Beyond The Things We See

As do many of you, I spend large amounts of time in front of the computer screens on my desk positioned in the center of my desk in about the middle of my office.  You may think they are the center of my life and sometimes I guess they are.  Admittedly, they get most if not all of my attention throughout the day. 

But sometimes I stop and think, daydream or look around the room beyond the computers.  This is where I am reminded of the truly important centers of my life:

On the wall in front: a picture of my wife, three daughters and son given to me on Fathers Day.

Down beside the printer, a homemade sign with simple reminders: 

• Present choices determine future consequences
• Today is the only day you can affect
• You learn from the past, you plan for the future, but you deal with who you are today
• Today is the best day there is

Beside the sign: A crucifix

Above my calendar: A Junior Achievement poster signed by all the 7th grade students I taught as a JA volunteer at Head Middle Magnet School in Nashville. (I learned quite a bit from them.)

Beside the JA poster: My two daughters in costume for last years mini-Nutcracker performance.

Below that: A framed quote (anonymous) given to me many years ago by my wife that reads "It doesn't matter where you go in life, what you do, or how much you have...It's who you have beside you."

Taped to the left monitor: GOD ALONE (as seen at the Abby of Gethsemani).

These are the the things that matter at the end of the day.  It's the good stuff, but often overlooked... like Mary's "yes" to God and the birthday of the Child Jesus we soon celebrate.

Merry Christmas to all of you!

QR Tags: New Ways to Market Your Tradeshow

If you have not already seen these square barcodes, known as QR Tags, on products,  print ads, billboards and elsewhere, you will soon.  And smart tradeshow marketers and exhibit managers will begin using them in large numbers in graphics and other marketing materials to meet their tradeshow goals.

What they are:

Invented in Japan, where they are everywhere, QR tags (short for Quick Response) are two dimensional codes place on - or integrated into -print ads, outdoor signs, store windows and even business cards.  For the trade show exhibitor, they might be printed into your display graphics, integrated into pre-show mailings and even post-show follow-ups.

A smart phone, such as an Android or iphone, scans the codes and delivers to the mobile screen any number of data rich information: web sites, product demo videos, coupons and landing pages to collect additional information.  The Hacker Group, a direct/digital marketing agency in Seattle, has rightly called this technology “a seamless link between the physical world and the online world.” Wow!

How they work:

QR tags can be generated and printed by anyone using readily available software.  Your printer or tradeshow graphics designer can generate a tag as part of your display graphics.  The can be produced and added to existing graphics or incorporated into new graphic designs. These tags are coded with the data and information information directed to your prospects. Tags are then scanned by smart phones or camera phones and in a matter of seconds, your banked information is transferred to the mobile smart phone. Tons of information can be transferred in seconds.

Benefits for the tradeshow exhibitor and exhibit manager:

Smart phones are everywhere, especially at trade shows.  With QR Tags, you can become an early adopter, differentiate yourself from the competition and connect with your target audience. This new technology tool allows for great creativity in putting together your marketing campaigns.  Here are just a few ideas to get you started.

Pre-Show Mailers - the QR tag might contain this data:

-  Company web site, or better yet, a show specific page.  Scanning a tag is much easier and faster than typing a long URL address.
- Map of your booth location, with hours for any special presentations, seminars, demos or in-booth promotions.  Make it easy to find you, especially a large shows.
-  Special invitation to an after-show party or hospitality suite.  Many times, its where the real business gets done.
-  Offer for a special giveaway

Trade show graphics - the QR tag might contain this data:

-  Product demonstration video
-  Landing page to request more information (including need, budget and time frame pre-qualification)
-  Video of customer testimonials
-  Coupon or show special pricing
-  Special giveaway - such as the i-pad promotion shown above

Post-show followup - the QR tag might contain this data:

-  Business card information on the thank you note
-  Video demonstration of product prospect was interested in
-  Customer testimonials

NOTE: For hot prospects, you may want to use those old reliable technologies: the telephone, paper and pen.

Dealing with the Prez

Recently my wife rolled up to the check-out counter at Kroger with $196.00 worth of groceries.  She knows she had $196 worth of groceries because she had self-scanned all of her groceries, bagged them and loaded the into the cart to take out to the car.

Then some unfortunate things happened: First, she wanted to pay with a check; second, Kroger only accept checks up to $150 in self-checkout; third, and most unfortunate, she had only one check.

