Does Your Trade Show Partner Listen?

 I want to talk about hair cuts.  Yup, haircuts. How many of you have gone to a hair stylist or a barber and told them what you wanted and came out with something that looked nothing like what you expected. When I was younger, I talked my Mom into taking me to a very high end hair salon. With that high end hair salon, came a high end price. I insisted they were the bees knees and they would make me look amazing. I'll keep it short and sweet, when I left there? I was sobbing. My head and hair looked like a bubble. It was the worst hair cut I have ever gotten. There may have been an I told you so or two on the car ride home. Have you ever had a haircut from someone new and then go back to your old stylist to fix it after?  Yup. Been there, done that. Or my favorite. I said, "I don't want layers". Guess what I got? Yup, LAYERS and lots of them.

So, how does this all relate to trade shows, exhibits, sales, and Total Displays. We just got a verbal from a new client on a new 10 x 20 display. I asked who the competitor was and was told the story of why they chose us. The bottom line was, WE LISTENED. 

Our discussions revolved around the fact that this client wanted a high end look but was not looking for a high end price. That may seem counter-intuitive, but honestly, with a good partner that has a lot of product options available, it is possible. Now, be sure you understand, that doesn't mean we are sacrificing quality. There are ways to still have a good, clean, professional look in a trade show exhibit without breaking the bank.

Our competitor came in with a lovely product with a price 5.5 times the price of ours. Yes, you read that right 5.5 times. I am sure it is clear why we won the business. 

Here is a short list of what to look for in a trade show exhibit provider/partner (note, the use of the word partner).

1. A wide range of products lines.  This means that your partner is not restricted or married to just one manufacturer or product line. This gives you the most options from which to choose.

2. The ability to work with and have a relationship with the owners/decision makers at the exhibit company. Or to flip that statement, you aren't working with just a commissioned sales rep.  Commissioned sales reps often don't dream of sugar plums, they dream of dollar signs. By having access to or working with an owner, you have a better chance of them understanding budgets and being respectful of them (oh, trust me, I know that is not always the case, but find a partner where you know you can trust them.)  

You can read a story about a sore loser/owner HERE.

3. Open communications. We always say that we are a tell it like it is company. We will tell you the truth and the good or bad about any situation. We don't like surprises and we don't like hidden fees.

4. Ask about all fees, design, shipping, project management fees, account management fees. Make sure you understand them all. 

We are human. We are NOT perfect. But, we always strive to offer our best products and service to everyone that comes in our door, or works with us. We want to earn your business and then we want to be good enough to keep your business.

Firing A Supplier - Demanding Excellence

 We have been in this industry for almost 25 years now. Sometimes that seems like a lifetime. In all those 25 years we have never officially fired a supplier, until today. 

We have many suppliers that have been with us for all 25 years. Over the years some have come and some have gone for many reasons. But I never actually fired a supplier.  

One of the things that our clients tell us is our attention to detail and our service levels are what set us apart from other trade show exhibit companies. We joke with people when they ask, why should I buy from you over some other company?  Our answer is always, "You get David and me". That may sound arrogant, but it is the truth. No one will care about our clients, our relationships and our suppliers the way we do. That is the HUGE benefit of working with a family run, owner operated business. 

Now, don't get me wrong. We couldn't do it without our industry partners. We have partners that have our backs, stand behind their products and help us double and triple and cross check orders so that things don't fall through the cracks. This has been even more important as our industry is coming out of shutdowns.  Our industry went from zero mph to 1000000 mph almost overnight. When that happens and companies are short staffed, or have new employees, more mistakes are bound to happen. Our suppliers have redone things, we have redone things. 

I will NEVER apologize for expecting our suppliers to provide good quality product and services. BUT, it is a partnership. Mutual success is critical to success for both parties.  When you have a supplier where there are mistakes and issues on your last 5 orders, it is time to part ways. I could deal with the mistakes but it is the emails and phone calls after every one of these mistakes where it is pointed out saying it is all 'our fault' that pushed us to fire them.

I sent them an email to explain why their process creates mistakes and errors and contributes to frustration and that it just doesn't work for us. I sent it, not to be petty, but to explain why their procedures just don't work for the way we do business. I got a phone call shortly after I sent that message from our rep. His literal words to me were, "We are ok parting ways." I wasn't looking for any explanation. It was already done, we were not considering continuing to work with them. We have also already found another supplier of the products we were getting from them and so far we are incredibly impressed.

