Here's what's happening in our world 2010...

The following is our 2010 Blog Archive. Our current Blog is here.


Happy Holidays From Creatacor.

It's that time of the year again... Creatacor is getting ready for the Holidays.



The holiday tunes have been turned on (you'll catch anything from Alvin and The Chipmunks to Yanni when you call in) - and today is our annual party. We are closing a little early to hit the lanes at the local bowling alley for some good family fun. You can see the highlights from last year's bowling party here. I'm sure we'll have a 2010 party recap online next week.

We'd like to wish all our valued customers and suppliers a VERY happy holiday season.



Also, please enjoy our goofy Christmas movie spoof in which we save the day for one of our most "important" customers:

I'm Going To Jail (For A Good Cause).

I'm being arrested for a good cause and I need your help. The MDA will be taking me to lock up on Dec. 16 and I need to raise some bail money to get out. All proceeds go to the MDA and you can donate right online by clicking this link. All donations are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Share Your Opinion On TSA's Screening Process On New US Travel Association Site.

The Center for Exhibitor and Event Marketing sent out a recent newsletter with a link to the US Travel Association which is empowering air travelers with a new website to share opinions on TSA's screening process. The new site, YourTravelVoice.org, is in direct response to the emerging vigorous debate over the efficacy and appropriateness of various security policies and the fact that a free flow of air travel is critical to the American economy and job creation. With the economy still struggling and the trade show and event industry trying to lead the recovery, the last thing we need is more obstacles put in place of air travelers. If you have a story please share it because we need the government to work with us on these issues and this is a chance to be heard. You can read their press release here.

A LEGO Winter Wonderland at the Bentonville in Toyland First Friday Event.

Creatacor & LEGO transformed the LEGO tents into a Winter Wonderland at the Bentonville in Toyland event in downtown Bentonville, home of Walmart.



A 15 1/2' high x 18' wide snowy entrance led the way into the LEGO tents that were chock full of LEGO product, Play Tables for everyone to build LEGO creations with, and a LEGO model Santa Claus.







The snowy entrance featured LEGO minifigures having fun in the snow.



Oh, and what fun would it be without snow? So we made it snow too!

Sensory Overload at IAAPA Expo 2010.

If you've ever been to a carnival, then you've experienced something close to the IAAPA Show; that is the International Attraction and Amusement Park Show, which opened at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida on Tuesday, November 16, 2010. I had the pleasure of attending the show yesterday and what a gas! Like a carnival, the OCCC was filled with rides, inflatables of every shape and size, video game terminals, interactive pods and stations and the blaring sounds of bells, beeps, bongs and boings. Combine that with the smell of everything from pizza to popcorn, (I particularly like the "Dippin' Dots" treats myself) and you have the makings for a very fun event.





Thanks to some passes provided by Bob's Space Racer of Daytona Beach, Florida - thanks guys! - I attended the show to gather information for my clients on different ways to attract visitors to their booth or event in a fun and imaginative way. And yes I admit, to sample some of the fast foods, collect a shopping bag full of really valuable give-aways and to simply have fun. I'm happy to say I succeeded at all three.



The show was well attended as the aisles were full of buyers and the exhibitors were eager to demonstrate their latest water gun game or space ride or bouncy-bounce inflatable and of course, and to hand out free samples of their favorite amusement park goodie. How these exhibitors actually capture their leads was a little mysterious to me (I'm certainly not an expert in this type of show) but I don't believe the process is influenced by the quality of visitors but rather by the quantity of visitors. That being said, I did see lots of business cards being exchanged and most of the conference rooms and sit down areas within the booths seemed busy with people doing business.







All and all I came away with some pretty neat ways to combine fun with marketing communications, which was my main objective. I also came away with a slight case of indigestion but that's my fault and it was worth it.

Laerdal At AHA.

Laerdal is supporting the American Heart Association at it's Scientific Sessions - going on this week in Chicago.



On display is a fifty year old Resusci-Anne - the first CPR training mannikin.





Both organizations are working hard to get the word out on the new guidelines for CPR.

From a USA today article, "American Heart Association revises CPR guidelines":

"The new guidelines dictate that a bystander should compress the victim's chest 100 times a minute to a depth of about 2 inches. That keeps blood and oxygen flowing to the brain, sustaining it until help arrives. Stopping for rescue breaths can interrupt blood flow, AHA's Sayre says."

Holiday E-Card or Paper Greeting Card?

Each year we wonder how to send our best holiday wishes to our customers and business partners. In our office the debate is ongoing. What is more personal?

Some say the e-card is the way to go because we are so attached to our laptops, iPads and smart phones so it's immediate AND because it can be considered "green"... No trees are lost and no gas is used by the postal carrier, etc.

Others feel it's more personal to receive a well versed greeting card in the mail, which is tangible and when combined with a hand written note, expresses a heart felt message.

We've done both - click here to read a previous blog post explaining our past efforts.

We are curious. Which do you prefer? Please click the link to follow and let us know what you think:

Really Big Shoe.

Creatacor has once again teamed up with Pop2Life on another exciting marketing event.

Wedding Central's "IF THE SHOE FITS!" contest took place today in New York City on 23rd Street between 5th & Broadway.

The Creatacor staff arrived in NYC this morning for the 4 AM install and got right to work. Here is the centerpiece - a 14' foot wedding shoe:



[ Photo from WeTV ]

Contestants will wear wedding dresses while searching though hundreds of shoe boxes looking for a matching pair of designer shoes. Winners will get to keep the shoes and have a chance to win $10,000 in cash and prizes.

Check out WeTV's flickr photostream for some great photos from the event.

You can also click to our Facebook Gallery for this event.

Looks great - great job by all involved!

Good Services Make Good Neighbors.

Our good neighbors at nfrastructure technologies recently tasked Creatacor with a graphic branding of their world headquarters.

After recently launching a refresh of their website, we were asked to bring that website to the walls of their offices.

The nature of this project gives us a great opportunity to highlight the process we work through with our customers to complete everything to their satisfaction.

The Creatacor team went over to nfrastructure for a site survey to talk about ideas for their spaces - and to take some pictures. Back at Creatacor HQ, our designers then went to work placing graphics on the empty walls:

[Mouse-Over images for designs]







After an initial thumbs-up from the client, we produced design layouts to work from with detailed specs for client approval:



With final layout approval, the Creatacor crew started production and an install date was set.



Here are some pictures of the completed project:





Their main conference area was branded and now relays the nfratructure "Design, Build & Operate" message.



Additionally, the Technology Center has an impressive 13' dimensional nfratsructure logo cut on our Thermwood CNC router and all 4 walls have partner logo graphics with room for expansion.

Very nice improvements to an already impressive facility!

GE Healthymagination Video Booth Kiosks @ Marine Corps Marathon.

Creatacor has once again teamed up with Sub Rosa on another great GE marketing event.

This past weekend was the 35th Marine Cops Marathon in Washington, DC.

GE Healthymagination staff encouraged runners to sit in the video booth and record their post-race story at the 'Finish Festival'. Participants were then given a printed receipt with the unique link to their video which they could share with friends, family and soldiers overseas unable to attend the event. You can read the full story and see video from on of the booths at the GE Reports site.







Creatacor designed and fabricated the booth, incorporating the very cool video tech from Patten Studio.



Congrats to all involved on a great project.

