Is That a Banner Stand?

Banner stands, like pop up displays, have withstood the test of time in the trade show market over the past 10-20 years, and each year there seems to be a new wrinkle that provides yet another point of differentiation from one model or brand to another.  When will it end? Try when old fashion ingenuity disappears which I can promise you won’t happen soon.

Let me quickly show you examples of what I’m talking about. The odds on favorite  of all banner stands in the market now,  are the retractable, tripod, tension pole, scrolling, and then several others that you normally wouldn’t think were banner stands, but since they function in a similar manner will be for the sake of this blog, considered as such.

10 Foot Banner Stand

First take a look at the retractable banner stands. They all retract somehow into a base mechanism that quickly and safely stores the

Mega Retractor Retactable Banner Stand

banner and makes for a quick and easy set up. But where’s the evolution with this product? Rather than the normal width being anywhere from 19-47.5”, we now have retractable banner stands that are 8 feet wide and up to 10 feet tall; all of which utilize the same mechanism for storing and transporting the banner as there has always been.

Now consider the tension pole banner stands such as the Multiplier by Optima. That worked so well, that somebody got innovative and came up

Compass Banner Stand

with a way to create the tension only behind the graphic itself and let the base and vertical pole, position the graphic, but not be a part of it. With that idea the Compass Banner Stand was born.

For the new banner products in the market, you just have to look to Classic’s Aero Tension Fabric Banner system or their other recent new product called the Backlit Kiosk banner stand. Both utilize features of other banner products, but have assembled their components in a manner that clearly differentiates themselves from other banner stands that are presently offered. The Backlit Kiosk product is a very high end banner, and can be double sided in addition to featuring back lighting

Aero Tension Fabric Banner Stand

capability as well. The Aero Tension Fabric banner stand, utilizes a quick connect inner tubular frame with state of the art dye sublimation pillowslip graphic that make it very light weight and easy to set up product, plus, these products  keep the graphic replacement costs at a minimum which we all like to hear.

The next time you consider a banner type product for your own trade show of display use, please know that the market keeps giving you choices that you may not be aware of which could change the face of your presentation.

For more information on trade show displays, go to www.shopforexhibits.com.

by Lowell Nickens, ShopForExhibits.com LinkedIn Profile

Tags: Trade Show Displays

When Pricing Gets Ridiculously Out of Wack!

I was just reflecting the other day on where the next round of price increases would take us; by that I mean, does the spiral ever end? Which way? Well, if for some of us the spiral goes up, then for the other it goes down.

Trade Show Displays

Here’s the point. A week ago, I had a long time client tell me that he’d had enough. Specifically, he said that it costs more to move his trade show displays from the dock to his booth than to ship them across the entire country; so that meant a new booth for him that has fabric graphics and can be packaged in one or two at the most, flat panel molded shipping cases. You win; right? Well noooo….

Things aren’t always what they seem to be. In response to trade shows becoming less and less wood and more and more plastic, guess what? Yesssss! The drayage rates go up again, or the rules change and what you once shipped as standard freight, is now “special handling,” and it soon costs just as much as before and probably more.

Another good example is trade show electrical. This one is a great example because the spiral has been going up for enough years that you can actually see the insanity in it.  Here’s the progression:

• First we start with an exhibitor who purchases a 500 watt electrical outlet for his pop up lights and a small demo machine in the front of the booth.  Price is reasonable, we pay it, and we’re good to go. What you paid for is the sum total of all the electricity you need for your equipment. (in some cities, the electrician had to screw in the incandescent light bulbs but that was included)
• Now, the show contractor isn’t meeting their profit forecast so they increase prices by eliminating  the use of extension cords from all booths and make it mandatory that you plug into the electricians “electrical drop.” Now you have to order a 500 watt outlet for the front of the booth and one for the back of the booth. You still don’t use more than 500 watts, but you pay for 1,000.
• Because revenue and thus profits are falling from other revenue sources, the electricians have to not only charge for the power, but also for “labor” to install it. Are they doing anything more than what they’ve done for years? No, they just need more money and the good news for them is that they can charge for installing it and for UN installing it if there even is such a thing.
• Now it’s the exhibitors turn to strike back; you invest in LED lights because for each 200 watt light you now only use 24 watts of power and can finally save on the amount of electricity that you need for your booth.  Once again, life is good!
• The Empire Strikes Back! Not so fast on those savings Mr. Exhibitor! You really don’t know how to plug in a light properly without potentially inflicting damage to those around you, so the electricians will assist you for another $75-$100 per booth for each and every show they service. Do the math. Let’s say we have a 300 booth show times $100 minus direct labor to install those pesky pop up lights and they’ve had a pretty good day. Oh, you lose!