So today was an adventure. Let's talk just a bit about service.  All in a day's work.

1. We fired a supplier. 
2. We received an incorrect graphic from a supplier. They immediately said they would have the correct one ready for us tomorrow. No charge.
3. We missed a typo in a client submitted art file. Was it our fault? Not really, they did the art. But the important thing is the client, the relationship and providing them good service. We didn't tell the client it was their fault.  We didn't charge her full retail for the replacement. Our print partner? They missed it too and are cutting the cost on it to make it right for us and the client.
4. The ultimate event of the day is that we were bidding on a very large deal. Normally this company brings their entire exhibit, furniture, graphics and staff over from overseas. We were asked to bid on building, installing etc. here from the States instead. We did not win the business, but neither did any of our US competitors, they decided to bring it in again from overseas. 

This is one of the nicest sales reject letters I have ever gotten. Although it stings to lose the revenue, it makes me realize that what we are doing and the hoops we jump through are all worth it.

"I want to thank you for your professionalism and attention to detail. It was immediately apparent we found the right US contact based on your knowledge and experience. You raised important questions and concerns that solidified our confidence in you. While the bulk of our booth will come from overseas, we believe there will still be some things we need locally. My boss and I are still fine tuning the details but we will be in contact shortly with our updated needs.

 Again, thank you for your hard work. I hope we can continue to work together with a strong relationship."

We stand behind our decision of firing a supplier and will NEVER apologize for being demanding. That does not mean being rude, but demanding excellence is what our clients deserve.

Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Lose - Who Really Loses?

 It happens to everyone. Everyone loses a client from time to time.  When we lose a client it is typically because they think they can get something cheaper from someone else.  We will NEVER be the cheapest option for trade show exhibits. There are a lot of reasons for that but here are a couple important reasons.

1. You can read a previous blog post. Your exhibit is part of your BRAND.  Do you want your brand to look cheap?  Read Here!
2. We primarily represent quality products that have warranties and will last. I can get you CHEAP, but that isn't always the best solution.
3. A good trade show partner will make sure you have a cohesive look even if you add components to your exhibit.

We had a client that purchased a custom 10 x 20 from us a number of years ago. It was a great looking exhibit. At some point they reached out and wanted some replacement graphics. We quoted them. Good quality graphics are incredibly important to how your exhibit looks on the trade show floor. A couple of things to consider.

1. Weight or thickness of the fabric
2. Opacity of the fabric
3. Fit of the graphic/fabric
4. Finishing of the fabric
5. Color saturation of the fabric
6. Dye sub vs. direct print
7. PMS color matching

If your trade show exhibit partner is not talking to you about the graphic options above, you will get what you get. Have you ever seen someone walking around with seams on their clothes that are ripping out?  Wrinkled fabric, clothes that are too large? Or clothes where the fabric is so thin there is not much left to the imagination? Those same things can happen with fabric graphics if they are not QUALITY graphics. 

So back to the client where we quoted the graphics. We had an opportunity to see their exhibit this week at a show. They had expanded to an island exhibit. they added a tower/overhead thing that did not match the original exhibit at all. The branding and colors didn't match, nothing tied it all together. It looked cheap. They had done some modifications to the 10 x 20. They added a lightweight aluminum pole with a pole pocket graphic to go up to 16'. It looked added, it didn't match, the graphic hung loose from the frame.  Sorry for the bad quality photo, I simply don't want to share their brand or the actual photo of their exhibit.

I will share one photo of the top of the obviously added aluminum frame.  

So this client went from a nice, professional 10 x 20 to a cobbled together island exhibit that had no plan, no coherence, and really didn't represent their brand well at all.

Some may say, well, you didn't sell it (the replacement graphics). After sending the quote they would not return my phone calls or emails, ever. I can only assume that our quality product was too expensive for them. We could have had that conversation and come up with an alternative but we can't do that if they won't talk to us.

I am sure some will think I am a sore loser. I do have to say I don't like to lose, but that really is not the issue here. The issue is everyone here at Total Displays has been conditioned to care about our client's brand. We care about how successful you are at trade shows. We care about how your exhibit represents your company and your products on the show floor.

 

A Tale Of Two Exhibitors

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only."

A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens

In my last blog post I told you about some of the "interesting" things we saw while walking a recent trade show. During that trade show, I had the opportunity to stop and chat with a number of our clients and prospects. Don't worry, I only stopped to say hi if there was no one else at their booth. I would never interrupt an exhibitor talking to clients or prospects.

