A Harsh Reminder and Blessings

Yesterday we went to an auction preview for one of our local competitors. 

Unless you are in the live events or trade show industry, I really don't believe you can understand the massive affect that the last two years have had on this industry. Restaurants, bars, gyms have struggled as well, but their loss is tangible to most people. When the shutdowns started for many businesses that were deemed non-essential, I was very vocal about some of the inequities I saw in our own state. For example, gyms that promote wellness and health were deemed non-essential, but a candy store was essential because they sold some processed meats.  They actually market themselves as 'The World's Largest Candy Store'.  

I know, I know, public safety is important. But if you saw the lines of people waiting outside the candy store when they opened you start to question the sanity of people. They weren't there to buy meat, they were there to buy candy. So, it was safe to stand in line, right next to literally hundreds of other people, but not safe to allow people to exercise. I had one young man tell me that if our business failed as a result of these shutdowns that it was our fault because we didn't have an emergency plan in place to cover this type of thing. Let's just say that interaction did not go well. He was a recent college graduate of economics. He was simply regurgitating things his professors told him, with no knowledge of the real world. 

I was called many names during those days. We stayed home and did what we could do for public safety. We ordered take out from local restaurants. We bought supplements from our local gym. But that doesn't mean that I believe the shutdowns were equitable. As a result of being vocal in support of small business I had people stalk me, write an obviously fake review on google for our business, send me nasty messages and more. All because I was vocal in my support of small business.

If I had one more person during that time tell me I needed to "pivot" I think I may have put a fist through a wall. To say it was a stressful time is a major understatement.

The live events industry shutdowns did not just affect one business segment. It rippled through so many segments you can't even imagine.

Now, why all this? Most of that is over. Our industry is not completely out of the woods, but we are on the right track (that is as long as monster companies stop "quitting" events to make a statement of some sort - and all the production and supply chain issues get resolved - more on that later).

That competitor that had the auction? They didn't make it. Walking through their office kind of felt like digging through a neighbor's drawers or medicine cabinet. It was surreal.  ALL THAT STUFF. People's desks, computers, files, business cards, stamps, so much stuff. A person's livelihood, people's jobs, customers that relied on that company for product and services. The could have been us.

I was really overwhelmed yesterday by the situation. 

We are still here. We are rebuilding. We are facing new challenges every day, but we survived. I am SO GRATEFUL FOR THAT. I am grateful for the industry partners that have supported us and helped us continue to get through this, I am thankful for the customers that are back at trade shows and are buying products and using our services. I am thankful for my family that is here with me every day gutting it out with me.

I am a contrarian by nature. I don't like being told what to do. I did all things I was told to keep people safe, but I don't like being told that a candy store is more important than a gym, a restaurant or even a trade show exhibit company. There are no promises, there are no guarantees, there are just opportunities to grow and to find things for which to be grateful. 

It is hard.

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