Jessica’s Blog: ElectronVault debuts at the International Electric Vehicle Symposium (EVS26)
ElectronVault of Woodside, CA partnered with Skyline Exhibits Bay Area for their trade show debut at the International Electric Vehicle Symposium in Los Angeles. ElectronVault invents and licenses technologies that enable large-scale battery systems for electric vehicles and renewable energy systems to be manufactured, sold, and serviced. At EV26 they exhibited in a prime positioned and unique 10×20 island space at the Los Angeles Convention Center. At Skyline we decided the pair of our Envoy system would be an ideal look and feel for the vehicle technology industry.
On the show floor…
“What thrilled me about working with Jessica Orias and her team, was that very quickly, they understood our corporate image and how to translate that into a beautiful and effective booth. We received many compliments on our booth each day of the show, but most importantly, it was a good working and conversational space for my team and our booth visitors. Thank you!”
Linda Maepa, COO
For any questions on the above envoy design feel free to email me at jlorias@skybay.com
Jessica Lynn Orias | Account Executive | 44111 Fremont Blvd. Fremont, CA 94538 | ph. 510.933.2212 | jlorias@skybay.com |fx. 510.490.9949 | www.skybay.com
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Jessica’s Blog: BIOMEDevice 2011, San Jose CA
The two day show right in our Silicon Valley backyard (San Jose Convention Center) has come to a close. The show featured predominantly inline spaces which some companies showed great portable & modular exhibits. Check out phoots from my visit:
RTX partnered with Skyline for their 10×10 space using Skyline’s Inliten system with tube extension kiosk. The reception table used is one of Skyline’s newest product lines, the Occassions table. A great fit for their space!
R
This 10×20 Inliten booth by Skyline has some great detail. This exhibitor powder coated their Inliten hardware to gloss black from the stock silver it comes in. A great look to the booth which does not eat a hefty part of the booth budget.
For ideas for BIOMEDevice 2012 feel free to email me at jlorias@skybay.com
Jessica Lynn Orias | Account Executive | 44111 Fremont Blvd. Fremont, CA 94538 | ph. 510.933.2212 | jlorias@skybay.com |fx. 510.490.9949 | www.skybay.com
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Jessica’s Blog: Happy Thanksgiving!
I am always anxious to enter Q4, or even as early as September, as I know fall is waiting in the wings. Kids are back in school, the nights are colder, and the fall trade show season is in high gear. With all of these activities and in addition to the holidays, I find the most inspiration during these months. The season’s color pallet, burnt oranges, browns, deep reds, are of such rich hues that it can be implemented in various design aspects. The transitions of color gives such a great flow and in design gradients translates very well to the eye.
Now enjoy all the falling leaves, bundling up and turkey with family and friends. Cheers!
For ideas on how to incorporate a fall color palette you can email me at jlorias@skybay.com
Jessica Lynn Orias | Account Executive | 44111 Fremont Blvd. Fremont, CA 94538 | ph. 510.933.2212 | jlorias@skybay.com |fx. 510.490.9949 | www.skybay.com
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Jessica’s Blog: The Trusted Dividend
As I approach my 10th year of my tradeshow career and especially at the end of 2011, like companies, I look back at the last 12 months. Did I reach my goals? Did I perform to my ability? Do I have satisfied clients? I want to say yes at all, but I do not believe even the top CEO can answer it all as 100% true. With close to 500 working projects a year of various degrees of complexity and budgets, the only scenario I can provide is trust. It has been the common denominator among my successful projects.
I enjoy the achievement of a well thought out and executed project, and have never taken credit for it alone. My team and I work as a whole unit and they understand and respect my passion, and most importantly, my overall attention to detail. This level of performance strengthens the trust factor in all my account rep – client relationships.