It was the best of times. We had a new customer directly across from a prospect. The new client had a brand new 10 x 20 lightbox.  You can find it here. They also had 2 custom counters with color coordinating LED lighting. 

The graphic was blue and white, the counters were white with the same color scheme. 

The counters had LED lights under the top and at the bottom. The carpet was white. Yes I said white. It was absolutely stunning. The glow from the blue counter lights on the flooring, the white furniture and table. Everything coordinated, the lightbox immediately drew your attention to their booth.

You can find the counter here on our website.

We can't take credit for it all. The client had a very clear vision in his head of how he wanted things to look, we just helped him execute it. 

The flooring is here on our website.

In talking with client they had the best show they had ever had. They had people waiting 8 deep in the aisles to talk to them. They are considering adding more shows to their trade show schedule and they were very excited about the leads they received.  I've said it before and I'll say it again.   DETAILS MATTER.

Now on to the other exhibitor, it was the worst of times. They had an older popup style 10 x 10, their graphic was very non-descript and had a lot of text on it, a table with a wrinkled table throw in the front, standard black carpet and the two staff members were sitting at the table on their chairs and phones. When we visited with them, they had a terrible show, very few stopped at their booth and they felt they didn't get very many leads. 

So many think that they can skimp on their trade show exhibit. Honestly, this may seem harsh, if you can't afford to look good, don't go.

If you like what you read, please share it!

====================================================
Lori Hanken has been in sales and marketing for over 30 years. She is passionate about service and providing value to her vendors, prospects and clients. Lori is currently co-owner of Total Displays with her husband David. They help people look great at events, trade shows, in retail, museums and develop long partnerships with customers and suppliers. If you would like to learn more, email her at lori@totaldisplays.com. She is an open networker, connect with her on LinkedIn here.

Read other Total Displays Blog posts at http://totaldisplays.blogspot.com/ or check out our website at www.totaldisplays.com    

   

  

Does Your Trade Show Exhibit Represent Your Brand?

Last week I had the opportunity to walk a trade show. There were a number of things I noticed, and I had the opportunity to talk with a number of clients and prospects while at the show.

It is painfully clear to me that many people do not really care what kind of image their trade show exhibit presents. In a future post, I will share the stories of two exhibitors, right across the aisle from each other and their different experiences. I hope that maybe you glean some insight into how important your actual trade show exhibit/display is at a trade show.

Details matter people. The way your exhibit/booth looks represents your company, your brand, your staff and your product. Your brand is so much more than your logo and your color palette.

Here is a random list of what we saw. 

1. A large light box set up upside down. The one side upright had a HUGE hole and the cords ran down the side of the exhibit. If it were an inline, it might not have mattered but this was an island, right on the aisle for the world to see.
2. Dinged up, dirty, bent aluminum frames.
3. Dirty graphics.
4. More wrinkled graphics and table throws than I could even count. Come on people, it matters!
5. Retractable banner stands. Yup, still a ton of them. Mismatched banner stands. 10 x 30's done with retractable banner stands. I know they are easy, I know they are convenient, but not a great look for a company that is supposed to be an innovator.
6. Tube stands with pillow case graphics. These have become the new retractable banner stand. They are inexpensive, they are easy and EVERYONE HAS THEM NOW! One of the major points of a trade show is to stand out from your competitors and neighbors. When an item becomes that popular, they become invisible unless you are very strategic in how you do them.
7.  Internally/rear lit tube stands. This is just one girl's opinion, they don't work. The shadows from the tubes really are not a good look.

8.     This was actually my favorite. A vinyl banner hanging from the pipe & drape with a pop-up frame on the aisle (they were on an endcap) that had boards put on the cross pieces and had product displayed on the boards.  

 

9. Lightboxes. Oh my, lots of light boxes.  We love light boxes and sell or rent a lot of them. We saw very few good quality light boxes. Here are some of the things we saw.

·       Hot spots - light distribution was not even and you see bright spots of lights behind the graphics

·       Shadows of lighting transformers, frames and more

·       Actually seeing the light blanket behind the graphic.  Hundreds of circles of light visible through the graphic. I didn't even see their graphics; all I saw were all the white circles

·       Graphics installed incorrectly

The other thing to notice is booth staff behavior. We have talked about this before, but so so so so many people sitting in their chairs, heads down, on their phone, not even watching the people walk right by their booth.