The clerk made an exception this one time and my wife went merrily on her way, right?  No, the clerk would not let her write the one check for $196 and she left without the groceries.

Seth Godin, in his start-up manifesto, The Bootstrapping Bible, discusses many advantages that small businesses have over the big boys.  One is Presidential Input and, in this case, its what you might have gotten from a small independent grocery store.  But not at Kroger.

If the president of Kroger had been standing where the clerk was, do you believe he would have made the same decision?  Risked losing even one customer? Risked all the bad word-of-mouth advertising? Let $196 walk out the door?  Probably not.

Company presidents don't do that.  Policy-ridden bureaucratic companies do.  And that's one of the benefits of working with small businesses: You can always deal directly with the President of the Company who is willing to cut through the crap, who sets policy and "will never lose someone over a stupid rule."

How's your booth staff performing?

I have a friend who works in the hotel industry, a nice hotel on the upper end of quality and service.  One thing he is always mentioning is the “shopper visit” and the “shopper report.”  In his world, a shopper is an  anonymous mystery guest who checks into the  hotel, calls room service, visits the concierge, eats at the outlets, visits the exercise facility - no department is spared. All the time, the mystery shopper is taking copious notes on cleanliness, service, courtesy, attire, etc.  The mystery shopper also takes names.  

The shopper report is a big deal for him and all his coworkers and he always talks with a tone of respect and  seriousness.  The shopper’s visit and resulting report is completely objective and its outcomes can have serious repercussions, both positive and negative.  Indeed, the program has a great affect on behavior modification.  For instance, he says his manager is always telling him to “treat everyone like a shopper.”

Now let’s apply this concept to trade shows.  What if there was a mystery booth visitor who entered your booth at the next trade show - someone totally unknown to your booth staff and employees?  The mystery booth visitor could carefully observe many staff behaviors that ultimately can make or break the success of the show.


Unless you, the management are physically inside the booth at the show observing the staff, how do you really know how they are performing.  And if you are there, how is your presence affecting their behavior?

This mystery visitor could observe things like the approach and greeting, qualification and presentation skills,  demonstration skills, how the visitor is followed up on after the show, 6 months, 12 months.   Also, the mystery booth visitor could check the setup of the booth while checking the quality of third-party vendors’ services, such as florists and installation/dismantling crews.

Yes the mystery visitor could “take names” but ultimately the mystery booth visitor can tell management what is working and what is not and what needs to be worked on through additional training. 

Moore's Law revisited

I'm not much of a techno-geek, but even I have heard many times of Moore's Law.  In 1965, Gordon E. Moore, the co-founder of Intel, published a paper describing a trend in which the number of transistors that can be placed on an integrated circuit doubles every two years.  The law has shown its usefulness many times in our recent digital age especially in relation to computer memory, storage, processing speeds, even manufacturing costs.

I'll go out on a limb here and say that Moore's Law probably does not apply to raw information.  I'm referring to messages - useful or not - generated in our world today through the traditional means of marketing and advertising such as print ads, TV, radio and billboards and new media made possible by the internet, such as this blog you are reading, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, You Tube and on and on.   Some of you may remember that Google used to show you the number of pages it was searching to provide you with the results page(s) of your search phrase. In 2005, Eric E. Schmidt, president of Google decided to take off the feature on the Google home page giving the number of indexed pages.  The last day stated "Searching 8,168,684,336 Web pages." In 2008, the number of unique pages indexed by Google had reached 1 trillion!  That's a big increase in just three years.

There's a mind-boggling amount of information out there and its both challenging and fun to find the information that's useful right now.  Challenging as to not get too distracted ...  fun because the possibilities seem endless.  Bill Gates states in the introduction of his book "Business @ the Speed of Thought" that "business is going to change more in the next 10 years than it has in the past 50."  The book was written in 1999, and this statement sounds about right.  He also writes that the "computer industry is about as far in development as cars were in 1910 and planes were in 1930."  Amazing.

I hope you'll continue to read Integra Display (the blog) and perhaps find useful information here. We have indexed this blog on Technorati - AJ4A36M9B9S7 - to make it easier for those interested in effective trade show and event marketing to find. (We'll also discuss interesting people like Gordon E. Moore, Eric E. Schmidt and Bill Gates...)

References:  The New York Times, Wikipedia and Bill Gates' book referenced above.

