Many of my friends and fellow business associates know that when I put on an event, I do it to bring people together in the spirit of accelerating business in the community. My own company’s grand opening was no different. In preparation for our Grand Opening to celebrate our new location, I rallied support and participation from nearly every major networking organization in Albuquerque and neighboring cities.
EXHIB-IT! had made a name for itself by actively contributing to numerous organizations that are focused on building our community socially and economically. When it came time to plan for our Grand Opening event I wanted people to see what can happen when all these great organizations get together under one roof. EXHIB-IT’s success is due in part to the company’s involvement in organizations that support growing business opportunity in Albuquerque and in the state of New Mexico. The Grand Opening Event paid tribute to these organizations. The grand opening was more than just a celebration about our company and our company’s growth. It was really about what each organization in attendance has done to facilitate growth and synergy for every business.
My staff and I worked together to bring over 400 guests together for our June 12, 2008 Grand Opening Event. Guest speakers included two state senators and five political offices followed by ribbon cuttings by three Chambers of Commerce. I am very proud of my staff, our company’s growth history and our clients who have supported us through our progress and growth to truly be more than just an ordinary exhibit house!

by Marketing 7/2/2008 9:36:00 AM

We recently moved into a 9,000 square foot building only a couple of blocks from our old location. We simply outgrew our accommodations, as we seem to do every three to five years. For this Grand Opening, we wanted to do something special. Instead of giving our usual door prize display to an unsuspecting lucky attendee, we presented a nonprofit organization, Life Options Academy, with a new six-foot Sirius tabletop display manufactured by Nomadic Display valued at $1,200. The presentation took place after speeches given by two State Senators who came to show their support of what EXHIB-IT! is doing to help the New Mexico business community.

Life Options Academy (LOA), a 501c3 corporation, helps New Mexico teen moms transform their lives and break the cycle of poverty and abuse that teen parenting perpetuates. Now in its fourth year of operation, the organization operates in a newly purchased private home located in a quiet and safe neighborhood. The home provides a safe haven for young girls to begin rebuilding their lives with love and support.

We selected Life Options Academy to receive what we titled, The Empowering Exhibitor’s Display, because the organization is very forward thinking. Life Options Academy and its staff offer solutions through empowering young girls and giving them the tools they need to become successful mothers and independent women.

Life Options Academy CEO, Jane Dixon, accepted the display before 175 members of the business community. She explained to the onlookers, “Our community needs to know about the Academy to both support and utilize resources this organization provides. Having this top-of-the-line Nomadic display will help Life Options Academy get more hands-on visibility at trade shows and events. Thank you, Nomadic Display and EXHIB-IT! for your help in bringing this organization’s greatest assets to light.”

Before the end of the evening, we welcomed 400 attendees at our Grand Open House between 5 pm and 8 pm. We welcomed guest speakers from four political offices and had ribbon cuttings conducted by three chambers of commerce. Many local business and non-profit organizations were present to take advantage of the networking opportunity provided by such high attendance. Our event was such a success that we intend to hold another networking event next year of this size and magnitude.

Audrey Anderson
Marketing Manager
EXHIB-IT! Tradeshow Marketing Experts

In my years as an EXHIB-IT! Designer I have learned a thing or two about being able to access client jobs form five to 6 years ago because of repeat jobs. As a designer of any type your going to start taking on a client base that will (hopefully, because of your fantastic skills and your great demeanor) be calling upon you to recreate old jobs or just touch up an old job for a new project.

Most designers do not plan for this and they just archive the old job and move on to the next client. It usually ends up on a DVD/ROM on a shelf or even worse, just left on their hard drive under the clients name and forgotten about. Obviously doing the latter and not the former is a more suitable way to archive but even then not the best possible way to do this.

So, how do you know when you are archiving properly? The answer is simple, archive them according to the most basic information needed to retrieve it. What info is most important and most useful to you?

Since I base all my tradeshow clients on a PO number generated out of QuickBooks and the date, with which it went to print, my basic archived folder appears as follows.

(Primary Folder on my server) Name of Client

(Zipped File) PO# _ Name of vendor who printed it _ Date Project Completed

The files within the zipped file are usually organized as follows.

(Folder) Editable Files

(Folder) Proofs

(Folder) Printed Files

(Folder) Client Supplied Files

Once your files are archived it will be much easier to find them when needed. Even consider purchasing a software application that will allow you to browse your file structure. Adobe Bridge CS3 is a great file previewing application. It even allows you open the file in its native program with one click.

So now that you know how to create a self-sufficient naming convention that will help you appear 100% more organized to your clients, it’s time to learn the most important thing about archiving files, BACKUPS.

What good is creating a whole server based artwork storage system if you are not going to back it up and run regular maintenance on that system? After all files do get lost and/or worse of all – corrupted! Look into larger back up systems that you can purchase from your local computer store. They can be a bit pricy depending on the size needed but it is definitely worth it and could be the best investment you ever make as a designer. These software driven storage devices can back up daily and even burn to a DVD drive.