Happy Halloween From Creatacor!

Happy Halloween from Creatacor!



That's Todd T. in the back as "Death". Then, from left to right, we have Cathy M. as a Cavewoman, Matt L. as an injured softball player, Lora L. as "Jailbait", Jerremy J. as Boston Bruins Hall Of Famer Cam Neely, with Jessica V. dressed up as Wayne D. - with Wayne standing next to her for comparison. Nice job all - and nice goatee Jess. Not pictured is known Halloween disliker Will F. dressed as a "Rational Consumer".

Todd started off the morning by arriving early and hiding in the warehouse near the breakers. When Jim D. went over to turn on the lights, "Death" appeared - and almost got a punch in the face from a very scared Jim.

That got everyone in the Halloween mood... and it's continued throughout the day with lots of friends and family stopping by to show off their little ones in their costumes.

Stop the presses... Danny R. missed the group photo, but he posed for a quick pic as "The Monk" right before we went online.



Happy Halloween!

Creatacor Works With SoHo Experiential To 'Celebrate The Macallan'.

SoHo Experiential asked Creatacor to design and produce a new set for their very successful 'Celebrate The Macallan' tour.



The set had to be as elegant as the brand but also be very road worthy. While touring the country for the next year the display will be used at week-long tasting events in each market. The feedback from the first few events has been terrific.



The tour managers are really appreciative of how easy the unit is to setup and tear down. Creatacor also produced roll-about crates for the entire set, which fits into a 24' box truck, including a full compliment of AV components.



Word is that The Macallan is very happy - which means SoHo Experiential is very happy - which means we did our jobs once again.

Upcoming tour stops include: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, Atlanta, New York and Boston. So, find an event near you and stop in for a few drams of The Macallan.

Whether you're new to whisky, new to the brand or simply looking to deepen your knowledge of The Macallan, they'll look forward to seeing you at the next event!

Reaching Your Goals.

Last year I ran the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon. It was my first marathon and even though it hurt pretty bad, I decided to do it again! My goal this year was to qualify for Boston. This meant improving my time by over 15 minutes. I've been logging miles since January and on October 3rd I ran my second marathon. The weather was a perfect 45 degrees, my cheering section was in town and my training partner, and husband, was ready to set the pace. After a few great hours of running...success! I was able to finish in 3 hours 39 minutes 17 seconds. It was a great day to get out and set a new PR, and I barely realized the pain until the next day.



So this is a heads up for all of our clients in Boston - I hope to see you out at the 115th Boston Marathon on April 18, 2011. I'm happy to say that I was able to get registered yesterday!! The Boston Athletic Association had a record-breaking registration and filled the 25,000+ available slots in less than 8 hours!

As always, barring any injuries, I'll be aiming for another great race. Until then I've got some more miles to put on my sneakers... Happy running.

Virgin Atlantic Launches First Ever Global TV Advertisement.

Creatacor recently had the opportunity to assist with a special event giving a sneak peak of the new 60 second TV advertisement to Virgin Atlantic's exclusive Flying Club members.



Held at the Soho House in their private screening room, viewers had a chance to really experience the new "Your airline's either got it or it hasn't" campaign developed by RKCR/Y&R. The spot will air beginning the week of Oct. 11th during MLB's ACLS and NLCS playoff games, as well as during the World Series.

Or if you just can't wait, take a minute and get "It" now:

Creatacor Staff Participates In AHA HeartSaver AED Certification Course.

On Wednesday, October 6th 2010, nine Creatacor staff members participated in the American Heart Association HeartSaver AED certification course presented by the Clifton Park & Halfmoon Emergency Corps.

This 3 hour course taught us how to perform CPR and use an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) device on adults, young children and infants.

Here are some pics of us in action:





Our instructor Eric taught us all the proper techniques - and we practiced the breathing, chest compressions and using the AED device. We also learned that when doing chest compressions, you should be performing them at rate of 100 per minute. To help you get into the correct rhythm, Eric suggested thinking of the songs "Another One Bites The Dust" by Queen, and "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees, as these songs are 100 beats per minute. Two very interesting songs to hum while you are performing CPR...

We also learned that the CPHM Emergency Corps use Laerdal Medical's CPR training devices - Little Anne®, Little Junior™, Baby Anne®, and the HeartStart® AED Trainer. Creatacor has assisted Laerdal in celebrating the 50 year anniversary of Resusci Anne since her launch in 1960. One of the original manikins has been on display at a number of their tradeshow exhibits and conferences.



The training took place in our conference room - with the doors closed... But I'm sure the rest of the staff heard the shouted commands of "Call 911, get an AED!" and "CLEAR!" as we practiced.

Also, it was probably a good idea that it was a closed-door training as someone could have walked by to see this:



...easy to explain. We were also taught how to help choking victims. In the video above, we are practicing the technique to clear the airway of a choking infant. At the end of the course, we all felt confident that we could help in an emergency situation.

Thanks to the Clifton Park & Halfmoon Emergency Corps and Creatacor for offering the training.

Chalk It Up To The Kids.

When you're an account executive and you work with clients for many years, the lines get blurred between the company you are paid by and those who you work for almost every day. Case in point, working with SYLVANIA, I have brought home my share of premiums over the years and they have always been popular with my kids. SYLVANIA has some great stuff from LED color changing keychains to Dot-It lights to glow sticks to solar flashlights - so needless to say, during a power outage, we are never in the dark.

Well last spring during the a very busy time for SYLVANIA with International Sign Show, SPECS, Showest and of course Lightfair all being worked on at various stages, my family was inundated with SYLVANIA and I learned of the impact my work has on my kids. Coming home after a long and challenging day of work, my two kids are on the driveway with chalk in hand and big smiles on their faces. While there were some typical kid drawings, the biggest was a promotion for SYLVANIA.com with their own tagline, "Go online today. Buy a light."

I had to have a picture which I immediately sent over to my contact at SYLVANIA. He posted it on his office wall where it was noticed by one of the marketing people who works on the quarterly newsletter, PRISM. Before we know it, my kids and their marketing campaign make it into the newsletter for over 40,000 OSRAM SYLVANIA employees worldwide to view. Very cool!



[Article scanned from PRISM newsletter]

By the way, Tom, the guy who I work for, is still waiting for my kids to do a Creatacor design. :-)

Conservation Treatment and Case For Schrodt Model Project.

We recently completed the installation of a second model case for the Albany Heritage Area Visitors Center. The cases are for the Schrodt Model Project which began in 2007.

Eight models that depict Albany streetscapes in exact architectural detail were designed and constructed by Mr. Paul Schrodt during the 1930's - 1950's which are housed at the Albany Heritage Area Visitors Center.

One model representing Albany 1695 was treated and a new model case we designed and fabricated in 2007.





The model chosen for the current project depicts State Street in Albany 1805, and like the Albany 1695 model, will become a valuable educational resource for visitors and school group programming. The model depicts early Albany Dutch architecture and contains the only building within all eight models that still stands in Albany. The model is constructed from wood and is realistically painted and finished. The cases are finished with sequenced matched maple veneer and solid maple trim. The top of the case was fabricated with a brushed copper frame and 1/4" laminated safety glass. LED lighting was installed to light the models and also was used to replace the original incandescent interior lighting in the model buildings.





