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Lantech.com at Pack Expo
Understanding Fluctuating Labor Rates
Exhibit Raises Awareness of Domestic Violence
Trade Show Coach: Read the Trade Show Bible
D&M Craftsman Restores Rare Motorcycle
Travel Tip: EarPlanes
Origins of the Jack O'Lantern
The "exhibitor manual" or "show service kit" is show management's bible or complete reference guide to every aspect of the show. Exhibitors normally receive a copy after signing up for floor space. It recommends essential information for your show survival and saves you tons of aggravation, stress, and money. Read it cover-to-cover, digest its information, and act on it. Keep in mind that every show in which you participate will have a different set of rules and regulations. In any case, when reading the manual take deadlines seriously and adhere to them- it'll save you money!
D&M's Rick Hoskins, a master exhibit builder with 30 years experience, makes his daily rush-hour journey on one of the rarest vehicles in Louisville. He estimates that his 74' Indian ME 100 is one of only 200 of its kind running on this planet. Restoring the vintage motorcycle was a five month process that "couldn't have been done without the internet," says Rick. He tracked down parts all over the country, mostly through contacts he made chatting on a Yahoo interest group for 70s Indians.
Rick hadn't owned a motorcycle in 25 years, having sold his last one for safety reasons when his first son was born. In need of a fuel efficient means of commuting, due to rising gas prices, Rick says his son is old enough to "fend for himself."
Many travelers are plagued with ear pain when flying, especially if they have a cold, or allergies. There is now an alternative to antihistamines, nasal sprays, chewing gum and constant yawning. A special earplug called an Earplane regulates the air pressure in the middle ear relieving the painful symptoms of an overworked Eustachian tube. They last for two flight segments, and are available at most major drug stores and online. Pediatric versions are available for use on children as young as one year old.
O'lantern sounds Irish,
and it is. The flickering, carved pumpkin faces that 
animate the American Halloween derive from an old Irish custom of creating rustic lanterns from vegetables. The Irish child’s typical Halloween flashlight was a hollowed-out turnip or potato with a candle inside, and when the Irish landed in America in the nineteenth century, they were quick to spot the possibilities in the pumpkin.
For Lantech.com, the inventors and world's largest manufacturer of stretch wrapping equipment, Pack Expo is the major marketing event of the year. In even years, when the show attracts a more international audience, Lantech's booth occupies more than 7500 square feet.
Lantech showcases 20 of its machines in operation, creating a state-of-the-art shipping department right on the show floor. They demonstrate innovations in stretch wrapping, case handling, shrink packaging and palletizing to thousands of qualified prospects. To accomplish this, Lantech requires fifteen trailer loads of equipment and exhibit materials, 60 booth personnel to run machines, facilitate the demonstrations, collect leads, host distributors, and keep the booth clean and inviting.
Lantech's exhibit manager, Jerry Todd, CTSM, says marshaling all of these components successfully and efficiently requires careful planning, setting and sticking to deadlines and budgets, efficient internal communication and a dependable trade show partner (D&M).
He also emphasizes creativity as a valuable asset in keeping budgets trim. To save on show labor, they ship their heavy machines on carpeted skids, eliminating the need to remove the machines, store the skids and remount the products after the show, saving approximately $10,000 per show. Lantech also cuts costs by utilizing many of the same modular exhibit components show after show, and by selling many of the demo machines right off the show floor, saving on return shipping.
An understanding of labor rates is essential in keeping your budget under control. As a general rule, Show Services typically account for 12-14% of your show budget, but the Installation and Dismantle charges for the same exhibit can vary as much as 25% from city to city. This is important to bear in mind while formulating your budget for a multi-show schedule, or planning for a show that has recently moved to a new city.
There are three major factors influencing the cost of labor: union strength, labor jurisdictions and overtime. Typically, labor rates are higher in strong union cities. The graph illustrates rates in major US cities according to Tradeshow Week's 2005 survey.
Understanding jurisdictions will help you predict specific costs for each show. For example, in some cities you will be able to change a light-bulb, or plug in a monitor yourself, while in others, an electrician must perform these tasks. The Exhibitor Manual should detail all labor rates and jurisdictions.
It is especially important to pay attention to set-up and tear-down times, as overtime will quickly increase charges. If possible, plan ahead to avoid these times, but if it is necessary to setup in the evenings or on the weekend, be sure to build those costs into your budget.
In 1995, the Battered Offenders Self-Help (BOSH) quilt made its debut at the Kentucky State Fair. Created by women in prison for killing, or attempting to kill, men who were abusing them, it illustrated their tragic stories. While the quilt was an excellent tool for educating about the dangers of violent relationships, the original was fragile, limiting subsequent public viewings. The Louisville Clothesline Project initiated a program to create a reproduction of the quilt to be part of a traveling display to tell the history of the quilt and the women who created it.
Since the exhibit would be transported by volunteers to various locations including hospitals, schools, libraries, medical and law enforcement conferences, and courthouses, it needed to be portable, easy to set up and reconfigurable. D&M's solution was a custom display utilizing aluminum extrusion and infill panels that can be set up as an inline or in-the-round with only an allen wrench.
With graphics designed by Solid Light, the exhibit features the reproduction quilt along with an interactive flip panel with facts about domestic abuse, a history, photos of the women from BOSH, and tee shirts made by other abused women.
- Mahatma Ghandi Philosopher, Activist (1869 - 1948)