Recent presentation

I was invited to make a presntation to the folks who will soon be exhibiting at the Cleveland Boat and Waterlife Expo in January...a little piece about the importance of having your booth designed by a pro, especially in this day and age....happy consuming fearless readers!



Over the weekend, as I spent countless hours trying to put together the perfect presentation...a combination of the perfect quotes, perfect statistics, and perfect wit, the absurdity hit me...right about the time that the last of the caffeine from my morning coffee was abandoning me, that I was wracking my brain for the perfect logic, while addressing you about a tropical tinged tradeshow, in the heart of December...here at an African Savannah slash water park...in Sandusky Ohio.

But really, that's what it's all about, isn't it? What is a tradeshow if not a tiny sliver of a bigger universe, cut away from itself and placed in a surreal environment of glass and metal, displayed for the world to see. And what is a trade show EXHIBIT, if not a way for you to transport people from the day in/day out of their world, into the colorful and exciting atmosphere of YOUR world?

20 years ago , a trade show looked and felt a heck of allot different than it does today. Nearly extinct are the miniature models, monotone backwalls, and autographs hawking former child stars. In their place, gracefully sloaping translucent arcs, interactive "creat your own" stations, and structures straight out a science fiction utopia dot the landscapes of convention centers, and ballrooms across the country.

Perhaps no other industry faces as many trade show design challenges as yours does.

While Acme Sparkplugs is in Michigan, showing off their newest spark plug in the heart of car country USA, you face the challenge of transporting a winter weary Ohio audience to the sun soaked high seas , mere momments after they just tredged through subzero temperatures on the way to the door from their salt coated SUV's.

The good news is though, that the trade show world has never been so custom tailored to the nautical world as it is now.

From new, fresh, and exciting designs, to more durable, and cost effective materials, exhibits of note are no longer available to just the biggest spenders.

Combinations of light weight aluminum and fantastic fabrics are brought together to make shapes, looks and feels once thought impossible for a portable structure not only possible, but even more impressive in design and scope than anyone could have imagined even five short years ago.

This is no longer a world accessible to just the elite minority...and in the end, isn't that a theme that resonates with the nautical industry as well? That even those who might not realize just how open the world really is to them, can find that door opened wider than they would have ever dreamed?

All in all, the world of the modern tradeshow is really open to everyone...but SUCCESSFULL trade show exhibiting is much less universal. At the end of the day, there are two things that will make you or break you in terms of your trade show experience- Message, and design.

Your message is up to you. At the end of the day, nobody knows your message better than you, and really, nobody else can really take full responsibility for the success or failure of that message.

Design is such a different creature though...the old adage has it that the man who acts as his own lawyer , has a fool for a client. That is a lesson that translates to the trade show exhibit design process perfectly- sure you know what you want people to take away from their time at your exhibit, but chances are that you probably don't really know what all has to happen during the exhibit design process to get people to that point.

Why should you know everything that goes into a successful exhibit anyways? The industry has changed so much in recent years that if would take a full time position to even try to keep up with it...just to try.

If you were up on even half of the design tricks, tips, and pitfalls, chance are you haven't been sending enough time on your expertise- providing the best products and services that the nautical industry has to offer.

Now, for years, ever since I first boarded the neighbor's powerboat at their summer house at Lake Mowhawk, I've wanted a boat. It's not just the feel of freedom that comes along with charting your course without the claustrophobic confines of asphalt and concrete...though let's face it, that doesn't exactly hurt. What really got me was the sense of detachment from your worries that you leave at the dock.

That's what a successfully designed booth is all about- making the rest of the world disappear as easily as they step from one color of show carpet to the next.

For the same reason that I would never design my own boat, I would never suggest someone design their own exhibit. I assure you if I designed my own boat...it might look pretty cool...in my head it's actually allot like the old Adam West BatBoat...but, I know it wouldn't float...and it sure wouldn't win any races. Something’s are just better left to other folks to worry about.

And how do those new materials I mentioned before factor into things? Well, if you were to hitch a ride on ol' Doc Brown's time traveling DeLorian and head back, just to a more recent mid 1990's, I'd ask you to run a couple of terms past that 1990's trade show coordinator.

Tension fabric...plasma screens....interchangable truss system, and composite exhibit.

These are the tools of the modern exhibit designer. Aluminum truss providing solid structure at a fraction of the weight of it's wooden fore bearers. Fabrics, both opaque and translucent stretched in any number of shapes and colors replacing heavy, costly, and more easily damaged masonnite materials of yesteryear. Light boxes with static images of one product- done away with in favor of flat screen monitor's showing multiple benefits of many products...and showing them in use.

And the kicker of it all? In shipping and handling savings alone, modern design, using these durable and light weight materials will pay for itself, often on it's first trip to the trade show floor.

Modern professional design isn't just about making your exhibit look good- which is definitely very important- but it's also about making sure that every dollar spent, is strategically designed to save you more money in use, and then to MAKE money.

Good tradeshow exhibit design pays for itself, and that's what separates it from "do it yourself" efforts.

So let me, in closing just let me reiterate... There has NEVER been a better time for an industry like yours in the Trade Show world…The technology and philosophy of good design are so easily accessible to everyone. You need not spend blindly on bigger and bigger to trump the competition…just smarter and smarter. Make every last dollar count, and before you invest your time and money on gadgets, give aways, and fads, spend sometime getting to know a good designer. In the end, it will make all the difference between investing in a successful exhibit, and just bailing out water without plugging a leak.

