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F O R T H E T R A D E S H O W , E V E N T A N D R E T A I L M A R K E T S

The The Many Many Ways Ways

of of Portable Portable DisplaysDisplays

Bomber display cases

from Pelican p. 2

Maximizing space

on a display p.8

PORTABLE DISPLAY SUCCESSSPRING 20102

How do you use your portable display?One company in this issue of Portable Display

Success needed a head-turning banner stand to catch people’s attention at the aisle level. Another wanted to make a big splash at a presentation for Microsoft. And still another needed something new and natural-looking to help launch a new product line with a similar feel.

There are countless ways to use portable displays, and in an economy like this, their many benefits over large custom displays shine even brighter than ever. Read about them in this issue and you’ll see why portable displays will probably make great sense for you too.

— Jon Bell Editor Portable Display Success

FROM THE TOP E d i t o r i a l

Publisher Editor Travis Rigby Jon Bell

P r o d u c t i o n

designer Greg Sorrell

S u b S c r i P t i o n

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H E a d q u a r t E r S630 NW 14th Ave • Portland, OR 97209 1-888-333-1845 www.PortableDisplaySuccess.com Portable Display Success – Spring 2010 Portable Display Success is published four times a year by PosterGarden. All material is Copyright 2009 by PosterGarden unless otherwise noted or attributed. Reproduction or reuse of the content herein requires written permission from Portable Display Success.

Pelican hard cases are solid, watertight, and backed by a lifetime warranty.

Protecting portable displays with Pelican cases .Normal wear and tear on a portable display is one thing. But unpacking your display at a trade show only to find it’s been damaged in shipping? Inexcusable.

That’s why PosterGarden has partnered with Pelican, the leading shipping case manufacturer in the business. PosterGarden now offers an array of Pelican hard cases that are solid, watertight, and backed by a lifetime warranty

“Shipping damage is one of the biggest problems our customers run into,” says Mike Rigby, PosterGarden’s Director of Product Development. “With these cases from Pelican, that will become a thing of the past.”

For more than 30 years, Pelican has built a reputation for manufacturing the toughest cases in the world. Favored by the military, photographers, medical professionals and others, the cases have been thrown out of helicopters in Iraq, floated through frigid fjords in Norway, and rolled over by SUVs in Tanzania. Despite a few external scratches, the contents always arrive unscathed.

And that’s just what portable display users want: to get their displays to a show intact, functional, and ready for the floor.

Each watertight case features: protected wheels with ball bearings; rugged double handles; stainless steel hardware and lock protectors; an optional TSA-accepted lock; and more. Future options will include foam inserts for specific PosterGarden displays.

SPRING 2010 PORTABLE DISPLAY SUCCESS 3

By Jon Bell, Portable Display Success

Continued on pg 4

The times have been tough on the tradeshow.

Shows across the country saw the numbers of exhibitors and attendees shrink as the economy (and marketing budgets) sank over the past two years.

In an annual exhibit management survey, the Trade Show Exhibitors Association found that exhibitors were expected to cut their presence by almost 20% in 2009 and exhibiting budgets were predicted to decrease 17%. Tradeshow Weekly’s quarterly report for the fourth quarter of 2009 found that many of those predictions had come true: attendance, space sales, and exhibitors were all down over the prior year.

But not all is lost. This year is already shaping up to be a slightly better one, and companies are still exhibiting because they know the benefits are there. One way they’re able to do that: portable displays.

“We have a lot of folks who used to have large booths who are still wanting to go to shows, so now they are using portable displays instead of full on custom exhibits,” says Travis Rigby, president and CEO of PosterGarden, a portable display company in Portland, Ore. “A lot of our customers are using our displays to beat the pressure of the economy.”

Many companies have turned to portable displays like banner stands, popups, and tensioned fabric displays as a more economical way to share their messages at shows. Fabric,

Future Food used a large image with a simple logo for their Sophora tensioned Fabric display .Future Food used a large image with a simple logo for their Sophora tensioned Fabric display .

In good times and bad, portable displays help companies share their messages.

THE

4 SPRING 2010 PORTABLE DISPLAY SUCCESS

“We feel we’ve done ourselves a big favor because we have less hassle at shows thanks to these displays.”

duplicated the look for both of our brands and were able to purchase one fabric graphic (front and back). Not to mention how easy it is to put up and take down. We also purchased the foam wood floor to help tie it all together with the clean look we wanted to achieve.”