When is this all going to end? It won’t until a few people in the industry realize that the old business model isn’t what it used to be, and a new reality needs to be embraced so the industry can live the life span that it was meant to live. I don’t really know what the net effect is of spiraling prices is, but in my perspective, it has to be significant. I’m even seeing the small guys who have pop ups forgoing that product in favor of 3 banner stands lined up next to one another. That’s when you go from minimal exposure to the ridiculous!

Finally, I must say that it also has a lot to do with the union model of representing workers. If keeping your stewards job is always based on “what have you done for me lately” then is it any wonder that prices keep spiraling?

Visit us at http://shopforexhibits.com for more information on Trade Show Displays.

by Lowell Nickens, ShopForExhibits.com LinkedIn Profile

Tags: Trade Show Exhibits

The Invisible Audience at a Trade Show

When preparing your booth for a trade show you might think the attendees should be your primary focus. After all, that’s why you paid the big bucks, right? In all actuality, this is only partially true. In fact, the full truth just may surprise you.

Trade Show

In most industries and organizations there are people that Malcolm Gladwell refers to as “connectors” in his book The Tipping Point. These connectors seem to have a knack for knowing a lot of people. They trade a lot of information on a daily basis. It’s just in their nature to be friendly and pass along useful information to others they connect with, even in casual conversation. It’s not uncommon to find someone like this in almost every organization. This is the person who, at the end of the day, seems to know what everyone is up to.

These connectors are the people you want to get to know. Why? Because when they see something of value, they don’t keep the information to themselves! They freely share it with everyone; especially people they think may benefit from it.

When you attract the attention of connectors, everyone soon knows something about you and your level of sophistication in the competitive arena. They pass along a wealth of information that most of the time is surprisingly accurate. You targeted the message of your trade show displays toward the usual attendees, but by also being aware of potential connectors in your industry and by seeking them out, you now have double the means to spread the word about your company.

People who act as connectors in the marketplace, connecting your company with people you need to reach, usually aren’t going to be major competitors. He or she may be a person who represents an accessory product or service which is sold to everyone in your industry, but is not a direct competitor themselves.

This person is usually a great talker; and a great listener. He’s a walking score card and billboard all packed into one. At the end of the day, a connector can tell you a little something about everyone, but he can also give exacting perspectives on what the prospects are for a new company based on his wealth of information on all the competitors and observations that he’s gathered over many years.

A connector will go out of his way to say nice things about you if he’s been continually impressed with your innovative products, your success over a short period or even with you personally. In fact, whenever the opportunity arises, he shares your success story with others. In the process of sharing your success with others, he plants a seed in the minds of countless people who tell others.

And what has it cost you? Perhaps as little as a couple of beers at the bar telling war stories at the end of a long hard day on the show floor. Over the years, he identifies with you and your business in ways that you can’t even imagine, all because he just seems to like you and the values that you and your company represent.

Because this person is a walking advertisement, people come to him for knowledge. They will ask his opinion on who’s doing good work in the industry these days. What they’re really saying when they ask that question is: I’m not satisfied with my present supplier and I might be ready for a move when the time is right. Because of his reputation as a knowledgeable source of information, they will trust his opinions.

In an imperfect world it may not always happen this way, but I’ve seen people like the one I just described help a manufacturer double their distribution without it costing them a penny.

Even at home, a connector I knew many years ago seemed to be able to help countless entrepreneurs build their business just by free word-of-mouth advertising. He never bought anything from any of them, but he somehow knew all of their potential customers. It’s the old third-person testimonial that makes this avenue of approach so valuable.

So when you’re preparing your booth for the next trade show, don’t forget that the biggest catch may not be standing in your booth during the show at all. They may be exhibiting just like you are a few aisle away, but they have the ability to reach many times over the people that you can simply because of a natural tendency toward connecting.

