Marshall Yard:

I love to reuse old things, I’ve been succesful at selling original artwork on ebay all from recycled material.  It is quite a joy when my husband comes home with an old piece of furniture or a tattered old window from a schoolhouse. My wheels begin to turn, I take pride that, these items are no longer ending up in the landfills and are going to be something people can find joy in. 

 When you purchase an exhibit, it is yours, what happens to that material when you are finished with it? Most likely, it gets tossed.   Designs change, graphics change and your products will most likely change and grow with your company.

Rental exhibits give you flexibility, cost-effectiveness, a direct write off on taxes and versatility.   If your company undergoes a variety of marketing strategies, rental exhibits can be quite beneficial.    Plus each and component of a rental exhibit can be reused and recycled!

For those of you who don’t know Kevin - he is our Exhibit House Mascot - he helped me this weekend with the leaves, and we began our conversations about rakes and outdoor lawn equipment.

Well, after we got all done, we hit the internet and came across Orgill’s Dealer Market Trade Show.  What an interesting trade show this must be.  Anyone in the hardline industry that attended the Orgill Dealer Market Trade Show in the past, had rave reviews. 

Orgill’s Dealer Market Trade Show will be held in Orlando in February of 2008 - 2/21-23rd.  From Farm & Ranch, Workwear, Lawn & Garden and seasonal items.  The possibilities of meeting new vendors and learning from the latest and greatest new programs from Orgill are phenominal.  Some of the heavy hitters that attend are Black & Decker, Dewalt, Valspar and Stanley, just to name a few. 

No matter what it is you are trying to acheive, in any business, you can learn from so many sources.  Educate yourself from the industry proffessionals, and take away what works for you and design your business structure with a solid foundation.  

In the business of exhibiting, we take the key four elements we feel will bring you the most impact and present to you a custom exhibit rental solution.   If you are planning on exhibiting at the Orgill Dealer Market Trade Show, you want to make sure not only your product’s make a statement but your entire exhibit will draw in the attention and the sales you are hoping to acquire in this market arena, following some of the basic trade show tips you can increase your performance on the trade show floor.   I read that the orders written at the last trade show, was up 11% from the previous year.   Defining your marketing objectives in advance, can as well help drive up your return on investment, and you will be well ahead of the competition and well ahead of your goals.

AWARENESS             

By: Susie Kleiner

Awareness is your perception & cognitive reaction to a circumstance, condition or an event.  You can be aware of emotions, actions, gossip and your surroundings.  Sometimes not even realizing exactly what it is you are aware of.Awareness provides us the substance from which we develop “Qualia”.  (This term was unfamiliar to me, its meaning; the way things seem to us.  By defining a company’s products and services, this creates brand-awareness.  Setting that company apart from their competition, by building trust in your business relationships, with your particular branding  efforts, you reach a higher level of credibility.

Consumers for your products or in the B2B market place, when people make purchase or decisions they rely on their associates or contacts that they themselves have built trustful relationships on to give them advice or steer them to a reputable company for such products or services.  With the ever growing market places throughout any industry that attends or exhibits at tradeshows, a clear focus needs to be to separate themselves from the competitors.  

Reading an online article discussing the branding of cattle, the author noted, that  each rancher would have their own specific brand and allow their cattle to graze in the pastures with the other ranchers cattle, because they could clearly identify their own cattle.  Well, in the ever growing world of competition, the fences on that one have gone up. 

When people speak of branding, you can realize your success when your name comes out for your product category, when you think of tissue, what comes to mind.. Kleenex. Trademarked & Branded.  This is called Top-of Mind Awareness, reaching this type of brand-awareness does not come over night, unless you designed the pet rock. It takes diligence and self-awareness.

Giving clients quality and constant communication is an integral part of this equation.  No matter what situation you find yourself in with a client, if you are aware of it, it will make them more at ease.  Any project will encounter the so-called bumps in the road at any given time.  If a client approaches you in an irate situation, do yourself a favor and don’t put your defense mechanism in fifth gear.  Calmly inform them you appreciate them making you aware of the situation, and let them know you are going to continually keep them up dated.They will become aware that you are there as a partner, seeking out solutions on their behalf. 

In one of the first newsletters, I spoke of client personalities; once again, this fall’s into a category of “awareness”, this is the awareness of emotions and from there, there can be actions taken.  Often times, these actions are not best suited at this point and time, because they are coming from an emotional level.  When we find ourselves in the middle of deadlines, meetings and endless emails back and forth, our emotions run high.These emotions are stored, and we can often react because of them.  Are they stored in our brains? If so, we could just concentrate and make them go away.  That’s not the case.  We feel and store emotional energy and it emanates out of us like a “vibe”. 

ADR = Alternative Dispute Resolution is used by the US Navy, they strongly advice cooperative effort and building bridges through communication.

There are several reasons people give away promotional items in the trade show setting, usually at the top of the list is traffic and visitors.  Remember to keep in mind the type of visitors and traffic you are hoping to draw in.

First off, when trying to decide what types of items to “give-away” do some research first and get a reputable company.  You want your promotional item to be remembered, you want it to convey a message of what your company does and who you are in the market place. 

Does your trade show booth follow any sort of theme? Are you trying to give your booth visitor an education? Each one of those could support a different promotional item.   Do not forget your “brand awareness” in this process, and make sure that the item will send that message. 

