Marshall Yard:

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

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

(more…)

A good deal of your effort in pre-show planning might be placed on which trade shows to attend. You might want to give some thought, though, to which market you’re best apt to serve: Vertical or Horizontal.

Vertical trade shows are those in which exhibitors providing a specific product or service cater to attendees interested in a specific product or service. Boating, golf and apparel shows would most likely fit this category.

Horizontal trade shows are those in which exhibitors providing a variety of products and services cater to attendees interested in a variety of products and services. Healthcare, electronics and technology shows would likely fit this category.

While vertical shows can be most advantageous - in that your marketing can be more focused - they can be tricky because, if your marketing isn’t focused enough, you won’t get the desired results.

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.

I thought I did alright in undergrad Economics. I might not have been the absolute brightest, but I am at a total loss in understanding why trade show service prices are skyrocketing for 2009. Trade Show Services primarily include Installation & Dismantle (I&D) of trade show booths; and “drayage,” or material handling; on top of other things like electrical labor, cleaning, lead retrieval, and catering. Not only are rates going up, but exhibitors are being gouged on top of those rates. Let’s get my anecdotal facts out in the open, before honing in on why.

I&D is the carpentry involved in putting together the exhibit. The installers unload the crates that exhibits arrive in, and piece together the booth. These are union contractors who work in a very compressed time frame to build an exhibit from start to finish. They lay carpet, frame structures, provide the finishing touches of graphics and stretching fabric, they place furniture in denoted locations, with electrical channels built into sub flooring or carpet pads. We’ve seen I & D increase by fully 30% in the past six months. It only seems to be getting worse, amidst a real estate crash that is leaving echelons of builders and remodelers out of work.

Drayage is the act of bringing crates that are unloaded at the Marshall Yard to the correct location on the show floor. Drayage is charged at a rate that the show will determine, and you have the option to have the show contractor handle drayage, or perhaps the show contractor can do it instead. To haul 5,100 lbs. of crates with a forklift is going to cost one of my clients $6,344. Last year, their rate for drayage was $95.00 cwt, whereas the 2009 price is quoted at $124.40 cwt - a 31% increase. Since they had a slightly smaller booth in 2009, they have effectively doubled their drayage expense for the show.

Electrical, cleaning, lead retrieval, catering - perhaps exhibitors will catch a break in the ancillary services that they order? Not likely. In fact, electrical labor is starting to be a reliably done on overtime. OT pay is reliably in order in todays trade show environment. Hence, the gouge on top of the the gouge.

So how can trade show services increase in price, while every commodity that is intertwined with providing such services is in decline? Fuel costs have plummetted; unemployment is up, reducing labor costs; and capital expenditures are down, decreasing demand and prices for heavy equipment like fork lifts. In fact, the number and scale of exhibitors is drastically reduced for 2009. So at the most elementary level: DEMAND FOR TRADE SHOW SERVICES IS DOWN.

Any “theories” as to why services aren’t going to be reduced any time soon? They seem to be making up for the decrease in demand by increasing their price, contrary to basic economics. But how can they do that while any other business would go bankrupt in a matter of weeks?

Do words like “Extortion” or “Monopoly” come to mind? This trade show blog is asking.

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.

As a trusted expert in trade shows, and a major contributor to America’s favorite trade show blog, I’d like to offer a special blog topic today:

GREAT TRADE SHOWS FOR 2009
(please comment on any shows I may have left off of the list)

Newspaper & Print Journalists Expo

Polar Bear & Caribou Convention

Chicago Auto Show

The Annual SML (Subprime Mortgage Lenders) Conference and Exhibition

Wahabbi Terrorist Symposium and Exposition*

The Private Jet Show and Client Appreciation Luau (in sunny Maui!)**

The Bipartisan Politicians Luncheon and Bailout Expo (huge exhibits, but don’t expect any substance)

Adam Smith’s Capitalism Exhibition and Wake, visitation begins Wednesday, and continues indefinitely

IDEAS 2010 - Internation Defense Exhibition & Seminar in Pakistan (very real)

*women should be sure to shroud their faces, and men should wear long beards. 

**scheduled one week after, and in conjunction with, Chicago’s auto show

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?

This morning’s blog is not about push-up bras. I’ve had a few people email me asking me to blog about female supportive garments, but this is not the correct forum (the “Bro” or “Manzeer,” on the other hand, can be covered in future posts).

I’m actually going to talk about carpet padding.

Wait!! Don’t leave yet!!! I know that sounds like a ridiculously boring topic, but at the RSNA yesterday I experienced a first in trade show errors - WAY TOO MUCH CARPET PADDING.