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Pop Up Displays – They’re Good in The Right Place!

Pop Up Trade Show Displays

I’ve always said that Pop Up Displays do have their place in the trade show world; it’s just determining what that place is, which is where so many people run into trouble. Far to often new comers to the exhibiting world have a mindset that says that says; “all I need to do is show up and smile and business will come my way.” So that we can look at this in a little more rational way and come to some logical conclusions, let’s go down the list of a few scenarios where you would be projecting your image with a pop up display:

1) Your company is exhibiting over the weekend in the local mall and the mall management has given the exhibitors strategically placed locations in the middle of the aisles from which you can get peoples attention and visit with them as they move from one store to another. Good idea? Yes, probably is because most of the exhibitors will, in all likelihood, have only a  table top display at best.  You’ll probably look light years better than most.

2) Your company is exhibiting in a chamber of commerce after hours event to get new members acquainted with existing members and you wish to expose your services to potential buyers. Good idea? Yes, probably is as you’ll look better than at least half of the participants that are exhibiting; especially if you’ve created a graphic package that smartly represents what your business offers.

3) Your state convention is coming up and you’re wondering if a pop up is the image you want to project to a statewide audience. Good idea? Yes, probably is because on a statewide basis, table tops are still the most popular and you’ll still stand out in the crowd.

4) Your regional convention is being held in San Francisco and you want to attract a regional clientele for your business, and at least a half dozen of your direct competitors are going to be exhibiting there plus 2 of the competitors market their services on a national basis. Good idea? This is where it begins to get tricky. Hmmm, maybe not! Why you ask? Well what’s your plan to differentiate yourself from your competitors if you’re using a concave shaped booth  that 50% of all the exhibitors in the hall use; therefore you’ll  look exactly alike everyone else; guaranteed! Or is that your plan to blend in with everyone else? I hope not!

5) Now you’re considering exhibiting in your industries national convention; this is where is gets worse! How are you going to differentiate yourself plus look the part of a “market leader” when you’re looking like one of the other guys? If you want to look like the small regional guy that’s fine, but people who buy from people nationally at some point want to be doing business with one of the big dogs in the industry or at least with somebody that looks like it at least. Where do you fit in? Now keep in mind, if you have a one of a kind product, you can probably get away with using a pop up without any ill effects.

So what is the bottom line? It all boils down to how you look up next to your competition; PERIOD-end of story! In my next blog on this subject, I’ll explore what “looking better than your competition” really all about.

Skyrocketing Costs: What Next?

The lengths that the big two show contractors will go to in order to increase costs to the exhibitors whom they service, is almost a joke. If anyone ever doubts this statement, read a blog article I wrote recently entitled: “Where the Cheap Shot Meets the Blind Side.” I could hardly believe it myself, and after reading it you might be tempted to ask yourself: “whose on first?” 

Well in the spirit of keeping your sanity in the face of an insane world, I’ve given some long hard thought to what the likely new sources of revenue might be for the few show service contractors that remain in our industry. After news last month of The Freeman Companies purchase of George Fern and Company, and Champion Exposition, we’re pretty much down to two contractors in the entire industry, so where’s the government (antitrust division) when you really need them? I guess I really didn’t even need to answer that one. 

So, where do they go to come up with “new cash” for their business? To answer that question, it sometime helps to see where they’ve gone before to find additional revenue for the bottom line.  Just this last week, I got caught in a G.E.S. scam which required that all “non GES Logistics” truck drivers, had to check into the marshaling yard 4 hours before the freight was scheduled to be taken off the show floor. Why was that restriction written into the show rules?  To penalize non GES Logistic companies which in effect increases their competitor’s costs and makes the GES Logistics rates even more favorable. 

Here are my top 3 picks for where the show contractors might gravitate to in order to incrementally increase your show invoice by gargantuan proportions: 

1) Increase the minimum weight per shipment for drayage on all trade show exhibits from 2 to 300 lbs. This would be the lowest hanging fruit so to speak! That would mean that for every pop up trade show exhibit that comes through the door, 200 of the 300 pounds would be pure profit rather than a measly 100 pounds multiplied by the dollar amount per hundred weight. 

