Marshall Yard:

I don’t know about the rest of you, but it’s friday, and I’ve been talking non-stop about trade shows, exhibit booths, display marketing in a recession, and everything else you could get engrossed in on a trade show blog of whatever stripe. Just to show that we’re different from all of those other exhibit company bozo’s, we’re going to abandon our regularly scheduled programming and cover something completely different:

Eyeglasses from the future!

Everyone remembers “that guy” who used to work at your place of business - he wore a lot of cologne, he hit on anyone who wore tight jeans (guys can wear tight jeans, too), he complimented the new girl’s “fake ones,” and he wore eyeglasses from the future. We’ll always remember “that guy,” and this post is for you!

We’ll return to our regularly scheduled programming on Monday. My apologies for the severe detour.

All too often folks in the trade show business- and our customers alike - lose sight of what really goes into an exceptional trade show booth. Let’s take a look at the requisite constituents for a great show:

• Exhibitor who knows what they want, and what their limitations are
• Exhibit company salesperson/consultant who can thoroughly bring forth those details from the exhibitor, and effectively involve the exhibitor and designer
• Trade Show Exhibit designer/design team who is a creative artist and problem solver, and who has experience with how his/her renderings will be enacted into a real-life display
• Exhibit Company Account Manager who ensures that what was designed and sold is effectively built, peripheral services are accurately ordered (lead retrieval, catering, clean-up, etc.), all with minimal stress on the exhibitor’s company behalf
• Tradespeople who have the skills and experience to take designs and a set of physical components, and translate them into reality
• Exhibitor that coordinates a comprehensive trade show strategy with advertizing, sponsorship, and sales efforts

Do you know what the glue is amidst these different factors? An exhibitor who knows what they want, knows their limitations, and brings one marketing component (the exhibit) into the fold of a company-wide marketing blitz. Ultimately, exhibit houses need to be better at one thing: bringing out the best from exhibitors, within the simple framework of an effective/perceptive salesperson, creative design team, and highly-professional account management staff.

I had a peculiar phone call with a prospective client today. The client, which was a marketing company in Chicago, working for a European company in this case, was charged with organizing a Canadian tradeshow exhibit booth for this company. They got their obligatory three bids - one company in Ohio, one in Boston, and us. The first bid already came in, from the Ohio outfit. They like the design a lot. The second bid was expected yesterday, and when my contact called the company, curious as to why the design hadn’t been delivered yet, she was shocked as to why.

The kind folks in Boston decided they were not going to bid on the project.

Put yourself in my client’s shoes. Here you are - your major European account, one of your most coveted clients - and you have to go to them, with your tail between your legs, and explain how you only got two bids. It’s not as though exhibiting is an inexpensive endeavor. It’s not as though you have less-than-normal competition for a direct mail campaign. We’re talking about tens of thousands for a two day event, and you’re going to skimp out on competition. Oh, brother.

In much the same way that the marketing rep is going to need to manage the expectations of her European client, it is any responsible exhibit house’s responsibility to manage the expectations of our own clients. There are reprocussions for stiffing a prospect on the design you promised you’d deliver.

Was it a short time frame to come up with a creative and innovative 10×20? Yes. Is it a tight budget to create a show-stopping design, as requested? Yes. But this is 2009, when only the strong will survive, and letting prospects hang out to dry seems like a risky business plan.

Of course, my prospective client did share the name of the exhibit company. I made a mental note, and a written one too. I suggested that this might have happened because of “internal issues.”

Yeah, we’re seeing a lot of that. 2009 is the year when only the strong exhibit houses - the ones with talent, honest ethics, and a strong balance sheet - will be “passing go.”

Dear Exhibit House-

I am the Marketing Manager for a successful, progressive company and have a hearty amount of experience organizing our trade shows (for which I am the sole decision maker). I’m preparing now for my next big one and would like to prioritize my exhibit needs as follows (just to be sure my most pressing needs are met with innovation and efficiency):

20-30 stem lights. White, not silver. Ick. You never know what kind of an impression these make 16 feet in the air. I realize they cost a lot more than, say, Par-can lights but I’m really looking for a solid “flashlight” effect here, so mount up.

Docking station for our mixed berry smoothies. Give-a-ways like these have spunk. No embossed erasers here! These help bring qualified customers in (so we can sell them our sheet metal shears), so make sure there’s enough room in the booth to make at least 500.  

DOUBLE carpet padding. I cannot stress this enough. I wouldn’t want to walk around for three days on broken glass, would you? Double padding = comfort. I know, I know, I know…heaven forbid we have to change our electrical layout. Heaven forbid our lead man has to “slice through a 34-ounce steak with a spoon” again. But it’s VITAL.