Lessons Learned Along the Way

I came to a point long ago where I decided Integra Display was going to be about something more than just selling things (displays and graphics) to companies for use in their marketing efforts.  That in itself is exciting and to some extent fulfilling.  But simply finding needs and satisfying them for profit can only go so far.  I wondered: Is there more to it?  I found the answer to be yes, there is not only more, but much more.

One thing more are the lessons you learn from your clients along the way.  The lessons are sometimes business lessons and sometimes they are life lessons.  Often they are one in the same.

Take for instance the article which appeared in Reclaiming Lives, a publication by Centerstone, a  not-for-profit organization providing a wide range of mental health and addiction services throughout Tennessee, titled Seven Lessons to Learn from Children.  "Children can teach adults valuable lessons about living more enjoyable lives," writes Centerstone Wellness Expert,  Susan Gillpatrick MEd, LPC, CTS.  Some of these lessons (in abbreviated form):

• Laugh More - Laughter is nature's stress buster, lowers blood pressure, lifts depression, boosts our immune system, and more.

• Live in the Moment - Kids aren't consumed with the past and don't worry about what is yet to come.

• Have Fun Friends - Remember your best buddies from school days? Seek fun friendships that will add enjoyment to life.

• Go with the Flow - Everything doesn't have to be planned minute-by-minute.  Be flexible and enjoy the surprises.

• See the Good in People - Children are seldom critics of others.

• Bounce Back after Setbacks - Children only stay distraught from mistakes temporarily.

• Write Your Own Story - Start today and write your story for the future.

Seven Lessons to Learn from Children and other articles in Reclaiming Lives can be downloaded here.  In the future, I'll write about other lessons learned along the way.  For now, I'll just live in the moment.

Earth Day Exhibit at the EPA

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in North Carolina has installed a globe-shaped exhibit designed by SAIC in Oak Ridge, TN, and produced by Integra Display.

The globe is 8 ft high X 8 ft diameter and includes four quads featuring "Icons and Events" of the 2000's, 1990's, 1980's and 1970's. 

The frame's aluminum structure was provided by Octanorm; the graphics are hi-resolution direct prints mounted to Dibond and laminated.

The exhibit will be in the lobby of the EPA facility during the month of April in celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day (April 22, 2010).

Budget-saving uses of existing hardware

Everyone is looking for ways to save money on their marketing programs and trade shows are increasingly under the microscope, if not the scalpel.

One way to save money on your trade show program is to use one frame configuration and re-fit (or, as some say, "re-skin") with new sets of interchangeable graphics.

Square D/Schneider Electric uses the frame configuration (top) with one of the two sets of graphics shown depending on which trade show they are exhibiting at - one set of graphics on the frame for one show and another set of graphics on the frame for another show.

Its a smart way to manage your trade show properties and one which many of our clients take advantage of:  One frame with multiple sets of interchangeable graphics.  The key is to get good quality display framing that has a lifetime warranty and field repairable parts.

This is a great way to spread your expenses over multiple shows in these days when marketing budgets are tightening.  Save money when you use and reuse the same frame and different, interchangeable graphics - its like having two or more displays for the price of one!

How design increases booth traffic

Display design has some heavy lifting to do on the busy trade show floor.  There is much to see, much to do, much much competition for your prospect's attention.  In a very few seconds, your display has to visually engage the prospect in some way.  In those very few precious seconds, display design is the best way to engage the prospect, grab their attention, and lead them to that equally important show floor experience - your greeting.  The transformation of disinterested attendee to engaged prospect is a lightning fast transaction.

Consider this 20 ft display trade show display designed by Kristoff Creative for Choice Food of America (CFA) and produced by Integra Display.   This design is an embodiment of a concept we often advise our clients: Your display should be a billboard, not a brochure.  Kristoff and CFA "got it" with this display design.  Is your display design working hard for you?  If you are observing show traffic passing you up yet gathering at others (maybe your competitors), then try the less is more billboard concept with new display graphics.

New client converts shipping case into GIANT ipod

Integra Display client, KeepingUP.org of Vanderbilt University Emergency Medicine, makes it easy for busy physicians to "keep up" with the latest and most current articles on Emergency Medicine. The 15 minute downloadable podcasts offer concise summaries of 50 major journals.  Editor and co-founder, Clay Smith MD, FAAP, FACEP, thought the best way to get across the message to prospects on the busy show floor is with a giant ipod - this one made with a graphic wrapped around the display shipping case.  An entire 10 ft. wide X 8 ft. high display (shown) packs and ships in the one case via UPS, FEDEX or checks as airline luggage.