the unbranded version (www.exhibit-design-search.com).

Additions Include:

  1. Add P5D Photos to My Gallery. Now you can send kits and photos in one email. Much easier
  2. An iPad Kiosks/Solutions Gallery. This product line continues to grow and deserved a dedicated gallery
  3. A “Show All” feature — Now you can view larger searches and galleries in a single window
  4. Alphabetical Sort. Very convenient if you want to view a search in alphabetical order
  5. New Fabric Swatches page showing all current and available Front Runner, Prelude, and EcoFi fabrics in our assortment

See the screen grabs below for a visual explanation of the enhancements.

 

You can now add Photos from Past 5 Days (P5D) to your My Gallery:

There is a dedicated EDS gallery for iPad Solutions:

If you’re viewing a gallery, there is now a “Show All” option:

 

Convenient alphabetical sorting:

 

New Fabric Swatch gallery:

http://www.classicexhibits.com/tradeshow-blog/2013/04/05/new-fabric-color-swatch-tool/

 

–Mel White
http://www.linkedin.com/in/melmwhite
mel@classicexhibits.com

**********************************************

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.

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