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…

I’ve recently begun work with a trade show coordinator who has a very astute perspective with regards to the design of his company’s trade show booth. It was with very little surprise that he revealed to us (during the design input meeting) that he’s been designing trade show exhibits for much of his career. Only recently had he begun coordinating exhibits for his company.

As a designer, he understands how the trade show exhibit space functions - the balance between aesthetics, function, and marketing message. He advises his team on how to value the various designs that exhibit houses have created for an upcoming show. In this case, it’s for the Worldwide Food Expo, held in October at McCormick Place. The WWFE is largely an equipment and product show for restaurateurs of various stripes. The demands placed on exhibits are similar to other shows where product and equipment demonstration rules, and visibility, marketing message, and architecture must all revolve around the placement of a large machine, or a number of smaller products. In order to get attendees to see your widget, you need to separate yourself from the crowded “skyline” of hanging signs, towers, and video monitors. Something exceptionally pleasing needs to draw the eye of those passing through, and this coordinator understands that. (more…)

I have a checklist that I go through before I’ll ever bring an exhibitor into a dialogue with one of our trade show exhibit designers. The checklist isn’t without exceptions - sometimes special situations merit special treatment of prospective clients - but the checklist is not intended to preserve the schedules of our designers, but to improve the effectiveness of the booths they create. One of the most important questions I ask is where the booth is located on the tradeshow hall floor.

Booth orientation has serious implications for the success of your trade show. Factors to consider include  the location of entrances, internet stations, concessions, main aisles, competitors, partners, large exhibitors, and pop-up/portable “mazes.” Ceilings heights, the character of a particular hall’s “scale” of exhibits, and the presence of any natural light (versus harsh show-hall lights). All of these factors play a distinct role in how your exhibit should be designed. Is your designer weighting these issues, or are they merely interested in how many widgets they need to fit into your space, versus how many you can afford? If the focus is on the widgets, do you think you exhibit will be a success? (more…)

Sorry for the awkward humor, but I’m heading to the second game of the White Sox’ double header today (weather permitting). The main pitch [sorry] of today’s trade show blog post hits at the three distinct business models present in our industry. First, there are design agencies, who design home run exhibits, and must broker out the manufacturing of the exhibit to various other vendors. Next, there are exhibit companies, who also create championship booth designs, but who possess the internal capabilities to create the displays that have been rendered for clients. Lastly, there are companies who are neither of the above: They contract with design firms - who then design exhibits for the exhibit company’s clientelle, later to be built by the exhibit firm. What are the advantages or disadvantages of these three business models?

Let’s consider the cost of designing: The agency will likely bill the exhibitor for design time. The exhibit company with in-house designers will [sometimes] consider design part of the exhibit overhead. Buried in the price of your exhibit is the time spent on your custom design, but based on a very rough estimate of how many hours any project of a certain scope would take to create. Other companies with in-house capabilities will still charge hourly for design time, so this second group is actually varied with how they handle design time. The third group - who contract their designs through a third party vendor - is similarly varied. Some may handle the design cost in the price of the exhibit - likely marked up to account for the risk therein. Others may charge up-front for design. When it comes to how designing is charged to exhibitors, it would be a smart idea to get clarification of this detail up front (like on the FIRST conversation with an exhibitor). In some occasions I would even try to get this information in writing. With a sour trade show economy, there are floundering firms whose behavior leaves something to be desired. What do you think the best business model is for your needs? Up front design charges, overhead treatment of designing, or direct billing, after the fact? More importantly, how do these business models affect execution or implementation of your exhibit design to a working, walking, talking exhibit booth? (more…)

TGIF … With NPE approaching, a mammoth trade show that occurs at McCormick Place in Chicago once every three years, things got a bit hectic this past week at our facility. Thankfully, we have a great group of exhibitors going to the show, who understand our process, and how critical deadlines are to the effort. It makes for a well orchestrated build-up, and not a chaotic one!

I had a pleasant conversation with a prospective client who is considering our 20×20 standard rental exhibit, which is renting for $10,000. After going through most of the details of what the rental includes he asked a very pointed question:

Tim: Ok, I know from experience that sometimes I’ll see a rendering, and it looks really bold and slick, and then the thing gets to the show, and the booth is just - the beams look like 6×6 inch on the renderings, and you get to the expo and they’re 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 - and it looks flimsy and just awful. What are these made out of? How big are they? (more…)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NPE  will be hitting McCormick Place in June of 2009, start planning your exhibit design,  it is not to early to focus on your exhibit and marketing strategy.

NPE 2006 showed an increase in attendance from previous years, with an expected attendance of 75,000 plus for the 2009 show,  exhibiting at NPE 2009 is a fantastic opportunity for your company. 

New Technology Awards and Technology Conferences are being planned, introducing new products and technologies into the marketplace at the International Plastics Showcase Tradeshow, is a great doorway for companies that want to get in front of industry leaders.

Exhibit design and creating an impact on the tradeshow floor should be a well thought out process and teaming up with an exhibit house early on, can help create a unique and succesful trade show experience. Wrapping your new products and services with a customized rental exhibit can help you focus on gaining the traffic into your exhibit booth.  With a stunning variety of graphic solutions and exhibit design, it will help in every aspect of operation when the trade show opens.

Creating a total experience through exhibiting should focus on the message you are wanting to convey.  Your exhibit should be more than just timber and glue.  Presenting a detailed but simple plan includes a time line.  Smart Detail and Smart Design, planning early will give you an edge to focus on the clients and the audience you want to speak to. 

Finally, STYLE is just what it sounds like; “what the exhibit looks like.” If the exhibit should look like a ski lodge, a sailboat, a doctor’s office, etc… then we make it so.  This is style.  Style is the last thing we look at before we design.  We can apply almost any style to any design.

Strategy Event Goals (From Client) - Determine Elements - Determine Priority - Determine Grammar - Determine Style = Exhibit Design

Between each and every process of the chain of events the best practice is review each process.