I’ve never been in a home that had so much padding, much less an exhibit booth. It was to the extent that it was laborious to walk normally. I never really thought about too much pad being an issue, and I can’t pin down who would have made the error. Was it a client who insisted they wanted the super-upgrade, or was it the exhibit company that suggested they “set their booth apart” and really outdo themselves.

It was one of the biggest exhibits at RSNA, and you felt like you had 5 pound bricks tied to your shoes as you walked through their village of highly unimpressive mini-booths. Has anyone else seen this in practice elsewhere? Or am I the only one who found this so cumbersome and annoying?

This past Wednesday, I had the pleasure of driving down to McCormick Place with some of my favorite co-workers. The cast for the drive included Midnight Michigan, senior designer; Sasha Grove, manager extrordinaire; and Linda Railroad, working the oldest profession, sales. Update: I’ve finally received permission to clarify the origin of my coworkers’ names. These are porn names: Derived by the combination of our first pet’s name with the first street name that we remember living on (I will continue utilizing my McCormick Place psuedonym, since “Lucy Barton” makes for gender-confused blogging). With this crew, it’s always guaranteed to be quite a trip. The RSNA trade show was in day 3 of exhibit set-up, so let’s recap the day’s events:

When we realized that walking would have taken us over 17 hours that we decided to drive. Linda’s directions were denounced as “the long way.” Commute time: 1 hour, 15 minutes. We covered a lot of conversational ground on the way downtown: Trade show exhibit booths, obviously; how-to-drown skunks and other suburban pests; approved alternatives to watching football over the Thanksgiving holiday; and, finally, the potential drayage costs of parking on the convention center floor, versus the parking garage ($8,000 versus $15).

After arriving, we had a very stimulating time previewing the RSNA show. The Siemens rental exhibit booth is, as expected, surreal and impressive. Midnight seemed very pleased at seeing his 3-d renderings put into corporeal existance.

Other highlights from the trade show floor: One of our competitors, expected to fold within months, builds out one of their last exhibits; and our biggest “competitor” freaks out when we walk around their largest client’s booth. Name badges and company insignia can be quite intimidating, it seems. As innovators in the rental exhibit booth business, we were pleased to see them doing a mediocre job of imitating our custom rental system (ours utilizes custom built components that… well, just go to the website). They can try to imitate, but you can’t beat the real thing.

We took my way home (2 hour drive). It was a far more scenic route, and the subject matter was far less appropriate. Drowning dogs, Linda Railroad taking the “Midnight train,” and things got worse from there. H.R. will be busy sorting out who said what!

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…

Largest U.S. Plastics Show puts Catalyst on the International Radar

The National Plastics Expo, truly an international showcase commencing every three years, is the place to be for thousands of contenders representing the global market. The 2006 show (June 19-23 at McCormick Place in Chicago) fostered record international participation and drew an incredible 9% more attendees than did the show prior. Catalyst Exhibits, one of many exhibit houses vying for the opportunity to tout their wares, made quite a mark on the show floor – with 19 clients and a total of 29,815 square feet of exhibit space…three percent of the entire show. Not bad for one exhibit house, hey?

Catalyst’s exhibit solutions – designed to embody a colorful affluence of marketing objectives, aesthetic preferences and functionalities, ranged from a 10×10 to a whopping 75×85 space. Managing this type of event is not for the weak of spirit. Catalyst Account Managers, Production Supervisors and Sales Executives swiftly navigated NPE’s near million-foot floor plan from set-up to tear-down, ensuring each exhibit (regardless of size) was erected seamlessly and that each client was given undivided attention. Cutting-edge design and extraordinary attention to detail helped make NPE 2006 quite an experience for all involved. Quite an experience indeed. 

NPE 2009 has some big shoes to fill and Catalyst is on deck to hit a home run. With enhanced rental inventory, polished branding and streamlined service, Catalyst is no doubt cultivating yet another competitive edge.

“Would I recommend Catalyst to others? Of course, because the service and support during both this torturous and fun experience is second to none.”  

— Bob Hawkins, President, Kiefel, Inc. 

The design, level of attention and superb service – that is why we chose Catalyst.” 

— John Moyer, President, Asahi KASEI

It’s September 2006. It’s hot, business is hopping and I’ve gotta get to McCormick Place  to deliver graphics and visit what we’ll call a “spicy” client. I look cute today, which makes me feel chipper…crisp, white, button-down shirt, chic black pants and high-heeled boots. I’m going to impress this client with my vast industry knowledge and top-notch customer service. I anticipate her spending a million dollars at the next trade show. It’s gonna be a good day. 