The company planned to use the booth for the first time at the Natural Products Expo West in March.

As its name implies, SportGame Inc. is all about sports: football, hockey, basketball, baseball, even horse and auto racing. The Mississippi company’s bag is supplying computer systems to casinos to run sports-oriented contests.

So it made absolute sense for SportGame to promote itself on Flora Retractable Banner Stands with bright, colorful images of what it knows best: sports.

especially, has become a popular option for its versatility and the improved printing quality that’s come over the past few years. The best companies today can print custom, full-color graphics in-house using advanced dye-sublimation or UV curing processes to create stunning graphics that can be replaced without having to buy a brand new display all over again.

Portable displays are also lighter than large custom ones, which helps save money on shipping, drayage and labor costs as well.

“Portable displays really seem to make a lot of sense for anyone looking to maintain their presence at shows during tougher times,” Rigby says. “But beyond that, their appearance, simplicity and durability gets the job done for people, no matter the economy.”

With all that in mind, here’s a look at five different companies and how they’re using portable displays to spread the good word about themselves at trade shows and events.

Future Food was looking for a portable display with a clean, natural look for its new line of all-natural foods.

The Texas manufacturer of refrigerated dips, salads and spreads found exactly that — and then some — in a double-sided Sophora Tension Fabric Display from PosterGarden.

The 10-foot serpentine-style display features a two-sided graphic printed on earth-friendly EcoWeave fabric. One side of the Sophora showcases Future Food’s Santa Barbara Bay brand, the other shows its Salads of the Sea brand.

“We went with a clean white background and simple product shot,” says Emily Alfano, marketing manger for the company. “We

Continued on pg 5

Future Food gets twice the work out if its Sophora display because it’s double-sided.

SportGame went with big, bold graphics on its Flora retractable Banner Stands.

5PORTABLE DISPLAY SUCCESSSPRING 2010

“We are sports-oriented, with NFL football and NHL hockey being our most popular contests, so we used those players to attract attention,” says SportGame’s Sheila Grieco-Turner.

She says SportGame mainly uses the displays to identify the company and share its benefits at trade shows such as the National Indian Gaming Association, the New York Gaming Summit and casino marketing shows.

An important part of SportGame’s marketing efforts, the Flora banner stands have also proven to be easy to use, very effective and intriguing to passers-by.

“We feel we’ve done ourselves a big favor because we have less hassle at shows thanks to these displays,” Grieco-Turner says. “We have received compliments on them, and we have noticed that the seem to have a magnetic draw.”

Samad Wahedi, CEO of SnapFlow, cuts right to the point when asked what he was going for in the design of the Sophora Tensioned Fabric Display he purchased from PosterGarden.

And that’s pretty much what he got. His Sophora, a 10-foot vertical curve, features clean design and graphics printed on environmentally-friendly EcoKnit. The display, which Wahedi used at a Microsoft Professional Developers Conference in November, is also outfitted with PosterGarden’s LED Lights, which never get hot and use a fraction of the energy of normal halogen lights.

Wahedi formed SnapFlow in 2007 as an easy-to-use, web-based service that allows people to design and configure their own workflow applications. The company has been building its customer and partnership base since then. The Sophora, Wahedi says, has helped SmartFlow stand out in the crowd.

“We had multiple people ask us where we got the display from,” he says. “It achieved our objective of standing out and being different.”

In search of a flexible display that could be used as a backdrop atop a table, HannahMax Baking turned to PosterGarden’s Stellaria Adjustable Banner Stand.

Joanne Adirim, president and founder of the artisan-style bakery, says her show space usually includes a table in the back. She wanted a stand that could sit on the table and be extended tall enough to serve as the space’s backdrop. The Stellaria’s height can be adjusted anywhere between 36 and 96 inches.

Adirim went with three Stellarias, the graphics of which are printed with images of her gourmet desserts.

“Keep it simple. Attractive. Eye-catching,” he says

SnapFlow kept its 10-foot Sophora clean, colorful and simple.

6 SPRING 2010 PORTABLE DISPLAY SUCCESS

In addition to its effectiveness on the aisle, Zastrow says the Lonicera was appealing because of its affordability, its light weight and its easy setup and takedown.

Last year, Hampstead Lighting used its Lonicera for the Hospitality Design Expo in Las Vegas and Hospitality Design Boutique in Miami.