Promotional items can be costly, make sure you plan well in advance for any given trade show and order early and follow a strategic plan in order to acquire the give-aways at the best cost, often times in bulk if you are planning on exhibiting at more than one trade show. 

In order to capture your prospective clients make it an item of desire, but do not hand them out freely, or just have them displayed somewhere so they are easy for the taking.  You want to be able to engage the prospective client in conversation so that you can establish a relationship and further the process from prospect to client. 

If the convention center offers any sort of pre-show advertising, this may be a great chance to include a stop at our booth with this certificate.  That way you will get them engaged in a more detailed conversation of your product and services.

International Home & Housewares trade show will hit McCormick Place in Chicago on March 16th-18th, 2008.  From cookware, food storage, cutlery, bath & shower and so much more this is just a paradise for home goods and housewares.  Kevin - The Mississippi Map Mascot was surprised to find that so many trade shows have such a variation of promotional items and contests going on, he just looked on in wonderment as some of the trade show attendee’s tried to hit the hole for a prize.

International Home & Housewares has had over 60,000 attendee’s with over 2,000 exhibitors in past years.  With the fact that over 15,500 buyers attend the this amazing array of housewares and the trade show floor is full of interesting and innovative new gadgets, it is a great place to network with decision makers and gather as much information from the industry experts.

Whether you are just starting out exhibiting at trade shows, or are a seasoned pro, you can re-cap some of the programs from the 2007 International Home & Housewares via a CD that is available to purchase at their website. 

For any one who has attended a trade show, the mad rush to the lunch line can be a bit of a challenge, feeling like a race horse stuck in the gate.  I have decided to share with you some of our favorite restaurants that are in and around McCormick Place  so if you decide to escape the confines of the convention center you may want to take a gander to one of these joints.  

Lets start out with Morton’s Steakhouse - starting out the shrimp that are the size of Muhammad Ali’s fist, your mouth begins to water before you even finish ordering.  You can cut the filets with a butter knife and they melt in your mouth. 

If you enjoy a bit of history, why not check out the Chicago Firehouse which dates back to 1905, and is constructed of yellow brick and limestone.  Standing in much of the same splendor, it has undergone several changes.   The stables have been turned into a courtyard, and a banquet space was added.   For those blustery winter days in the city of Chicago, try some of their delicious chicken noodle soup to warm your weary trade show bones.  Enjoy outside dining and awesome steaks, during the warm summer months in the city!

Move along down to Erie Cafe which has been rated “excellent” for several years running.  With a wide variety of entree’s to choose from, you can settle your cravings with Spaghetti & Ravioli or go for the juicy Steaks & Chops.   No matter what your choices are when you sit to dine at Erie, you can be assured the service will be over the top and your dining experience will be full service and full satisfaction.

 Gene & Georgetti’s Steak House has the reputation of a classic old-time Chicago place to dine.  Having customers that continue to dine speaks volumes and Gene & Georgetti’s has long time customers going back for 50 years.   Dive into one of their garbage salads, but rest assured that this isn’t a light meal, you will walk away full and satisfied.

More to come!

Interactive Video and User Created Content are two phrases that are very vanguard in growing infatuation of what is called social media. Social Media chronicles opinions, content, insight and perspectives of individuals and business through online technologies and practices.

PTC 2008 – Telecom with Vision Trade Show Expo is being held January 13^th-16^th 2008 at the Hilton in Hawaii. Video is catapulting businesses into an entire different marketing segment.  PTC brings together experts that explore the impact video on all aspects of telecommunications.

Getting the inside track and building affiliations with leaders and experts in the field of communications, can not only boost your lead generation, but enlighten and enhance your knowledge of ICT and communications. 

Interactive Video and User Created Content are two phrases that are very vanguard in growing infatuation of what is called social media. Social Media chronicles opinions, content, insight and perspectives of individuals and business through online technologies and practices -

This weeks Carnival of the Capitalists is hosted by The Virtual Handshake - The first article posted was written by Charles H. Green and is titled The Cancer of Short Term Thinking, some of the points made in this article coincide with my rant on Customer Service.   A great closing statement - You can’t fake trust; trust is a paradox; motives matter. The act of justifying trust by its economic value destroys not only trust, but its economic value. The best economic results come as byproducts, not goals.

I really enjoyed Scatterbox by Steven Silvers his take on SEO, scattered, no pun intended all over the internet are forums on SEO, Google, Yahoo, and all other search engines.  Trying to keep up with this part of marketing is maddening.  I have researched and still can not figure out why it is that even though the time, effort and “white hat” is applied, we see website fluctuations with our SERP’s, but the guys on top, stay on top, number one.  What really does go on behind the scenes of the search engine algorithms? 

The Strategic Marketing site has some great tips on ways to improve your organic rankings, again stressing, time & patience and there is no one magic trick. 

Marketing Deviant shares how to market your business through the use of screen savers.  What a simple idea, that could make a powerful statement in the right niches.

October is fire safety month, with several different trade shows that are held through-out the year with the latest in fire security, fire rescue and life safety.  Fire Rescue & Conference Expo will be taking place November 7-10th, 2007 in Las Vegas, with sessions covering Fire Simulators, Forcible Entry and Rescue Tech Tips to name just a few. 

Firehouse World Expo - San Diego February 3-7th, 2008

Firehouse Expo - July 22nd-27th, 2008 in Baltiore Maryland has over 450 exhibitors and is attended by more than 16,000 industry professionals.