Demo stations. Quantity TBD. I still have to meet with the nine people on my team to discuss. Should know within the next month or so.

Reception counter. In a bright orange to match our logo.

3-4 conference rooms. Transparent material would be fantastic, as we don’t want a “stuffy” environment. Please note, though, that it must also be sound-proof and allow for complete privacy.

Storage. We have a lot of salespeople. And they have a lot of stuff.

Regarding our budget: we have a 20×40 peninsula (but are trying really hard for an island) at either ACCM or AMCC 2009…can’t quite remember. It’s in Orlando, though, sometime before Easter. And though our $16,000 budget is all-inclusive (FYI - we’ll need an itemized contract so we can determine where to save costs, if necessary), I’m still waiting to find out whether it includes electrical service, foliage, installation or our travel expenses. Oh, and there’s a good chance it might include promotional items and rental of the exhibit space itself.

Regarding our time frame: we’re really hoping to get a rough quote - and a couple concepts - by Friday. And though we accept electronic information, it’d just be super to get five hard copies of your proposal. I’ll need to share it with, and get approval from, my team. Busy couple months, so it’s been tough trying to get everyone in the room!

Regarding invoicing: If you’re chosen as our preferred vendor, please send our invoices to our headquarters in Xi’an, China (address enclosed). We’ll cut a P.O. for the first 50% and will need to pay the remaining amount at least two weeks after the close of the show. Corporate policy.

I’ll be traveling overseas for the next five days or so but please feel free to contact me at any time with questions. Otherwise, please send your proposal at your earliest convenience.

Thank you!

Due to unexplainable reader demands, nay threats, we will be embarking on a journey of exploration and enlightenment in pertinence to carpet padding. No trade show blog would be complete without it.

Carpet padding has been called by some “the 3rd rail of trade shows.” If you search the blogosphere, you’ll find nary a tradeshow blog post or website dedicated solely to the subject of carpet padding. Why? Or, perhaps more conclusively, one should ask, WHY NOT?

Carpet padding is BY FAR the most integral factor in the design, fabrication, and implementation of an effective trade show exhibit. Some exhibitors have a marred track record of charging clients for unnecessary trade show items like: graphics, lighting, reception counters, demo-stations, the list goes on. We all know that this business has been characterized by this kind of behavior since its INCEPTION. What some don’t recognize, is that this is still commonplace in this industry. A client asked me JUST THIS MORNING whether he could add a table and four chairs to his exhibit booth. Disgusting.

If you are a client looking to custom design your booth, here are a few key questions to ask your trade show exhibit company:

1. What will visitors to my booth be standing on?

2. If a visitor refuses to wear appropriate footwear, how likely are they to stand in MY BOOTH, and not someone else’s?

3. Will the carpeting be obstructed by any unneccessary objects?

That should ensure that your trade show exhibit program gets off to a good start for 2009’s event.

An exhibit house recently debuted the “Designline Modular.” Another brought up the rear by creating  the “XRline” modular solution. Though heralded as innovative (and considering the science fair poster board displays some companies use to tout their wares, these might well be), they’re are all modular. Modular exhibits, by definition alone, are a hybrid of pop-up and panel & frame. They fill the space, sure, but do they make the best use of it?

The XRline is a lightweight aluminum structure equipped with tension fabric (for graphic applications), built-in Halogen lights and a custom laminate canopy. Other enhancement options (ie. shelving) are also available. While this is, indeed, a slight step up from the typical, “who brought the Tinker Toys?” modular solution, it does spur a couple questions. First of all, anyone using this system will have a tough time exhibiting in Nevada, as many venues forbid the use of Halogen lights. Secondly, what good is a canopy if it’s made of laminate? It’s like having drapes made of copper. And what if you reserve a bigger space next year? What if the configuration changes? How can a 10×10 modular exhibit - that you’ve purchased - accommodate your needs? Most importantly, is this exhibit an ideal representation of your organization?

Modular exhibits are functional, yes. They serve a purpose. But if you’re going to spend the money to exhibit, spend it on something that doesn’t look like you assembled it in the back of your brother-in-law’s pickup. Spend it on a custom rental exhibit - even a 10×20 - that will make a far greater impact on the show floor. Spend your money on graphics that will showcase your product, service or solution. Spend your money to make your money.

Trade show exhibit trends are, like all trends, always changing. The idea of being on the leading edge of a trend is SCARY to most exhibitors. TREND=EXPENSIVE in their minds. Why?

