February 20, 2013in Hybrid Displays 0 Likes

How To Protect Your Displays During Shipping

After spending countless hours designing the perfect marketing strategy for your trade show booth—not to mention countless dollars on custom signage with compelling graphics—you will definitely want to do everything you can to protect your exhibit products when they are being shipped to each expo. Here are a few tips to help you do just that.

1. Select the right shipping containers.

The biggest mistake that companies make when it comes to shipping exhibit materials for a tradeshow booth is to ship them in containers that are the wrong size. There are a variety of products on the market that are designed specifically for tradeshow products. For instance, our half-hard case built to perfectly fit 6 foot and 8 foot tabletop pop up displays and ready pop fabric displays. You won’t have to worry about the popping mechanism getting damage during transit, bouncing around in the back of a truck or as it is thrown into the cargo area of a plane. Similarly, digital displays will require special protections such as monitor cases and the like.

2. Choose durable materials.

Obviously, you aren’t going to ship your tradeshow displays in a cardboard box; plastic tends to be the material of choice. Shipping containers that are rotational molded, however, tend to be stronger than those that are injection molded. The rotational molding process also allows the containers to be designed with a more customized fit for the product and manufactured using the optimal thickness to protect the product. In other words: the shipping containers will fit your display materials like a glove!

3. Look for features that make it more convenient to transport.

Your exhibit displays will be less likely to get damaged if you also look for features that make it easier to move from one location to the next—from the truck to the dock, from the dock to the expo floor, etc. Such features include:

  • Wheels
  • Handles
  • Locks

You may think of locks as a security feature rather than a transportation feature, but locks also protect the case from accidentally being popped open in the event that the container is dropped during the loading and unloading process.

4. Hire a reliable shipping company.

Most likely, the products you will be shipping are heavy and oddly shaped, making it more cost efficient to select the services of a specialized shipping company rather than a general parcel service. Often, the venue will offer a list of preferred providers that they recommend you use. Don’t hire a company without first checking a few references to determine their reliability. Nothing will make your company look more unprofessional than being forced to use displays that are damaged or broken or, worse yet, haven’t arrived on time. You will also want to inquire about other services the vendors may or may not offer such as:

  • Less than truckload service
  • Inside pick-up and delivery
  • Flexible scheduling
  • On-site assistance
  • Unpacking and debris removal

If you follow this advice to pack and protect your tradeshow displays, you can be sure that your investment will arrive in tact, attract potential customers and pay off at many tradeshows to come.

September 12, 2012in Banner Stands 0 Likes

Stand Out from the Crowd with Banner Stands

Psst! Want to get a little attention at your next trade show? Its easier than you might think. You already know you need great products and services to get a crowd excited. But to help them find you in a busy trade show, try adding Banner Stands to your next display. Banner Stands offer the ability to showcase that new product or service easily at your display, letting it be one of the first things customer sees. Here are a few of our favorite tips to make your Banner Stands truly unforgettable.retractable-banner-cat

Add unique graphics and make them “pop”! When planning your display, remember that at a trade show your banner is something people will be able to see at a distance. It will be something you can use to draw in a crowd from across the room. Take advantage of this opportunity, and give them something great to see. This is the ideal space to put your spokesperson, top new product or something you are promoting at the trade show.

Have something great to say. This is another important factor to keep in mind. Not only do you want to use graphics, but you want to say something. One of the best things you can add is your company name. Another thing to add would be the tag line or slogan for your latest product or promotion. Make whatever you say something memorable, like that song that keeps running through your head hours after you’ve taken that spinning class at the gym.

Make them an offer they can’t afford to refuse. Want to really draw a crowd? Use your banner as the ideal opportunity to offer visitors something when they visit your booth. They could sample your product, get a free T-shirt or other promotional item. Another exciting opportunity would be to meet your spokesperson!

Our best inside secret of all: use the billboard strategy. Billboards used to be one of the most popular forms of advertising, today you’ll still find billboards in a few favorite places. Billboards can be quite memorable and successful. So what makes a great billboard? It needs to be memorable. It also needs to have appealing graphics, that suit the company to a “T.” That billboard also needs to say something, a “call to action” that reminds you to buy to product, make a call, to do something. Plan yours with that same strategy in mind. Take advantage of the opportunity they offer you at your next trade show, and prepare for a great crowd at your booth!