The Albany Heritage Area comprises all of downtown Albany and is one of 17 Heritage Areas and Corridors in New York State that preserve, interpret and promote special places in the Empire State. The Albany Heritage Area Visitors Center is stocked with travel brochures about the region and offers knowledgeable staff to answer visitor questions. Within the Center is an exhibit about the history of Albany, the Henry Hudson Planetarium and a gift shop offering unique Albany items. Self-guided walking tours, seasonal guided tours, school programs and an audio visual presentation designed to provide a brief orientation to the city are offered.



Mission: The Albany Heritage Area Visitors Center introduces the public to Albany's history and culture by developing educational programs that encourage exploration of the cultural resources within the Heritage Area and the Capital Region of New York State.

Are You Ready for Some Football Promo?

In cooperation with Graphitek for What Will They Do Next of Austin TX, Creatacor took on another trailer transformation.

In some ways this was a really difficult project. Why? Not because of technical issues, costs, or even the deadline... no, it was much more personal than that. You see, Creatacor is located in upstate New York... which means, many of the Creatacor staff are loyal New York Football Giants fans. Imagine working hour after hour on the main attraction of a traveling road show promoting the Giants' bitter rivals - The Dallas Cowboys??? Oh my! Fan loyalty runs deep as I'm sure you all know, but that could have been categorized as simply just plain torture. But that's what our guys did because we have our priorities and being an event production specialist comes (along with all the creative excitement that comes with that) before our loyalties as NFL fans... and it looks awesome. (OK... we do have one Cowboys fan here but he was nearly bound and gagged during this production.)



The trailer was totally refurbished by wrapping the interior and exterior with fresh graphics and custom hardwood lockers were built and installed to display Cowboys memorabilia.





To help celebrate the Cowboys 50th anniversary, Direct Energy is in search of the 50 Most Electrifying Dallas Cowboys fans - and you could be one of them!

Direct Energy is one of North America's largest competitive energy suppliers of electricity, natural gas and related services operating in 10 Canadian provinces and 46 US states plus the District of Columbia.

To see the trailer and to have your chance to prove that you are one of the top 50 Most Electrifying Dallas Cowboys fans, you can catch the road show at these locations:

• September 17-19 - Plano Balloon Fest
• September 25 - Manifolds on Main, Irving
• September 30 - October 3 - Canton First Monday
• October 8-10 - Trader's Village BBQ, Grand Prairie
• October 15-16 - Historic Mansfield Music Fest

You can also follow the road show via WWTDN's Facebook page.

Cowboys fans and Giants fans, cats and dogs, oil and water... They just don't mix but Creatacor is proud to say that we can put these rivalrous feelings aside (briefly) to produce another great event trailer.



Good luck to the road show!

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Creatacor Builds Stage Set For SUNY Albany's ATV.

Creatacor was approached by the Student Services Association at SUNY Albany to build a new TV set for the student run TV station, ATV.

The students had limited resources and were looking for a new set with some pop. To say we needed to stretch their dollars to provide maximum value was an understatement.

So we put together 3 quick design options for them to choose from. One option was right on the mark and they fell in love with it. A splash of color combined with their dimensional logo on the backwall and the result was a very simple, very portable and VERY NICE LOOKING TV set for the students to produce their broadcasts.





The Director of the station, J.B. Biunno, was very happy to say the least: "We love the set! Big thanks! Once we start actual broadcasts, I'll be sure to shoot you photos and some videos!".



We'll be sure to post a followup with those photos and videos of the set in action when they come in!

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Rock Star Rager Party For Virgin Airline Group @ NBTA 2010.

To announce the combination of their mileage award programs, and to reinforce all of the services that Virgin Atlantic, Virgin America, and V Australia provide to business travelers around the world, an invitation only party was held during the National Business Traveler Association trade show and conference. Producing the event for Virgin was the team of John Larson, Business Development Manager and Lora Kanetzky, Account Manager, who have both been representing Virgin Atlantic's trade show and event marketing programs for over ten years.

The airlines hosted the party at Venue night club, an upscale club nestled in the center of downtown Houston. Sleek black custom tour buses provided by Tristar Worldwide Chauffeur Services dropped off the guests at the VIP check-in.



Upon entering, the guests were treated to signature cocktails from each of the three airlines onboard offerings: Virgin Atlantic's Love Potion, Virgin America's Flydealist and V Australia's Down Under Lolli. As the guests gathered in the lounge, they were able to sample delicious appetizers or get wild and crazy in the custom photo booth or the airbrushed tattoo station.



As the lounge reached maximum capacity, Sir Richard Branson was escorted through the check in surrounded by his flight attendants. As he greeted his guests, and stopped for many photographs, Venue staff slid the back wall of the lounge out of sight revealing a huge concert space that was set up for the night's entertainment- the legendary Australian Rock Band INXS. Sir Richard entered the stage and welcomed his guests. INXS took the stage and provided the crowd with a high-energy concert filled with their greatest hits and left everyone cheering for more.





After the concert, custom desert delicacies baked by Sugarbaby's Cupcake Boutique were served. On their way out, guests picked up gift bags containing luxury Cowshed beauty products from the Virgin Atlantic clubhouse collection, a first-class amenity kit from Virgin America, an exclusive CD from INXS, custom leather luggage tags from V Australia, and a special Texas treat- a custom bottled BBQ sauce.

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Bob's Burgers at Comic-Con 2010.

In cooperation with Graphitek for Pop2Life, Creatacor recently produced a stage set backdrop for a Comic-Con 2010 hamburger eating contest used to promote the new Fox animated series 'Bob's Burgers'.



The custom shapes of the characters were CNC routed and graphically wrapped with printed outdoor vinyl. They were then attached to the stage truss to provide the backdrop for the main event: The Hamburger Eating Contest:





'Bob's Burgers' stars: H. Jon Benjamin, John Roberts, Kristen Schaal, Eugene Mirman and Dan Mintz and will debut between 'The Simpsons' and 'Family Guy' midseason on Fox.

More on 'Bob's Burgers' from Comic-Con 2010:

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NEWS FLASH: Kids Love LEGO.

Recently, Creatacor's warehouse was the meeting place for a very diverse group of LEGO models.

Just as some of the models were arriving back from Comic-Con 2010, others were being prepared to go to Star Wars Celebration V in Orlando, Florida (more on this soon). A few other models also joined the party.

Our Logistics Manager Roland saw this as a great opportunity to create an exciting LEGO environment for the kids in the Creatacor family.

...and as you may have guessed, they loved it:







It appears that some of the 'older kids' may have enjoyed themselves a little more than the kids they are responsible for:



The kids (of all ages) had a great time.

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Creatacor Works With ALPA On Stage Set.

ALPA, The Air Line Pilots Association, recently approached Creatacor looking to create a new stage set for their closed-circuit broadcasts used to update their members on current issues.

Although ALPA did not have a lot of funds allocated for the project, we were able to value engineer this set to look very professional and fit within their budget. As another cost saving measure, we coordinated with a local contractor to complete the install on site, saving on travel and living expenses.





We are also very happy with the faithful recreation of the ALPA logo by our CNC machine using laminate inlays.



We can't wait to see footage of ALPA using their new set!

Founded in 1931, ALPA is the largest airline pilot union in the world and represents nearly 53,000 pilots at 38 U.S. and Canadian airlines.

