A Trade Show Exhibit for any budget

Whatever your budget dictates, ESP has a solution to meet your exhibiting needs. From table throws and banner stands to popup booths and from custom portable to custom modular, we’ve got it covered with no rush fees – EVER.

Shop online at your convenience http://ow.ly/jNoEb, browse our Virtual Showroom http://ow.ly/jNpd2, or call us for a consultation and custom quote 619.222.8813.

What Do You Mean Hybrid Trade Show Display?

Perhaps no term is more hyped and less understood in the exhibit industry than “hybrid.”  Nearly every exhibit manufacturer and custom builder refers to their latest designs as portable hybrids, modular, hybrids, or even custom hybrids. Why the emphasis on this term? The answer is simple: Value. More than ever, exhibitors are demanding displays that do everything – assemble quickly, look custom, ship light, and reconfigure. Just a few years ago that would have been impossible, but not any more.

The Building Blocks

If you’ve walked a trade show recently, you’ve seen a profusion of aluminum structures and tension fabric graphics. Those are the building blocks of hybrid displays. Aluminum is attractive, structural, and lightweight. Tension fabric is vibrant, durable, and cost-effective. Together they serve as the creative foundation for displays priced from $3,000 to $250,000.

But what makes them hybrids. For the past 30 years, the exhibit world was divided into two worlds: portable/modular displays or custom exhibits. Portable/modular displays have been dominated by pop ups, panel displays, and modular laminate exhibits. These “systems” have well-defined configurations, components, and accessories, but limited design flexibility. Custom exhibits, built primarily from wood, have offered exhibitors endless design possibilities but are rarely portable or modular.

Hybrid Exhibit Systems

Hybrid exhibits merge those two worlds. Hybrids start with tension fabric and aluminum extrusion systems (such as MODUL). Beyond that, the design can be anything and can include anything. There are portable hybrids, such as Sacagawea or Magellan, consisting of an aluminum extrusion frame and tension fabric graphics, which pack in portable roto-molded cases. There are modular hybrids, like Euro LT, which add modular laminate components and pack in roto-molded tubs or small crates. And there are custom hybrids, such as Visionary Designs, which combine extrusion with just about anything else – metal, wood, plex, glass, and sometimes even portable or modular systems. As with all custom exhibits, the final design is whatever fulfills the marketing and budgetary requirements of the client.

Hybrids may not be the ideal for solution for everyone. For many exhibitors, a basic pop up or full custom makes more sense for their exhibit marketing goals. However, hybrid exhibits are here to stay. Only hybrids offer the lightweight strength of aluminum extrusion, the bold impact of tension fabric graphic, and the flexibility of unlimited design – all at a terrific value.

Guidelines

• Before deciding on any portable, modular, or custom display, the following guidelines and questions should apply:
• Know your exhibit goals. What are your immediate and long-term goals? A portable display should be viewed as a long-term investment rather than a short-term solution.
• Is your organization expecting to grow over the next couple of years? How does this effect your trade show needs?
• Do you need one product to accomplish multiple display requirements? Or, is it better to purchase different displays to accomplish your various trade show needs?
• View decisions about exhibit hardware, exhibit design, and exhibit graphics separately. It is too easy to be swayed by any one element. All three must work together.
• Consider shipping and drayage costs.
• Price is important, but price should never be the number one factor in your decision when purchasing a portable exhibit.
• Ask questions. Not all portable displays are created equal. Each has its unique strengths and weaknesses.

Source:  Mel White, Classic Exhibits

Click to search more than 600 Hybrid Trade Show Display Designs. or just a few of our favorite Portable Hybrid Trade Show Displays.

Learn more about ESP (Extraordinary Show Productions Ltd), 619-222-8813, esp@espexhibits.com

Trade Show Booth Flooring – Thick or Thin?

Overrated Comfort is an Oxymoron

Standing around your booth all day doesn’t need to kill your feet or your back.  Not only does the proper flooring ease your pain, it makes your exhibit booth space comfortable for visitors as well as booth staff.  It also hides under-carpet electrical and internet cables.