I pack my car with large boxes full of fabric graphics, paperwork and a steaming cup of coffee from 7-Eleven. An exhausting, two-hour drive from Catalyst Exhibits later, I’m swirling around the basement of Lakeside Center’s parking garage(instead of the North Hall, because traffic made me nervous so I pulled into the first Public Parking slot I could find). I’m not panicked because though it’s only my second time at this venue, I have plenty of time to navigate to the hall. I unload my boxes of graphics onto a hand truck (thanks creepy garage guy!), haul the drayage, electrical and Internet forms over my shoulder and make my way toward an exit. I soon find myself at the base of an escalator, leading to the Lakeside Center. Climbing aboard – cuteness intact – I realize that the boxes of graphics are slowly slipping from my arms and off the dolly. I try to reposition myself but the boxes are coated in Vaseline and cascade down the escalator. Hey, at least no one saw me (I think, as a bead of moisture forms above my brow) but as the thought forms, about 100 doctors pour out of a conference down the corridor. They all watch as I fumble around like a blind juggler, trying to salvage the boxes. I get to the top (humiliated, by the way, because my shirt got caught in the railing, so I look indecent), call the Account Exec for I&D and beg him to pick me up. I don’t know where I am in relation to the booth space, so it takes him 40 minutes to find me. When he does, I flop myself on the back of his cart and, sweating profusely now, drag the mangled boxes of graphics all the way to the North Hall. 

I get there, survey the area and am confident that – despite this morning’s inconveniences – the rest of the day will be swell. The booth looks lovely and the client’s no where to be found (in this case…that’s kind of a good thing). Out of nowhere, like a vulture to the carcass, the client barrels into me, screaming Spanish about missing graphics. “I have them,” I say. She storms off. Crisis averted. Sulking toward me, though, is the foreman…with eyes like someone killed his puppy. This man, who embodies lumber-jack masculinity in all it’s glory, is crying. Is he really crying? Bottom lip quivering, he mutters, “I can’t take this anymore.” 

Spicy McSpicerson has gotten to him. 

It was all down hill from the point. Mass chaos. The client screams until her nose bleeds, the foreman sobs, I’m so drenched in sweat that my hair looks like Benicio Del Toro’s, the booth “¡Es nada en absolute lo que ha supuesto ser!” and my boss (and HIS boss) are on the phone with a Spanish CFO about our pending lawsuit. 

These are trade shows in their rarest form. These are doppelgangers, of sorts…a parellel universe. Though I love the industry and – more importantly – Catalyst, I am exhausted. I wonder if Starbucks is hiring…

Catalyst Exhibits, Inc wishes you the happiest and safest of New Years!

When Wednesday hits and we all return back to our routine - do not forget to begin marking your calendar for upcoming shows and start planning accordingly.   Remember the time frame for exhibit design and details.  If you are planning on a trade show in March, April or May.  The best results will be reached if you begin your planning strategy right after the New Year holiday.

Just a few of the larger shows that will be taking place the first quarter of 2008, get your exhibit strategy in place - Think Early - Think Smart

AAOS - American Academy of Ortopaedic Surgeons will be held March 5th - 9th in San Francisco

GlobalShop 2008 - will be held at McCormick Place Chicago  - March 18th - 20th, 2008

HIMSS - February 24th - 28th at Orange County Convention Center in Orlando Florida

ConExpo/ConAgg 2008 - March 11th - 15th, 2008 at the Las Vegas Convention Center

Smart Detail & Smart Design are two concepts to keep in mind with the opening of the 2008 first quarter trade show schedule.

Happy New Year

As the busiest season is just upon us, there are many tips and ideas for your upcoming trade show success.

When you start to plan for your upcoming exhibit, finding a marketing partner that will consider your message is the beginning steps of a successful outcome.  By knowing what it is you are trying to accomplish will make it much easier for the exhibit house to understand the avenues in which to take you; to get you across that finish line with the first place ribbon.

Time is always of the essence when it comes to adding value to your marketing strategy and plans for success.  We all know that there are last minute opportunites that come up and sometimes we may not know that we will be at a particular show until the it presents itself.

Establishing a time line for an exhibit whether it is a , 10’ x 10’s trade show booth or 10’ x 20’ trade show booth, should be approximately eight weeks before the trade show event opens.   If you are planning on larger exhibits the time line should increase slightly.  The last thing you want is to get strapped with rush fee’s for deliveries – which are staggering with the price of transportation and gas.  