 When you see a well done exhibit or a stunning booth, you know it and it feels like a breath of fresh air rather than a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach. 

 I wish I could share photos, but I just didn't feel it was right to do that for those companies' sakes.

 Watch for next weeks post about a tale of two exhibitors right across the aisle from each other.

I'll say it again, details matter people. The way your exhibit/booth looks represents your company, your brand, your staff and your product. Your brand is so much more than your logo and your color palette.

If you like what you read, please share it!

====================================================
Lori Hanken has been in sales and marketing for over 30 years. She is passionate about service and providing value to her vendors, prospects and clients. Lori is currently co-owner of Total Displays with her husband David. They help people look great at events, trade shows, in retail, museums and develop long partnerships with customers and suppliers. If you would like to learn more, email her at lori@totaldisplays.com. She is an open networker, connect with her on LinkedIn here.

Read other Total Displays Blog posts at http://totaldisplays.blogspot.com/ or check out our website at www.totaldisplays.com    

 

It Takes A Village And A Lot Of Grace

I don't know if you have purchased and new trade show items or done a large show recently. If you didn't know, you might have your head in the sand, but that is another issue, there are a LOT of supply chain and staffing issues in our world.  I am not talking about just Total Displays' world, but the larger world as a whole and specifically the trade show world. The trade show world is facing a few challenges that were unforeseen and impossible to predict and/or plan for. 

I am certain that economists will be studying this mess for decades. Hopefully they can help future generations not go through this again. The shutdowns of a national and global economy have had ripple effects that are going to last for years. 

Here is the reality of the trade show industry.

• Supply Constraints for Raw Materials
• Supply Constraints for Exhibit Hardware, Fabric etc.
• Labor Constraints
• Staffing Issues
• Shipping Issues
• Extended Production Timelines

We have been telling our clients and prospects to not wait. Of course, many don't listen. I probably wouldn't listen either, I don’t listen very well and a bit of an independent cuss.

 Days like today make me wonder why in the world I am in this crazy industry. Our production times were typically 7-10 days pre pandemic. Many items we could turn in 2-3 days if needed. Custom items were 10-15. Almost everything is double or more than double right now. 

 Why do I tell you this? 

1.    Hopefully you will plan ahead for any needs you have.

2.    You need to be sure you are working with a partner that will pull out EVERY stop to make things happen for you on time. It is not always possible, but a good partner will make every effort to get you there.

3.    Know that we are here for you and if you are in a bind, we can usually come up with an alternative or some idea to keep things moving for you.

This may sound self important, but let me tell you, with some help we have pulled off a couple miracles this week. Last minute orders, late graphics, shipping issues. With the help of great partners and our team we got them done.

 1. 10 x 20 Rental with graphics, graphic design,  furniture and counter put together and shipped in two weeks.

 2. A 20 x 20 rental had a furniture order where paperwork wasn't processed right. Show was setting up today and they were missing 3 chairs. Through the help of our furniture partner we managed to get them chairs before the show opened.

 3. Graphics that were printed for a booth didn't print one color layer of the art. Graphics were test fit yesterday and supposed to ship today. Graphics were reprinted this morning and made the shipment!

 4. A customer ordered two simple table throws. They were not going to make the show because we didn't get approval on the graphics.  We offered some alternatives to get them something for their show next week and the table throws will be used for a future show.

 This is not a pat ourselves on the back. I am mortified that daily there seem to be issues with delivery of products. 

What do great partners do? They redo graphics and/or make orders right when they have made a mistake. They work on getting you a display that is under your budget because you have been a long term client and your business has been negatively affected by Covid.  They eliminate the rush charges and get product delivered on time (1/2 hour before the show opens) even when paperwork wasn't processed right.

 We are encouraging you to say thank you to your partners that are working with you to get back to trade shows. Be patient with them, most of the time there are things 100% out of their control that are driving the delays. Trust me, they are as frustrated as you are and probably more stressed than you are about this.

A lot of grace and a simple thank you to your partners means a lot these days.

If you like what you read, please share it!

====================================================
Lori Hanken has been in sales and marketing for over 30 years. She is passionate about service and providing value to her vendors, prospects and clients. Lori is currently co-owner of Total Displays with her husband David. They help people look great at events, trade shows, in retail, museums and develop long partnerships with customers and suppliers. If you would like to learn more, email her at lori@totaldisplays.com. She is an open networker, connect with her on LinkedIn here.