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IFT Meeting Wrap Up.

This past week the The Industry for Food Technologists meeting (IFT) took place at McCormick Place Chicago...

This years IFT meeting featured 1100 companies and 230,00 net square feet of Exhibits.

For this years IFT meeting DSM Nutritional Products and DSM Food Specialties shared a 40' x 60' exhibit.



Creatacor partnered with DSM for all aspects of the planning and construction of this exhibit. In early February work began with DSM Marketing managers traveling from the Netherlands and offices in Parsippany NJ to begin discussion of their exhibit requirements and Creatacor began work on the floor plan.

An inviting and open floor plan was developed that was divided into 6 separate product areas as well as separate areas for storage, food preparation and E-Commerce.



Creatacor arranged for (2) hostess's to help dispense soft serve ice cream and non alcoholic Pina Coladas to meeting attendees in the central Towers of the exhibit. (Photo) All beverages were fortified with DSM vitamins.



Creatacor also arranged to have Digital Caricaturist Artist provide caricatures of meeting attendee's in the Colorants area of the exhibit.



There was a singing chef in the Baking area to help attract meeting attendees to the DSM exhibit.



Creatacor designed and provided (2) new large and lightweight hanging signs to both help attract attendees to the exhibit as well as promote the new DSM Quality for Life campaign. The hanging signs were illuminated by high intensity LICO lighting.

DSM's marketing managers very happy with the appearance and functionality of the exhibit as well as Creatacor's on site show follow through.

About DSM:

DSM Nutritional Products is the leading supplier of vitamins, carotenoids and fine chemicals to the food and pharmaceutical industries with a very strong global marketing and sales base. Based on our long-standing experience in the formulation of vitamins and carotenoids, our product forms have outstanding performance.

DSM Food Specialties is a leading global manufacturer of food enzymes, cultures, yeast extracts and other specialty ingredients for the food and beverage industry. Our advanced ingredients make a considerable contribution to the success of the world's favorite food brands - in dairy, baking, fruit juice, beer, wine, savoury and functional food segments.

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Comic Con 2010: LEGO Preview Night Report.

Creatacor produced another exciting LEGO booth for Comic-Con 2010 which opened with Preview Night last night.







A happy wave of humanity quickly filled the San Diego Convention Center as soon as the doors opened. In fact within the first 30 minutes a line of people formed completely around the 40' x 60' LEGO booth for the chance to participate in a raffle to purchase a limited LEGO exclusive.



Among the many goings-on in the booth are eight showcases displaying the amazing LEGO products, building tables for attendees to build their own creations which will be added to showcases dedicated to their creations throughout the show, nine very, very cool LEGO models (check out the pics) & a retail store that is chock full of product available for purchase in the booth throughout the show.

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Special Custom Crates Built For LEGO Models.

New LEGO models arrived at the Creatacor shop to be fitted for custom crates for an upcoming LEGO event:



The crates were custom built so the models can be safely transported, displayed & packed up for multiple tradeshows and events. A custom cradle was fabricated for one of the models that is designed to roll into the crate and is also used to stand the model up for display.

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Grand Marnier Events Sure To Be A 'Grand Smash'.

Creatacor and SoHo Experiential have teamed up once again with a major sprits brand to produce (3) beautiful 10'x10' event sets.



The sets consist of a 10'x10' pop up tent, completely branded for Grand Marnier with a 24" diameter 'Grand Smash' drink glass and straw mounted to the peak. The glass will even be lit for night time activations.





The inside of the tent is decked out with a beautiful half sphere back wall with Grand Marnier logos and lights. In front of that will be the cash bar complete with LED down lighting and acrylic face. This is where bartenders will be serving the 'Grand Smash' and the 'Grand Cran', two new drink recipes put together by the Grand Marnier team.





Grand Marnier Liqueur is launching the two new drinks in conjunction the US Open Series Tennis Tournament Trail. The first event will be in Atlanta July 19th-July 25th. The schedule after that is Stanford, CA July 26th-August 1st, Los Angeles, CA July 26th-August 1st, Cincinnati, OH August 16th-August 22nd and New Haven, CT August 22nd-August 28th.

If you are in the area you need to stop by and taste these cocktails! I can say from experience that you will not be disappointed. During the Creatacor training held at a swanky NYC Hotel, I had the opportunity to try these two new drinks and they both scream 'La Vie Grand Marnier' the moment it hits your lips!!

Also be sure to become a fan of Grand Marnier on Facebook to keep up to date with what's happening.

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Boston T(S2) Party.

The tradeshow for tradeshows, better known as TS2, takes place July 13 - 15 in Boston and with more than 40 high level education sessions and 200 exhibiting companies, you'll find the ideas and solutions to guarantee your marketing program is a success.

Of course the most important exhibitor will be Creatacor so come visit us in Booth 516. Chuck, Tim, John and I will all be staffing the booth and we would love to talk with you about what we can offer. Hopefully we will see you at the Welcome to Boston Block Party on Tuesday night or meet you in some of the many educational sessions.

By the way, TS2 has a fan page on Facebook and if you are the 200th fan, you can win $200 of spending money for while in Boston. As of this writing, they are 6 fans away so go check it out.

And when you are on your way to Boston, don't forget to give a "Bronx cheer" as you pass Fenway Park, just don't tell our Boston area clients I said that. :-)



[ed. note: We'll be providing daily updates from the show floor - so be sure to check back next week!]

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Help Wanted: Creatacor Looks To Add To Fabrication Staff.

It's been an extremely busy spring and start to the summer here at Creatacor. So busy in fact that we are seeking a skilled Exhibit Builder / Cabinet Maker to add to our fabrication staff.

We are looking for someone to:

- have a minimum of 5 years building trade show / event exhibits & displays
- be a team player, problem solver and be comfortable in a fast-paced work environment
- be skilled laminating (Formica)
- be seeking a long term career

Additional skills including electrical, installation welding, plastic fabrication, CNC, or wood finishing are a plus.



Creatacor offers paid health benefits, 401k plan, paid vacation and holidays and an incentive bonus plan. If you think you would like to be a part of a team of trade show and event professionals who work for some of the top brands in the world, please e-mail your resume to jobs@creatacor.com. No phone calls please.

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Practicing What We Preach.

At Creatacor, trade shows are our livelihood so when it comes to our marketing efforts, we try and follow the advice we give our clients. At the Exhibitor Show 2009, we came up with a campaign and followed it through and Exhibitor Magazine took notice. We were thrilled when Exhibitor asked us to participate in a case study for an article that appears in the June issue entitled "Party Like A Rock Star".



The exhibit was based on the theme, "Become a trade show rock star!" which started with our advertising campaign. We used testimonials from some of our clients highlighting how we helped them become starts in their organizations because we acted as the "roadies", taking care of all the details.



The next step was a pre-show mailer to those who advance registered for the show inviting them to our display and letting them know if they attended our presentation, they would have a chance to win a Rock Band game for the gaming system of their choice.

The exhibit extended this message by using a Trade Show Rock Star as our presenter and he told his story to the attendees. Paul, our presenter, came each day in his rock and roll outfit and fortunately in Las Vegas, he looked like a local. He did turn some heads as people wondered if he was somebody famous. We think he really liked all the attention he was receiving.