Printing time increases as well for graphic banners and turnaround times can become more delayed and leave little time for last minute changes.  With custom trade show display rentals, you have many more options and a lot more flexibility. 

The benefits of trade shows:

Maintaining relationships

Transmitting messages to key accounts

Remedying service problems

Stimulating add on sales

Determine needs

Transmitting messages and

Committing prospects to a callback or sale

Plan early!

Plan smart!

By: Susie Kleiner 

I recently pulled up Make your Business Stand Out  and I found some profound statements written.  Brand Awareness continues to be at the fore-front of many marketers minds as it should be in the competative arena for any business.  Award winning trade booth design has always been the approach that has worked in our industry.

Being Different as stated in the article written by Nikole Gibbs in the marketing section caught my attention, because if you leave an impression and give your potential clients, something different, they will not only become repeat clients, but they will become loyal clients. 

When you give your clients solutions they will remember the product and service that you have provided.  3D marketing can speak to an turn your company into a trade show superhero.    

One of our clients was questioned, in a pre-show survey, and stated they thought that just 26 percent of attendees considered the company a market leader. But after the CEO was in the booth at the exhibition talking about the industry, and the research and development staffers were talking about new products during the show, 96 percent of those surveyed post-event perceived the company as a market leader.

Rule number one in any marketing plan should be questioning your clients and gathering feedback from potential and current clients.  People in general love to hear themselves speak, and they also love to hear that their opinion is wanted.  Without information, and in the information age, if you don’t..shame on you. 

If for a moment you forget that on the other end of the phone, email, conference call or contract is a human being, you could have lost a potential project.   27 Exhibiting Do’s and Dont’s by Susan Friedmann has some very valid points, and I enjoyed #10-Don’t” “throw up” on attendee’s, it made me laugh, but it validates my point, ask them questions, let them talk.  They are going to be the one’s using your product or services.  Do not tell them constantly what you can do for them, let them tell you what they need done, and collectively come up with a solutions.

Designing exhibits for upcoming trade shows, can be a challenging task, listening to our clients, and understanding what they are trying to convey in their industry can only be learned by hearing what the client has to say.  

I would like to engage anyone in conversation that has exhibited at trade shows in the past year or two.  I would like to know your disappointments with your custom exhibit, rental exhibit and anything that you found frustrating on the trade show floor.  Is there a certain element missing from your exhibiting experience? Was there something you needed while on the show floor that you couldn’t find? Was there a lack of traffic during any specific time period?

I would love to hear from you.

Have success at trade shows and beat the challenges. When trade show marketing is approaced early, you develop a formula for success, but the race does not stop there for winning that potential client.  Turning your leads into clients, is one of the largest goals and challenges of trade show marketing. 

Don’t let that lead fall into the post trade show marketing cracks.  Be active, and be smart.  Continuous follow up will put your name and your brand in front of a potential buyer. 

Keep careful notes on the trade show floor, often times, when a conversation ensues on the trade show floor, you can pick up pieces of personal information on your prospects, and that can help lead into a successful conversation post show.  

Trade show attendees will often see hundreds of exhibitors at large trade shows, make sure you give them something to remember you by, whether it is in a post show follow up call or even a short hand written note thanking them for their time.

It doesn’t matter what they are called - promotional items, trade show giveaways, chachka or tchotchkes so, ready, set, eat! We are closing in on the Thanksgiving Holiday, and food will be of abundance.  I just saw a trade show giveaway that I thought was a fantastic idea and one that will not be left behind! Cookies! Who doesn’t love cookies?  We all know when we are walking the trade show floors, we get hungry and tired, and a little boost of sugar may be just the ticket!

Chocolate chip cookies, sugar cookes, peanut butter and oatmeal! Put your company logo on a cookie and take a bite out of your competition.  I can say this honesty, I’d be hunting down the exhibit booth that was giving out cookies, but that’s coming from the mouth of a sweet tooth.  A great little piece on The World Almanac Blog shows how much candy per capita we consume! Oh..my! Pass me the dessert tray!

I read a great article by Adrian Miller at The Blatant Truth! No matter what it is you are purchasing, either a service or a product, the dedication of the sales staff, support staff and anyone involved in your project should exceed expectations.  That is the true meaning of customer service, the story she told about getting her tire changed, shows that there are companies out there that are willing to go above and beyond the scope of what most people think is good customer service.

