Installers Life

Exhibitslist scoured the trade show floor and managed to capture a picture of an exemplary installer: well prepared, brought all his equipment. But let's just imagine he didn't.  Well, just as the panic starts setting in and he begins brainstorming various workarounds involving stacking buckets, rolls of duct tape, and one perfectly timed jump-- part 2 of the 'Installers Code' kicks in.

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This is the first in a series of "Installers Life" articles on the unwritten code and set of rules of trade show exhibit installation.

I've been working in the trade show/exhibit installation world for the last twenty years and I've found that there's a strict code that exists on show floors. Break the code and you tend to have more difficulty and you will quickly gain a bad reputation, especially if you're always working in the same venue. Large installation houses like Czaranowski and Nth Degree are always the most likely to stick to the code. Sometimes new installers take a while to get up to speed.

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I have always worked for one company. It fits my lifestyle, but I have always wondered if it would be better to work freelance. There are a number of issues involved, but I think it comes down to your personality and your willingness to take risks.

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Exhibitslist was on the trade show floor of the Detroit Auto Show in January and ran into Steve Drouillard.  Rumor has it that Steve is a legendary installer in the area.  We thought interviewing Steve would be a great way to spark off some discussion of what it takes to make a great installer.

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In twenty years in the industry I've had a chance to work all over the world setting up exhibits, and boy, have things have changed when it comes to doing installs on the road.  I'm sure you all have some great war stories about flying blind on the road, long before Al Gore invented the internet.  Today, your project manager and logistics people collect a lot of useful information about the venue where you will be working before you've even packed your duffel bag.

It also seems to me that not only has I&D progressed, but companies in general have become a lot more savvy in dealing with work on the exhibit floor....

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I don't to step on that other dude who writes articles on this site about the environment, but, I feel like I have to.  I have noticed for years that the exhibit floor at a trade show seems to be a terribly wasteful place.  When the truck is loaded up at the end of a show and I look across the floor, I can not believe the mess that is left.  It is almost post apocalyptic.  Unread literature, trashed exhibits, spent tape, bubble wrap and where did all those little Styrofoam chips come from?  Not withstanding the cost to the environment from shipping exhibits that sometimes weigh more than a house from place to place.  What can be done?

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Frustration

Being an installer can be one of the most frustrating jobs in the world.  There are so many variables that come into play in bringing an exhibit to life.  You don't just rely on yourself.  In many cases you are on a team with people you have never met, in a city that you don't know very well.  Labour can be shoddy, shipping can be shifty and equipment can break down.  Talk about frustration!

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Instant Gratification

The trade show world offers something that no one else in the building world offers:  instant gratification.  I recently heard that the large hadron collider in Geneva Switzeland took twenty years to build.  I would not have lasted.  I can barely make it through a movie that is more than two hours long.  Building Trade show exhibits offers instant gratification.  At the most a booth takes a week to install and then I get to stand back with the client and beam at a job well done.  Three days later the booth is packed up and on a truck home I can move on to the next project.

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[This is the first blog post in an ongoing series discussing some of the challenges that face trade show installers, but also why we love the industry so much. We’ll also talk about some of the cool, new, up-and-coming trends, ideas and gadgetry that gets us trade show installers excited that no one else seems to understand. Shop talk, war stories, call it what you will.... here is where I’ll put up some of my ideas based on some 20-odd years of experience and get your feedback, tips and tricks; let’s start some online discussion and brainstorming in our industry for once!]

It’s hard to believe it, but I’ve been a trade show installer for the last twenty years. Our industry has changed in a lot of ways but in many ways it hasn’t changed at all.

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