Marshall Yard:

An exhibitor enthusiastically pronounced to me that he was quite happy with his company’s “Erector Set” that they utilize for the 20 or so shows they attend each year. I can’t say I was shocked that he’s alright with the budget-friendly truss system - obviously there’s a market for it amongst those who are merely grateful to exhibit whatsoever - but I was caught off guard by his embrace of such a derogatory insider term.

I followed up, asking him if he would consider legos, lincoln logs, or some pop-cicle sticks and Elmers. Just kidding, of course.

The reason I felt it was worthy to blog about this is a matter of perception. Sure you can get out your stated message via a truss, or perhaps an octanorm, type system. You can unveil your latest product or service, invite your partners and prospects to meet up at the show, hold impromptu and planned meetings in your booth, perhaps make it a successful trade show at the end of the day. You can essentially do most of the same things with a truss or octanorm system as you can with a more premium exhibit system.

Of course, there is the implicit statement that things like exhibit grammer, archetecture, and the style of your exhibit. For example, an exhibit with a wood grain finish has a far different image than one constructed from brushed aluminum and plexiglas. Quite a different image is presented when one contrasts aluminum inner space with fabric graphics against truss with zip-tied graphics.

It’s like comparing an erector set with a finished product purchased off of the shelf- one might have potential to be-all things, while the other just does its job effectively. Which would you prefer?

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 14th, 2009 at 7:43 am and is filed under Advertising, exhibit, trade show strategy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.