Finally, after the show, we followed up on our leads, sent game systems to the winners and we even ended up selling the exhibit we produced for the show to a new client. After all was said and done, the whole process "rocked!"

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Dog Days Of Summer.

Bob Sweeney of SYLVANIA made what has now become an annual trip out to Creatacor to thank us for all the work we do on his trade show program. On the first day of summer, we were treated to Ian's Granite State Franks as the Hot Dog mobile came in all the way from New Hampshire. The owner, Pete, provided some great eats from hot dogs to kielbasa to sausage and no one left hungry.



Pete supplies everything but one of his tables had a slight issue. Thanks to our crack I&D team, who happened to be in town, we had the table fixed in no time.

Thanks to Bob and Pete for a great start to summer. We appreciate working with SYLVANIA and it's nice to know we are appreciated as well.

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Minifigure - And Creatacor - Build LEGO Club Recruitment Stations.

Minifigure lends a hand at the Creatacor shop to get the LEGO Club Recruitment Stations ready before they ship out to LEGOLAND California and LEGOLAND Discovery Center in Chicago.



We worked with the LEGO team to design and build stations that will be used across the country. They will be used as sign up stations where people can learn about & sign up to join LEGO Club.

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New Newel People: "Green Family" To Debut At Clifton Park-Halfmoon Library.

To celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Clifton Park-Halfmoon Library, Creatacor has teamed up with the library once again for a community event like no other. This time the idea was to expand the Newel Town Family by three members. Tom Lemery, President of Creatacor and Alex Gutelius, Library Director, came up with a great way to incorporate the the children of the community into this fun project. They solicited design ideas and asked the kids to submit drawings based on the current Newel People that reside in the Children's Library. But there was one twist, the new Newel Friends had to be constructed of all common, recycled and recyclable household goods.

The entries that were received were nothing less than fabulous. I am sure Mr. Lemery and Ms. Gutelius had a very difficult time choosing entries to be used to help design the three new Newel Friends. Kids from ages 4-16 participated in the exercise and the final designs put together by Mr. Lemery really brought the children's work to life. Some of the materials used for the project included Yellow Pages for hair, plastic soda bottles stuffed with shredded newspaper for arms, a recycled tire for a belt and soda bottle caps for buttons and jewelry. The end result was some very "green", very hip looking Newel Friends.



[Children's Newel People Drawings]



[Creatacor's Newel People Concepts]

Once the designs were finalized the Newel Friends went into production. The Creatacor production staff was asked to think outside the box as they assembled the latest Newel Buddies. For sure, this was not our typical trade show display or event set. We had to figure out how to laminate the phone book pages, make them hair-like and attach them to the "head" of the newel post. Holes had to be drilled for the compact fluorescent light bulbs and arrange them to create a red "curly top" newel friend. And of course they needed hands, which consisted of recycled plastic spatulas and spoons. The staff had a great time with the project and once they were all constructed we built a small pedestal for them and installed them in the library. The new Newel Friends can be found at the library at the top of the stairs just outside the Children's Library.



[Creatacor's Newel People Construction]



[Newel People in the Clifton Park-Halfmoon Library]

The library will be holding a Newel Friends Reception on June 16th @ 7pm at the Clifton Park-Halfmoon Library to debut the new "Green Family" and recognize the students who contributed to the designs.

Creatacor president Tom Lemery, would like the students who's entries were instrumental in determining the final design: "Your creative suggestions were right on target. You completely grasped the idea in the spirit of the Newel People living at the Clifton Park Halfmoon Library. Your drawings were imaginative, innovative and inspirational in the development of the "Green Family". Congratulations to you all. Great job!

For more information about the "Newel People" project for the Clifton Park-Halfmoon Library, click here.

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Creatacor Provides Backdrop For RPI Colloquy.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's commencement Colloquy last week at the school's Troy, New York campus featured several prestigious panelists including; Neil deGrasse Tyson, a well known astrophysicist and director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, the commencement speaker, Peter Orszag, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, noted biotechnology inventor and Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Robert Langer, Dr. Harold Varmus, a Nobel laureate who has been named the next National Cancer Institute director by President Barack Obama, and of course, RPI President Shirley Ann Jackson, who moderated the event. You can read more about the commencement event in this article from the Times Union. You can view video of the event here.



Clearly, these honorable people out shined our simple but very attractive backdrop, which was designed by RPI themselves and produced by Creatacor. After building outdoor projector housings with heating & cooling ability for RPI, we were asked to engineer and build a stage set for the Colloquy. The Cherry desk (center stage) is modular and pivots, allowing the moderator to see the panelist faces. The Maple backwall has five extra large custom fabricated rear projection screens with removable mullions. They can be easily reconfigured for use different events and venues. Everything assembles without the need for tools. The desk includes five built in HD confidence monitors located within each desktop. Kino-flo up lighting and DMX programmable LED down lighting provided accent illumination as well as functional lighting. The entire stage set was designed and fabricated in 3 weeks. We thank RPI for the opportunity to collaborate with them on the important project.

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Another NORI To Add To The Shelf.

Every year we get to join in the fun at the Albany Ad Club's NORI Awards. A capital district award ceremony where creative agencies surrounding the Albany capital area submit their best work and hopefully take home an award if not many. While drinking, eating and being merry, we managed to bring one home!!!

It was stiff competition against a zamboni and a Times Union vehicle wrap but our client, Southern Wine and Spirits' vehicle wrap, won the NORI. We had designed and wrapped a brand new Scion for their Jameson Whiskey client. If you were lucky enough to view it while peering out of your apartment or office building, you might have been able to catch it driving around the streets of NYC. It IS electric green! See photos below.

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Creatacor Luncheon & Staff Meeting.

Today was the day for the semi-annual staff meeting at Creatacor.

After a quick lunch, all of our employees - including our out-of-towners - squeezed into the conference room for CEO Tom Lemery's presentation. Tom had quite a lot of information to discuss with us.



First, he gave us a recap of the measures that were put in place in early 2009 to prepare us for a tough year based on the economic climate at that time. The end result was good news: 2009 was our best year ever. The GREAT news is that 2010 is projected to surpass 2009!

Then Tom and Will shared numerous quotes from our customers praising our work and customer service - which are always nice to hear. It's great to hear about how well the show or event was from our customer's perspective. Sure, we usually get to see the pretty picture of the trade show exhibit or marketing event, but it's really rewarding hearing the comments from our clients.

Next, Tom talked about initiatives that we will be working on to continue to grow the business... Lots of fun stuff that I can't talk about yet - but you'll be hearing more about them soon.

So - all great news all around. We are looking forward to the next half of 2010!

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LEGO Gets Ready For Brickworld.

Minifigure stopped by Creatacor to lend a hand to get LEGO Community Relations Coordinator, Steve Witt's display ready for Brickworld which kicks off next week.



The display has been a big hit for Steve's events, which include: Bricks by the Bay, BrickMagic, Brickworld and many other events. The events have become enormously popular so LEGO teamed with Creatacor to develop a display that would rise to the occasion.



The 10' x 30' display features large double-sided fabric graphic murals, LCD TV's and LEGO branded flags. It can also be set up in many configurations and additional properties can be added for continued growth.

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AUA Meeting Shines for Watson Pharma.