To many trade show attendees, especially those who rarely visit the conventions and expos that we see month in and month out, most of the exhibit booths that they see are impressive - not just the latest and greatest. A friend of mine attended a show this past October and marveled at the cheap rented trusses on the show floor. Yuck! Those are so 1992. But with a jury of amateurs, why should one have such high standards?

I would argue that trendy exhibits need not be expensive. You can have IMPACT at a reasonable budget [and trusses rarely have an IMPACT on those of us who go to more than 1 tradeshow per decade...]. It has everything to do with the business model of the exhibit company, since the physical components are not the largest cost centers involved. Here’s what I mean:

The components involved in a trade show exhibit are only one of the many costs involved in the process. The beams, the fabric, wall panels, the plexiglass- or whatever your exhibit may be made out of -are not as expensive as the designers, graphic artists, engineers/detailers, account managers, and fabricators required to deliver a high quality exhibit to the tradeshow floor. Consider, then, why you would sacrifice on materials, when the cutting edge in styles is only a minor increase in costs. But trends are more than just materials - it’s the designers, stupid.

A busy design team, paired with an engineering, graphics, and overall operation that is geared towards large scale, cutting edge exhibit booths, actually costs less than a low quality, slow design team, error-prone engineers, wasteful graphics, and a sloppily managed overall operation. If paid based on productivity, the trend-following, top-notch-team earns more. But they produce more. It can even be argued that if the sales team sells/leases enough booths, and if operations are run with an efficiency of scale, employees will produce a higher quality product regardless. Quality improves with the busier the team becomes. Trends are easier to introduce when you do so many exhibits. Trends need not be followed because you heard about them, but because you are experimenting amidst a large scale, custom rental exhibit program - i.e. constantly innovating with existing clients.

Trends aren’t expensive. In prosperous, overheated economic times, an exhibit house will raise its prices if demand merits this. In leaner times, when every nickel and dime is squeezed out of any exhibit budget, the busy company is likely the best. Trends included, they may be working at the same price as the less efficient, wastefully under-utilized company. Which sounds like a better value?

This post has been deemed “salesey” (classic overt, self-serving sales pitch that lacks humor and/or self-defecating), but is approved by the Blog Master.

We, on occassion, are pitted against show contractors - National organizations hired by show management to service exhibitors on site. These organizations, however convenient, don’t often offer the same level of design or service as we do.

Don’t get me wrong; you can certainly get what you need from show contractors (and, as an added bonus, reduce or avoid some service costs like shipping and drayage) but if you’re interested in making an impact on the floor, keep your eyes open to differences such as:

Design Preparation: we’ll discuss your marketing objectives, functional requirements, logistical needs and aesthetic preferences before we create your design. The show contractor will likely have you submit an “I need” form and configure the environment based on that.

Onsite Service: The show contractor will inevitabely service 100+ exhibitors throughout the course of the show, which makes personalized service difficult. We typically service 3-5 exhibitors per show…and assign a dedicated Account Manager to each.

Logistics Management: You will work with the same account team no matter how, when or where you exhibit. The show contractor employs different people in each city. So you’ll most likely have to reiterate your concern to several people before it’s resolved.

The Blog Master is a frightening creature known in the trade show blog world for his enthusiasm, his unyielding compassion, and his sharp, unrelenting sword. In fact, my counterpart in Mashall-Yard contributorship-Carney Nacci-has been living in petrified fear of the blog master’s wrath for over five years. She was working in the carnival business, doing unspeakable things for the almightly dollar, before he “liberated” her. In hind sight, her quality of life was superior doing her infamous “candle” trick at whichever county fair. The blog master pushes a cruel bargain, and she only dreams of refusing him.

If I didn’t introduce the Blog Master to our readership, then I don’t think the proletariat would ever understand the tyranical conditions under which our trade show blog is written. This blog has always been, and always will be, the voice of trade show exhibit people speaking out amidst threats of persecution.

Last month I noted that marketing budgets were changing in the economy. Exhibitors needed the flexibility of a rental booth. The Blog Master stormed into my office and chastized me for spreading bad rumors about the economy. Threatened my life, even. He understands now, since he lost precious billions in a recently debunked ponzi scheme.

Just over a week ago, I wrote an article about carpet padding. A commenter dissented. He no longer reads these pages. He no longer READS. The Blog Master is not naive of IP addresses and their utility for destruction.

RSNAs were a popular topic for myself and “Carney” to blog about endlessly. As soon as the show ended, the Blog Master rattled his saber and demanded we cease RSNA topics. Says we need to start talking about other shows. Like NPE, AIIM, CES, AAOS, HIMSS. He possesses a bottomless hunger for trade show acronyms.

The blog master. That is the latest character that I am revealing here on the Marshall Yard. Comment at your own peril. THIS IS NOT A JOKE.

