installers

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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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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Exhibitslist was on the show floor of the North American International Auto Show 2009 at Cobo Hall in Detroit this morning during the massive dismantle.  Guess what?  Doesn't seem like the poor economy is affecting exhibit sizes at this important show!  There were some truly awesome booths.  Exhibit Works and George P. Johnson seemed to rule the show floor, however there were a number of quality installations by German exhibit houses including KLARTEXT.

One thing we did not notice was a great evidence of a tilting toward "green" exhibiting.  Maybe next year.  We talked with a lot of the installers on the floor and heard a little bit of apprehension about the upcoming months in the industry.  The circuit continues next week in Chicago when the install for the Auto Show starts at McCormick Place.

Were you at the Auto Show?  What trends did you notice?  What booth impressed you?

Isnʼt our industry all about collaboration? It takes a lot of individuals to bring an exhibit to life. When the client hands your company a project, it goes through a lot of hands. From project manager to exhibit designer, graphic designer, detailer, designer build team, quality assurance, install crew, logistics and many more. Each of your projects is a collaboration. But not just within your company; you work together with a host of companies to bring your project to life.

The exhibit build community is a unique one. Name another industry where companies work in such close proximity. Hundreds of "competing" companies building booths on a show floor. But if you need an extra nail or some material, just ask across the aisle and somebody will help you out.

Now with the help of Exhibitslist.com you can reach across the world - just like the exhibit floor someone will be there to help!  A business to business and review site for the people who design, build and Install Trade show exhibits.

Welcome to Exhibitslist.com - the online community for the exhibits industry

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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