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.

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Trade Shows are Like First Dates

Are You Nervous?

Trade shows are like first dates, first meetings, or job interviews. Unless you have an ego like Donald Trump, these ”firsts” scare the dickens out of you. They should. No matter how well you prepare, the unknowns trump the knowns by a ratio of about 10,000 to 1. If you’ve ever been on a blind date, or even a first date with someone you’ve just met, you know that a date is about being the person you strive to be, not the person you are.

Of course, not everyone has the gumption, the imagination, or the self-awareness to lift their game to the next level. Some people never grasp that first impressions are lasting impressions. They wear scuffed shoes to the job interview, slouch in the chair, chew gum, or dress inappropriately. They make the decision easy for the interviewer. On that important first date, when every word and every gesture is scrutinized, they monopolize the conversation, talk with their mouth full of food, and tell jokes that would offend Redd Foxx.

I suspect, however, that most of us strive to make a positive first impression. After all, we want to be liked, we want to be respected. In a typical social situation, we engage others in conversation in order to learn about their lives and to share ours.

Looking Good

Then why do so many trade show exhibits stink and so many trade show booth staffers stink even more. For the vast majority of attendees, their first impression of you is based on your display. It’s their first date, your first interview, and the first meeting for both of you. Walk the typical trade show, whether it’s a Chamber of Commerce “Meet and Greet” or your industry’s lollapalooza in Las Vegas, Orlando, or Chicago. About 50 percent of the exhibits are creative, targeted, and well-planned. The booth staff understands their roles and makes every effort to behave like outstanding role models. No inappropriate scratching, no Starbucks coffee cups littering the display, no obsessive Crackberry distractions. They are there to work the show and understand that during show hours they are on stage and every interaction is a performance.

Looking Bad

And then there are the other 50 percent. Let’s start with the booth. My oh my. . . too often it’s bulletin board artwork stuck to a booth built by the Alf and Ralph, the Monroe Brothers on Green Acres. Or if it’s a professionally designed exhibit, it’s long in the tooth, damaged, and the exhibit equivalent of Archie’s jalopy sitting on cinder blocks. Now that may be acceptable at the local hobby fair, but wearing the trade show equivalent of a lime green leisure suit at the Governor’s Ball is tacky (funny but still tacky). It screams, “I just don’t care.” Now you may be comfortable on your first date with a big piece of spinach stuck to your front teeth, but even if your date has matching green dental jewelry, chances are there will not be a second date. Trade shows are expensive, but the actual display is usually the least expensive investment over 2-3 years. So invest wisely.

Behaving Badly

Now the booth staff. This is almost too easy. So rather than riff on the stereotypical cell phone chatting, Motrin popping from a hangover, couldn’t give a rat’s @$$ booth staffers, let’s take the high road. The reason too many exhibits are staffed with the wrong people is simple. They are the wrong people. They don’t have a vested interest in the company’s success, they aren’t knowledgeable, and they aren’t “people” people. Trade shows are not magazine ads or television spots. They are face-to-face sales opportunities. How often have you been to a Chamber of Commerce mixer and the local bank’s display is staffed by a teller? The teller is pleasant and pleasant-looking, but he/she doesn’t know anything about the bank’s loan programs, CD rates, or charitable programs. The teller shouldn’t be there. The local branch manager should be. Pamphlets, key chains, and cleavage are not replacements for one-on-one knowledge.

Ideally, your trade show staffing should have senior management participation. They have the knowledge and the vested interest. Too often, however, they wander the show floor like a band of schoolgirls whispering snide comments about competitors, eating candy, and planning the evening’s activities. Never underestimate the power of a title. And unless your senior management is poison, meeting the CEO or President of a company in their booth can turn “interest” into an “order” almost immediately.

Want to succeed at your next trade show? Treat it like a first date. Look your best and mind your manners. Remember that first impressions are lasting impressions. And no matter how tempting that spinach omelet looks for breakfast, it’s probably a good idea to select the oatmeal instead.

Article Author:  Mel White, Classic Exhibits – ESP Trade Show Display Partner

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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.

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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

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Trade Show Reform in Chicago

Reforms passed earlier this month by the Illinois General Assembly are great news for exhibitors and long overdue.  Pressure for change by those affected in the convention and trade show industry forced these reforms into reality. 

Fewer rules, less hassle, increased flexibility, expanded rights and lower costs for exhibitors.  Sounds great to me!

Highlights for exhibitors include:

• Although five unions remain at McCormick Place, new labor work rules reduce crew sizes, require less overtime pay and eliminate hassles for exhibitors.  A standard crew size is now just two people and stewards will be working; individual workers can be requested by name.
• Straight-time shifts can be any eight consecutive hours between 6 AM and 10 PM Monday through Friday.  That means big savings on booth setup labor costs since overtime rates won’t necessarily kick-in at 4:30 PM.  Saturday and graveyard shifts are time-and-a-half while Sundays and holidays are double time.  Labor charges are based on a half-hour minimum.
• Exhibitor rights now allow exhibitor staff to do much of the light work on their booth during setup and take down regardless of booth size.  The only requirement here is that exhibitor employees need to have been employed full-time by the exhibiting company for at least six months.
• Although McCormick Place will continue to offer food service, exhibitors will be allowed to bring food in for personal consumption. 

Less stress in managing logistics for your trade show booth leaves more time for focusing on other aspects of your trade show marketing program.  And perhaps makes exhibiting in Chicago a pleasant rather than dreaded experience.  Have a great show!

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