Read other Total Displays Blog posts at http://totaldisplays.blogspot.com/ or check out our website at www.totaldisplays.com    

Monday Musings - Process & Communication

 "Let's face it, you are difficult to deal with."  This was actually said to me by a local supplier over the phone. This was after I emailed him, asking what was going on because his customer support people were not responding to us on quote requests. We were completely being ignored by them. Now you might say, well, if you are difficult to deal with, maybe they just don't want to do business with you. Thankfully I dug a little deeper, and bit my tongue until it was bloody, and what he was saying was that trade show exhibit providers are difficult to deal with. I can agree with that, (sort of).

Here is what I will tell you about Total Displays, and about our industry.

• Our industry is the most deadline driven industry I have ever seen
• Total Displays is NOT the reason we have to place rush orders
• Some exhibitors like to wait until the last minute to place their orders for displays, graphics, furniture etc. (more on that later)
• Mistakes can (and sometimes will) happen. We understand that and only ask that we all work together to make it right. 
• In a prior career, before joining this crazy industry, I was paid A LOT of money to help people with procedures and process. It is a passion of mine.
• The trade show industry as a whole is in recovery mode and needs some compassion and patience
• Every single person and every single business in our industry is experiencing longer lead times on products and services than have ever been seen in this industry.

Now, for the advice. Everyone is stressed. I know some of our suppliers are working 16 hour days to meet demand. I know other suppliers, that seem to go home at 5 o'clock, take vacations and don't seem to have a care in the world.  What is the best way to limit the stress when production and manufacturing facilities are overwhelmed with orders?

Some unsolicited high level advice. 

PROCESS.  You know the age old, work smarter not harder.

At least 3 times just this week, I have had suppliers complain about the way we are handling orders or doing business. My answer will always be,  then create a process/procedure for us to follow and we will follow it.

People have such a tendency when they get busy, or stressed to abandon procedures. The process is too hard, it is too labor intensive. Now, don't get me wrong. I have worked with many clients that had ridiculous and labor intensive processes that need to be streamlined. But I can guarantee you, no matter how ridiculous a process seems? If you don't follow it when you are busy it will create chaos and more work on the back side. 

Every time you cut a corner, you likely will  have to go all the way around the block at least once to make up for it.

COMMUNICATION.  Don't make clients chase you for updates and/or answers. If something comes up, if you think you are going to miss a deadline?  Be proactive in your communications.  Acknowledge emails. COMMUNICATE! On the flip side, sometimes no news is good news. Don't pester a supplier every day with the same timeline questions expecting a different answer than the one you got yesterday.

HIRE A PROCESS CONSULTANT

Everyone can gain insight from hiring an outside consultant. Honestly, they don't have to know your industry. Sometimes it is helpful if they don't. When you try to redo your own procedures? You are often too close to it to really be objective. The biggest question a good consultant can ask is why? Why do you need that piece of paper, why does that job have to stop in the process for that step, why do you have 10 people touch that order? So many more!

If you want to chat process or explore hiring a consultant to review yours and make improvement recommendations? Email: sales@totaldisplays.com or call 952-941-4511.

If you like what you read, please share it!

====================================================
Lori Hanken has been in sales and marketing for over 30 years. She is passionate about service and providing value to her vendors, prospects and clients. Lori is currently co-owner of Total Displays with her husband David. They help people look great at events, trade shows, in retail, museums and develop long partnerships with customers and suppliers. If you would like to learn more, email her at lori@totaldisplays.com. She is an open networker, connect with her on LinkedIn here.

Read other Total Displays Blog posts at http://totaldisplays.blogspot.com/ or check out our website at www.totaldisplays.com    

Tool Free Trade Shows & "Lies"

Say it isn't so Thursday.  

I'm not sure how long I will keep up this theme of 'Say it isn't so Thursday'. But, yes, right now, it seems like things are happening every day that make you shake your head.  So hold on and follow along if you are so inclined. 

If you know me, I can be known for being a bit blunt. There is no point in beating around the bush, so here we go.

General Contractors, Freeman's, Ges's etc have been known, occasionally, to "stretch the truth" (to their advantage.)

We had a client recently purchase a 10 x 20 lightbox exhibit from us. The system they purchased uses a tool free knob connection. 

Here is a short video of how that tool free connector works.  

