The Pain of Non-functional Budget Breaking Exhibits

Funny thing happened to me a month ago as I was walking the isles of Home Depot. I was overcome with a pain that could only be described as similar to someone driving a nail into my ankle! Waiting for the funny part? So was I! Despite inheriting my father’s ”play with the pain” and “suck it up” mentality I figured being in the fetal position in the hardware section of Home Depot for ten minutes was all the sucking up I could handle and I quickly set up an appointment to see a specialist. Funny thing happened to me at the specialist.   After the overly enthusiastic doctor anxiously pulled me into the exam room, along with any and all interns within earshot, to look at the x-ray she disclosed a rare condition where the synovial sack of my ankle joint was filled with tumors! Still waiting for the funny part? So am I! After an hour and a half of waiting to see yet another specialist and fearing the worst – while also attempting to humor myself by recalling Arnold Schwarzenegger’s famous line “It’s not a tumaaa” over and over again – it was explained to me that while they were indeed tumors they were most likely benign and removable. Funny thing happened after the surgery. The specialist removed 126 tumors that turned out to be a medical record eclipsing the previous measly record of 22! To my slight disappointment the specialist honestly disclosed that while this was quite a medical phenomenon, it would still take a close second to his Guinness Book of World Record for largest wrapped burrito. What’s a guy gotta do??? Now that’s almost funny in a Sienfeld irony kinda way. When I asked the specialist his opinion as to why I had eclipsed the record by such a large margin he theorized that most “normal” people wouldn’t have endured the pain for as long as I did – translation: there’s a reason the cavemen had a low life expectancy.
You knew this had to tie into trade shows somehow right? Moral of the story is I meet so many clients or potential clients that have or still do live with the pain of either their non-functional budget breaking exhibits, their excessive non-productive trade show schedule or a bad vendor for far too long because they get so used to it and they start to think it’s normal. Don’t be as stubborn as I was and wait until the pain is too much before consulting a trade show professional on solutions to ease that pain. Unless of course you have a prescription for codeine to mask the pain as I did! Disclaimer – watch out for the side effects when you stop taking it as I found myself emotionally distraught over the episode of friends where Ross had to say goodbye to his pet monkey! Now that’s funny! I can say that now because I’m over it.

Todd Anderson
Exhibit Consultant
Skyline Northern California
Skyline Displays Bay Area, Inc.

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Todd’s Blog: “GOBillboard” When Designing Trade Show Graphics!

One of these days try out this little exercise. When you get to work quiz your self on how many billboard graphics you remember seeing on your commute to work. Then try to remember the company name and what they do, what they were selling or what they’re message was. Companies spend thousands if not millions of dollars every year marketing on billboards yet I couldn’t recall a single billboard graphic on my way to work this morning in stop-and-go traffic. I take the same forty five minute route to work every morning and I’m positive I glance at just about every billboard, yet I can’t recall the content from a single graphic. Billboards typically have a limited amount of time to catch a commuter’s attention and communicate their message. How effective does that sound to you?

Now think about your trade show exhibit and graphics along those same lines. Companies spend thousands of dollars for a two to three day show yet I can walk an entire trade show floor and only recall a few exhibits that grabbed my attention. You have a limited amount of time, let’s say an unscientific five to ten seconds, to grab a prospects attention and make an impression among a sea of inline and island exhibits. Your graphics play a vital role in achieving those goals yet it appears a majority of exhibitors spend most of their time scrutinizing the exhibit components, booth configuration and requirements while treating the graphics as a second tier component. Very few people will remember how your exhibit was built but they will remember a uniquely designed, carefully targeted and creative graphic.

Bring the graphics into the equation and make it an integral part of your exhibit design. Think about what your goal is at the show, whether it’s to create a brand presence, promote your product and or service, attract prospects or all of the above, and design your graphics around that. Introduce vivid color schemes, catchy slogans and or large high definition graphics that will catch a prospects eye an isle or two away. The whole purpose of your graphics is to grab your prospective target audience’s attention. If you are exhibiting at a more non-specific industry show then focus on the message of who you are and what you do. If you’re exhibiting at an industry specific show then tailor your message around what it is that distinguishes you from your competitors and why they should take a look at you instead of your neighbors. Keep your messaging and text to a minimum as people tend to shy away from busy looking booths and gravitate towards simple, clean and inviting looking booths – again the goal is to real them in, and then provide them with the details via verbal presentations, product demonstrations or brochures. Here are some billboard images for your inspiration.