The annual AUA meeting kicked off in San Francisco this week (29 May - 3 June). It was reported that attendance for the opening day of the meeting topped 14,000. A great start for this important meeting. Watson's 50' x 80' booth space was located in the far corner of the Moscone Convention Center. As those of you know who have worked at Moscone, the sloping ceilings in that part of the hall can be challenging. The ceiling height over the Watson booth space varied from a low of 16' to a maximum height of 35' - not easy to work with when rigging theatrical lighting from above. But with the help of spacious and inviting floor plan, an impressive lighting rig and various booth draws, this Watson Pharmaceuticals exhibit was one of the most popular spaces at the show.



[Exhibit Setup]

Every display element including the bar tables were lighted internally with programmable LED's, each sequentially programmed to accentuate the logos of Watson's three featured products; Trelstar, Rapaflo, and Gelnique. In addition, the theatrical lighting hung from above projected each of the three product logos and custom design images on the carpet throughout the booth. The overhead lighting was particular effective thanks to the cooperation of the in-house GES electricians, who permitted us to power down and shroud the hall lamps directly above the Watson space, eliminating unwanted illumination in the booth and enhancing the overall effect of the theatrical lighting.



[Exhibit Lighting]

Once inside Watson's space, attendees could be refreshed at the martini bar or sample fresh baked cookies and a cappuccino. Many visitors listened to a live presentation by Dr. Neil Baum "How to Improve the Productivity, Profitability of Your Practice". The entire space was designed to engage the visitor in a warm and welcoming manner.



[Martini Bar]



[Exhibit Presentation]

Our tradeshow partners at Watson Pharma were thrilled with the exhibit. "Everything was great from start to finish", one Watson contact exclaimed. The general consensus was that it was the most attractive and engaging exhibit Watson had ever sponsored and they went on to say it was the most attractive exhibit in the show. Wow! Fantastic! Congratulations to all! Great job!



[Overall Exhibit]



[Video From The Exhibit Floor]

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Creatacor VP of Client Services Will Farmer Elected to Local School Board.

Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, NY residents elected two new school board members last week. One of them being Will Farmer, Vice President of Client Services right here at Creatacor. Will emerged as the victor in a very close race, which had three candidates for only two openings. With 3,045 voters casting their ballots, Will found himself to be the top vote getter, with only 20 votes separating him from his two other opponents.

I sat down with Will and asked him about his campaign, his expectations and his family now that he is a seat on the school board.

Q: What was your main reason for entering the school board race?

A: As a father and member of the community, the main reason I wanted to join the board centers on ensuring all children receive the highest quality education we can deliver. Before I had children, I thought all that was important were the "Three R's". In just the few years my son has been in school, I have come to realize the importance of a well-rounded education including physical education, music, computer lab, drama and art. Rather than sit on the sideline, I want to be part of continuing and improving on the excellent results Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake schools have achieved year after year.

Q: How did you campaign for the job and for how long?

A: I began my campaign in early March by going door to door introducing myself to the different neighborhood residents. I also handed out campaign business cards at school functions, put up signs throughout the community and stood on street corners with my son asking for votes. I also used Facebook to reach even more people in the district. I was amazed at how many people saw my information even if they had not joined my group. After I spoke with one of the high school teachers, I discovered that several upper class students had voted for me because they thought it was cool that a school board candidate was on Facebook. I can't thank the students enough for voting and I am so glad to see their interest in the process.

Q: How much of your professional experience helped you with your campaign?

A: I attribute some of my campaign success to my marketing experience at Creatacor. Campaigning is marketing, so I think my experience with trade shows and marketing communications was a great help to me. Having children in only one of the elementary schools, I was at a disadvantage to the other candidates who had a broader network to get their message out. Using my knowledge of marketing techniques helped get me the extra votes I needed.

Q: What immediate impact would you like to have on the school district?

A: There is much to learn when serving on the school board so my immediate goal is to learn as much as possible, as quickly as I can. What I can do right away is serve as a conduit for the community because I think the school board members need to hear more from parents and community members.

Q: What are your long term goals for the school district?

A: I am concerned about the current budget cycles and how for two years we've cut programs and staff affecting all of our children's school careers with not enough focus on how we can break this cycle. We are in challenging times and the answer every year can't be a cut in services with a raise in taxes. No one is winning under this scenario and next year may be worse as the stimulus dollars will have evaporated. NYS spends one of the highest amounts per pupil in the country so we have enough money invested in education but it needs to be spent more wisely. We need to start looking at new solutions and that will be my goal.

Q: What personal attributes do you possess that will make you be a good school board member?

A: This is a volunteer position but when I take on any responsibility, I take it very seriously. I believe skills I have gained in my professional career, from budgeting to management to handling challenging assignments will serve the community well. As anyone who works in the event industry knows, if you can handle multiple clients, budgets and tight timelines, you can handle almost anything.

Q: How did your family feel about your victory and now involvement with the school?

A: My wife served as the campaign manager and she did an awesome job. She helped manage my Facebook account and fan page so I could maximize my visibility. She too is very involved with our children's education and she wants to ensure we provide the correct challenge to each student. My two boys were great, handing out my campaign cards to classmates, teachers and bus drivers at every opportunity. The election was a family effort and they were very excited about our victory.

Q: What is your current assessment of the BH-BL school district?

A: BHBL is a great district with much to offer. We have an excellent graduation rate, high test scores and terrific extracurricular programs that have kept us as one of the top ranked districts in the Capital District (of New York State). We need to maintain this level of excellence, improve where we can and never settle or get comfortable.

Q: How would you complete this statement? If at the end of my term the education in Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake is [blank] then I've done my job.

A: .... synonymous with measuring results not only on the district level as a whole but also based on each child's success....



The Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake annual school budget comes in just over $53 million and serves approximately 3,500 students from kindergarten through 12th grade and over 260 teachers and administrators. There are 3 elementary schools, one middle school and one high school. Will takes his seat on the school board when the new board assembles in July.

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SYLVANIA Lights Up Vegas.

It's Spring and that can only mean it's Lightfair International time. And it is happening right now in Las Vegas. SYLVANIA is one of the brightest spots at the show with a record number of attendees visiting the booth. The Sylvania booth staff say they are on target to have it's best West Coast show ever. It goes without saying that we are proud to note that Sylvania's exhibit is by far one of the busiest spaces at the show.

To top things off, SYLVANIA won an Innovation Award for in the Ballasts, Transformers, Drivers category for their Quicktronic QHE T5HO/SS System. Sister company, Traxon USA, won an award for Design Excellence recognizing outstanding achievement in design and application for it's Light-Drive Elite. A list of all the winners is here.

The exhibit contains over 50 lighting solutions and with the help of fixture manufacturers, their products are shown in true to life vignette applications including the Simply Red retail store, an architect's office, the contemporary lounge and the OSRAM Optosemiconductors LED Technology gallery.

They also have ten innovation pods featuring the latest technology from all the different product groups. If you need information of the best technology, the Sylvania exhibit is where you want to be.

If you can't make it, SYVANIA has designed e-panels allowing access to all the products at the show in an easy to navigate website. Click here for more information.

Creatacor and OSRAM SYLVANIA have successfully partnered together for over 20 years but it was great to hear Bob Sweeney, the SYLVANIA Trade Show Manager, say, "It's the best Lightfair exhibit ever." We are thankful and glad to be a part of the team.

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Creatacor Expands Family.

There are two new members of the Creatacor extended family and the proud Papas are smiling from ear to ear.