Video

The client was setting up their own exhibit. While they were setting up, a general contractor union labor person (I have written about unions in the past) came by and told them, they needed to pay for their labor to set up their exhibit. They told them that if it required any kind of tool, they had to hire labor.

NOT TRUE! Exhibitors can set up their own exhibits.  

There can be some wonky (that is a technical term) rules and guidelines at various show locations. It is always good to read them and/or have a copy on hand while you are setting up. They absolutely sometimes try to take advantage of exhibitors. I am not a fan of reading the fine print, but in this case it is better to be armed with facts and knowledge if they try to bamboozle you into spending money with them.

Luckily our client was quick to show them that our lightbox went together with KNOBS - NO TOOLS - NOT EVEN AN ALLEN WRENCH. They sulked away looking to harass another exhibitor. Ok, that might be my interpretation, but how do you live with yourself if you are constantly trying to scam exhibitors by lying to them? 

Here are a couple of other recent "show requirements" our clients have been told.

1. You can't order furniture from someone else or bring in any other furniture.

2. You must rent an exhibit from us, not from anyone else.

3. You cannot bring in your own flooring.

Exhibitor rights matter. Trade show general contractors and unions and dare I say it, show producers/associations can be abusive at best. You can see my other LinkedIn post about trade show vacuuming.  

Say It Isn't So Thursday 

Working with a knowledgeable trade show exhibit company will help. They will help you navigate the treacherous waters of general contractors at your trade shows. If you want a gut check or to get some advice?  Call Total Displays at 952-941-4511 or email orders@totaldisplays.com and one of our project managers will be happy to chat with you and tell you the truth.

If you like what you read, please share it!

====================================================
Lori Hanken has been in sales and marketing for over 30 years. She is passionate about service and providing value to her vendors, prospects and clients. Lori is currently co-owner of Total Displays with her husband David. They help people look great at events, trade shows, in retail, museums and develop long partnerships with customers and suppliers. If you would like to learn more, email her at lori@totaldisplays.com. She is an open networker, connect with her on LinkedIn here.

Read other Total Displays Blog posts at http://totaldisplays.blogspot.com/ or check out our website at www.totaldisplays.com    

Monday Musings - Graphic Designers Are a Dime a Dozen

So you bought or are renting a new trade show exhibit. It is exciting the possibilities in front of you. When you are on the trade show floor you have one chance to capture someone's attention. The structure is just part of it. The bigger thing?  

Trade Show Graphics!

Let's talk graphic design.   What do you think of when you hear someone is a graphic designer? Do you think about logos? Web-sites? Flyers? Social Media? Here is what I think (I really should say know, but I don't want to sound arrogant). 

Graphic Design is TOO broad of a category.  Let's run a little scenario. You have a "marketing firm". That marketing firm helps you with campaigns, print campaigns, email campaigns, social media campaigns, maybe some logo design and other fun things like that.  Then you decide it is time to update your trade show exhibit.  Who do you turn to?  Your marketing agency?

Alternatively, it seems like many recent marketing graduates or unemployed graphic designer has created a home based business to offer graphic design services to companies. Be very careful hiring these people without vetting them first. I am all about entrepreneurship but your trade show graphics will have a HUGE impact on your success at a trade show. 

Let me tell you a little secret.  DESIGNING FOR TRADE SHOW DISPLAYS IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THAN ANYTHING ELSE!  We have seen trade show graphics that read like a marketing flyer.  We have seen backwall graphics that are so busy with lifestyle or action shots and color that your brain goes, 'WHHHOOOOOAAAA",  just looking at it.

You have 2.5 seconds to catch someone's eye at a trade show or event. Here are some high level things to consider. If you want to know more about how to effectively create trade show exhibit graphics email us at sales@totaldisplays.com.

1. People are NOT going to read all your copy;. Your trade show exhibit is not a marketing flyer. - Yes, I will say this multiple times.

2. Putting graphics behind a counter or a table?  The graphics are lost.

3. Trying to align images (depending on the system) across structural seams is VERY difficult for fabric graphics.

4. Putting messaging on the bottom of your display?  No one will see them.

5. Busy, busy, busy graphics with lots of images, color and text will be ignored (unless that is part of your brand).

6. Images from a website or print media do not generally enlarge well for trade show exhibits.

7. A jpeg of your logo may not enlarge well.  

We have had numerous interactions with "trade show exhibit graphic designers" over the years.  Based on the questions they ask, the designs they create, they do not specialize in trade show graphic design. It is a completely different animal from digital marketing, website or even print marketing.