It's GOOD to be an attention hog!

This week, your humble, traveling blog-host found himself in Atlanta, GA for the NACS Show. NACS is the Association for Convenience and Petroleum Retailing (Don't try to turn the letters of NACS into that...you won't get too far) for those of you keeping track. I have to say, it was definitely an eye opening experience that really drove home the need for out of the box thinking with exhibit design. If you were shopping for a new Gas Pump provider, which booth are you going to stop into first: the tablecloth adorned rental-table with a stack of pamphlets, or the exhibit that recreates an almost-too-perfect-for-reality gas station, complete with touch screen pumps, and exhibitors dressed like old time pump-jockeys?

If you're the average American, chances are you probably didn't even notice the small table and their offerings. If you are like most Americans, it doesn't even matter that the simple table display is selling the same product...and that they are selling it for less cost. If you are like most American's, when you're at a trade show, you put more emphasis on the "show" than the "trade", and this is where so many exhibitors fail to realize their full potential.

At Ohio Displays Inc, we have a tag line...it's a simple tag line, but oh so true: "If it's not setting you apart, it's blending you in". It's rare that I see so many good examples of this in one place as I did at the NACS show.

Think about it though- this show brings together fuel companies, candy companies, technology companies and more. People selling anything from the newest caffiene laced gum, to the inerworkings of a gas pump-designed to stop gas from evaporating out of the nozel in between fill ups. These are companies that distribute their products across the entire globe, all brought together, toe to toe with their competitors, for a week of jockeying for possition in the hearts, minds, and budgets of thousands of convenience stores and gas stations across the world.

For all the catagories of products and services being offered at this show, there were really only two kinds of exhibitors- those who "get it" and those who had better "get it" before it's too late. Those who "got it" didn't have to spend amazing amounts of money to stand out (though, admitedly, many of them did)- they just had to understand the importance of putting on a show for the attendees. The "majors" of the show (the Hershey's, the Pepsi's, the Genreal Mill's, the BP's...), all seasoned veterans of the circuit , came out big. Their booths were more than a simple pop-up and a posters. Their Marketing Directors and Sales teams all understood that at the end of the day, people would only remember so many names and products.

That's an important lesson for the small-to-midsize exhibitors to learn...even more important when they aren't household names already. Your exhibit has to be more than functional and informative- it has to be fun, and it has to be welcoming.

Now, I'm not suggestion that a serious company have balloon animals and waterslides going in their exhibits. I've seen all too many exhibits that rely solely on the fun factor and go down in flames miserably. I'm suggestion that your display has to combine fun and function. The fact that both words start of with the same three letters is no mere coincidence in this industry.

I erge everyone, before you go to your next tradeshow, invest some time and energy into researching what your top competitor is doing for their trade show efforts. Whatever they are doing, you HAVE TO make sure that your exhibit is more noticeable. In the end, your product can be better...your product can be cheaper...but if your potential client doesn't notice you because he/she is too busy checking out your competitors booth, the sale is lost either way.

It's amazing what a difference your floor will make!

Quite the topic for my first post, eh?

There is nothing as under appreciated as the floor beneath us. Think about it- when was the last time you really gave ANY consideration to what's under you? You probably haven't thought about it at all unless there was something really wrong going on down below.

The poor floor! It supports us all day, and it asks us so little- maybe a little once-over with a broom, mop, or vac once in a while. Yet, day after day we pay so little attention to it when it's doing it's job.

What is that job? Well, besides the obvious, it also provides cushion and support, helps mark the boundaries between two (or more) rooms/areas, hides messes, and keeps us from tripping over cords.

I did a set up on a recent show that didn't do much with the floor. I won't mention where and when, but I will say that it will ALWAYS stick out in my mind.

Now, I personally am used to my clients using either soft and padded carpet, or -even better- interlocking carpet tiles (or squares as they are often called) in their booth spaces. Besides providing all the functions I listed below, most exhibitors who own their own flooring find that it gives them a suttle branding tool that really helps them stand out from the booths using "show carpet" around them. I know, this seems like such an after thought to the exhibit itself that most people never even realize the subtle difference underfoot, but they sure do notice it when it's not there!

Back to the show I previously mentioned- this particular show disallowed the use of any exhibitor owned carpet and required all exhibitors to use the carpet the show was offering. Needless to say, all the exhibitors complied- albeit somewhat reluctantly- seeing how there really was no other option.

The end result was very thin carpet, little-to-no padding, booths that flowed into each other with no descernable boundaries, and more than a couple of unhappy exhibitors.

Attendee's found themselves suffering from sore feet and sore backs, and any exhibitor will tell you that tired and sore attendees are not much different than NO attendee's.

All for the want of quality flooring.

So again, let me reiterate the importance of your exhibit's flooring. You don't have to go out and buy your own- you can, and many who do see the value- but you don't have to. Make sure though, that you take the spend the time and money to at least rent a thick carpet with a quality pad. Between how much better you as an exhibitor will look, and how much better they- as attendee's will feel (and buy)- your flooring will more than pay for itself, time and time again.