When Life Gives You Lemons...

When I first started writing this blog…and then again when I began sending out the sister E-zine, I made a promise to each and every one of you that you would never have to sit through a thinly veiled sales pitch on these pages. It has been, and it continues to be, a very important promise for me to keep, and one that has played a part of what items I publish, and what items never see the light of day. Today’s article will no doubt be considered as a “walking the line” piece. I understand fully why some people will see this piece as somewhat self serving, but in reality, it’s being written to address one of the biggest reoccurring problems that I run into on a daily basis: Exhibit “lemons”.

Most of you who read my articles know that I am the fourth generation of my family with Ohio Displays Inc, a 92 year old designer, builder, and supplier of quality trade show exhibits and exhibiting items, as well as a full service event consultant. We were privileged enough to help create the trade show industry, and have always made it our reputation off of creating the highest quality exhibits possible- it’s what our clients demanded…what they deserved…and what we delivered.

A funny thing happened in the 80’s though…the industry started to turn itself inside out to match the new faster pace of the world. New cities dotted the exhibiting landscape….cities like Orlando and Nashville replaced old staple cities like New York and Los Angeles as the most desirable locations to host a show. Exhibits that were quick and easy replaced exhibits that were built for strength and comfort. Rising gas prices demanded “ship-it-yourself” solutions, and Velcro made everyone into a designer (even the folks who should never even design a garage sale flier). In this new world of instant satisfaction and increased budgetary awareness, the modern “System Exhibit” was born.

At Ohio Displays, we have always considered ourselves to be first and foremost a provider of customized exhibiting solutions, but in this new world of “off the shelf” exhibits we expanded our reach. The problem that we ran into time and time again though , was that kits were – for the most part- designed to be cheap first and foremost. How do you make something “cheap” and still make a profit? You make sure that the parts you use to create it are even cheaper than cheap…and that’s what a lot of manufacturers did.

That’s not to say that every kit out there is a poor quality exhibit. Quite the opposite- there are a number of high quality kits available on the market. These are kits that will stand the test of time, and are built by people who stand behind their products. You’ll know these manufacturers because a quick online search will show you that they- and their products have been around for awhile. We've been particularly happy with Nimlok, Orbus, and Classic through out the years...More on that in a bit…

While “sell it cheap and apologize later” was the growing practice of the day, we (Ohio Displays)- like most other quality focused exhibit houses- quickly realized how bad this practice was for the industry as a whole. Because of how cheap a lot of these “bulk” kits could be purchased by less reputable companies, and then quickly resold to an unsuspecting public, the market was quickly saturated with these shoddy exhibits that fell apart after their first use. For the most part, people who purchased these bargain exhibits were new to the world of trade shows, and have never used a quality exhibit before, so their only point of reference were these “disposable” exhibits. To these folks, exhibiting means that you assumed your exhibit was going to collapse around your ears, and that it didn’t matter what your booth looked like, because they all look the same, right?

Then something happened that made a terrible situation infinitely worse… the Internet let the con men of the industry peddle these lemons anonymously. Suddenly there were no repercussions when things inevitably went back…there were names, no faces, and no addresses…not even an apology. People who purchased these garage sale quality kits were left holding the bag…the only way to recoup their expensive losses would be to try selling these exhibits to some other unsuspecting company online and then hoping for the least amount of ill will and bad publicity when the cycle repeated itself.

At this point though, what can YOU do to keep from ending up with one of these exhibits (or, what can you do if you already have one)? There are a few warning signs to look for, and steps you can take to protect yourself from getting caught with one of these money pits.

1. As the old saying goes, “If it’s too good to be true, it probably is”. Use common sense when you price out your exhibit. Decide what features you want based on what is important to your overall goals. Do some research on what reputable companies price their exhibits at, or speak to other companies that have already purchased similar exhibits. I won’t lie, the better quality exhibits will have a slightly higher price to begin with, but the overall costs of ownership will always be lower. Like Zig Ziglar said “It’s better to pay a little more than you planned, than to pay less than you SHOULD have”.

2. There are hundreds if not thousands of online shops set up that sell exhibits and accessories. Usually they are either “Pop-Up” style exhibits or they are banner stands, though there are exceptions to that. Exhibits are, to me, not exactly an impulse item. If you shop for them online, you are making them into a commodity…albeit a pricey commodity, and that’s what a lot of the “fly-by-night, here-today-gone-tomorrow” shops are hoping for. Don’t just research the exhibit before you purchase- examine the merchant. Can you find an actual address? A name of a representative who can answer questions before and after the transaction? Do they also have a show room where you can check out their exhibits before you purchase? If not- RUN AWAY!

3. A good Pop-Up will feature metal cross bars, magnet channel bars, and a high quality fabric that doesn’t pick apart when you pull Velcro off of it. It won’t wobble excessively once you have the fabric or graphic panels on it (a very slight wobble when jostled is fine), and the graphics will be a scratch resistant matte material. A fine quality 10’ x 10’ pop up with fabric panels will generally start at around $1000, and a “premium” will generally start around the $1200 point (new).

4. A good banner stand is usually retractable. The graphic should be printed on a thick canvas-type material, or a specialty vinyl. The banner should pull smoothly in and out of the base, and not catch. The top strip should span the entire top of the graphic, and the sides of the graphic should not curl excessively (there will always be a small amount of curling over time).

5. Ask your rep- before you purchase- how difficult it would be to get replacement parts if necessary, and ask for specifics. Most of the “disposable” exhibits don’t have replacement parts because they aren’t designed to be repaired…they are designed to be thrown away.

6. If you have what you THINK is a “lemon” exhibit, never be afraid to bring your concerns to your rep’s attention. If you don’t have a rep…well, that’s not a good sign.

7. Most reputable exhibit houses are happy to look at your existing exhibit and give a candid evaluation of what you have. Sometimes they can point out where you can go to get it repaired or replaced at no charge, and if not, they can probably walk you through the other options you have.

There is never any reason that you should ever be disappointed in an exhibit that you have properly researched, but there are- unfortunately- plenty of landmines to avoid. Your best defense is education. Do your homework, buy from reputable suppliers, and above all make sure that you buy the RIGHT exhibit that matches your goals.