The Up-Side of a Down Economy

Ok, all signs are pointing to an economic downturn. What does this mean to your company’s marketing efforts?

Quantity does not always mean quality. This is important to keep in mind. As industry news stories tell us of decreased participation in trade shows and events in conjunction with decreased attendance, many corporate marketing and exhibit managers are re-thinking participation. In many cases, this can be a mistake.

While constantly evaluating your marketing strategy is key, be sure to take into consideration not only the facts, but also what those facts really mean. A decreased number of exhibitors and attendees, vis-a-vis a smaller show, may actually work in your favor if you strategize properly.

Let’s dissect this.

Fewer exhibitors. Who will decide not to attend this event? Definitely companies that do not see the Return on Investment (ROI) because of the decreased numbers of attendees. Some smaller companies that are struggling with the decision to attend for the same reason and probably other financial considerations. There are many more reasons, but let’s stick with these for right now. Fewer exhibitors means less competition for face-to-face interaction with potential buyers. Less competition can mean a combination of two things: more quality time in front of your prospect and a more serious prospects to talk to about your products and services. Sounds like a good reason to consider attending.

This makes sense, but, with the decrease in attendees, is it still worth it? Well of course you would need to make this decision based on your specific industry and the effect the economy is having on it. But I feel the answer a majority of the time will be yes. It is still worth it. Why? Fewer attendees does not necessarily translate into less opportunity in many cases it can mean more opportunity. After spending over a decade in this industry, I have seen a lot of ‘waste’ at shows. Companies buying or looking for new products are now becoming more efficient buyers by doing their homework BEFORE the show. They look into companies that offer the products and/or services they need and make contact before the event. This way, they can send fewer people and have more productive interaction with the exhibitor for less cost. The days of sending employees to trades show and events as a 'perk' or coming to a close. These are the people who do little more than clog thje aisles and waste exhibitors time all to pick up a few promotional items. Exhibtors are sending their best sales people and attendees are sending their most efficient buyers. Sounds like the perfect combination to me.

So how do you capitalize on this new way of doing things? Pre-plan. Reach out to prospective clients and make appointments to meet at the event. Set meetings in advance, even if it is over a cup of coffee before the event begins. Make sure your staff working the show KNOWS they are working the show and this is not a company paid vacation.

A few ways to be prepared:

-Know how to determine, in the first 30 seconds, if you are interacting with a real prospect or someone looking for free promotional items. This is not a training ground.
-Know your elevator speech forwards and backwards.
-Have a solid game plan going in and be flexible and ready to change the game plan if necessary.
-Have a plan to follow-up on your leads.

ROI

This may answer the question of whether or not to attend, but, now you need to determine what is the best return on your investment. Your event may not warrant transporting your giant custom display across country. You may be committed to the 20 x 30 you signed up for last year. No problem. Rent a display from a reputable exhibit house in the same geographical region as the event. This can save thousands of dollars. Enough to staff the display, including meals and expenses, for the entire event. Or, you may be better off downsizing the display. What was once a sign of a weakening company is now becoming a sign of a smart, experienced company. Size matters, because bigger is no longer better.

In today’s market, the trend is turning towards lightweight displays, even for the bigger ones. Less use of wood and more use of aluminum and fabrics. It makes sense, looks good, and saves money. A win-win-win situation.

Before you decide not to attend, look at all the facts and make sure it is not in your companies best interest to attend. Don’t follow the crowd, it may cost you a great account becasue your competitor is not attending either.
There is an upside to everything … even a down turned economy. Be smart and make the best of what others see as a bad situation.

Go get ‘em!

Just What the Heck is Dye Sublimation?

Dye-Sublimated fabrics are usually 100% polyester and range in weight from about 2oz to 9oz per square yard. The ink is an aqueous based sublimation ink. During the process of dye-sublimation, the polyester fibers ‘open up’ and the ink turns from a liquid to a gas (sublimate); those gasses are then forced into the open fibers of the fabric and when it cools they are trapped inside the fibers. This process is actually dyeing the fabric. This results in a durable, washable, permanently dyed fabric that maintains the same soft hand it had prior to printing. However, the nature of the ink pigments limits the outdoor UV life to about 9months.

All other print processes place ink onto a surface, but do not penetrate as Dye Sublimation does. Some of these processes may provide longer UV life but none is more durable and most of the other methonds affect the soft hand of the fabric by stiffening the feel.

Here are some application of Dye Sublimated graphics. This process works extremely well with the Duffle Display making it durable, long lasting and inexpensive to transport.