Graphics production specialist Patrick Yole and his wife Amy welcomed Brennan Michael William Yole into their arms on April 26th 2010 at 3:39 in the afternoon. Brennan weighed in at a healthy 6 pounds - 5 ounces. When asked about the experience Pat said, "I can not put into words what I felt when I finally held him in my arms. The smell, the sound of his cries, when he first opens his eyes and you look into them and he is looking back.....There is nothing like it in this world!"



Creatacor Account Executive Chuck Law and his wife Chelsea welcomed Chloe Isabella Law into the world on May 3rd 2010 at 10:30 in the morning. Chloe arrived several weeks early weighing just 3 pounds - 12 ounces but mom and daughter are doing well at Albany Medical Center. According to Chuck, Chloe will remain in the Neonatal ICU for several more weeks. "The NICU staff is doing an awesome job of taking care of our little Yankee fan (see photo). We are all hoping to have her home by Father's Day!", he said.



All of us at Creatacor wish the Yole's and the Law's the very best along with our a most enthusiastic CONGRATULATIONS!

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Creatacor Event Marketing Summit Presentation Available Online.

We had a great experience exhibiting at our first Exhibit Marketing Summit in Chicago last week.

Specifically for the show, our graphic designers created an interactive Flash presentation designed for use on two 22" touchscreen LCDs, which were displayed in our booth:



The presentation highlights some of our recent event marketing work like the Subaru "Feel The Love" Love Meters, the Geico PGA Golf Tour and numerous Rockband 2 projects, to name just a few.

Our Graphic Design Manager Jess made a few tweaks to make it web-ready - and ready for you to have a look. So check it out and see why Creatacor is "The best partner an agency can have!"



Click here for Creatacor's Event Marketing Summit Presentation.

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Event Marketing Summit Chicago - Wrap Up.

The 3 day Event Marketing Summit came to a close on Wednesday, with everyone leaving with a refreshed outlook on our industry and what we need to do to help our customers sell their brand and their products. The event was a great opportunity for Creatacor to get to together with our Event Marketing Agency partners and to meet with new EM Agencies as well. We also had a chance to meet with good friends like Craig McNary, of XBox Marketing, who told us a little bit about a new product called "Natal" that they will be releasing for the holidays. "All I can say is it's very, very cool & I'm going to get one", said Rich Henaghan, Creatacor AE.



Gerry Glynn, VP of Operations at Creatacor found a number of sessions to be extremely enlightening... "Carter Angus from Virgin Mobile spoke about their music tours and sponsorships, and Corrin Arasa from E2 Marketing & Jason Anello from Yahoo had a fantastic conference session on the "wom bomb" (word of mouth) as it pertained to the yodel studio event. The GE Healthcare virtual exhibit session was fascinating, presented by Jim Salinksy of GE and Lou DePasquale from InXpo. "There were many tips that can be applied to our customer's efforts and marketing strategies" Gerry said. Gerry also attended a session presented by Andrew Judelson's from Sports Illustrated, and Andy Cook of Vivid Marketing, which took on the issue of Intellectual Properties. Finally, "Go Big or Go Home" was a session presented by Susan Newman form Virgin Galactic & Group Delphi... and VG did not go home, they went BIG for their press release:



While the Event Marketing Industry had a challenging year in 2009, the buzz is that everyone is seeing an upswing for 2010. The integration of social media with events has generated an unprecedented audience reach that was talked about at almost every session of the summit. "Now I get how my kids can reach so many people", said Rich Henaghan, Creatacor AE. Tom Lemery, President and CEO of Creatacor left Chicago completely inspired by what he had heard and plans to push "digital" to the forefront of Creatacor's internal marketing mix. "The power of social media and the availability of digital content is expanding by the second. I plan to take a new look at everything we do to market ourselves as well as our clients. We're going to experiment with some things and see what works." Tom said. Stay tuned, it should be fun!

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Event Marketing Summit Chicago - Day 2.

Well my friends, the slang phrase "keep it real" has been replaced with "keep it digital". That's the overwhelming message from this years Event Marketing Summit and day 2 was no exception. According to Gerry, Rich and Tom, who spent their second full day listening to the marketing pros from companies like Intel, MillerCoors, Cisco, and GE Healthcare, when digital media is combined with face-to-face marketing events like trade shows, great things can happen. The guys are surely all jazzed up and ready to put some of their new found knowledge to work. Stay tuned!





[ Rich and Kim take a look at Creatacor's digital project library ]

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Lightfair Load Out Day.

The guys are hard at work in our shop finishing up Osram Sylvania's 40' x 50' Lighfair 2010 exhibit.

After months of planning, design and construction, the exhibit ships TODAY.

Mikey and Brandon put some finishing touches on various parts of the exhibit:





Danny has started crating up parts of the exhibit:





3 trucks will be loaded up today and sent on their way to the Las Vegas Convention Center - and we'll start the three day install on May 9th.

Lightfair International 2010 is "...the world's largest annual architectural and commercial lighting trade show and conference. Lightfair International blends continuing education courses with innovative products ranging from high-end design to cutting-edge technology."

Stop by to see Osram Sylvania's exhibit, booth #315, when Lightfair 2010 opens on May 12th.

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We're Taking It All In @ The Event Marketing Summit.

The Event Marketing Summit kicked off in Chicago today and Gerry, Rich and Tom were there to take in day one of this three day event. The day started early with registration at 7:00 AM followed by a great presentation by the Event Magazine organizers entitled "50 Killer Case Studies". Later, they attended the "Re-Tuning The Marketing Mix: Leading With Experiential Marketing" workshop... A fantastic example of reintroducing your product to your customer market presented by Tillamook Cheese, a dairy products producer in Oregon US. You have to check out their "Loaf Love" campaign, which is unique, fun and maybe even a stoke of marketing genius.

The day finished with the Opening Reception in the exhibit hall, where our gang staffed our booth with our latest Flash portfolio - soon to be available on our site. The guys hope that day two is as inspiring as day one!



[ Gerry & Rich ]



[ Gerry showing off all of our cool projects using our touchscreen presentation ]



[ Rich at the booth ]



[ Tom at the booth ]

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An Event For Events.

Creatacor is excited to be exhibiting at our second event this year - The Event Marketing Summit, May 3-5 at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago, IL.



This event is "...the world's most respected conference on event marketing. Now in its eighth year, the Event Marketing Summit is the only executive conference focused on face-to-face marketing across all types of events and trade shows." For more information, check out the Event Marketing Summit website.

This is a great opportunity for us to showcase some of the great work we do that does not end up on the trade show floor. While partnering with some great brands and agencies, we have produced numerous retail environments, mobile & mall tours, experiential and promotional displays, and marketing events.

Here are a just a few of the projects we'll be discussing at the show:



[ Retail - LEGO Storefront ]



[ Mobile Tour - Top Chef: The Tour, BRAVO TV ]



[ Mall Tour - Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Cartoon Network ]



[ Experiential - Big Love: Wall of Secrets, HBO ]



[ Promotional Event - Charlotte Store Opening, IKEA ]



[ Marketing Event - A Taste of New York, Virgin Atlantic ]

If you're heading to Chicago, and we hope you are, stop by and see us at both #408. Looking forward to seeing you.

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NORI Glory Forthcoming?