Standard booth carpet is around 20 oz.  When combined with 6 lb. 1/2″ pad, it provides basic comfort but doesn’t quite hide under-carpet cables.  Channeling the pad certainly helps hide cables.  This means cutting the pad away in strips where cables lay so that no pad is on top of the cables – only carpet.  This usually hides cables but the down side is your pad is no longer one piece and re-using it becomes a challenge.  Depending on how many channels are cut, it may be more economical to purchase new pad for the next show than to pay booth installation labor to piece the old pad together.  Carpet pad is relatively inexpensive but using it only once goes against the Green principle.

The next carpet weight level – Plush – is 26 to 30 oz.  While the comfort level is an improvement over standard 20 oz. carpet, Plush carpet may still leave you wanting and under-carpet cables may still look like speed bumps.

Deluxe Plush at approx. 50 oz. with 6 lb. 1/2″ pad makes your booth staff and attendees very happy while reflecting positively on your exhibit booth.  Extreme comfort is possible with Ultra Plush 60 oz. carpet with 8 lb. 1/2″ pad.

Using Plush carpets definitely sends a message about your exhibit booth and thus your company.  But how does it affect your exhibit structure?

The thicker or more plush the carpet, the more it impacts how well the exhibit structure fits together which can prolong installation time on the trade show floor.  When your exhibit is constructed, it is most likely set up for the first time on the shop floor – a smooth, flat, hard concrete surface.  Everything fits together perfectly.  Setting up the same structure on carpet – thick or thin – changes how the components fit together.  Keep this in mind when designing and building a new exhibit structure.  And keep a supply of shims in your gang box.

More Trade Show Tips

Motivating Trade Show Booth Staff

The Hawthorne Effect

Cookies? Coffee? Free lunch? How to keep your booth staff in the booth and effective is an age old question.

Companies today still follow lessons learned from a study done some 80 years ago dubbed the “Hawthorne effect”. The experiment found that performance improves when people perceive they are receiving special consideration.

Turn consideration of your booth staff into productivity with treats and perhaps modest but special “thank-you” awards of $10 or $20 gift cards. And be sure to let them know you recognize their toil by thanking them for their hard work and support. It works!

More trade show tips:  http://www.espexhibits.com

Trade Show Exhibit Booth Design

How much space do people need?

Most of us are uncomfortable in narrow aisles – especially when there isn’t enough space to pass someone without brushing them. We don’t like being squeezed tight when perusing a booth. When designing your booth, leave enough room between display elements so visitors can maneuver in your booth space untouched. And instruct your staff to avoid blocking the narrow spots.

Find more tips at www.espexhibits.com

Graphics Made Simple

As an exhibit manager, you are expected to know everything about everything – including graphic production – when it comes to managing your trade show program.  Graphics used to be my least favorite topic simply because I didn’t know a PMS from a CMYK.  While I still defer to experts when it gets too deep, just knowing the basics gives me comfort.  Hopefully it will do the same for you.

Know Your Suppliers
Make sure your graphic designers are capable.  Review samples of their work from concept to end product.  Evaluate quality and compare to your need.  Is the work relevant to the scope of your project in terms of graphic size, materials, and level of difficulty?

Resolution = Dots per Inch (dpi)
To assure quality images, hire a professional photographer or purchase images from a photo company or web site.  Images simply copied from a website are rarely good enough for exhibit graphics.  Usually at 72 dpi or less, copied website images lose resolution when enlarged which translates to poor quality.

Your images should be 100 dpi or more at final size.  That means an image at 300 dpi can be blown up to three times its size (to 100 dpi at final size) before losing quality.

The Color Challenge
Maintaining consistent color is challenging.  Printing the same graphic from the same artwork on the same printer on different days can result in a difference in color.  Also, different digital printers print colors differently.