AMP Terminals Multi Media Project

Moose Displays & Logistics President Marc R. Mousseau in the theater designed by his team.



Members of the Cypress Media Team on location


Getting the right angle for the shot



On Board one of the Maersk ships in port at the APM Terminal in Port Elizabeth, NJ


APM Terminals Port Elizabeth NJ facility has recently been undergoing some renovations. One of the renovation projects was to convert an area housing a diorama ( 3-D model) of the facility into a multi media area where guests could experience the operation even when there were no ships in port.

Teaming up with Cypress Media Group, Moose Display and Logistics oversaw the conversion of the diorama area into a 25-seat movie theater complete with high definition projector and state-of-the-art sound system. Meanwhile, Cypress Media worked with the APM management team to create an 8-minute documentary in hi-definition. To see a clip of this video please link to: http://cypressmedia.net/pages/cases/apm.htm .

One of the main challenges for converting the theater space was working around existing obstacles within the area. This included the complete demolition of (2) bathroom facilities and the replacement of the fire suppression system. Another challenge was to place the seating in such a way that all visitors could see the screen from their seat. This required building risers to elevate the rear of the theater. In doing so, we also chose to wire underneath the risers for the placement of Sub-Woofers. These speakers were specifically added to give the view the sensation they were watching the ship operations live.

In order to create the best video possible, cooperation was asked from all of the departments shown in the video. This also included working with the International Longshoreman Association (ILA). Once we had full cooperation from all departments, the Cypress Media crews went to work. Sticking to a shooting schedule, the Hi-definition video crews were at the mercy of the weather. Unfortunately, for some days of the shoot, the weather was extremely uncooperative!

During the December debut of the video and theater, all departments of the Elizabeth, NJ APM Terminal were extremely please with the results.

This is just another example of the diversification Moose Displays and Logistics offers our clients.

Novo Nordisk Travelling Diabetes Exhibit

Novo Nordisk, a worldwide leader in Diabetes care has contracted with Moose Displays & Logistics to manage their ongoing road show for Diabete awareness.

In 2007 this event travelled to such places as Philadelphia, New Yorks Bryant Park and Orlando. In 2008, the exhibit has been in TYampa, Fl and Minneapolis, MN ( See Photo) and will continue on to Grand Prairie TX, Cleveland, Seattle, Chicago and wrap up the year in Atlanta this October. Mooose Displays & Logistics staff members will oversee most aspects of the Storage, updating, transportation, installation and dismanmtle of this exhibit throughout 2008.

The Dangers of shipping parcels direct to trade shows.

In today's economy, using a parcel service to ship your trade show properties can be the most cost effective method available. However, because of their almost completely automated systems, one error can erase all of the savings almost instantly.

The major parcel services in the US are giant companies with airplanes, semi-trucks and delivery vans. All of this comes together as an extremely effective way of moving packages through one of the various automated systems in 'hub' cities. However, once in the system, you are at the mercy of this automation.

I have had more than a few bad experiences. For example, I had (2) packages shipping at the same time. The driver scanned one as ground and the other 2-Day. Unfortunately, the driver got them mixed up, and, by the time we realized the error, our 2-Day package headed to Las Vegas was actually on a truck headed for Joplin, Missouri. The ground shipment arrived at its destination the next day.

Any and all efforts to get the miss-routed package back on track failed. Not because the customer service representative was not sympathetic to our needs, but because the only way to get the package out of the system was to scan it out at the destination. In this case, the destination was Las Vegas and the package was now scheduled to arrive there on the last day of the show.

While we were not required to pay for the shipping, this did little to help the client at their event... the package was their trade show display.

In another nightmare, a package with the client graphics was miss-routed in transit. It could not be located. We placed a claim for the lost package and followed it as best we could. A week or so later the package was found and returned to us. Unfortunately, the package was no longer 'lost' and the parcel service had no obligation to honor the claim for the value of the contents. In this case, the contents were show specific graphics and were of no further use to the client.

Am I recommending that companies cease using parcel services for trade show and event related items? Of course not. I am recommending, however, that exhibiting companies know and understand what can go wrong and plan accordingly.

For example:

- Send packages to the advance warehouse when possible. This give the parcel carriers time to located miss routed items and still get them to the destination on time.

-Track packages from the moment they leave your possession. This will help you get the jump on lost or miss-routed packages.

-For displays, ship to advance warehouse. When this is not possible, use a trucking or logistics company to move the freight for you. While it is going to be more expensive, in many cases freight can be re-routed in transit if necessary. Because of this, LTL (Less Than Trailer-load) carriers have the highest rate of on-schedule deliveries for this industry.