Exhibitor Report published this week (care of Flagg Management) an article about economizing on exhibiting. Interesting - and sad, really - but unfavorable for us.

What’s bothersome is that while they suggest getting the same size space (smart, as something smaller would indicate financial disrupt), they also suggest modular/portable exhibits. These ARE more cost-effective and they DO require less maintenance…but they have very little impact on the show floor. That said, I think going from a custom (or rental) exhibit to a portable would foster the same financial perceptions as would a smaller space. So, perhaps the alternative (lesser of two evils, even) would be to reduce your space and retain your exhibit.

As a mansion with no furniture would be lackluster, so would a huge exhibit space without quality materials to fill it.

Marketing is the first to be sacrificed in a flailing economy. I wonder, though, will making that move perpetuate brand loyalty and advance sales when the economy rights itself? Once upon a time, a certain department store (rhymes with “tears”) stopped marketing and, instead, relied on brand loyalty to maintain sales. The once Largest Retailer in the Nation carried more than 350 brands but most folks didn’t know it…because they stopped marketing.

Now they’re walking on economic eggshells. They were acquired by another retailer and have, quite unfortunately, been struggling to re-establish themselves ever since. Fancy logos and hip new slogans won’t mean squat if you don’t have the sales to pay for them. And how do you make sales? By being a certainty in a time of uncertainty.

Two of my clients are exhibiting at NPE 2009. One’s a brand new client (yippee!)…one’s an existing who’s fallen off the wagon, so to speak. Though the newbie has a 10×20, you’d think he’s a city planner, for crying out loud. His accountability and attention to detail are refreshing and an immeasureable value to our process. He was ready to pay before we invoiced, his artwork’s pouring in and he’s given us more than enough time to process his paperwork and coordinate logistics. My existing client, however, is no where to be found. They have a darn big space next year, too. And darn big spaces require a lot of preparation. We started designing a few months ago, which was perfect, as they’re shaking things up a bit with regards to products and marketing objectives.

…..that was a few months ago.

They went M.I.A. and resurfaced a month or so later, informing me that the objectives have completely changed and they’re to meet with the big wigs to draw out a plan. THAT was October 20th.

We realize things have to evolve in this fragile economy. So changing objectives is fine. As is modifying the space and reducing the budget. We’re happy to help because your success is our success. The lack of communication isn’t only frustrating, it jeopardizes production and wastes the client’s, the designer’s and the account exec’s time. We’ve had this project (which we’re still really excited about) on the production schedule since August. And to date, we’re no closer to signing a contract than we were then.

My (albeit long-winded) point is: if you’re an exhibitor - heck, if you’re anyone’s customer - please have some regard for the efforts made. Know that your vendor’s sole objective is to help you have an awesome show. But we can’t do that if you’ve fallen of the planet. Let us know what’s up!

RSNA wrapped up this week - Surely you know, since we referenced it here, here and here. The horse is dead, I know.

Siemens‘ booth, sized 110′x220′, was located in the south hall. At McCormick Place, the South Hall is the absolute least-trafficked and smallest hall. Even though we were all excited about the design, you never know how a show will go until it’s all said and done. The verdict is in!

For the first three days of the show, leads were well above 2007 numbers! Spend less, get more. I like the sound of that. They did, too. Happy clients are good clients.

Ok - Enough of this rubbish. It feels very “propogandish.” I forwarded the professional photos to a friend of mine who is in the medical field. I had gushed to her about the Siemens booth over the past few months.

Her reply:

>>WOW! that IS huge!!!
>>
>>
>>
>>p.s. That’s what she said.

In the 1990’s and early-to-mid 2000’s, General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler survived based on the unbridled success of the Sport Utility Vehicle. Heck, Chrysler acquired AMC, who built the first “SUV,” the Jeep Grand Wagoneer, which then became the Jeep Cherokee. And the Tahoe/Suburban and Ford Explorer are still synonymous with our concept of what an SUV “is.” What’s my point?

SUV’s have been a largely successful enterprise. They captured the rugged individualism that many American’s espouse, and made it into the “BIGGEST” automotive fad ever. The big 3 were successful in developing, producing, marketing, and selling their SUV products to consumers. They may have suceeded in spite of themselves, but one can’t deny the stated premise.

The SUV wasn’t the sole cause for the peril that Ford, GM and Chrysler are exhibiting- there’s the economic slowdown, and greater challenges that I wont get into here - but the continued reliance on SUV and light truck sales, amidst competitive and market forces that demanded a new strategy, contributed to their present woes. SUV’s shouldn’t have been their “bread & butter” product in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008. $4 gas, remember?

