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What You Should Know as a First-Time Exhibit Buyer

September 20th, 2009 Mel White COMMENTS
Visionary Design VK-1073 Hybrid Exhibit

Visionary Design VK-1073 Hybrid Exhibit

  • Don’t let the trade show exhibit buying experience intimidate you
  • Your marketing objectives and strategy should dictate your exhibit marketing needs
  • Be prepared for sticker shock. Exhibits can be expensive
  • Where to buy depends on your goals. Do you need a large custom exhibit? Or do you need a portable, modular, or hybrid exhibit?
  • Plan ahead. You’ll save money and make smarter decisions

How to Get Started

For the sake of simplicity, let’s assume that exhibit marketing is a new experience. Exhibit marketing is certainly not rocket science. You don’t need a marketing degree to be successful at exhibit marketing. However, it helps to get advice so you make the right decisions.

Buying your first exhibit can, at first, raise more questions than answers. There are different types of exhibits and different types of exhibiting. The best fit will depend on how you plan to use the exhibit, the image you want to project, and the budget you have to work with.

Chances are you’ll purchase your exhibit from a local exhibit company. Exhibit companies have been around for decades and understand exhibits and trade shows. Originally, exhibits were custom-crafted. Then exhibit systems evolved as an alternative to the high cost of custom craftsmanship. Now, there are multiple exhibit categories. Exhibit systems, which includes portable, modular, and hybrid exhibits, are evolving towards custom-crafted exhibits, and custom-crafted exhibits are evolving towards exhibit systems. Both have distinct advantages and exhibit companies work hard to carve out distinct niches along the custom to portable spectrum. The exhibit (or exhibits) that best fits your company’s exhibit marketing strategy will slot in somewhere along this spectrum. This is where an exhibit consultant can be very useful. Ultimately, an exhibit consultant wants to help you maximize your exhibit marketing potential.
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Word on the Street — July 6th thru July 10th

July 10th, 2009 Mel White COMMENTS
Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

Client Retention vs. Client Protection

I hope and trust you all had an enjoyable holiday weekend with your family and friends! I know I did. I’m not sure I have ever packed so much into a 3-day weekend. I suppose that comes with having two young children. By Monday, I was exhausted!

This week I would like to reflect on something I’m hearing a lot about these days — Client Protection.

At what point does “Client Retention” become “Client Protection“? And at what point does it appear desperate?

We all understand and have implemented Client Retention programs. They are smart, necessary, and reflect good customer service. But this new term or buzz word, Client Protection, seems different. 

For the past year, many AE’s or company representatives are travelling to trade shows, not to look for new clients, but to accompany their existing clients to their shows.  

Obviously, the downsized market is striking fear in people, a fear that clients will be tempted away by others. There is a sense that they need to be there to fend off potential suitors. Sort of reminds me of the movie Jerry Maguire. Near the end, when Rod (Cuba Gooding Jr.) is standing at the end of the tunnel waiting to run out on the field, Bob Sugar (Jay Mohr) approaches him and tries to talk to him about becoming his agent. Just then, Jerry (Tom Cruise) comes running up and tells Sugar to get lost and to “stay away from my guy.”

Has it really come to that with clients on the show floor? God I hope not! But I have to say that is what I’ve heard is happening at some shows. 

Have you ever been around that married couple where one of the spouses “always” has to accompany the other wherever they go? Whether it’s traveling for business or to the grocery store? Leaves you thinking, “What’s up with that?” What is that person so fearful of? And why?”

I’m sure this may sound a bit naive, but won’t solid relationship skills, a good understanding of your client’s needs, and caring for those needs protect you from having your clients “stolen?” Can’t good Client Retention practices achieve the same goal?

Again, feel free to shoot holes in this as being Pollyanna. But it seems like a dangerous knee-jerk reaction to the current economic conditions In the end, when we have finally recovered from this awful economy, will we have set a difficult precedent? Not to mention the appearance of desperation.

I look forward to your comments as always.

Have a great weekend.