If you are designing new graphics for a trade show exhibit, here are a couple of suggestions.

• Ask for references from your agency of choice for large format, trade show exhibit design clients.
• Check their website. A bullet item that says they do trade show booths or graphics, doesn't mean they excel at trade show graphics.
• Check their website or ask them for examples of  previous trade show work. 
• If most of their work is digital marketing, web design and social media marketing? Find another designer. Your bank account will thank you. Your patience will thank you.
• Make sure you have a library of your marketing assets, logo source files, high resolution images etc. 

Here are some simple, tried and true suggestions for trade show graphic design.

1. Trade show graphics are meant to be viewed from 6' or more away.
2. Don't use strange fonts of fancy fonts. Text should be readable from 6' away.
3. Put important messages or images, like your logo, up high for visibility.
4. Use white or empty space. Don't be afraid of white space.
5. Reference/use PMS colors to be sure to stay true to your brand.
6. Less is more.  Don't try to put an entire flyer on your trade show graphic.
7. If this is for a large exhibit, make sure your graphics have a plan and/or coherency, don't just place random product images on a wall because the wall is there. Have a plan. Be purposeful with your graphics.

If you need help with trade show graphic design? I recommend starting with your trade show exhibit company. A good partner should have resources or recommendations that they know have experience in large format, trade show exhibit design. 

Total Displays can help. Contact us a sales@totaldisplays.com or 952-941-4511 to set up a free design consultation call.

If you like what you read, please share it!

====================================================
Lori Hanken has been in sales and marketing for over 30 years. She is passionate about service and providing value to her vendors, prospects and clients. Lori is currently co-owner of Total Displays with her husband David. They help people look great at events, trade shows, in retail, museums and develop long partnerships with customers and suppliers. If you would like to learn more, email her at lori@totaldisplays.com. She is an open networker, connect with her on LinkedIn here.

Read other Total Displays Blog posts at http://totaldisplays.blogspot.com/ or check out our website at www.totaldisplays.com    

The Blame Game

 Ok, this is a little off topic for me, but something that I want to share. This morning a Facebook acquaintance posted this graphic.

I take major issue with this on so many levels.

1. Haven't we learned yet that labels and generalizations about people in that labeled group are not OK?

2. Boomers, those evil evil boomers that were raised to work hard for what they got. Yes I am one of those boomers.

3.  "tricked us"? Really they tricked you. Are you not capable of independent thought of making your own decisions? I guess I know different people. We raised our children to be independent and make their own decisions. We may not agree with those decisions but we respect them. 

4. I don't know any parents that are trying to trick their children to go to college, or demanding they go to college or putting a gun to their head telling them to go to college. 

5. We have become a society that is always looking for someone else to blame for EVERYTHING. 

The conversation went on. A little preamble though before the details of the conversation. Small business is what makes America great. There would not be an Amazon if there wasn't small business. What do you think they sell? Items from small businesses is a big part of it!

My reply to this post.

Amen! Although blaming boomers is a bit tacky. It is hard for small business to build staff at higher wages. Plus it costs a business a ton of money to bring on a new employee. And when that employee doesn’t work out? It is all lost and you have to start over. People don’t like to consider the risk that small business has to take on to hire recent college grads. Are there unscrupulous business owners that take advantage of people? Sure. But that isn’t always the case.

The reply?

 if you have 20k in student loans you probably didn't go to school to work at a small business. If you have that kind of debt the idea was you were supposed to get hired with a big company with full benefits. If you can only make $15 an hour after years of college and thousands in debt why bother you can make the same many places with no college at all.

Let's break that reply down just a bit. You have dreams of being a SVP at Google, or Amazon or Microsoft or some other behemoth company? Good for you. You have dreams of a starting job at $125k? Good for you. Those jobs are few and far between. 

Do you know how cutthroat big business is? Everyone is vying for the same promotion to step up one level. How many big businesses start college graduates off with a huge salary? Our daughter just went through this. She applied for all sorts of jobs. You know where she landed? In a field that has nothing to do with her degree, in a small business.  She interviewed with NASA, the government, big business and none of them offered her as much as the small business did. In this job she will learn a LOT of skills. That is the beauty of small business. 