So what on earth does this have to do with Trade Show Flexibility?

Let’s suppose that you find the perfect design for this year’s BIG SHOW. Should you try to sell the same SUV at next year’s show? What if all of your competitors come to next year’s show with a copy-cat booth? (it happens!) What if your business changes and you radically change how you’d like to approach the show? Important questions.

Here’s one: What if you make a big impression with show attendees - they’ll be looking for you at next year’s show. Do you want to DO SOMETHING with all that attention? Or bore them with “oh, they did that last year… What’s new?”

Are you sure you want to build another SUV?

Over the next two weekends, my wife and I are invited to 6 Christmas parties. 3 of the 6 have been hilariously, and uniquely, entitled ”Ugly Sweater” Christmas Parties. Somehow we’re trying to go to 4/6ths of them. I am not in charge of the scheduling or logistics, but I am required to make pleasant conversation.

Pleasant conversation is challenging when people want to talk about work. These rare souls, who find that a full time job is not actually full enough, would like you to take everything that you left at the office, and dump it out onto their living room floor. Once my old college roommate gets finished unleashing a liter of bile onto his wife’s brand new wood laminate floor (it looks like real hardwood! ), it will be my turn.

It’s kind of a macho thing - talking about what we do on our telephones and laptops. He travels all over the world, to extravagent places like Minnesota, Iowa, even Ohio, once. And the girls just swoon over his ability to hock insurance policies that noone understands. And what do I get to boast about?

Trade Shows. That’s right, everybody in the general public, especially your school teachers, your nurses, your accountants  - they LOVE to hear about trade shows. In fact, most people know EXACTLY what I do.

Trade shows are, according to most conversational participants, a combination of car shows, baseball card expos, and homegoods bazaars. And the complexity and nuance of my work is, as one would expect, slightly shy of my insurance God friend.

He may get the glory, but I still get the girls. Car shows are AWSOME.

Regardless, I need to find myself a new sweater.

One last note: None of the people at these sweater parties were over the age of 12 during the era of ugly sweaters, circa 1978-1992. What gives? Why is this such a popular theme? I have to buy a sweater, and then tack it up?

Likely the best place (for someone like me) to spot new business is at a trade show. One can see, first hand, what the competition’s doing and which exhibitors need a helping hand. Is it tacky, though, to work the floor during - or even before - the show? I knew someone who would take notes/pictures of crates during the install…thereby noting who was where. He also actively “worked” the exhibitors. Some reacted positively; others were annoyed. The same scenario plays out during the show: exhibitors dotting the list at RSNA, for instance, include Siemens Medical Solutions, Quest Diagnostics, GE and Philips. Big names. The ones you want in your portfolio. Do you contact them after the show or meet n’ greet on the floor…knowing there’s a risk of turning them off? The same can be said for email vs. telephone pitches. Calling a prospect fosters reactive communication and while emailing is contrarily impersonal (and a veritable shot in the dark), it does allow the reader to review at his or her convenience.

This week, the buzz around the office is all about the RSNA show (the Radialogical Society of North America’s annual meeting & expo). We have a multitude of outstanding clients at the RSNA’s. They range from Imaging on Call, who has a 20 ft. x 20 ft. custom rental booth, to the other extreme, Siemens, with a whopping 110 ft. x 220 ft. exhibit. Building a miniature “village” of different structures in a matter of a few days is fun to watch.

Word on the street (perception) is that trade shows will have fewer exhibitors in 2009, taking up less convention hall space, and with smaller exhibits, as the broader economy heads into recession. I think that’s true, by and large, but there are individual companies that are exceptions to this rule. Which side of the coin is your company on?

Tails:

Revenue is declining, profits are tighter (or in the red), and the marketing budget has a large “blip” that is “Trade Shows/Events.” In order to survive, your company decides to cut back everything, and the exposure and opportunity that a well executed trade show can offer gets thrown out with the “bathwater.” Hopefully these companies do not own their trade show exhibits - else they are wasting big marketing dollars that were invested when the economy was more favorable. In addition, there is a continuing expense of storing their exhibit property. This is a reality many companies are facing. Either scale down, or kill the program entirely.

Heads:

Your company has continued gobbling up market share, or may even be consuming competitors’ businesses via acquisition or attrition. I have a number of clients who are in this position: They are GROWING their tradeshow presence in order to undertake some major corporate agendie- Rebranding, launching new products (perhaps integrating their new acquisitions’ product line), or merely establishing their role as industry leaders. Sometimes they’re doing preventive work on potential misconceptions of who is struggling, and who is surviving, in the new economy. An effective trade show exhibit can allow a company to accomplish all of these goals in one space. A custom rental booth can be designed for each individual trade show, to ensure that the message that is conveyed is timely and precise for todays trade show audience, not last year’s.