HannahMax Baking uses the displays at major food shows such as the Fancy Food Show, Gulfood in Dubai and the National Restaurant Association Show.

For a company that specializes in lighting things up, Hampstead Lighting sure wasn’t being seen very clearly at tradeshows and events.

The Georgia-based light manufacturer seemed to get overshadowed by the signage of its neighbors, says John Zastrow, Hampstead’s director of marketing.

“The last show we did in Vegas, people thought we were part of the booth next to us since their signage was practically over our booth,” he says.

So, Hampstead picked a slim Lonicera Banner Stand from PosterGarden as a way to differentiate itself from its neighbors and let people know who Hampstead is.

“We decided to create something right on the aisle,” Zastrow says.

A slim Lonicera has helped Hampstead Lighting grab more attention on the tradeshow floor.

“It’s much easier to carry and set up for any type of show or meeting”HannahMax Baking used three

Stellarias for a colorful backdrop.

SPRING 2010 7PORTABLE DISPLAY SUCCESS

It was quite an honor to have our Sophora win an award at EXHIBITOR

The recyclable tension fabric display takes honors at EXHIBITOR 2010 and is part of an Earth Day special

Sleek and simple, the Sophora garnered a People’s Choice Award in March at EXHIBITOR 2010. Judges at the show liked the display’s easy setup and machine-washable graphics, which are printed on PosterGarden’s recycled and recyclable EcoKnit Fabric. They also liked the display’s design and its vibrant colors.

“It was quite an honor to have our Sophora win an award at EXHIBITOR,” says Michael Rigby, PosterGarden’s Director of Product Development.

“It really speaks volumes about how far we’ve come as a company and, really, what the next wave of tension fabric portable displays is going to be.”

Available in a range of styles, the Sophora sports simple push-button connectors that allow for a completely tool-free assembly. A unique pillow case and zipper design secures the graphics to the display frame, and an included fabric bag makes the Sophora easy to transport.

In addition to its showing at EXHIBITOR, the Sophora is also a big part of PosterGarden’s month-long April special in honor of Earth Day. Through April 30, 2010, PosterGarden is offering up to $100 off any of its environmentally-friendly display products, from recycled fabrics and LED lighting to recyclable graphics and banner stands made from renewable bamboo.

Customers who order PosterGarden’s sustainable products (minimum of $500) will receive $50 off their order. For those looking to save a little more green by going green with their portable displays, an additional $50 savings is available by writing a post on PosterGarden’s FaceBook wall about how they’re going to use their displays.

For more information about PosterGarden’s Sophora tension fabric display, please visit www.PosterGarden.com. For more about the Earth Day special, please visit http://tinyurl.com/PG-Earth-Day.

POSTERGARdEn’S SOPHORA IS BRAnd nEW, AWARd-WInnInG – And GREEn!PosterGarden’s Sophora is brand new, award-winning – and green!

8 SPRING 2010

Q. HoW CAN I Get tHe MoSt eXPoSure WItH A PortABLe dISPLAY?

Ask Anything

Q. IS tHere A WAY to CuStoMIZe CHAIrS So tHeY MAtCH tHe reSt oF MY PortABLe dISPLAY?

Q. IS tHere A WAY to CuStoMIZe CHAIrS So tHeY MAtCH tHe reSt oF MY PortABLe dISPLAY?

the base panel on PosterGarden’s Aspire Brochure rack can be custom-printed in full-color

PORTABLE DISPLAY SUCCESS

tall director’s Chairs can be custom-printed with your logo in up to three colors.

A: Defi nitely. And doing so is not only another great way to maximize your exposure, but it also helps unify your display and give it a cleaner, more complete look. Many chairs can be custom-printed with your graphics for an aff ordable price. For example, the backs of PosterGarden’s Director’s Chairs and Tall Director’s Chairs can be custom-printed with

your logo in up to three colors. Surgeon Rifl es, an Oklahoma rifl e manufacturer, did just that to tie its chairs to its popup display. The chair fabric, a durable polyester, comes in black, blue or gray, and the chair backs can be printed on the front or back side — or both!

A: The easy answer: go big and go bold. Nothing says “Come look at me!” like full-color graphics with head-turning images. But to maximize your exposure even more, make sure you’re taking advantage of every option on your display. One example: the base panel on PosterGarden’s Aspire Brochure Rack can be custom-printed with full-color web addresses, company logos, artwork, or just about anything else you can imagine.