2) My next bet would be that they would attempt to get the same deal with the electrical union everywhere else in the U.S. as they have in Las Vegas. In Las Vegas only the electricians can plug into an outlet, so it turns out to be a hour minimum for everyone, which, in most instances, becomes a pretty nifty way of out and out taxing exhibitors. Face it, just about everybody has something that turns on, so as they screw in the light bulb, they can screw you too! Way too easy. 

3) Now for the last one, I’m being pulled in the direction of freight because I’m sensing that the big two are experiencing some success in the “logistics” area, therefore it becomes an exercise in figuring out how they can best leverage their way into your pocket even more. They’re already offering a discount off your material handling bill if you ship your trade show exhibits both ways with them, so how do they get that back? My guess is that they set up a program of preferred handing of empties so for the same amount of dollars as they lost when they got your business, they’ll promise preferred return times for your empties at the end of the show. 

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Lowell Nickens, ShopForExhibits.com, Linked In Profile

 

 

Exposing Yourself the Correct Way!

Admittedly, this blog post isn't going to get your heart racing like an evangelical pastor campaigning for gay marriage at the annual church picnic, but in the larger scheme of things, it does carry come impact for thousands of businesses seeking to be exposed the right way. 

If your industry has not been in a constant state of flux over the past few years, then you would have to be considered one of the fortunate few. We are not living in what you'd consider to be normal times, and the law of unintended consequences makes it very difficult to see what's next.

In the trade show industry, we see constant changes with regard to the type of trade show displays exhibitors are purchasing based on forces at work in their own markets, just as service contractors are constantly adjusting their pricing to take into account how exhibitors are moving to different product lines. I've always been a big fan of differentiating yourself as an exhibitor, in the whatever market you exhibit in. I appear to be seeing, however, a shift in the price point, and it's becoming more and more difficult to differentiate yourself in that segment; and it's not in the middle any more.  

During the past 30 years, there have been a majority of exhibitors who purchase exhibits in the middle of the price pack; which is where the pop up displays have had a monster grip on the market since their inception. This is the place in the market where it's been the most difficult to differentiate yourself due to the fact that half the displays in any given show are pop ups. Your get lost in aisle after aisle of sameness. 

But what has changed? Well, for one thing, exhibitors are becoming increasingly weary and impatient of all the escalating show costs passed down by show service contractors, and have waved the white flag and elected to go from the middle of the pact, down a notch to the bottom by using a string of banner stands rather than a hundred pound pop up. Even though they can still store the shipping case in their booth during the show with the aid of a case to counter kit, it still is increasingly expensive when purchasing new photo murals as products or shows change. 

So, where is it becoming the most difficult to differentiate yourself? It's at the bottom end because the sameness that used to be in the middle with pop up displays, is now at the bottom with banner
stands; and that's not good news for the show contractors who will soon have to figure out how to make up the revenue that is being lost due of that trend. You see, with a pop up, they can still get the minimum of 200 pounds at whatever drayage rate is established for the show, but the exhibitor always carries his banner stand in the door and that's zero revenue. 

So is there any good news to this trend? Yes there sure is! In a few recent shows that I've attended, the exhibitors with the pop up displays with great photo murals, actually stood out in the crowd. Now it was the banner stand booths that all looked pretty much the same. 

by Lowell Nickens, ShopForExhibits.com. LinkedIn Profile

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Trade Show Display – A Study.

Trade Show Display

The most effective method of making an exclusive earning in this modern world of fully developed technologies is the method of trade through an effective technique or method called or referred as trade show display. Trading is the method of buying and selling a product to the customer from the manufacturer for a price rate that best suits the customer or ensures the satisfaction of the customer. The best price can be offered by the manufacturer based on the product in the industry, their requirement in the society, their usage, their working capacity and their quality which are considered to be the properties that ensure the cost price of the product. The manufacturer determines the price of the product based on certain factors such as the investment made for the product, the expenses made for making tat product, the expenses made for the employee for this task.

Trading makes the company to meet the customers and satisfy their needs. The best method of meeting a customer is to make an arrangement that makes the customer to make an active participation. This is the best answer that helped to make a display called the trade show display. This type of trade shows are also called as, trade show exhibits, exhibitions, trade fairs and show displays. Trading helps the customer to best select their necessary requirement directly from this type of trade show displays and also avail of special discounts, offers and other related services.

Tags: Trade Show Displays