Marshall Yard:

After a swift and positive experience with show management’s approval of a prospective client’s design, I was ready to glide through another approval. After all, getting the approval of show management is a mundane, routine aspect of life as an exhibit house - it’s not as though we don’t know the rules, and we design to these rules on a daily basis. Further, we have experience in every exhibit hall in North America - it’s tough to surprise us with unexpected stipulations. But getting the ‘a-ok’ from show management is important to getting a project completed for a client - and we get things in writing in the event that a variance is needed for a design, and to protect against convention hall staff that decide to make up their own rules!

When we approached show management with this second client’s design, we were caught a bit off guard by the emailed response we received [names have been changed 'cause I don't mean to spread ill-will]:

Sorry for the confusion – it appears portions of the posted rules and regs reflect general industry rules vs. show specific rules.  The [name omitted] Show’s height limit is 16ft. with no height variance allowance (unless it was by a foot or two at the most).  Therefore, no exhibit at The [name omitted] Show will exceed 16ft in height.

This was a slip up on our part – not sure how it happened – I’ll take the blame.

Unfortunately, we cannot grant a height variance for exhibits at The [name omitted] Show.  We’ll be sure to correct the information posted on the website right away.

Needless to say, my response was that of shock. The structure, as presented, was unbalanced and awkward as a 16 ft. booth. Luckily, so our competitors’ designs were in the same situation, since the client wanted us to maximize the height of booth [we were the only ones who checked with show management, of course].

With a tight timeframe before the show starts (less than 2 months away…), we had to go into redesign immediately. Ultimately, we presented a strong design that worked well for the client’s needs - though it may lack the commanding impact that a 20 ft. booth has over a 16 footer.

Lesson learned was that of the process we follow. It’s a reinforcement of why we do what we do. If you don’t get an approval in writing, you don’t have something you can actually sell to a client. Even if it follows the “letter of the law,” such laws exist at the whim of those running the convention hall. It’s better to reconcile a design with the actual rules before a contract is inked than to scramble through redesign, reprice, and reapproval after an agreement has been reached.

A great exhibit is only great when it garners the attention and favor of tradeshow attendees. Like a tree falling in the forest…

The past few weeks we’ve been hard at work consulting with our clients who are in search of a reasonably priced rental trade show exhibit that delivers a powerful marketing impact at their upcoming show. [cheezy statement, I know... I'm in sales, could you tell?]

Dealing with trade show management can be a smooth experience, and it can be anything but. In my own recent history it has been both. We’ll start with how the experience should have gone, and follow up with a horror story later this week.

I had been working with a new prospect for over a month - yet we had not inked the deal. I wanted to get confirmation that the booth conformed to the show rules. We designed it as such, but we had not received something from show management in writing. After a very cordial phone call, and a brief email exchange, wherein I sent the design off to show management with an explanation of the details therein, I received my written confirmation, along with a compliment about the allure of the design. Still awaiting review by the Fire Marshal, I sent him a certificate of the Power Net canopy we were using. The certificate details the fire retardant qualities of the fabric, as well as the mesh of the netting, and how permeable it is for a convention hall’s emergency sprinkler system. With all of these details, I received my final approval from the Fire Marshal. - I had a booth I could really sell!

With this upbeat experience under my belt, another client was at a similar stage in the game - we had designed to the show’s posted rules and regulations, they were considering our design and two competitors’. Time to run it by show management for an approval in writing. Business as usual in the exhibit industry - or so I thought…