When I was first out of college, I had a meaningless degree in music. I honestly wanted to go on to get a masters in music performance. I took a part time job in a small business as a receptionist. I had full benefits, lived at home and made decent money. I got a raise at least every year due to my work ethic.  I showed some aptitude in various areas, worked hard and worked my way up to different departments and positions in the company. Long story short, after a number of years, and some changes I became part owner of that business. (In case you were worried, yes I did move out and bought my first condo with money I had saved after a couple of years).

My Father owned a small business. After many years, he hired a young guy right out of high school to work in the warehouse. That man worked his way through the business, into sales then management and ultimately when my Father retired, he bought the business.

You want an entry level job at a big business - you can enter AP invoices all day. Fun! You can do social media marketing all day. Exciting! Or you can work for a small business, where you will actually know the owner of the company, where you get to experience a lot of different things in business and you can move up within the company IF you show you have a good work ethic and aptitude or interest in a different job. I know a lot of people that work in big business. You know what happens if they are good at their job? Their supervisor becomes threatened by the entry level employee and works hard to hold them back.  Ugg - ok enough of a rant on that one.

Her next reply?

the "blame" on the boomers is because the boomer parents have told their kids they "have" to go to college that's all we heard growing up is you 'have" to go to college

Well, I am sorry she had those parents, I guess. She is looking to blame them for making her go to college? I hope that is not the case. Parents should be teaching their children to be independent thinkers. I am a boomer. Our daughter wanted to go to school, our son didn't. I respect both of their decisions.  In generations past, college was something that not everyone could do or afford. Parents that didn't go to college had those dreams for their children. College was also a lot more affordable than it is now. 20k in debt is tiny compare to what the debt is for private college right now. 

The person that posted this? She and I are actually in agreement on most things. I am just tired of the blame game in so many places. It is always someone's fault, not mine. 

Take responsibility for your life. Make bold decisions. Try different things. Take risks. Stay home and build up a savings so you can go out on your own and afford to make some mistakes. Work hard. Play hard.  But don't blame others for your failures.

P.S.  Find a great small business in an industry you find interesting, with ethical owners, work hard and you may be surprised what happens.  Total Displays is a family owned and operated business under 100 employees (that may now be important to some) and we are always looking for good talent. We aren't so worried about experience as we are a good work ethic, values and that you are willing to work hard and fit our culture. Email sales@totaldisplays.com if you think you could be an asset to our company.

If you like what you read, please share it!

====================================================
Lori Hanken has been in sales and marketing for over 30 years. She is passionate about service and providing value to her vendors, prospects and clients. Lori is currently co-owner of Total Displays with her husband David. They help people look great at events, trade shows, in retail, museums and develop long partnerships with customers and suppliers. If you would like to learn more, email her at lori@totaldisplays.com. She is an open networker, connect with her on LinkedIn here.

Read other Total Displays Blog posts at http://totaldisplays.blogspot.com/ or check out our website at www.totaldisplays.com    

What Did We Learn About Floor Graphics?

 2020-2021 was the year of new and not so exciting things. One new product that was typically overlooked before Covid is floor graphics!

We all got very used to standing on the spot in grocery store lines, hardware stores, and all over in retail. 

We have seen some of them used now in trade shows. 

But where should we go from here regarding floor graphics?  What we learned was that people actually look at them!

Here are some ideas.  These are not our graphics, just some images I selected from the internet to be your inspiration. The sky, the floor, the walls, the sidewalk etc. is the limit.

We have many different graphics for many different applications and substrates. 

1. Fun 3-dimensional floor graphics

  

2. Branding in warehouse, entry ways or other areas.

3. Important Messages

4. Decorative

5. Advertise Sales

6. Inspirational Messages

7. Instructional Graphics

8. Utilize unused spaces, walls, step fronts and more!

9.  Directional/Instructional Graphics

Call us at 952-941-4511 or email sales@totaldisplays.com for more information or to request a quote.

If you like what you read, please share it!

====================================================
Lori Hanken has been in sales and marketing for over 30 years. She is passionate about service and providing value to her vendors, prospects and clients. Lori is currently co-owner of Total Displays with her husband David. They help people look great at events, trade shows, in retail, museums and develop long partnerships with customers and suppliers. If you would like to learn more, email her at lori@totaldisplays.com. She is an open networker, connect with her on LinkedIn here.

Read other Total Displays Blog posts at http://totaldisplays.blogspot.com/ or check out our website at www.totaldisplays.com