When it comes to the decision of exhibiting at Trade Shows, it is very helpful to find an exhibit house that is full service and has the capability to assist from the inception of your project to the return of the exhibit properties, along with post trade show follow up assistance.   An exhibit house that can offer you an assortment of exhibiting and trade show display solutions.  With rental exhibits, the option of exhibit customization is much easier and can give you a slightly different look and feel, if you are attending multiple trade shows. 

Finding the correct team that can convey your trade show message should consist of experienced and dedicated, exhibit designers, graphic designers, project and account manager and a team of coordinators to help you every step of the way. 

By choosing an experienced exhibit house team, you will portray your service and/or  product in an astounding 3D exhibit display, with the use of a variety of structural materials and fabric, you will watch as your trade show display booth comes to life. 

Whether you are exhibiting at a trade show in Las Vegas, Chicago or New Orleans an established well versed in the market place exhibit house can deliver no matter the location, and deliver flawless results. 

K/BIS - KBIS - Kitchen & Bath will hit Chicago on April 11th, 2008, have you started the water boiling for your exhibit yet? Preparation is the key and a well thought out recipe for your exhibiting success!  With over 900 exhibitors expected for the 2008 trade show, plan early and plan smart.

With a custom trade show display rentals, you can change the frosting for each trade show event.  Why stick with the plain old vanilla frosting for every trade show, when the trends say go chocolate,   custom rental exhibit displays give you the option to change and create a fresh look.

With three clients at K/BIS 2007 and over 8000 square feet of exhibit space consisting of exhibit booths of 60 x 80, 40 x 50 and 40 x 40, we are prepared to assist with a complete marketing strategy for the upcoming 2008 season.

Exhibit Displays & Tradeshows!

Why are people doing it? Why should I spend the money?  I have six valid reasons that your appearance at trade shows can benefit and build your global business marketing plan and strategy.

Build Brand Awareness

Increase Leads

High Customer Visibility

Increased Market Competition

Launching a new identity

Launching a new product

No matter what market you are in, medical, automotive, gift market, landscaping,  electronics, multi-media, gaming, photography, there is a trade show out there for you.  There is also a whole bunch of competition.  There are enormous opportunities waiting for those who get it right.  Opportunities not only for your company, but for you within the company.  Opportunities to capture leadership within your business, or business position. 

Ask yourself a few questions?

Why Exhibit?

How do I do it successfully?

When should I exhibit?

Where should I exhibit?

Know your market place and know your competition!  Success in a trade show program is about focus and targeting resources and energy.  If you are unsure of some of the above questions, we can direct you to the best strategy fit for your given situation.

Custom Trade Show Exhibit Rental

Whether it is called an exhibition, fair, expo or just good old fashioned trade show.  These events  can bring you extraordinary results when it comes to forming relationships with prospective clients.  With the never ending coast to coast conference calls, webinars, emails and the growing use of internet based meetings, tradeshows can be a place where you get back in the ring of personal contact and customer service.

The necessity of exhibiting at trade shows and actually reaching out to shake the hand of clients can add high credibility to your companies products and services.  Giving the prospective client a comfort zone of who they will be dealing with on the other end of the phone, will help them form their opinions early and get them one step closer to their decision making process.

If you are launching a new product or service, consider exhibiting at a trade show.  Research and planning will be a key to making the trade show a success.  When decision makers are able to touch and feel your products, they will remember it better than if they saw it online or via a web conference.

NAB 2008 will be taking place on April 14th, 2008, think early, think smart! Trade Show Display Rentals can help you give a voice to your trade show experience.  Innovative Booth Design can draw attention to your service and products, you need your trade show rental exhibit to do its own job, so to speak. 

Catalyst Exhibits, Inc. had three clients that had great success at NAB 2007, this is an audience that spans the globe. The NAB Show focuses on, content, creation, management, commerce, distribution & delivery.  There are 161 days left to get into the game and start planning your trade show rental exhibit.  Having a client at NAB 2007 that was wanting to introduce their product to the US market, the idea was to come up with something memorable.

Working on the lines that this was a European Company, the trade show exhibit display had to have flare, and be very synonymous with high design.  The outcome of intertwining various elements from high design color and precision created an outstanding exhibit rental.

NAB 2008 will be offering over 500 educational events, and super sessions from keynote speakers that are leaders in broadcasting industry offer a phenomal platform for boosting your level of knowledge and will allow you access to a network of leaders.

With over 111,000 attendee’s, 1600 exhibitorsand 1100 members of the press ,now is the time to start planning for an interesting booth design &  exhibit rental planning.  Giving you a six month time-line to get your pre-marketing strategy in place, and being able to follow up with your prospects before the event can ensure true success.