Heads or tails, it seems like the company that rents their exhibit is better off. If you can’t afford to exhibit, you can cross off that expense for FY09. If you can afford to exhibit, you can do exactly what you want for 2009’s exhibition (e.g. - Siemens and Imaging On Call can build totally different designs for every show). It depends on what the reality is for your company, but at least you get to decide on how you’ll be perceived.

Somewhere else in the blogosphere, I’ve heard some interesting ruminations about what should and should not be driving forces behind why a company should undertake a trade show effort. One of these rules struck a nerve with me as pertaining to the present credit crisis and rampant recessionary fears.

Reason #3: To correct a misconception.

In a business environment where everyone thinks everyone is at risk of going totally Lehman, what a better way to cure that paranoia than through your exhibit booth at your next trade show. Of course, if you own an expensive custom trade show property, you might lack the flexibility to actually change your design to accomplish any particular change in directive. Hopefully 2006’s business plan will keep working for the next 2 years while you amortize your custom built booth. Even better, maybe your company’s just too big to fail.

Meanwhile, your competitor has a new look, is effectively launching their new product, adapting to the product life cycle of their existing product, and reinforcing the belief that they are constantly growing their market share. Oh, and surely this sort of thing never happens in industries other than ours.

One more thing: I’ve picked up on two ways in which companies have tried to combat wild speculations about their fiscal strength in moments of extreme doubt- Press releases and employment solicitations. If we’re offering jobs, and telling the press that things are GREAT despite headlines to the contrary, then everything’s supposedly “all good.” Apparently, people are starting to see through this sort of rubbish…

A new Costco opened near my house this past weekend. Imagine how surprised I was that humongous bags of rice are for sale in unlimited quantities. I remember hysterical stories about the famines we should expect due to big box stores rationing such food staples earlier in ‘08. Since popular opinion has it that the sky is falling, I should have piled as many bags as would fit in my sedan, and crawled into my nifty nuclear bunker. Instead I bought socks - shades of olive, green, and brown.

For the past year or so, writing about “marketing in a recession” was all the rage. Everyone agrees that we’re in a recession, except for the rule of thumb on recessions. The rule of thumb guy is still giving me a thumbs up. Not enthusiastically, but still… I don’t know if I trust that guy anymore.

So what are people writing about now? In the ever changing one-upmanship that is online news, the hip search term for your business article is now “marketing in a DEPRESSION.” To be more precise, marketers are strategizing over marketing in a “pre-depression” (this is the beginning of the beginning of a depression). Hopefully, when this depression sets in, your company will be a-ok, and all due to your wise marketing department decisions. Depression becomes a career-advancer, and your true character will shine through (due to your having read a “snarky” blog post about it…). You’ll be the new CEO once this whole mess blows over. Sure you will.

Marketing in a depression seems to be a tough burden to undertake. My guess is, your company either has enough cash reserves, or it doesn’t. If they have the reserves, your job will be intact, and your task of conveying the company’s message in a competitive, rapidly evolving marketplace will continue. The market changes, but the task remains constant. But guessing whether this is a recession or a depression is probably NOT a part of your job. It isn’t mine, I’m pretty sure. What are your real options?

Option A: You guess depression, you advocate that the marketing budget gets gutted, BUT the economy goes all “fast and loose” on us. Then you will play catch up during the coming expansion, as competitors gobbled up your market share. Option B: If you guess depression and it’s a depression, you might be vindicated, but you will essentially be doing what you’re always supposed to do: Making wise decisions with your marketing dollars. What the heck were you doing before this looming recession or depression? 

If you think it’s a prudent time to stock up on rice, while all the fools buy socks and wide-screens, that’s fine. But bursting into your boss’s office telling him or her about the expected course of the business cycle - is that really a good idea? Understanding how to market in a different business cycle is important, but being the first to yell fire is something you’d be well served to avoid.

One of my coworkers (a sales guy) decided to tap into a competitor’s client base because he’d heard - from reliable sources, I might add - that this particular vendor was going down. What better time to swoop than when the nest is falling apart? Anyway, he called one of the largest clients, gave him the pitch and was met not only with disinterest but outright nastiness…”What! That’s not true! Who do you think you are?” Needless to say, the pot had been stirred. The client freaked out (which you can’t really blame him for) and questioned the vendor (obviously). The vendor, like a toddler who’s dropped all his sweets, is now trying to punish our company. Lawsuit this, slander that. Yadda, yadda, yadda. Was my coworker disreputable? Should he have rested on his haunches and waited for the baby birds to flail from the nest before going in for the kill? It’s a dirty game, folks. Yes, it’s unfortunate that the business is suffering. But if you’re not honest with your clients, chances are someone else will be.