In many cases using one of the major parcel services cannot be avoided. However, being prepared and knowing what can go wrong will help you avoid the headache of lost or miss-routed packages.

More of the 'Green Stuff'

Here are some other examples of “Green” decisions that not only are eco-friendly, but, are also cost effective.



CasTools Tooling System – A Canadian based company that decided to rent their display in Atlanta rather than ship their existing display to shows in Orlando and Atlanta. Given the exchange rate of the US dollar, they were able to spend less money and have a larger impact working with a local exhibit house.

Working with Moose Displays & Logistics, they were able to design and implement a trade show display that was functional, cost effective and effective.




Kubota – Working through an agency in Japan, Moose Displays & Logistics was forwarded and existing design and asked to replicate on the trade show floor in Atlanta. To accomplish this, we were able to use rental truss and eco-friendly graphics. The event was effective and the cost of produce was far less expensive than shipping their existing properties overseas.




Hendrix Genetics – Another one of our friends from the Great White North.
Hendrix Genetics attends the International Poultry Expo annually. For 2008 they combined companies for a 30 x 50 display. In order to increase their presence with all (3) companies, and not drastically increase their cost to attend, they chose this open and effective design. Hendrix Genetics was referred to us by another client of ours from France, Visio Nerf.



Pro Energy Group – This design is an all time favorite for cost and functionality. As a 20 x 20 trade show display, the design allows for a strong graphic message as well as ample room at ground level. The graphics attached to the truss are specifically sized to be used as an 8 x 10 Duffle Display. All three tower graphics combined will create the following combinations: (3) 10 x 10 trade show displays, (1) 10 x 20 & (1) 10 x 10 or (1) 10 x 30 display.

This design has been used by other companies as well such as Early Times Bourbon Fishing Team and Universal Guardian. Modification to this design include adding a semi-transparent conference area under the tower, adding a header banner for show halls allowing displays to be built to 20 feet. This display can easily be taken to 20’ by simply adding (3) 1M truss beams to the legs.

What does "Going Green" really mean?

"Going Green" ... OK, it's today's buzzword. But, what does it mean?

I'm coming to you as a regular guy who has tried to find the answer to this question. While I may not have the politically correct answer, I think I may at least provide some clarification.

"Going Green" is more of a positive impact statement. Let's try to protect the environment by being conscious of the decision we make on a day-to-day basis. I think the most common analogy I can use here is what was once 'paper or plastic?' is now ‘re-usable tote bags or planet killing, non-recycled poly-carbons’

As far as I can figure out, there are really (2) major components to ‘Green”

1) Reduction in the carbon footprint through transporting of goods
2) Use of recycled or recyclable products, which in turn, reduces the carbon footprint.

Moose Displays & Logistics is in the trade show industry. We make displays and graphics and we transport them. We are interested in both production and transport.

There are a few weaker arguments that companies are making claiming that their same old product they have been making for years is lighter than their competitors. Less weight means less to ship, which translates into a smaller carbon footprint and therefore, without any further changes, can be defined as green. I don’t buy it.

Now, creating a lighter weight product by using as much recycled material as possible and using recyclable material for the rest … is a conscience effort to reduce the carbon footprint.

Take our Duffle Display for example. Moose came up with the Duffle Display in early 2003 when “Green” was not much more than a popular paint color and that’s just about it. As the ‘Green Initiative’ started gaining momentum we re-evaluated the Duffle Display, and other products we have to offer, to see how we might be able to contribute.

The Duffle Display could always be considered green. Our initial intent was to reduce the shipping costs for exhibitors. So, we developed a display that ships as baggage on major airlines. What we inadvertently did was eliminate the carbon footprint altogether.

As the enviro-friendly movement started to become politically correct, we looked deeper into the product and discovered we can now use material made from 100% recycled soda bottles to print our graphics using non-solvent based inks and toners. These fabrics use less energy to produce, can match PMS colors and pass California Fire Retardant testing. California Fire Retardant testing is the toughest fire certification in the nation. Our frames, which are not required at most trade shows and events, are made from recyclable aluminum.

There are other ways to use products at trade show events that help the environment. For example, rent your exhibit if at all possible. Rentals allow multiple exhibitors to re-use the same materials at different events. Also, companies can re-cycle and refurbish existing display pieces rather than purchase new ones.

There is a lot you can do to help the environment.

So, the question really is not: “ Is it green?” The question really is: ‘Is it as green as it can be?”

Do your part because if we lose our planet, where will we live?