 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
GE's Ecomagination
New Portable Exhibit with style for American Bank Equipment
Trade Show Coach: Using direct mail effectively
Employee Spotlight: Jeff Campbell
Graphic jargon decoded
Stop all those forwards clogging up your inbox
Direct mail is still one of the most popular promotional vehicles exhibitors use. From postcards to multi-piece mailings, attendees are deluged with invitations to visit booths. To target the people you want visiting your booth, use your own list of customers and prospects - it's one of the best available. Design a piece that is high-impact and totally benefit-oriented. Mail three pieces at regular intervals prior to the show, starting about four weeks out, to ensure your invitation is seen. Whenever possible, use first-class mail; there is nothing worse than a mailing that arrives after the show is over. Don't forget to use your website to post information about your tradeshow participation.
D&M Warehouse Supervisor Jeff Campbell is a self-described adrenaline junkie. He enjoys skydiving and bungee jumping, but his real passion is Motocross. When he isn't spending time with his eight year old son, and daughter, age five, he can be found at Podium 1 racetrack in Charlestown Indiana. Jeff has raced since the age of 10. After a hiatus when he was in the military and starting his family, he's recently rejoined the sport. Jeff's perspective changed from winning cash prizes, after an accident in 1999 required an eight-week recovery. Now he is focused on winning points and trophies. He's collected eight first-place wins so far this season.
Do you have friends who e-mail you and the rest of the world every Internet joke or anecdote that makes the rounds? If you do, and you get tired of having to delete these types of messages, you may have to have a talk with your friend. Susan Roane, author of How to Work a Room, says that she once had to talk to a friend/colleague about this matter. She says it's best to say what you have to say in person, that way your friend can hear your tone of voice and not misunderstand your request. Here's what she said to her friend: "I really enjoy hearing from you, but I don't read forwarded online jokes, especially if there is more than one screen of names. I would much prefer just hearing from you and how you are, and am so glad you stay in touch."
- Daniel Boone (1734 - 1820) American Explorer
To raise awareness of their Ecomagination initiatives
, General Electric recently staged an event at Universal Studios California. GE businesses from aerospace to consumer appliances and lighting displayed their latest green products and solutions. Deckel & Moneypenny designed and produced displays and exhibits to showcase GE's Energy Star certified appliances, technological advances in high-efficiency lighting, and their Ecomagination Homebuilder program.
Visitors, including Governor Schwarzenegger and California legislators, toured a complete "green" home exhibit with kitchen, living room, laundry and garage featuring GE's products. D&M used ecologically sound materials with recycled content and /or from renewable resources. Virtually every surface compliments GE's green message including kitchen cabinets, flooring, lighting fixtures and furniture with materials such as bamboo, natural Marmoluem flooring, recycled glass accessories and more. For a complete list of green products used click here.
In addition to the green home exhibit, a special lighting display demonstrated currently available technology such as compact florescent, and the latest innovations like organic LEDs and a high-efficiency incandescent bulb. The event raised awareness of GE's ecologically focused products and programs for hundreds of visitors.
American Bank Equipment, suppliers of refurbished banking machines and a first-time exhibitor, arrived in style at the 2007 Financial & Security Products Association expo with the latest in portable exhibits, the AIR. As a new player, ABE wanted their presence to convey stability and reliablity as well as a high-tech look. Even before setup was complete, they were receiving compliments from fellow exhibitors, and competitors were scrambling to spruce up their own displays.
The AIR was an excellent fit, utilizing the latest materials and technologies in an easy-to-use, portable package. Offering more functionality than an average pop-up, the Air can support monitors and shelving, has locking storage, integrated lighting, and packs (as shown) into three UPS-able wheeled cases. Two members of ABE's staff set up the exhibit without any tools in a half hour.
For two months prior to the show, American Bank Equipment sent invitations with a photo of their exhibit to potential attendees inviting them visit their booth. This resulted in higher than expected booth traffic. The show was deemed a success, accomplishing ABE's main goal of raising awareness of the company and developing a professional image in the industry. "We were the talk of the show for our professional approach to pre-show promotion and the overall impression created by our exhibit." said Norb LaTulippe, ABE Sales Rep.
Ever wondered why your printed graphic didn't look the way it did on your computer screen? Color matching can be a complicated process. In fact, our graphic specialists have taken entire college courses on the subject and like to say things like "the viewing gamma = source gamma x display gamma." But, no one wants to listen to that, so here are the basics.
When you view graphics on your computer, they are made up of tiny dots of red, blue and green (referred to as RGB color space). RGB uses light to create millions of colors which gives you great range, but for the same reason it is a poor method for color matching. Imagine a whole wall full of TVs at an electronics store all on the same channel, but the colors on each one are different.
Graphics are printed using cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK), which is actually a more limited color space. Layering these inks creates a (smaller) range of colors that can be manipulated by the printer. When it is imperative to achieve a certain color, allow some extra time to produce test prints.