AFSE -  Fire & Security Expo - July 29 - 31st, 2008 - Miami Beach Convention Center

I would like to move on to some Fire Safety Information provided by one of our employee’s at Catalyst Exhibits, having first hand experience with the loss of her home due to a fire. Imagine coming around the corner from dropping off your child from school and seeing your home up in flames.  There are no words she can use without the sickening feeling coming back, so she shares with you her tips to help prevent and help put the pieces back together if this devastion ever enters your life.

FIRE – Before / During / After

Accidents Happen - While fires are accidents (unless your cousin is Vinny) you actually CAN prepare for this type of accident.A house fire can be devastating, and  one of the most emotional, exhaustive & draining experiences one will ever have. The aftermath can consume all of  your time for months, you can end up on a sort of autopilot.  The funniest thing I remember, while I was watching the firemen put out the flames of my house, my insurance company actually called about changing car insurance policies.  I had to tell her, “sorry, I really can’t talk about that right now, my house is on fire… by the way, could you pull up that policy for me?” 

BEFORE A FIRE / FLOOD – or anything else you can imagine….Insurance Insurance Insurance Insurance is not limited to homeowners.  You can obtain renters insurance as well for your stuff!·       Take an inventory of all your personal property.·       Take pictures, videos, keep lists etc…. ·       Make sure you are not UNDER INSURED for your content or building/structure.    

DURING A FIRE - BEWARE  #1 rule -  Sign Nothing, Sign Nothing, and SIGN NOTHING !  While you are standing there in disbelief, waiting for the fire departments to put out the flames, you will be bombarded with ambulance chasers rushing to you and handing you their business cards because they want to “Help you” rebuild or “get the most out of your insurance company for your personal belongings”.  This is completely unwanted; however you may want to hang on to some of those cards.  Most of them are EXTREMELY SLEEZY OPPORTUNISTS sitting listening to scanners waiting to pounce, banking on the fact you are too shocked and devastated and will be thankful they are offering to “help”. They won’t all look like a Surprano wanna be, with gold bling & a Cadillac (and some DO);  Some may truly be worthy & just happened to drive by.     

 SIGN NOTHING ·       GET YOUR HOUSE BORDED UP immediately. Make it secure. Your stuff is still in there. (The company that boards your house up for you does not have to be the company that rebuilds for you.)·       LET NO ONE TAKE ANYTHING OUT OF YOUR HOUSE (until you catalog everything & get what you want out.).AGAIN – SIGN NOTHING. Even if the insurance company asks you to.  You are devastated and not thinking clearly at this point, and I saw nothing in any contract that states you can get out of it because you under incredible distress.  Just don’t sign it.  You will have time to think about it later! 

THE DAYS AFTER - SAVE AS MUCH MONEY AS YOU CAN !!  ·       DO IT YOURSELF (You’ve been paying towards this and  IT IS YOUR MONEY AFTER ALL!)·       Ask for & CALL REFERENCES of the Contractor·       GO SEE A HOUSE THEY ARE WORKING ON OR ARE COMPLETEING.  (I didn’t trust references alone.  Glad I went and saw for myself! Some work was very poor. I chose the one that was rebuilding a two million dollar home with incredible detailed work.  Over kill? No. I knew they would do a better job then Vinney with all his gold rings and old Cadilac)      

TAX DEDUCTIONS ON TAX RETURN·       SAVE ON PROPERTY TAX - PROPERTY VALUE DOES CHANGE 

RECORD & RESEARCH - DO IT YOURSELF If you let a company catalog everything for you, you are not guaranteed they will get it all, AND they get a healthy percentage of your insurance payment!  While a lot of work, doing it myself, saved us $90,000.00 on a 900 sq. ft. house!  Imagine what you could save on a bigger house with more stuff.

YOU WILL NEED:     Cruddy Shoes & Clothes·       Tape recorder·       Filtered Respirator (The smoke smell will be horrible & imbedded in everything.  Mold may begin from the water that put out your fire.  (certain molds are very dangerous to your health)  Menards has them. Go through the house & RECORD EVERYTING you can that was even only semi destroyed, or slightly damaged.  Smoke damage and possible water damage from the fire department.  Make that list complete.  Down to the last pencil & paper clip.   

RESEARCH the cost of replacement for EVERYTHING.  The fastest way is on line stores – including Ebay for the hard to find items. While you can’t claim Sentimental Value, NOT EVERYTHING IS WORTH THE SAME AMOUNT:  I had 200+ CD’s on my list, however some were special order imports, I looked them up on line and one was $175 to replace!.  That CD is WORTH $175 !  Not the Standard $9.99. You should record it that way! 

How it broke down:Content was insured for - $90,000.00 Depreciation averaged 50% (it can range from 10%-90%)Going well over and beyond our limit, gave us our MAX benefit without having to report every item we bought  to get that other 50% depreciation back.

Our Max benefit for content was $90,000.00  - We claimed $192,000.00

50% of $192,000  = $96,000 (over max – received full claim)          

 -  90,000     

Unpaid loss $102,000 = Claimed on that year’s TAX RETURN 

CALL CONTRACTOR’s REFERENCES  most important, GO SEE THE CONTRACTORS WORK they have already done, or are working on!  This will give you a great idea of the kind of work they will do for you. You can be your own contractor.  Or ask your contractor to hire people you trust to do certain work, such as electrical, plumbing, finishing… we found our contractor via a family insurance acquaintance that used to be an adjustor. He had a list of contractors he felt were on the up & up.  Your adjustor may or may not be able to give you this information. 

