LED Lights Make the Difference

How much impact can LED lighting add to an exhibit? A BIG impact.

LED lighting can update the look of an exhibit for a fraction of the cost of building new.

For example: API looked good at HIMSS 2012—

With the addition of LED lighting to the towers and to the conference room wall in 2013, the exhibit became even more of a show-stopper.

Best Practices for Purchasing Tradeshow Exhibits

Blog.propurchaser.com asked 3D Exhibits to share its expertise on exhibit RFPs. Unfortunately, some procurement professionals don’t understand that buying an exhibit is different than buying, say, office supplies. (Click here to read the post.)

The point of our article is that when marketers buy a custom tradeshow exhibit, what they are really purchasing is creativity and problem solving. Just like when you select an ad agency, a comparison of hourly rates and end costs will reveal which supplier is the least expensive—but not which vendor is supplying the real goods: The solution that will do the best job of representing your brand and marketing your products.

Here are a few of our recommendations on how to compare potential exhibit suppliers:

• Shop creativity. Which company does your marketing team feel delivered the best ideas and solutions?
• Assess synergy. Which company does your in-house exhibit team feel would make the best partner? Once the exhibit is built, your team will likely be working with these people to deploy the exhibit for several years. Chemistry matters.
• Separate design from operations. You can put a number on things like storage, shipping and creating floor plans for each additional show. But you can’t attach a number to the emotional impact delivered by the best design.
• Forget hourly labor rates. One company might build a cabinet in two hours while another might take three. One builder may deliver twice the quality of another. Straight hourly rates reveal nothing about long-term costs.
• Price for your program, not your project. Some exhibit houses will give a discount on the upfront property purchase with the assumption that they will “make it up in the long run off of service.” Asking for a quote that includes your needs over the entire year-and not just for that first big show-helps eliminate that cost-shifting loophole.
• Compare capabilities. What can each company do? Does this meet your needs today? Tomorrow?
• Share budget. Rather than ask companies to design blind, give them a budget limit. Then you can compare what each can deliver at the same price point.
• Check financial stability. Will your exhibit house still be there in six months?

3D Exhibits Named Webby Award Honoree

Congrats to our amazing technology team. 3D Exhibits’ website had been named an Official Webby Awards Honoree.

Not bad, considering that this year, the Webby Awards drew over 11,000 entries from over 60 countries.

The creative for the site was designed by our agency partner Hanson Dodge Creative. Then our internal team applied the same programming magic that they use to create microsites, online fulfillment programs and lead retrieval interfaces for our clients.

We really like the way the new site embodies more 3D Exhibits attitude—from the bold imagery to the simplified navigation interface.

What do you think?

Accuray Exhibit Design and Marketing Wins Ex Award

Woohoo! Accuray’s 2012 ASTRO exhibit has won the 2013 Silver Ex Award for Best Trade Show Campaign. (Ex Awards are sponsored by Event Marketer). This is the second consecutive year that Accuray has been recognized in this category.

Accuray’s full program included pre-scheduling of meetings via microsite, digital signage, a dynamic product unveiling event in the exhibit, and a variety of engagements that met the needs of all visitor types—from new contacts to return customers.

“Cool LED messaging, laser lighting and something called a sucking winch (that unveiled new product by pulling draperies out of sight, seemingly by magic) were just a few of the production tricks and enhancements the brand rolled out for its in-exhibit product launch,” says the coverage in the May issue of Event Marketer.

Don’t forget the cool touch-screen tables and the exit survey that documented Accuray’s success!

New CEIR Report: Personal Invites Draw Trade Show Attendees

CEIR’s newest report says that exhibitors can help increase the attendance at the trade shows they participate in by issuing personal invitations to prospective attendees.

Survey respondents ranked “personal invite from exhibitor” as the fourth most important information source when searching for a trade show to attend. This means that exhibitors can increase results at trade shows by reaching out and inviting their contact lists to attend shows. 

Also notable: the highest rated items in the survey were “email from a colleague” and “word of mouth.” This means that what attendees hear from other attendees is more persuasive than anything they receive from the show organizer or from exhibitors.

CEIR Report AC31.13-Attracting Attendees delves into attendees’ preferred sources of information when searching for a trade show to attend. If you’d like to take a peek at the report, shoot me an email. ngenarella@3DExhibits.com.