On the darker side of projects that we wish did not happen but do, are mistakes. The honesty in communication of those mistakes maintains the trust. I am not pleased when they happen and try my best to avoid them, but over the years I have accepted they will and my role is to be prepared for them. I always have a back up plan in place even if they are under my control or not. Murphy’s Law is extremely prevalent in event planning! It is like having a 6th sense being able to anticipate them and over time after seeing it all you just know when they will arise.
In my almost decade of a career I have learned I am here for the good and the bad and that is why I am trusted. I never t take that trust for granted and I appreciate being chosen as a partner.
Jessica Lynn Orias | Account Executive | 44111 Fremont Blvd. Fremont, CA 94538 | ph. 510.933.2212 | jlorias@skybay.com |fx. 510.490.9949 | www.skybay.com
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Jessica’s Blog: Thank you Mr. Steve Jobs
I was closing out my LinkedIn account yesterday around 4pm, and the recent status on my timeline reads “RIP Steve Jobs”. It was a semi-shock feeling, but more the shock of seeing those words actually together in a sentence. I knew of his health issues and the chances of him passing were realistic, but you always think the inevitable wouldn’t happen to people of that stature. The entire Silicon Valley has a sweet spot for Mr. Jobs. Thank you for building the Valley to what it is today.
Ten years ago exhibitors would walk into our doors asking for a “cool” booth. They wanted to stand out and set themselves from the competition, because of Steve Jobs’ vision our “cool” is now “Apple”. “Apple” is most used design term in the Silicon Valley for trade show exhibits in the past 5 years.
“We want to look like Apple.”
“The design should be clean, minimal, simple and modern. Think Apple.”
“The furniture should be light wood colors like the Apple store.”
“We are looking for an open and inviting booth like Apple.”
“Skyline’s Envoy system evokes the look and feel of today’s most in demand brands as in Apple…”
Apple conveyed a strong brand across all experiences, product design, marketing design, packaging design, down to even the retail environments. It is so clean, simple and strongly recognized that it attracts all. It is modern, sexy, classy and the tradeshow world now considers this design as the founding father. Skyline Exhibits did not ignore its strength and was the inspiration to our newly designed Envoy System.
Steve Jobs unknowingly set the tone for design trends in the trade show world. Mr. Jobs you can add another accomplishment under your belt.
Jessica Lynn Orias | Account Executive | 44111 Fremont Blvd. Fremont, CA 94538 | ph. 510.933.2212 | jlorias@skybay.com |fx. 510.490.9949 | www.skybay.com
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Too Risky?
Insurance. There’s a word that conjures up mixed emotions. Nobody wants to pay for it but it certainly is nice to have when you need it. In the tradeshow industry, there are many steps to take to ‘ensure’ success on the show floor. Partnering with a reliable exhibit company like Skyline Exhibits for instance is a great start. But one step that is overlooked every now and then is insuring freight to and from events. Sometimes it’s skipped simply to save a few bucks and other times it’s just an oversight. But more often than not, it’s that ‘one time’ that will come back to haunt you.
If you arrange your own freight, double-check to make sure you have checked the insurance box. Or be sure to ask your sales representative to please insure my freight. Because all of the other steps that you have carefully and methodically planned to ensure your success may be all for naught if your exhibit and graphics arrive on the show floor damaged and unusable. Nobody wants to be that person!
Now if your show is in Las Vegas and you’re out on the casino floor playing blackjack and you’ve got 17 or higher when the dealer has an ace showing and they ask you if you want insurance…well good luck with that!
Berkeley Dowd
Skyline Displays Bay Area
Skyline Displays Northern California
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Paradigm Shift – Custom to Custom/Modular to Modular/Custom
What has emerged in the past decade in the exhibit world is a paradigm shift from emphasis on custom builds to now a more modular/custom designs. This has been brought about by a couple major factors.