Just putting this extra time and consideration into your design archives will save you time which in the end saves you money.

Dallas Nesselroad

Director of Design & Production

STUDIO-E Creative

EXHIB-IT! Tradeshow Marketing Experts

 Our new location gets a lot more visibility than our old building.  We’ve had walk-in visitors who have never stopped in, but the convenience compelled them to satisfy a curiosity.  As a result, we’ve had the pleasure of working with many businesses we might not have had contact with by any other means.   There was a time last year when I wondered if we would ever find a location that would meet our needs.  We had searched high and low and found nothing close to this same area in which we have remained for over nine years.   Finally a space did open up that was large enough and close enough that we would not have to move but a few blocks from our earlier location area for the past eight years.

I considered my prayers answered!  However, some of our clients voiced a concern for me.  They said, “DJ, don’t you know that your competitor’s building is down the street from you?  Aren’t you worried you will lose business to your competition?” We chose to move into our wonderful new building knowing that it would be very close to what many people consider to be our competitor.  There are only two well known exhibit houses in our city, so a rivalry is sometimes perceived where there really is none, at least on our part.  This brings up a good point about competitive awareness and concerns.  You should always know what your competitor is doing, but do not be obsessed with your competition.  If you are providing a success rate for your clients and your clients perceive a real value from doing business with you, then there will be no concern about them leaving to go to your competition.  The way I look at it is if our prospect or client leaves our building and passes our competitor and decides to visit our competition, then we did not do our job well enough to keep that prospect or client happy.  It challenges us as a company to go above and beyond our clients’ expectations to be the best we can at all times.  If we do our job well, then everyone wins.

We’ve been in our new place for a little over a month now and my staff and I are all enjoying the nice amenities that the new building provides us.  During our first move-in week, we had over 12 new walk-in clients, which tells us that this move was the right choice!  We’ve got more work space, a great view of the mountains in addition to being accessible from both the Pan American Freeway (Southbound) and Jefferson Street behind our building complex.  The building upgrades, I believe, are what have put my staff in a perpetual state of happiness that our customers have noticed.  My staff and I have always enjoyed our work enough that our relationships between each other and our relationships with clients often times yield true long lasting friendships.  But recently we heard from a client, a holistic doctor of medicine, something that made me laugh.  The doctor said it seems to him that our entire staff is on “happy juice.”  He said that after his display was produced and completed he was a little bit sad that the process was over and he no longer had a reason to stop by and be around such happy people.  That was the most original compliment I’ve heard in a long time.  I feel my staff has earned this new building and new surroundings because they really do extend their kindness in a way that touches people who do business with us.  The comfortable amenities are much deserved and they manage to bring out even more of our company’s most admirable qualities- energy and passion to our clients’ success.

I have a lot of friends in the Albuquerque business scene because I’ve always been very active in community organizatioins after I founded EXHIB-IT!® in February of 2000. My trade show marketing company is well known because it continually earns national awards and remains on a steady growth plan despite ups and downs in the economy - when a marketing budget is usually the first to go. Most recently Enterprising Woman Magazine named me a 2008 Enterprising Woman of the Year, an award given the nation’s top 20 woman Entrepreneurs. The award is presented each year by Enterprising Women Magazine, a publication for women business owners. I will accept the award at an awards banquet held February 29th in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Winning this most recent award has caused more of my friends and business associates to ask me how my business keeps growing, especially through all the fluctuations in the economy. This is practically all we talk about at networking organization meetings while we share lunch and presentation time.I try to explain to my business associates that we are in the business of making sure that our clients’ stay innovative, unique and creative in their tradeshow marketing presentation. These qualities are important for achieving long lasting success in the marketplace, even when marketing budgets are tight. I explain to everyone who doesn’t know that trade shows statistically bring a higher rate of return than any other marketing tools combined, which counts for a lot when people don’t have much to spend on marketing. Our services become more important if you’re trying to use trade shows as a way to get more bang for your buck because it’s crucial that you show up prepared to set yourself apart. When I can effectively communicate this to my clients, I have successfully turned a lemon (a small marketing budget) into lemonade (a sale that is lucrative on both ends). Here’s my theory on how the process works-I’ve always carried with me an entrepreneurial spirit. I’m not afraid to take calculated risks. When clients sit down with me or my staff, I believe they begin to feel this spirit and begin to tap into their own entrepreneurial mind. They go ahead and take a calculated risk and then we make sure they succeed. At EXHIB-IT!® we are always putting our entrepreneurial drive into looking for new ways to help our clients shine. Our company thrives on our ability to provide clients with new ways of presenting their message that sets their company apart and drives traffic to their booth when they exhibit at a show. We carry that drive with us on every project and we simply won’t let them fail. One way we make sure they don’t fail is we send our clients through our Education StationTM which is a division completely dedicated to teaching trade show goers and exhibitors how to get the highest return on their tradeshow investment and it has produced a number of trade show experts after our own heart. Winning the Enterprising Woman Award certainly put us in the national spotlight recognizing what we do best. I might have won the award based on the way I grew my business, but my business continues to be successful because other people’s businesses grew once they began a relationship with EXHIB-IT! That, to me, is the ultimate reward.