AstraZeneca

44th ASCO Annual Meeting
5/31 – 6/2, 2008
Chicago, Illinois 

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is the leading advocate for oncology professionals worldwide. ASCO’s self-titled annual event – held in Chicago, IL – is stomping ground to elite organizations and more than 29,000 attendees dedicated solely to the research and development of superlative cancer care.

The Catalyst team – spearheaded by Deb Pflaster (Account Manager) and Jimmy Bastille (Senior Account Executive) proved themselves, yet again, with 6800 total square feet of exhibit space with AstraZeneca.

AstraZeneca – an International organization at the forefront of medicinal innovation – certainly commanded attention, dominating the show floor. Catalyst’s design objective was to create a striking, strategically-branded environment that allowed for fluent direction of attendees through the space. 

The client couldn’t thank us enough for the amazing job Catalyst had done. She said “the team at Catalyst was, by far, the most professional and responsive I’ve ever worked with.” Deb Pflaster, in particular, did an incredible job making this event happen. Immense challenges are inevitable when bringing a client of AstraZeneca’s stature in-house…but the exhibit indeed stood as a testament to all the hard work that was involved.

Anyone with opposable thumbs can build a structure. Catalyst Exhibits creates solutions – using innovative marketing techniques and decades of experience thriving in a sometimes fickle trade.

In fact, we like to think we’re the cat’s pajamas – tangy gourmet preserves atop the exhibit industry’s bread and butter.

Henry Hartman (an acclaimed commercial graphic designer) once noted, “Success always comes when preparation meets opportunity.” We are always prepared. We are always knee-deep in creative frenzy and we are always ready to give challenges a firm embrace. Brand-new clients and brand-new designs get us particularly geeked up. And, because we’re growing like Sea Monkeys under a heat lamp, we’re always blessed with fresh opportunities. Below, some fruits of our labor:

Kraton Polymers’ new International branding strategy evolves from the notion that a brand is not a logo, a product or the driving force behind an ad campaign. Rather, a brand is a promise – to ensure performance, knowledge and innovation. Kraton sought to be the “innovators behind the innovators.” We wanted to be the innovators…cubed.

 The Chinese account for about 65% of the market demand for polymers. They are also responsible for about a third of the world’s polymer production. Needless to say, the region’s need for imported polymers is great.

Kraton had historically struggled with limited floor space, an adverse regional reputation and a marketing campaign that was just shy of reaching across the globe. We helped Kraton enhance them all in preparation for their 2006 unveiling. 

Redefined marketing objectives and a much larger space, along with towering structures, bold graphic design and an inviting ambiance helped Kraton launch forward as industry leaders in polymer design – promoting their International influence on the plastics industry.   

Kraton Polymers’ new International branding strategy evolves from the notion that a brand is not a logo, a product or the driving force behind an ad campaign. Rather, a brand is a promise – to ensure performance, knowledge and innovation. Kraton sought to be the “innovators behind the innovators.” We wanted to be the innovators…cubed.

The Chinese account for about 65% of the market demand for polymers. They are also responsible for about a third of the world’s polymer production. Needless to say, the region’s need for imported polymers is great.

Kraton had historically struggled with limited floor space, an adverse regional reputation and a marketing campaign that was just shy of reaching across the globe. We helped Kraton enhance them all in preparation for their 2006 unveiling.

Redefined marketing objectives and a much larger space, along with towering structures, bold graphic design and an inviting ambiance helped Kraton launch forward as industry leaders in polymer design – promoting their International influence on the plastics industry.

Full-service, global exhibit house Catalyst Exhibits recently welcomed multi-lingual Elke Sujdak to their evolving corporate fleet. Sujdak, born and raised in Switzerland, brings to the collective table years of experience as a broker, field analyst and business partner. Her fluency in German, Swiss-German, English, French and Dutch will help nourish relationships with a bevy of cosmopolitan clientele.

Sujdak will also assist with international client research, event logistics and corporate planning.

SPAM is a salty, canned meat composed of chipped pork shoulder, ham and – for that special zing –  Sodium Nitrate (a compound used in fertilizers, explosives and glass). SPAM, as we know it, is delicious. Spam (and cookies and Spyware), however, can butcher your computer.

What is SPAM?