• Logistics of owning custom exhibits
The more traditional custom builds from the 90’s and the first half of the last decade were very heavy and burdensome from a logistical standpoint. This meant to the consumer a very hefty price tag after the sale of your exhibit. Custom houses strategies and business plans were built on this platform. They made smaller margins on the sale of an exhibit, but made large margins on the logistics of the exhibit. Storage, transportation, refurbishment, travel, and installation and dismantle were major profit centers for custom houses.
• Green initiative
Because of the heavy and cumbersome custom exhibits they just are not very green friendly. From the materials used in the exhibit to the transportation and logistical issues these type of exhibits just do not meet the requirements of a green build.
• Economy
We have endured a very difficult decade. Small start up companies to major corporations have had to analyze all budgets within their organizations. And of course the marketing budget were slashed in many cases. Because of this a more light weight modular solution once not even considered has gained in popularity and has become a viable option for all ends of the business spectrum. Because the SMART companies understand that in down economic times the need to turn up the marketing message is critical! So by saving money on the back end of these exhibits your could stretch your marketing budget
• Durability
Custom exhibits based off the number of shows have a shelf life of typically 3 years. You are then faced with a large refurbishment bill or a brand new build. The modular/custom exhibits products last for well over 10 years and beyond. And because the exhibits are modular by nature you can use these in many different configurations
• Reconfigured exhibit
Once again since these are “modular” exhibits your 30×30 island can also become a 20×20, 10×20, and 10 foot exhibit. And with the shows getting smaller and more targeted by nature you are not forced into a large exhibit space by the dimensions of your exhibit.
There is no question that the lighter weight modular solutions are here to stay and will continue to dominate in the future. The question to the consumer now is how do I take a pre-engineered system and stand out. The best comparison would be found from the housing industry. Custom builds allow you the full spectrum of options. Where pre-fabricated houses in a planned community may offer 4 different designs to choose from with various finishing options.
So the challenge in today’s exhibit designs is how to put those finishing options on those prefabricated pieces that this industry offers. So understanding your options under these new criteria becomes your biggest challenge.
The following are a few suggestions on how to look different in a prefabricated world of exhibit design.
• Look for exhibit houses that consistently upgrade and develop new prefabricated product lines. Skyline for example has released 3 major new product lines in the last year alone. By allowing you different modular product lines to choose from you can stand out architecturally by taking advantage of new systems. These products typically take 4-5 years to penetrate the marketplace so by getting them while they are new you can stand out. Click here to view the three new product lines that Skyline offers.
• Look at rental options. Great way to change your appearance year to year. And if you specifically ask to have your graphics designed to work for 2 or 3 different options you can keep your costs down in upcoming events.
• If you want to bring in a more sophisticate custom look you can design your work stations in the more traditional custom approach. There will be added weight but since 90% of your exhibit will still be modular this added cost may be acceptable.
• Bring more lighting options into your design. This can bring a visual element to give you that more custom look.
• Make your visual/audio presentations areas more creative. Many times this is an afterthought in design. Make it a requirement.
Most exhibit houses have accepted this paradigm shift and now call themselves “Custom/ Modular” exhibit houses. In reality a more apt description would be “Modular/Custom” exhibit house. It’s just does not sound as sexy. But bottom line the bulk of designs being done right not are 90% modular and 10% custom. Embrace that philosophy and make sure that you use all of the advantages of a lightweight “Modular/Custom” design in your next exhibit.
Chuck Boyle
CEO, Skyline Northern California
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Putting Color in its Place
When I walk into most trade shows today, I still can feel overwhelmed by the competition of visual effects that stand before me. Tall structures with bold logos and large format graphics….spinning towers… rear lit hanging signs are all out there to get my attention. What is it that really does catch my eye? Plain and simple, it is the smart use of color. I honestly feel it can help make the difference between blending in… or standing out against your neighbor.
Smart color accents:
Small booths are no exception to this concept. I really like how the conservative grays of the hardware, backdrop and flooring of the Con+text exhibit are brought to life with the contrasting orange and green accents. Simple, yet effective.