PROPERTY VALUE & TAX·       Call your Assessor’s Office. Tell them you had a fire & your property value then goes down until you can move back into your home.  You Pay Less Property Tax during that time!·       Don’t forget to claim the loss on your tax return that was unpaid by insurance. 

THIS IS HOW  YOU CAN LOSE YOUR MONEY – again BEWAREInsurance sent a check for $9,000. (prior to my lists) which was an absolute insult.What some of these ambulance chasers would have done was taken the $9,000 and the $35,000, for the house, taken their 20%  and performed sloppy/shotty work fixing the house, because there would have only been $35,200 left to rebuild, leaving us with NO money for replacing items.  A good contractor will fight for as much as they can get.  In our case, they were awarded $78,000.  Which enabled us to knock down, rebuild, and keep the max content for ourselves.  

By: Susie Kleiner 

Global Marketing Strategy is colossal in the planning and execution of upcoming trade shows.  Starting out on the right foot and getting yourself properly organized should be a basic practice whether you are exhibiting or attending an upcoming trade show event.

Al Simon at TAG-Technology Association of Georgia wrote 10 tips in January, one of my favorites is number four - arrive early and stay late, I agree that with this strategy you can get more of a foot hold on your competition as well as make contact with others that are arriving early and arriving with more of a clean slated mind.  

I worked for several years in the Manufacturer Represtative business as an office manager, this is when I attended the ISSA Show when it came to Chicago,  planning the strategy way in advance for what exhibit booths where going to manned and the time frames for each sales rep was thought out and executed seemlessly.  Having a sales force of 3 at the time, and figuring out whose personality worked best with what manufacturer turned out to be quite successful.   If your business has an array of representatives find those award winning personalities a spot in your exhibit booth.

Setting up meetings with current customers as well as prospective customers and keeping the information simple and focused with your exhibit booth number, appointment times and perhaps a topic of interest to be covered can help keep not only yourself organized but your clients and prospects as well. 

Often times when you are exhibiting at trade shows your marketing goals can change from year to year, planning your marketing strategy  and maximizing your marketing messages for each show and each audience will help you accomplish the goals you have set.   Minimizing your trade show workload. 

Plan early, two simple words.  If you have never exhibited at a specific show, make sure you map out the best place for your booth.   Two things to keep in the back of your mind, everyone has to eat, and everyone has to use the washroom.   A great location for your exhibit booth is near either of those facilities.  Drawing in a lot of traffic, accomplished trade show exhibitors are well aware of this fact.  Research the shows and the show maps to best lay-out your strategy for exhibit location.

Focusing on follow up can show considerable results as well, make sure any prospect that you talk with during your trade show get either a follow up call or a personal note from you.  This is the “human touch” factor.  I think Rick Springfield said it best in the opening lyrics of his song Human Touch - “Everybody talking to computers, they’re all dancing to drum machines.” 

I can attribute the last three jobs that I have held to follow up,  the act of following up can be even more important than your initial meeting.  Trade Show Chaos could have taken over your potential client by the time they hit your exhibit booth, taking the time to personally follow up and ask questions can create many business opportunities. 

I ran across the Ten Trade Show Exhibit Best Practices on About.com - I agree with the many of the points that Darrell Zahorksy points out in this line-up. Stressing in a few of the articles I have written I firmly belive that the “create a buzz” that he speaks of is one that should be at the top of this list. By spending time informing potential clients of your appearance at an upcoming trade show helps them plan accordingly.

Also pointed out in the article is training your trade show team, trade show floors can be like downtown Chicago on Christmas Eve at Macy’s..yes, Macy’s, no more Marshall Fields. The aisles of the convention center are often times packed with prospective clients, not only with buying power but alot of heavy hitters and decision makers. If you don’t educate your booth team and give them the proper mental equipment for proper boothmanship the outcome can be detrimental in a final decision for a prospective client.

Susan Ward says to plan your exhibit in terms of your audience, another statement that I highly agree with in terms of amazing trade show displays and results there from. In order to draw in your potential clients, you must understand what it is they are looking for, and why it is they are attending.

Steve Woodruff from Small Business Branding wrote: Above all differentiate, you are competing for limited time and memory. That simple statement of eleven words gives you a base to build upon when you are entering the ever growing industry of trade show marketing.

I continue the series with the third step in exhibit display design and the complete process of which it takes to make your exhibit experience a success.

Elements, Priority and now onto Grammar.  Grammar is the study of rules governing the use of language.  “Grammar”is one of the words our designer’s use to describe the language of exhibits.  For example,  a “radial” design, a “rectilinear” design, an “organic” design, an “open or closed” design, etc.  It has to do with the natural, pleasing and/or effective object design for a given objective. 

You will notice this is quite far along in the process.  A “grammar” is applied to prioritized elements.

PMA  ‘08 hits Las Vegas Convention Center on January 31st, 2008 and continues to February 2nd, 2008.  This is an ensemble cast of “memory makers,” from photographers, retailers and even those in the scrapbooking industries.  Gathering together over 20,000 industry professionals and 200 sessions at this convention, there is an abundance of information to be had.