Be Well!

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

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Introducing Sacagawea Portable Hybrid Trade Show Displays

June 17th, 2009 Mel White COMMENTS
Sacagawea Portable Hybrid Trade Show Displays

Sacagawea Portable Hybrid Trade Show Displays

I’m just old enough to remember the skits where an actor would portray both a man and a woman by painting half their face as a man and the other half as a woman. Depending on the dialogue, the actor would show the audience one side or the other and often would wear a half suit and half dress costume. It seems silly now, but I’m smiling as I write this because the skits were entertaining, creative, and economical (one actor – two roles). 

As budgets tighten, particularly exhibit budgets, exhibit managers expect displays to perform multiple roles. Unfortunately, most exhibits are much better as character actors – portable or modular or custom but not custom portable (for example).    

If you are familiar with Classic, you already know about Perfect 10 and Magellan, two innovative hybrid systems in the $5,000 to $12,000 price range. You clearly like these hybrid displays, judging by our sales over the past 18 months. Recently, you asked for an even more economical solution, something starting around $3100.

Introducing the Sacagawea Portable Hybrid Series

For too long, trade show exhibit buyers have had to choose between price and design and portability and upscale features. Not anymore. The Sacagawea Portable Hybrid Series offers exhibitors contemporary hybrid design with aluminum extrusion and large format tension fabric graphics at a great price. 

If you are considering a pop up display, why not consider a Sacagawea instead for about the same price? The Sacagawea display takes about the same time to assemble, packs in portable roto-molded case(s) with wheels, and offers more flexibility with counters, workstations, and re-configurability. With Sacagawea, you can start with a 10’ x 10’ exhibit and expand to a 10’ x 20’ as your show schedule and budget grows. Because the system is constructed with durable aluminum extrusion and lightweight tension fabric graphics, your display will evolve as your trade show marketing program changes from year to year.

See the entire Sacagawea Series in Design Search including  (17) 10’ x 10’ kits and (7) 10’ x 20’ kits. Prices start at $3100.

Sacagawea VK-2104 Portable Hybrid Display

Sacagawea VK-2104 Portable Hybrid Display

Travel Well, Travel Smart, Travel Light. Sacagawea Portable Hybrid Displays.

–Mel White

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The Tradeshow Exhibit Rental Business is Booming

April 29th, 2009 Mel White COMMENTS
Trade Show Rentals from Classic

Trade Show Rentals from Classic Distributors

The exhibit rental business is booming. That shouldn’t surprise anyone. Exhibitors, both large and small, are looking for cost-effective ways to maintain their exhibit marketing on tight budgets. Renting a display makes sense for a variety of reasons, including cost, flexibility, storage and handling. If you are weighing the choice between buying or renting, see 8 Reasons to Rent Your Exhibit (below) or the full article on www.all-about-trade-show-exhibits.com.

Too often, exhibitors view renting as a marketing or design compromise. Larger rental displays, especially those from show management, are often battered, dated, and UGLY. They scream, “Hi, I couldn’t afford a new display so I rented this #!@% display from the show.” Renting 10′ x 10′ exhibits hasn’t been much better. The choices have been a pop up display, a different pop up display, or a fabric folding panel system. These are all utilitarian choices, and with the right graphics can be very effective, but they are never going to win you a “Best of Show” award.

Thankfully, rental designs have come a long, long way, especially if you are considering renting from a Classic Exhibits distributor. Take a moment and review the inline and island rental options in the Classic Gallery. You’ll notice some standard designs, such as pop ups, panel displays, and truss systems, but the vast majority fall under the heading of hybrid designs. Hybrid designs, such as Visionary Designs, are precisely what their name implies — hybrids. They rely on the strengths of multiple systems and combine them into a unique solution. This makes the final designs custom looking, but with much greater flexibility than a custom exhibit. Hybrids are impressive and unmistakable, not only for their soaring aluminum extrusion structure but also for their large format graphics.

The following are examples from the Rental Gallery:

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