Todd Anderson
Exhibit Consultant
Skyline Northern California
Skyline Displays Bay Area, Inc.

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Todd’s Blog: Ask and ye shall receive! Pop-up Digital Portability

Ask and ye shall receive! One of the more frequent requests we get as Exhibit Consultants is for a portable solution that combines graphics with audio visual capabilities. Until now your best solution was typically a standalone monitor mount that has that “add-on” look. The Mirage Monitor Mount is a great way to seamlessly add digital video impact to your Mirage Graphic display. Add the flexibility and movement of a digital monitor while maintaining the clean look Mirage is known for. The monitor mount easily hooks onto the Mirage channel bars and ships inside the transporter case. Depending on your frame you could add one, two, three or up to four monitors! And for those of you that just basically accept there is a chance your own personal monitors might be damaged in transit Skyline is now offering a sturdy Monitor Case for your monitor and audio visual equipment. Skyline innovation and creativity has once again taken another mundane exhibit solution and made it compelling and unique again!

Watch the movie and let us know what you think.

Todd Anderson
Exhibit Consultant
Skyline Northern California

Filed under: Creative Marketing, Graphics: Tips and Tricks, Intelligent Design, New Products, News, Show Tips, Technology, Todd Anderson, Todd's Blog, trade show booth designs | No Comments »

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Todd’s Blog: Australia Pavilion, Bio International Convention 2010

Please do not call the Australian Koala, not to be confused with the well known Sloths of South America, a bear because they are in actuality not related to the bear family and Koala’s tend to be very sensitive animals. Contrary to the erroneous meaning of the Koalas name, “don’t drink”, there were plenty of celebratory beverages being consumed in the Australia booth at the annual 2010 Bio International Convention. The Australian Trade Commission invited a group of the top biotech firms in the country to attend under a united 40×50 ft space and Skyline was tasked with designing an atmosphere that would creatively represent Australian culture and style while also providing each vendor a functional and compelling presentation area. The design incorporated Skyline’s new modern Envoy product for the demo stations with a highly visible arching Australian sign – with a Boomer or as we American’s call it a Kangaroo – attracting attendees from throughout the hall. The Koala is a humble character but we are slightly less in proclaiming we aced this design (ace is slang for “excellent” for those keeping track).

Todd Anderson
Exhibit Consultant
Skyline Northern California

Filed under: Bio 2010, Envoy, Exhibit Rentals, Show Tips, Todd Anderson, Todd's Blog, trade show booth designs | No Comments »

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Todd’s Blog: Intersolar 2010

Who Shot JR and Lederhosen?

In sharp contrast to so many shows this year that seem to mirror that of the sputtering economy, the 2010 Intersolar Show at the Moscone Center in San Francisco was a fresh and exciting reprieve from the norm. While the latest in photovoltaic, solar heating and solar thermal energy technology was being prominently displayed the only functional energy being absorbed was by the thousands of enthusiastic attendees. Those who attended the event were treated to the very latest emerging solar technology from around the world as well as the very latest in trade show exhibit technology and good old fashioned creative marketing.

Unbeknownst to me JR is alive and well! Big props go out to the Solarworld guys in their ten gallon hats with an appearance from Larry Hagman and the donation of 100,000 kilowatts to power five health centers in Haiti. Larry reprises his role as JR from Dallas in a series of rather funny TV ads featuring an oil tycoon who goes green with a new catchy motto “shine baby shine” followed by the classic confident JR chuckle.

Special mention should also go out to the folks at Schletter Inc. and the brave soles running around the show floor in classic German lederhosen with national soccer jerseys – I was going to tell them I lost $50 on Germany’s loss to Spain but I didn’t have the current Euro exchange rate and didn’t know a lick of German. Also adding to the festive Oktoberfest atmosphere was the free flowing Spaten – cheers, or as they say in German with a little spit, prost!

Todd Anderson
Exhibit Consultant
Skyline Northern California

Filed under: Creative Marketing, News, Technology, Todd Anderson, Todd's Blog, trade show booth designs | No Comments »

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