From local merchants to large mutlinational business, you will find sports and event photography, wireless imaging, this is a broad spectrum trade show, housing exhibitors from with an array of products associated with the photography industries.  Attracting top level management teams who are continually trying to stay ahead of the digital imaging industry, and seeking the latest in technology.  Over 95% of the attendees have the buying influence, and are key decision makers. 

Exhibiting in the world our digital era can create your ”memory” on your products and services.  Think of the amount of time we spend in the digital world, emailing photo’s, scanning documents, sending wireless pictures via text messages.  A report from PMA’ 07 states that the average person spends 36 hours a week in the digital world we have created. 

As in any world, what is it we are looking for? Sharp, Better Quality, Ease of Use.  When you are expanding your business in the tradeshow market, these are qualities that your exhibit’s should convey.  

I love the game, I love the Bears, followed them for many years. I actually saw Rex in training camp his first year with the Bears, I thought to myself, wow..what an arm.

The guy can throw..but let’s get some consistancy. One of our in house exhibit account executive’s is a football die hard, only having one word..which you see left!

I would have to say, it may be time to move him into a position where he can learn some consistancy. Would we keep a vendor who continually crushes our product? Would we continue to ship exhibits with a company who constantly lost a shipment?

The Bears won - that’s great, but where is the constant? Why are they marketing Rex like he is the next great quarterback in line for the hall of fame. He’s got flaw’s as do all of us. I will give it to him that they made it to the superbowl - rock on there.. even won a football pool, made it bittersweet, but I won! I don’t understand the in-accuracy of it all.

Why at the end of the game wouldn’t they allow Griese to come in and throw some passes? We have played quarter back yo-yo’s for many years, remember Quinn… he was like a tree just standing there loosing leaves, and didn’t deliver, how long did we mess around with that?

I don’t claim to know the in’s and out’s of the game or strategy, but heck, what is team effort? It would be nice if someone was behind the ball that when they threw it, you DIDN’t cringe each time it left his hands!

The Catalyst debate continues..some say boot him - some say he’s cute, keep him..

Our own in-house die hard has this to say…

Here are my thoughts…He is like a “deer in headlights” on the field. I am so sick and tired of hearing it is only his second full season, or that “Hey Brett Favre didn’t do well in his first couple of seasons”This guy will never have that “Stud” factor!!!

Another Exhibit House Employee has this to say… BOOOOOT. Him…Now!, a little undertones of Brion James - the cajun trapper in the 1981 Movie Southern Comfort..when he screams at Powers Booth’s character after almost being drowned by another reservist… 

Moving onto and into the depths of exhibit display & design, we find that after the Elements of the display and design are set - we like to move onto Priority:

Whether you are planning on one trade show or several for the upcoming year, begin by focusing on the first trade show you are planning on exhibiting at.

Which products/messages are more important at this show?

Which messages are more and less important?

Which element is more or less important?

What is the “order” in which the story should be told? (It is important to see this before they see all of that.)

Flow

Priority is very, very important.  Without this, we are just guessing.

Each and every step in the begining process of trade show marketing is a vital one.  Without concentration on your products or messages, your exhibit booth is just a booth.  Companies begin trade show marketing because:

They want,  a ROI from the Trade Show.

They want,  best exhibit booth.

They want, different and exciting ways to set up a new product launch.

They want, to visually enhance current product lines.

Whether you are exhibiting at trade shows worldwide or locally, starting with the basics seems to be the best approach - Elements, Priority… next up is “Grammar”

Wow..this is right up old Kevin’s alley, by accident we stumbled upon the Underwater Intervention 2008 website and the amazement in this technology really intriqued our little mississippi map.  Taking place in New Orleans, January 29-31st, at the Morial Convention Center. 

I honestly have to say, I never even realized there was such a convention.  Kevin got a bit of an education in welding when he investigated the FABTech trade show coming to McCormick Place later this year.  Can you imagine welding structures underwater?   This is the job of what they call a commercial diver, getting paid to work underwater.  (No Kevin - we are not increasing your exhibit house salary)

ROV’s = Remotely Operated Vehicles, are used for various tasks for diving contractors as well as some various programs that have gone on in the past.  EPA funded project for the environmental education, what a great opportunity for those wishing to be in this field. 

The conference will cover many topics, concrete rehabilitation, marine construction, workshops and discussions.  Commercial divers have to work in a variety of conditions, not only in water that is drinkable, but wastewater as well. 

There was a time when exhibits were designed to “look cool” and any product or message would be pasted on it.  The process started with “style.” Customers picked a style they liked and then made it work somehow.  We believe that good exhibit design ought to begin with some sort of strategy. 

What is it that your clients want to do or say? An exhibit design should strat with a very solid understnading of the event-specific mission.  Take the steps further, break it down into elements, priority, “grammar” and style..in that order.

In the simplest terms, the process goes like this.  Look at the space, for every particular show.  What is the space? In-Line or Island? How big is it? Where is it? Determine Approach Type - Do you want the exhibit to be:

Marketing Type-being all about the product or brand ID?

Architectural Type-all about the structure?

Experience Type - all about what happens in the structure?

After making these educated decisions, then you can go onto the design phase.

