Flooring for Your Exhibit

This is a very informative article from the April 2011 issue of Exhibitor Magazine. Most exhibitors want to use carpeting for their exhibit but for a similar cost, you can go with unique flooring that ties in with your display.

EXHIBITOR magazine - Article: Flooring: Please Tread on Me, April 2011

(Craig Mlasko is the Owner of The Works Displays & Exhibits in San Jose, CA)

TS2 next week

TS2 starts next week (July 21 - 22) in Chicago. Being an ExpoDisplays representative, they are showing a brand new configuration of a new display system - MultiQuadMAX:



This is the new MultiQuad system configured for an island booth space. You have the look of a custom exhibit but the versatility of a modular system.

Check out TS2!!!

(Craig Mlasko is the owner of The Works Displays & Exhibits in San Jose, CA)

Pokerpalooza and World of Series of Poker.

Pokerpalooza and the World Series of Poker Main Event are starting tomorrow (Thur 7/2) at The Rio in Las Vegas. The Works Displays & Exhibits just completed a new display for the WSOPA (World Series of Poker Academy) and it looks great. Stop by, check out the display and play a few hands at their poker table!

(Craig Mlasko is the owner of The Works Displays & Exhibits in San Jose, CA)

New trade show display!!!

We are offering some exciting new exhibit in the trade show industry! It is called MultiQuad and it bridges the gap between modular and custom exhibits:

This entire display breaks down into just two cases! it is a set of aluminum frames with panels that attach to give the reveal look. The panels can be graphics, laminate, wood grains or insert a monitor or display cubes:

The other aspect is that the show costs for shipping and setting up are a lot less than a custom display!!! Initially, this has been getting an outstanding response from the market. Contact www.TheWorksDisplays.com for your design and quote on this new display concept.

(Craig Mlasko is the owner of The Works Displays & Exhibits in San Jose, CA)

The state of exhibiting in today's economy

In discussing with colleagues on what is going on in the trade show industry these days, I have discovered some very interesting and surprising information:

First of all, obviously, companies are pulling out from exhibiting at trade shows these days. Knowing the payoffs that companies make from a successful trade show program, I think that it is a big mistake on their part. Too many times, companies only look at the outgoing costs and really do not consider the Return On Investment (ROI). Trade shows STILL are the best marketing tool that your company can do!!!

The next thing that we are seeing is that companies are scaling back on the size and complexity of their exhibit. This is fine since being in the industry, there really are a lot of exorbitant costs that companies are looking to cut or reduce. You can still have a nice looking display and present you product or service in a lower cost display. Everyone from exhibitors to attendees would expect that in today's business climate.

The big misnomer out there is that you read that attendance at trade shows is down 20% - 30%. Here's the big misunderstanding - while that number is correct, ROI is actually up!!! More business is being signed at trade shows in the past year!!! Here's why:

In the past, companies would send sales people, office staff, etc to the shows. On the show floor, those working the booth are meeting a lot of people but most of them are just 'kicking tires'. That takes up a lot of time for the booth staff, makes them unnecessarily busy and, therefore, business is not getting signed because they are too busy with everyone else and not getting to have a one-on-one with the decision makers.

Now, where attendance is down, companies are now only sending the CEO's of decision makers. There are less 'tire kickers' which frees up the booth staff so they are able to have more important meetings that are resulting in signed orders.

So, where overall traffic is down, it is good to see that business is still being signed.

(Craig Mlasko is the owner of The Works Displays & Exhibits in San Jose, CA)

Rental trade show displays

In the trade show industry, we see trends come and go based on new products or materials or the sign of the times. During these times, we are seeing more companies go with rentals. This can be explained by uncertain circumstances in the economy or with the companies themselves.

Like everything else, there are pluses and minuses for using rentals. My recommendations on when to use a rental are based on:

1. How many shows a year are you doing? If you are doing one show a year, it may benefit your budget. It will cost less per year and you don't pay for storage.
2. Cost. If you are doing more than 2 - 3 shows a year, it may be best to purchase. While renting is less on a one time usage, it is only about 1/2 to 2/3 of the cost of a purchase. So, if you do a few shows a year, you would pay for the display in a few shows.
3. Look of your display. On a rental, we use exhibits that can be used again and again. If you need a customized look, you may be limited on what is available. We can customize most rentals to fit your needs and message, but you may have to give a little on your design options.

The types of displays are the same as purchasing. You can rent pop up displays, modular exhibits and full custom displays. You can even rent double deck structures and hanging banners. These displays would need some surfaces to be refinished and new graphics to be added.

So, while things are still up in the air, trade show exhibit rentals may be your best bet.

Craig Mlasko is the owner of The Works Displays & Exhibits which offers all types of exhibits from rentals to pop up displays to full turnkey custom exhibits,

Green Products - Trade Show Flooring

The trade show industry, like most other industries, is doing what we can to offer trade show products that are more friendly to the environment. I will try to explore the variety in different categories. For this post, I will discuss trade show flooring. There is a nice variety of different flooring that is 'sustainable' flooring.

A product is considered sustainable if it is long-lasting, reusable or has a minimal long-term effect on the environment. Sustainable flooring is out of materials that are renewable, natural resources such as wood, bamboo or cork. The resources need to have been grown and harvested in a way that does not deplete or irreversibly damage the environment. They can be made from recycled or reclaimed materials, are designed to have a long life cycle so it does not need to be replaced as often, are manufactured with as little impact on environment as possible. They are made without toxic coatings or chemicals, installed without the use of toxic products or biodegradable.

The different types of 'green' flooring are:

• Carpeting - Starts from corn that is converted to glucose sugar. This sugar is then converted to monomers and then to polymers. The carpet fibers are then made from these polymers!
• Wood - This particular wood flooring is from sustainable green groves and is recyclable.
• Cork - Cork flooring is a completely renewable source made form wine cork waste or the renewable bark from cork oak trees. It is 100% biodegradable. It is made in an environmentally friendly manufacturing process. Cork is naturally rot-, mildew-, and fire-resistant so no chemical treatment is necessary.
• Recycled Rubber Flooring - Made from recycled tires, needs no toxic adhesives for installation, is durable and reusable.
• Carpet Padding - Even carpet padding can be made from recycled products.

These products may cost a little more than the regular products but the more that we use green products, the sooner the prices will come down.

(Craig Mlasko is the owner of The Works Displays & Exhibits which offers a wide variety of environmentally-friendly displays and accessories.)