To prevent color differences, many graphics including logos use the universally recognized Pantone Matching System (PMS).  Traditional ink printers use the exact PMS color ink to print colors.  Digital printers however use CMYK – a 4-color (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) printing process.  Digital printers can be calibrated to achieve PMS colors.  Providing a printed sample of the color you want matched is very helpful but a printed proof is the best way for you to confirm that the color will be accurate.

The finish (glossy or matte) of a printed graphic can make the color look bright or dull.  If color matching is critical, request a printed proof – preferably a finished printed proof.

Formats and File Types
You don’t need to be an expert on formats and file types.  Your printer should provide guidelines specific to their production capabilities and your graphic artist should follow those guidelines.

In general, the most commonly accepted files for PCs or Macs are those created using Adobe software including Illustrator, PhotoShop, & InDesign.  Files created in Quark Xpress, Macromedia Freehand, and Corel Draw are also accepted by some printers.

Vector Art
Vector art often referred to as being “outlined” consists of lines and curves that are mathematically defined.  Vector art is ideal for type and drawn shapes because they can be enlarged to any size while maintaining crisp outlines and details without sacrificing quality.

Raster Art
Raster images consist of colored squares called pixels.  Digital photos are made up of pixels.  Printing a low resolution file at a size larger than its resolution results in pixelation which translates to reduced quality.

TIFF or JPG?
Graphics can be printed from either a TIFF or a JPG.  TIFF files are large uncompressed files that produce excellent quality.  JPG files are compressed and although quality is usually not as good, they can be used for printing if resolution is high enough.

Linked Images or Embedded Images
Linked images are files that are “placed” or “imported” into your document.  Printers prefer linked files because they can verify resolution and color information and edit or adjust during the printing process for optimal output.

Embedded images are files that are placed into your document and then “locked” or embedded so that the document is self-contained.  Embedded files cannot be edited or checked for resolution or color.  This means the overall quality of the graphic cannot be determined until it’s actually printed at full size.

Files That Won’t Work
Word, PowerPoint, and Publisher documents cannot be used to print large format graphics.

Submitting Artwork
Simple files with just a logo for example are usually small enough to email. Production files of good quality are frequently too large for email and must be submitted on a CD or DVD or zipped and uploaded to an FTP site.  Printers typically have an FTP site with easy upload instructions however we often download artwork from a client’s FTP site or a third party site such as yousendit.

Sandy Flom | CEO, ESP Exhibits | sandy@espexhibits.com

Primary Source:  “Graphics Made Simple” by Susan Bendily/Freeman

More Trade Show Tips

Renting Trade Show Exhibit Displays

In times of tight budgets and an uncertain economy, a rented trade show display makes sense by saving you money while still providing the image you need.

Benefits of renting a trade show exhibit display:

• Lower upfront cost helps you achieve trade show marketing goals when you don’t have the budget to buy what you need
• Meets one-time or limited use requirements such as overlapping or back-to-back trade shows, uncommon booth space sizes, exhibiting at a show you don’t often go to, or your existing display isn’t quite right for a particular trade show
• No long term storage, maintenance, or inventory management costs
• Test trade shows for a new trade show marketing program to establish the number of shows where you’ll exhibit and which provide the best ROI
• Helps determine the size of booth you need and if a particular booth layout will be effective for presenting your company and demonstrating your products or services
• Minimize or negate shipping costs by renting locally

Disadvantages of renting a trade show exhibit display

• The cost of a rented trade show display cannot be depreciated
• May not be available when needed without reserving well in advance (rental displays are usually on a first-come-first-serve basis)
• Graphics may not be reusable – particularly if produced to fit specific rental display components
• Challenge to maintain a consistent look from show to show unless you have a contract to rent the same display repeatedly

A good rental trade show display does not look like it is rented. There are many methods and materials to customize rental booth properties to present your company’s best side on the trade show floor. It simply takes a bit of creativity and an open mind.

See more trade show tips and sign up for our newsletter at www.espexhibits.com.

Burst Stretch Fabric Rental Display

Alumalite Rental Display 20ft wide