By: Susie Kleiner 

I must share a “customer service” at its best with all of you readers, but first you will need a little background on what lead up to it.  Over a year back, I purchased a piece of software to help us with our imports and database management, to work hand in hand with ACT 2007.  Upon my transfer from one position to another and a different computer -  I needed to un-register this software.  Understandable, really, truly it is – as my position grew, I needed to un-register this software once again and re-install it on another’s machine.  Understandable, really it is! Then yet again, another’s position grew and moved on, and I need to un-register it, guess what? Now the sellers of the software want a fee for this, it wouldn’t re-register, I ran out of re-registers? What the heck is that? What is this all about, I do not understand this concept, we bought the software, we bought a license, clearly they have control and know when it is trying to be registered, not an issue. 

We needed it, and are willing to comply, with the one machine rule.  Willing to comply with we have you over a barrel now, pay us more. Not a chance, its principal.

Well, this is where true customer service comes in, after the conversation I had with this company, I decided to look elsewhere.  I found a company called ACTMate Corporation and decided to download the trial version.  It seemed to do what I needed but I couldn’t clearly see the end results being a trial version and it seemed to be missing something.  

With emails back and forth to the owner of the company, Mitch Stephens, he told me he would check into this.   He did, Mitch took the time to contact me and said it would be much easier to delve into the issue I had live.  Mitch spent quite a bit of time on the phone with me on the initial conversation and had to do some tweak’s to the program to help me out.  He did just that!   

When Mitch called me back after he “tweaked” the program, ON FAITH, he gave me an access code to get the full results of this program.  I say ON FAITH, because, this man knew me not from Adam or Eve, and was willing to put himself and his program to the test for someone who found him online.   Thank you Mitch, customer service at its best!

Have you seen my blog? What are you blogging about? Should I blog? Who else is blogging?  This is a venture that I am truly a novice at, in reality, the blog-umbilical is still attached.  I am in the infancy stages of this social media craze.

I have found that blogging is fun for sure,  I am not a copywriter, nor claim to be one.  This is truly a novice perspective, but welcome to the neighborhood! In researching different social media sites, you truly can learn alot, forums are a great place to pick up tips as well.  RSS-could stand for really stupid stuff, but it means Really Simple Syndication.  I ran across a great site that lists several places you can submit RSS feeds into.  

Okay, so the original question, Blogging? What is it all about?  I feel it is about “relationships”, its an added source to anything you are presently doing in your life.  Whether your blog is personal or business related. 

I recently ran across one of our clients blog, Indium Corporation-Rick Short, and sent off an email since I did not know Rick Short and wanted to introduce myself.  In my position, I do not have communication with our clients so this was really a great thing for me.  Even though its a business blog, its great to form relationships of a more personal nature. 

Getting to know the “true” personalities of people, and the lighter side of folks is actually fun and puts a bit of the old “human” touch back in things.  How funny is that statement, well at least you don’t have to press “1″ for english or “0″ for the operator, you can just read away!

P.S - September 19th, 2008 - We recently had a discussion about two weeks ago regarding the new computers that were coming into our facility all having Office 2007 on them.  Well, low and behold if you are using outdated versions of Office you can not open the files unless someone saves them in a different format.  When our IT contacted Dell to inquire on purchasing these, it is about 300.00 a machine.  Well, this in the back of my mind - I was reading Rick Short’s blog and bouncing from link to link.  I found a conversion program patch for this particular situation, that is available through Microsoft. 

The power of the blog!

By: Sue Kleiner

Satisfied customers as well as a quality product - is the bottom line to any business, when you are researching exhibiting at trade shows, you should be partnering with an exhibit house that handles every aspect of the production of your exhibit- from conception, to the return of the exhibit properties for storage until your next trade show. Product market strategy is an essential part of the entire exhibiting experience.

You do not get a second chance to make a first impression. It only takes that few seconds get the attention of a potential client as they walk past the parade of exhibits on the trade show floor. You want your exhibit to be a visual display of what your company is all about and bring attention to your services and products.

Trade Shows have become a highly competitive market place and the exhibit experience is all about the “wow factor”. Giving an exhibit curb appeal is one of the ways to get your company noticed. With striking graphics, you increase the chance of drawing in visitors to your booth. This is where the “wow factor” comes in. These trade show attendees will saunter by many, many exhibits; you want them to walk past those and enter your exhibit.

Designing exhibits can be thought of as a partnership of objects – combining the key elements within your exhibit space, making sure the striking graphics are properly lit and in a position where they will draw the most attention. It’s about making sure that the lighting is positioned so as to enhance products or services and making sure that the podium or counter of choice is aligned for the best possible traffic flow.

The fluidity of your trade show exhibit space should make it easy for attendees to browse through the new product launches or the improved products display. Whether you are using podiums or counters in your exhibit, they should form a marriage with all the other furniture within your booth space. Do not plan on giving them too much to focus on - this is actually ocular chaos for most people and it can the end of the conversation, but if the exhibit has a pleasant visual display the potential client will feel more comfortable’ entering and staying longer.

Keep conversation simple and informative once you have a potential client in front of you give them reasons why it would best serve them to do business with you. Explain to them about any new product launch and make sure you have a success story to back this up.

Kevin - The Mississippi Map Turtle Mascot, was not real happy I shared his post about being depressed yesterday, so I got him online and we wanted to share some information the  MDM - Medical Design & Manufacturing Trade Show.  Coming to Aneheim California on January 29th-31st, 2008 at the Aneheim Convention Center.  Whether your business is designing of equipment for cardiac care, respitory, or surgery, this is the place that new product previews and launches are anticipated. 