Spam is an indiscriminate, unsolicited message – usually of a commercial nature – sent to mass mailing lists, computer networks or news groups.  Spam is cheap, irrelevant to our lifestyles and easy to create: according to a research firm in Palo Alto, CA, “spam [was] expected to account for 45% of the 10.9 trillion messages sent around the world in 2003.”  Spammers use specialized software to automatically extract email / IP addresses and screen names from heavy hitters like MySpace and AOL Instant Messenger. An alternative M.O. – known as “dictionary attack” software – allows Spammers access to email addresses by opening a connection to their desired server and extracting millions of email addresses. This software then extracts the “live” (valid) email addresses and adds them to the Spammer’s list. These addresses are then spread like a plague from Spammer to Spammer.

How can I get rid of it?

Most spam-blocking software works by identifying specific words in the subject line (e.g. “XXX,” “Sex” or “Free”). Sneaky Spammers, however, can easily sidestep this barrier by fumbling words (e.g. “S-E-X”). Unfortunately, most of this basic software prevents valid messages from reaching your inbox: say you want to receive a recipe for fried chicken breasts; Spam blocking software might delete it because “breasts” is in the subject line. Large ISPs created “white lists” to identify legit messages, but Spammers jumped the axiomatic fence by putting bogus characters into their subject lines –  this why you receive emails with subject lines like “Fre*%e Coupons.” The best way to ensure the bulk of Spam never reaches your computer is to install Heuristic or Bayesian filters – software that identifies Spam by recording word patterns or frequencies. You can block Spam sent through Web-based providers (ie. Yahoo! or MSN) by tagging each unwanted message as such. Similar messages – or those sent by the same organization – will be blocked indefinitely.

What are cookies?

Cookies are bits of data sent by an outside server to your Web browser (e.g. Internet Explorer). They authenticate IDs, retain personal information and track browser behavior and are sent, unchanged, back to the server (e.g. Amazon.com) each time you access it. While cookies, by nature, are unable to perform operations, they – especially if “stolen” by malicious sites –  can infringe on your privacy, threaten security and, if not accepted, make some Websites or site features (e.g. virtual shopping carts) unavailable.

How can I get rid of them?

You can easily control cookies by adjusting (or setting) your browser’s privacy level to Medium High. This level blocks 3rd party cookies that don’t have compact security policies and/or use personally identifiable information without your explicit consent. A Medium High setting also chokes 1st party cookies that use personally identifiable information without your implicit consent. Clearing cookies from your hard drive (through Control Panel / Internet Options / General / “delete cookies”) is also helpful.

What is Spyware?

Spyware is a contemptible type of software that companies employ to collect personal information for monetary gain.  Spyware (unlike the Internet, which was invented by Al Gore) was introduced in 1995 by Zone Labs and is synonymous with Ad (vertising) and Mal (icious)-ware. This software gathers your information by logging your keystrokes, Website history and by scanning the documents on your hard drive. Its purpose varies; some organizations use it criminally, while others use it simply to create more targeted advertising. Spyware can enter your system disguised as security software or by “piggybacking” on desirable software (e.g. iTunes). And while Spyware doesn’t open the door for viruses, it does generate unwanted CPU activity, annoying pop-up ads, disk use and network traffic. It can also cause problems logging on to the Internet – all of which will significantly slow your system.

How can I get rid of it?

Programs such as Ad-Aware and Spybot Search & Destroy are free (available on www.downloads.com) programs that scan your hard drive and remove malicious software. Spybot S&D has won numerous awards and is recommended by CNet, MSNBC and the Wall Street Journal. Firewalls and alternative Internet browsers (e.g. Mozilla Firefox – which is known for having fewer security vulnerabilities than Internet Explorer) can also help ward off Spyware.

Marketing professionals unceasingly adhere to the old adage, Think Outside the Box. “I should do it…my clients should do it….their clients should do it. We can’t stifle our creativity!” Etc. Etc. Etc. But did you ever stop to consider what that phrase infers?

Thinking Outside the Box inherently prevents us from achieving our common goal – designing a marketing environment that’s cost-effective, aesthetically engaging and functional.  You wouldn’t ask a realtor to find you a house without sharing with him your budget, schedule, preferred location and cardinal amenities, right? He’d have no idea where to begin – his scope would be too broad and chances are, a long time would pass before he found you the perfect home.

The same philosophy can be applied to marketing. And experiential marketing at that. We have to think INSIDE the Box if we’re to meet your objectives. If your budget is $30,000, your exhibit house is not going to propose a design that costs $80,000. If you love sleek metallics with a European flair, they won’t utilize a stodgy, corporate palette. If your primary objective is to conference with existing clients, your space won’t be filled with shelving and demo pods.

Marketers need to Think Inside the Box in order to give you what you need.  They need a budget, time frame, preferences and marketing objectives.