We are in the process of moving offices this month and although we’re only going a couple of blocks north, my staff and I have had additional responsibilities in accordance with our packing and moving schedule.  I watched as desks were taken out of offices one by one and were replaced with folding card tables for the few weeks remaining.  I am very proud of my staff for still caring on the tip top customer service and quick response to clients’ needs in these temporarily uncomfortable working conditions.   

There’s no doubt we are all looking forward to being fully settled in our much larger building where we’ll be able to set up the “hidden” custom displays that we’ve never had the room to show off in our old showroom.   We’re also looking forward to using our large conference room for Booth Camp Training and Marketing Seminars.  Maybe you read my last blog that told of our seminar attendance numbers.  Each seminar continues to bring in more and more attendees.  We’ll have plenty of room in our new building to house larger crowds.  

The atmosphere in our new place will be more representative of who we are as a company.  In our old building, we were limited with arrangements and décor because we shared the building with another business.  Our new building is totally ours and had been completely designed from the bare skeleton to completion with the heart of our business in mind.  We’ve designed the showroom to be open and inviting with warm welcoming accent walls and comfortable seating. 

It will be a wonderful welcoming experience for customers coming in to consult with the EXHIB-IT! Team.  The hassle of moving will be over soon and March will be the best Spring ever!    

EXHIB-IT! considers itself to be the leader in tradeshow displays, services, education and design.  We look forward to this move and what all we will be able to provide for our clients.

This past Thursday, January 10th EXHIB-IT! opened our doors to over 95 people who attended our training seminar we call, “Booth Camp.”  If you aren’t already aware, EXHIB-IT! partners with show managers to help them put on fantastic shows with great attendance and polished exhibitors.  One of the ways we help is by holding training sessions specifically for all the exhibitors in a particular show.  We find that it’s a great time for all the exhibitors to meet, get excited about the show and learn some tips on how to get the best return on their investment. 

This was the largest undertaking we’ve done in our current facility and I wasn’t sure we could fit everyone comfortably.  Not to mention the issue of parking!  I consider myself to be well organized and always prepared for any and all events we host.  But we were a bit surprised when Wednesday morning came around and we got over fifty more RSVP’s for the next day’s event!   The fact of the matter is, we did not expect so many people to see the value in attending.  (or to RSVP the day before the event!) 
Of course, we know that going into a trade show prepared is worth twice the amount you spend to get there, so we would never turn anyone away who wants to learn.  We had to make a few adjustments to accommodate all the guests.  For instance, my staff parked several blocks away and shuttled to work that morning to free up parking spaces and we opened another time slot and taught the same seminar to an evening crowd.  We partnered with Advanced Presentation to obtain a one hundred inch projector screen and two large tripod mounted speakers so everyone could hear clearly at the crowded seminar. 
When the day was over, I was pretty tired and so was my marketing manager, who helped coordinate the event.  But we have never been so pleased and so happy knowing that we were able to help over 95 people and 50 companies succeed at their upcoming show. The word is getting out about the fact that we do so much more than design and produce tradeshow graphics and hardware.  We’re also absolutely committed to doing everything we can to help exhibitors be their very best and we are making plans to accommodate crows of one hundred plus for future in-house seminars.

Welcome to EXHIB-IT! Tradeshow Marketing Expert’s (also known as EXHIB-IT!) website blog.  My name is DJ Heckes and I am the CEO and founder of EXHIB-IT! Tradeshow Marketing Experts. Founded in February, 2000 EXHIB-IT!’s sole purpose is to provide education, marketing, services along with great products that will get you noticed at events.  I will be writing blogs every week or two to help you become more familiar in the trade show industry with the latest facts, trends and information to help you become an exhibiting expert. 

First and foremost, you want to choose a company with a proven track record, with award winning and innovative designs and who can back up their product with an outstanding customer service and warranties.  Second, choose a company who makes you feel like they understand your business and accurately translate this knowledge into a design that will capture your company’s image and Attendees eyes.  EXHIB-IT! and their manufacturer, Nomadic Display, have got you covered in all the above – Over 30 years of experience, multiple design and industry awards and some of the best warranties available anywhere…period.  

Working with a company who cares about your vision and mission is what it is all about.  Be sure your exhibit house understands your needs and creates a message that will take your company to the next level.  Anyone can sell a product, but make sure that your exhibit  house does more than just that.