Two great conferences will be taking place for any VP or Director level medical manufacturing executive.  If you are attending the MDM Expo, you are also invited to the industry related trade shows: Electronics West, Pacific Design & Manufacturing, WestPack, Plastec West and Automation Technology Expo.  With an increasingly competative healthcare market place these trade shows are informative and continue on with great advancements in our medical needs. 

While you are  thinking of your exhibit strategy for MDM West Trade Show, keep in mind the comfort of your exhibit for your prospective clients that will be reviewing the product launches all around you.  Promotional pre-show strategy can also give you an added advantage over your competition. 

So many medical advances have taken place over the years, it is quite amazing, while reading about some of the technology that is present at these shows, I thought of a process called plasmapheresis - a word that I had never heard of until my mother was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease. It is the removal, treatment and the return of blood plasma from the circulatory system.  The medical device that is used for this is called a cell seperator, it is quite amazing, it’s a process that literally washes the blood of the impurities that your system can not eliminate on its own. 

I was astounded at all the new medical devices and instruments that will be present at the MDM Expo, from Sterilization Equipment to computer aided devices. 

Carnival of the Capitalist September 4th Edition is online and live hosted by Welcome to Help.  Among the highlights are some interesting articles:

Edith Yeung gives some great advice on how your words and attitude can help you be succesful.  This advice and information is so plainly simple, but yet we as a whole have a tendancy to find ourself using such phrases that she has included in her article.   When it comes down to planning your marketing strategy, some of these phrases that Edith Yeung has highlighted, are clear as the nose on your face, take a moment to be aware, and be concious of what it is you are trying to convey and why.

Another great piece that follows again stems on words;  Instigator Blog has 10 Questions that Venture Capitalists and Angels Investors Will Ask.  I found this interesting as well it can pertain to questions you can ask yourself about the exhibiting experience.   What is your business all about? How far does your money get you? What’s your marketing strategy? Those are some questions that we, as an exhibit house, always try to find out up front when we are dealing with a potential client.  Knowing the client, or investor in the case  of Instigator’s article will help you be prepared.

This week’s CotC has some great other articles and links for building business, and marketing strategies.   The Tongue always outpaces Understanding shows the importance of knowing what you are talking about, getting down to brass tacks for leadership skills,  it is my opinion that a great leader does need to be a great listener.  If we are going to lead you into the tradeshow arena, you need to feel confident with our skills of communication, the preparation of exhibiting is similar to the old party line’s - its a mass communication.

I read a book awhile back by: Masaru Emoto on Hado - pronounced hadou to rhyme with shadow, broken down means to move and wave.  “Hado creates words - Words are the vibrations of nature Therefore beautiful words create beautiful nature Ugly words create ugly nature This is the root of the universe.”  Masaru Emoto  This was  a book studying the power of words on water and the formation of ice crystals.  Because words are sound and contain vibration, it shows the effects that the negative words we use on a daily basis can change the structure of water crystals, as well as the effect of the positive words.  Considering the human body is comprised of more than 1/2 water, think about what impact the negativity can have not only on yourself but the person in front of you.

When we are faced with tough decisions, deadlines or  bump’s that are in every road of business, we can let words fly around as if they are on a 747 and coming in for a landing.  Constant, and honest communication, no matter the circumstances can help you, help your clients and give them a feeling of security when it comes to doing business with you.  Knowing they can count on your communication, will keep them coming back.

Design process for trade show booths should be an integral part of everything an exhibit house does.  One of the founders of Catalyst Exhibits, Inc. is a designer.  A substaintail percentage of our team are designers.  Design is important when it comes to trade show booths.

It boils down to each trade show is different.  There may be a different audience, different messages, different products and even different intentions (trade show strategies and trade show priorities).  The focus should be on adding impact to each particular exhibit floor…and not just make items fit.   This is where a great trade show booth design team comes into play.

Creative teams.  Marketing teams.  Design Teams.  And yes, engineering teams.  An trade show booth design should pass through this process for every show.  If your trade show booth design needs to be different, it will be.  If your trade show booth design needs to showcase different products or function in different ways, it will be. 

Developing strategies to support different messages in the most cost effective ways, will continue to enchance your exhibiting experience.  If you do not like what you are seeing, the trade show booth design team should be involved to modify it or start over. 

Trade Show Booth Design does not end with fabrication.  In a way, event design begins there.  The point here is that trade show booth design is part of the entire exhibit process. 

It is important to make a distinction between “art” and “design.”  Trade Show Booth Design exists to solve business problems.  There can be no effective trade show booth design without an understanding of the challenges your business faces.

This post was highlighted in September 10th Edition of Carnival of the Capitalists hosted at About.com: Entrepreneurs

By: Lauren Rickert

Trade shows are parades…in reverse. Your “float” is your exhibit—an integral cog in your well-oiled marketing machine. It’s essential that you understand the financial and logistical realities of the trade show industry if you’re to capitalize on this prime opportunity to market yourself, your organization and your product:

1) DEFINE MARKETING OBJECTIVES

2) ESTABLISH A REALISTIC BUDGET

3) RENT OR PURCHASE AN EXHIBIT—OUR PROCESS

Defining your Marketing Objectives

“We need to accomplish so many things at this show. What should I focus on first?   “Your primary objective at every trade show should be to promote your product or service. Are you introducing a new service? Putting a fresh twist on a familiar product? Promoting your product or service will consequently help you:– Secure or elevate your position in the industry;