The Freshness of Green anchored by the Play of Orange
Contrasting colors:
3PAR- Color against color. Yellow against purple. Did you know that complimentary colors have the greatest contrast and will pop most when placed against each other. What a great way to get those bridges and large banners to catch your eye from afar!
3 PAR - The Royal Duo - Purple and Gold
Black tones down bold color
Wow… The Chick Chocolates design almost glows in the dark, but the smart use of a black carpet actually tones down and frames the bright pinks, yellows and greens. And as a bonus , it helps bring your focus to the “Chicks” figures throughout the space
Color in Chic Chocolate
Multiple color mix
Using bold and large color blocks, Broder shows how multiple colors, one on top of color as well as next to another, can really stand out. Notice how the white booth hardware gives it extra punch as it also frames matching color products.
600 square feet of color splash: Border
After all, isn’t your booth actually a work of art?
Mary Hutton-Ladner
Skyline Displays Bay Area
Skyline Displays Northern California
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Maximizing that Pricey 100 Square Feet of Tradeshow Real Estate
Everyone loves to get their money’s worth, including tradeshow exhibitors. After helping many clients successfully improve their display’s effectiveness over the past several years, I have put together a few basic guidelines which you can experiment with. Whether you are retrofitting your pop-up, reconfiguring modular hardware, or starting from scratch, just a little creativity can go a long way.
1- Utilize your entire floor space… both side to side as well as front to back. While I do not encourage overcrowding, I like to see the use of more than one table in a 10 x 10 space. Look how well West Liberty Foods utilizes both aisles not only to greet attendees, but also to showcase a special product with impact and visual appeal. And phin nicely positions two tables to give themselves extra workspace and bold branding. Don’t overlook the use of smaller and very affordable hardware items such as banner stands or information placards for complimenting your back-wall marketing message. With their multi-function capabilities of video, product and literature display, these are great ways to bring your message closer to the aisle.
West Liberty Foods
Phin
2- There’s an extra 6” of space above the top of your exhibit hardware! Most standard 10 x 10 units are manufactured at 7.5’ which gives you the opportunity for some “out the box” thinking. Try something bold with a profiled headers like Baden’s or phin’s. Or more simply, a velcro detachable marketing message in a brightly colored circle or starburst shape will even get some extra attention.
Baden 10' x 10'
3-Creative flooring is probably the most overlooked tip of all. Any booth will change appearance sitting on a different color flooring. So, if red or black carpeting might be a bit bold for your next show, with the range of color options now available, you can so easily go beyond beige or gray to look different as well terrific!
B. Telzer Gear
PS…this is the perfect place to add a company logo if the budget allows.
I think B. Telzer Gear did it just right!
Mary Hutton-Ladner
Skyline Displays Bay Area
Skyline Displays Northern California
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Tried and True – Popping up the Energy of your Pop-Ups!
Mezetta
In my 25 years of working for Skyline, I am still amazed to see how so many of our modular exhibits have morphed themselves into something new. With companies growing and changing brands or just adding new products, it is essential that their tradeshow exhibits be kept coherent and current.
I like to think of Skyline’s display hardware as “work horses” because of the number of times my clients have returned to update rather than replace their exhibits. Whether it is a new graphic mural, change of logo or color, or the increase in booth size, it has always been easy to accommodate them within their time frame and budget.
G L Mezzetta is one of my favorite examples … Their original purchase of a Mirage 10′ inline exhibit showcased several different graphic murals and logos for several years. Then as they needed to expand their booth space and highlight more products, our Inliten hardware with product shelving and other custom features was integrated both structurally and visually. And each time their logo changed and more product lines added , another set of banners and awnings were updated quickly and cost effectively. I think the real bonus was how well this 10 x 20 inline now works as a backdrop since they have moved up to a 20 x 20 space.
What a great way to make your display work for you!
Mary Hutton-Ladner
Skyline Displays Bay Area
Skyline Displays Northern California
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