Planning for a show can get a little overwhelming sometimes. But having the right stack of information in front of you may save you unnecessary worries.

But where do you start? I suggest you begin with your show’s exhibitor service manual.  The exhibitor service manual is the official guide to everything you need to know about the show: all the relevant information, deadlines, rules and regulations, service forms, registration, show promotions, contractor and shipping information. 

By going through the manual, you are able to simplify the planning and execution of your event. You also save your company time and money by avoiding unnecessary costs and logistical headaches.

In this electronic day and age, it’s very convenient to get hold of a copy of your show’s service manual online. You don’t need to wait for a physical copy to get through the mail.

So start browsing through the pages of your manual and take the hassle out of exhibiting.
  

Mabel Kenyon
Marketing Communications Coordinator

Whether you refer to it as “drayage” or “material handling”, it is a necessary process that can be your ticket to exhibiting success or your source of logistical nightmare.

So here are drayage tips and techniques I’ve come across at TSEA’s website, which will help you minimize last-minute costs and eliminate headaches in preparing for your next show:

• Check the service manual for deadline dates. Do not pay unnecessary late charges by missing deadlines or target dates.

• Check with the service contractor to make sure your materials have arrived. The sooner you know there is a problem, the easier it is to solve it.

• Save money by consolidating your shipments. There is a minimum charge for each individual shipment.

• Make sure containers are really empty before applying an EMPTY sticker. It is expensive and sometimes impossible to retrieve a container once it has been removed from your booth.

Last month, we celebrated our 20th anniversary in the display business with a small party at our new showroom in the Clonshaugh area of Dublin. Our company, Applied Signs & Display, is a Nomadic Display distributor based in Dublin, Ireland.

The purpose of the event was three-fold.  Firstly, we welcomed customers, potential customers and suppliers to our new premises. Secondly, we wanted to show off our new Modular Custom Build showroom display, which is totally reusable and customizable. It features fabric, graphic and backlit panels. It also incorporates a lockable room, a canopy, a bar area with seating and plasma screens, as well as other traditional display elements. Finally, we wanted to have a little bit of fun as a ‘thank you’ to our customers, suppliers and staff. 

The run up to the event was extremely busy, with invitations to design, print and send, goody bags to fill, and the showroom display to erect and perfect. On top of these tasks, we also had to complete the painting and decorating of the new showroom, which had been put off since our move in January.

On the day itself, preparations started early, with the caterers and band arriving to set up in the early afternoon. Our PR consultant and photographer arrived around lunchtime, and soon after that, customers, friends, suppliers and other guests started to come through the doors at a fairly hectic pace.

At the party, people were free to relax with a glass of wine, or to take a tour of the building, or to have a giggle at our display of old photos, ranging from staff members in their bell-bottoms to the first ‘button and band’ pop up displays. Company owners, Colette and Larry, were presented with flowers and a John Rocha Waterford crystal vase by the management. Our real ‘hardcore’ customers and staff members continued the party late into the night.

To provide extra entertainment at the event, caricature Artist Mark Heng had people queuing up for a ‘flattering’ caricature drawing to take home.  Last year’s Miss Ireland, Blathnaid McKenna, also joined us at the party.

It was truly a night of fun and celebration. We would like to thank everyone who came and made it such a special day for us!

Details, details, details. They are very crucial in installing and dismantling your exhibit that you need to say them in your head over and over again.

Whether you have a tool-free portable display system or a large custom exhibit that requires an installation and dismantling (I&D) team to set up, having all the details and how you communicate them can make or break your display’s future on the show floor.

In order to prevent them from overwhelming you, start with a simple list. Your list should begin with the description, number and size of all the items and components that go with your exhibit. Make sure this information is included in each container where the items will be packed. Doing so will reduce the possibility of losing important display parts and pieces. Remember to provide the same list to your staff or to the I&D team you decide to hire for your event.

After you are done with your list, move on to drafting your I&D instructions. Your detailed set of instructions will get rid of the guesswork in assembling and disassembling your exhibit.

Include in your instructions all information about the venue’s facility—from the electrical layout to ceiling and flooring restrictions. Such information will help you save more time in setting up the wiring and lighting requirements of your exhibit.

Lastly, make it a point to be there during the I&D process to answer questions and supervise your staff or crew. And if you can’t, assign someone else from your team to be there for you!

Mabel Kenyon
Marketing Communications Coordinator

We recently moved into a 9,000 square foot building only a couple of blocks from our old location.  We simply outgrew our accommodations, as we seem to do every three to five years.  For this Grand Opening, we wanted to do something special. Instead of giving our usual door prize display to an unsuspecting lucky attendee, we presented a nonprofit organization, Life Options Academy, with a new six-foot Sirius tabletop display manufactured by Nomadic Display valued at $1,200.  The presentation took place after speeches given by two State Senators who came to show their support of what EXHIB-IT! is doing to help the New Mexico business community.  

Life Options Academy (LOA), a 501c3 corporation, helps New Mexico teen moms transform their lives and break the cycle of poverty and abuse that teen parenting perpetuates. Now in its fourth year of operation, the organization operates in a newly purchased private home located in a quiet and safe neighborhood.  The home provides a safe haven for young girls to begin rebuilding their lives with love and support.

We selected Life Options Academy to receive what we titled, The Empowering Exhibitor’s Display, because the organization is very forward thinking.  Life Options Academy and its staff offer solutions through empowering young girls and giving them the tools they need to become successful mothers and independent women.  

Life Options Academy CEO, Jane Dixon, accepted the display before 175 members of the business community.  She explained to the onlookers, “Our community needs to know about the Academy to both support and utilize resources this organization provides.  Having this top-of-the-line Nomadic display will help Life Options Academy get more hands-on visibility at trade shows and events. Thank you, Nomadic Display and EXHIB-IT! for your help in bringing this organization’s greatest assets to light.”

Before the end of the evening, we welcomed 400 attendees at our Grand Open House between 5 pm and 8 pm.  We welcomed guest speakers from four political offices and had ribbon cuttings conducted by three chambers of commerce.  Many local business and non-profit organizations were present to take advantage of the networking opportunity provided by such high attendance.  Our event was such a success that we intend to hold another networking event next year of this size and magnitude.

Audrey Anderson
Marketing Manager
EXHIB-IT! Tradeshow Marketing Experts