– Attract potential buyers
– Enhance your relationships with existing buyers
– Strengthen or redefine the industry’s perception of your organization
– Invigorate market share

Establishing a Realistic Budget  “Where’s my money going?”  “Money is precious these days and you will spend a lot of it exhibiting at a trade show. A generous portion of your budget—approximately 30%—should be devoted to expenditures that will help promote your product or service (exhibit components, graphics, advertising, etc.) The rest of your money will go towards:– Floor space at the show—approx. 33%  *average cost for floor space in the U.S. is about $22 / sq.ft.– Travel accommodations—approx. 18% – Services (shipping, installation/dismantle & drayage)—approx. 12%– Misc. (A/V equipment, decoration, extra labor, etc.)—approx. 7%Some exhibit houses include basic services in their initial estimates; some do not. Likewise, some exhibit houses include the cost of graphics in their initial estimates—others don’t. Our custom rental exhibits tend to run about $50 / sq.ft. and our custom exhibits for purchase run about $150 / sq.ft. These estimates include graphics, carpeting and all necessary exhibit components. Service and miscellaneous costs are additional and can vary significantly, depending on the show’s location, size of your space and labor regulations specific to the venue. We will, however, make you aware of these costs up front.Keep your primary objective in mind when deciding on where to place your money. You’ll want to invest in things that offer a return on your investment;

WILL promote my product /offer a return on investment - A business lunch with potential buyers- Informative CDs or attractive literature- An innovative, strategically-designed exhibit

WON’T promote my product /offer a return on investment- A whirlpool suite at a Five-Star hotel- Giveaways that don’t represent our product- An archaic display I’ll set up with my brother-in-law “How can I keep track of all my expenses and avoid surprises?”Ask questions and create a spreadsheet. Establish a list of costs you know you’ll incur (see above). Record pre-show estimates, actual costs and any additional expenses. Reference the information when planning your next exhibition.

Catalyst’s Process  “I know my objective and I’m aware of my budget requirements. What now?      “ You need a tangible marketing tool—the quintessential catalyst for promoting your product or service. You need an exhibit. We offer custom rental exhibits and custom exhibits for purchase. Every project, regardless of size, is handled with professionalism, efficiency and respect for the client’s time and effort.You will first be referred to an Account Executive (AE). The AE will gather and communicate such information as:- Dates and location of the show;

- Rules and regulations specific to the venue
- Budgetary constraints
- Floor plans
- Images of your existing or past designs, if applicable
- Specific company information (corporate profile, logos, Website images, etc.) The AE then schedules an input meeting (via conference call or on-site meeting), during which you’ll have an opportunity to speak directly with the designer chosen for your project. The AE is also part of this meeting. You will communicate your specific design requirements, desired function of the space and marketing objectives. While we’re certainly interested in the logistical elements of your exhibit, a great deal of emphasis is placed on promoting your product or service. Ideal designs are created when we know why a client is exhibiting and what he or she hopes to achieve by doing so.The project then moves into the design phase. A team of professional designers, detailers and graphic artists work together to:- Translate your marketing objectives into functional exhibit elements;

- Design to accommodate attendee processing and product placement
- Create an image that reflects your corporate identity, industry characteristics and attracts your target audienceYou will be presented with full-color design renderings and an accompanying proposal about two weeks later. The proposal will contain a schedule of activities, itemized exhibit components and payment terms. The solution we present would ideally be the cat’s meow. However, we realize that sometimes modifications are necessary—your design will be flexible enough to accommodate any changes you might require.

F.A.Q.s“Which is more cost-effective, buying or renting an exhibit? “Custom rentals are best for organizations that:

· Exhibit at a few key shows/year
· Undergo regular marketing changes
· Readily introduce new product lines or services
· Vary in booth size for every showCustom exhibit purchases are most suited for organizations that:
· Have consistent marketing strategies
· Exhibit at multiple shows/year
· Can allow for long-term (approx. 5 yrs.) depreciation

“How can we measure our success at the show?”

- Invest in an electronic lead retrieving unit (available through show services)— scan attendees’ badges as they approach your booth

- Follow up with prospective buyers after the show

- Track post-show sales Survey any existing buyers who attended the show: what was their reaction to your exhibit? Did they feel welcomed? Informed? Did you communicate a clear message?“

I think I’m ready take the leap. Where should I start?” 

The SEMA Trade Show is hitting Las Vegas October 30th, 2007 - November 2nd, 2007! The event will be taking place at the Las Vegas Convention Center, the showcase of exhibitors spans over two million square feet.    Las Vegas alone has over 9.5 million square feet of meeting and exhibit space city wide.

SEMA 2006 drew in over 50,000 Domestic and International buyers. 

The demand for performance automotive products has taken on an entire new attitude since the Fast & Furious craze began.  Performance products will not be alone on the trade show floor, among exhibitors are automotive accessories, restoration products and motorsports.  The exhibitors this year will fall into eleven different categories.

Finding educational programs to further enhance your automotive needs will also be part of the SEMA Show, with demonstrations and seminars for any enthusiast, as well as many other opportunities for networking with automotive industrial leaders.

“How to Win & Keep Customers” is among one of the events that will be taking place at the beginning of the show.   Learning to communicate with your potential customers is part of exhibit etiquette and boothmanship.  When you decide exhibiting is the market strategy that is best suited for you;  an exhibit house that helps you portray your company and helps the launch of new products in a dazzling and creative way, will allow you to focus more on the potential client.