The 37th Annual Nori Awards, themed "Run for the Noris!", have announced this year's nominations. Each year since 1972, the Albany Ad Club has hosted the NORI Awards to honor outstanding achievement in advertising and communications design. By applying the highest criteria to judge its members, the creative competition serves to continually raise the standards of work in the region and promote excellence in marketing communications. Of the six entries submitted by Creatacor, 4 earned nominations, 2 for exhibits and 2 for graphics. Not bad, not bad at all. BUT, you know designers, they hate having their work rejected. A designer's work is like one of their children. (Don't you dare not accept them.) This prompted our Graphics Creative Director to proclaim, "I will not accept my ad being rejected as at least a nominee!!! I will stand up and protest!" Of course this was said tongue-in-cheek, especially when she found out that two of her creative projects were nominated.

Here are our 4 nominations:

1. SA-7 Trade Show or Event Exhibit (Over 20') - Augen Optics - Vision Expo West 2009 - 20' x 20' Exhibit



2. SA-6 Trade Show or Event Exhibit (10' - 20') - Creatacor, Inc. - Exhibitor Show 2010 - 20' x 20' Exhibit



3. OU-5 Vehicle Wrap - Southern Wine & Spirits - Jameson Whiskey Vehicle Wrap



4. SA-4 Poster - Hunter Mountain - Big Lift Card Poster



The Albany Ad Club's Annual Nori Awards ceremony is scheduled for 6/11/2010.

We'll let you know how we do...

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Fools For April.

Even though April starts as the prankster's holiday, it's a GREAT month for Creatacor. Since the Exhibitor Show, we haven't kept our blog as up-to-date as we should... But we do have a good excuse - we are SUPER busy.

Starting with our follow up to the EXHIBITOR2010, Will Farmer notes: "We had another successful year at the Exhibitor Show with nearly 200 visitors attending our presentation. Add the folks we spoke to during our three days on the show floor and you can consider EXHIBITOR2010 a success for Creatacor. Three lucky winners received Rockband for their home gaming system and everyone went home a winner with one of our Rock'n Roll T-shirts. The positive vibe on the show floor was very different from a year ago and here's to hoping 2010 continues in an upward direction."

So with a busy Q1 behind us, then April arrived.

All departments are fully engaged in two major projects; Osram Sylvania's 40' x 50' Lightfair International 2010 exhibit - and for LEGO Systems, Inc. North American headquarters, a new 1,200 sq. ft. showroom display to accommodate the ever-expanding LEGO product lines.

Here are a few photos from our shop showing what the guys have been working on:







As you can imagine, Brandon's had our Thermwood CNC machine running at a fairly consistent pace this month:



On the other side of the wall in our Logistics and Warehousing Department, Roland Dubrey reports that they are also extremely busy with numerous events shipping this month. A quick look at the calendar shows events like NTI 2010, the 14th Ottawa Conference and the HealthStream Summit 2010 for Laerdal, ACOG 2010 and ANNA 2010 for Watson Pharmaceuticals, NA 2010 Material Handling & Logistics for The Raymond Corporation and CLMA ThinkLab 2010 and ACOG 2010 for LabCorp. Logistics will doing their thing for Lightfair as well.

All this, plus some very cool marketing events that we just can't talk about yet.

Of course, all of these events needed designs and graphics - so the Design Department has been cranking out the exhibit designs, floor plans, graphic layouts and printing a ton of trade show graphics.

...And while all this is going on, we are preparing to exhibit at our second event of the year, the Event Marketing Summit at the Hyatt Regency Chicago on May 3-5, 2010 - Booth #408. More on this in an upcoming blog entry.

Whew! So there you have it - our SUPER-MEGA-April update... more soon!

OSRAM at the ShoWest 2010 Show.

While the Creatacor team was busy drumming up new opportunities at the Exhibitor Show, they were doing double duty helping OSRAM at the ShoWest Show. ShoWest is dedicated to the needs of the movie theatre industry worldwide and OSRAM is a leader in supplying the bulbs that work in the projectors.

The event include screenings of upcoming films, product reel presentations, educational seminars, special events and awards galas. Plus when you walk the show floor you get to try all the latest concessions. All in all, a successful trip to Las Vegas.

A Message From Creatacor's Rockstar.

Exhibit City News has posted this quick, exclusive interview with Creatacor's Rockstar from the show floor at Exhibitor 2010:

Creatacor @ Exhibitor 2010: From The Show, Day 2.

The Creatacor 'Road Crew' are at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center at our 20' x 20' exhibit for EXHIBITOR2010. Will just sent in this quick report from the second day at the show.

"We had another good day at the Exhibitor Show. The aisles weren't always crowded but our presentation kept them coming to our booth. While the economy still has people weary the vibe of this show is much more positive then last year and we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Space selection started for next year's show and the space was going fast, another good sign for the exhibit industry. One more day to go!"

Tomorrow is the last day of Exhibitor 2010, so be sure to stop in and see us in booth #1737.







How many exhibit professionals does it take to change a roll of paper? (Chuck, Kim, Tim)



The Creatacor Road Crew - Kim, Tim, John, Jeremiah, Chuck. Will is there too, but he took the pic.

Creatacor @ Exhibitor 2010: From The Show, Day 1.

Chuck is at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center along with the rest of the Creatacor 'road crew' at our 20' x 20' exhibit for EXHIBITOR2010. He just sent in this quick report from the first day at the show.

"Very productive first day. We packed the seats for our Rock Star presentation, some of which were standing room only - with 70+ attendees throughout the day. We've even received 2 RFPs! Getting ready to see some vendors now, then off to the Welcome Reception for some face to face networking time."

There are still 2 more days of the Exhibitor Show, so stop in and see us in booth #1737.

Creatacor @ Exhibitor 2010: Setup Day 2.

Chuck is at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center setting up our 20' x 20' exhibit for EXHIBITOR2010. This is his second report from the show floor.

"We finished the AV setup. The 42" monitor really is the finishing touch to this exhibit. We did presentation rehearsals with our Rock Star who arrived with some new material and is sure to draw some folks to the booth with his antics. LIVE Marketing handled our production again this year and are great to work with. Looking forward to the show opening today so we can begin gathering some leads. Following the first day of the show is the annual Exhibitor Opening Reception Networking Event. A great place to catch up with industry professionals and meet some new people. Stay tuned, more to come following opening day activities."

The exhibit hall opens today at 11:30AM (Monday, March 15th), so be sure to stop by our booth #1737. We hope to see you there!

Creatacor @ Exhibitor 2010: Setup.

Chuck is at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center setting up our 20' x 20' exhibit for EXHIBITOR2010 - and late last evening, he sent in this quick report (with some pics from the show floor).

"Setup went great, booth looks awesome. We contracted Coastal International to handle installation and dismantle labor. The crew I had was fabulous. A few journeymen and a youngster, all experienced and easy to work with. We are doing the Audio Video install tomorrow at 9am. Following AV install we will have rehearsal with our Rock Star and production company at 1pm. More to come!!"

Chuck will be sending in daily reports from the show floor - so stay tuned.

The exhibit hall opens at 11:30AM tomorrow (Monday, March 15th), so be sure to stop by our booth #1737. We hope to see you there!

RedPeg Marketing Visits Creatacor.

RedPeg Marketing, a full-service independent marketing and promotions company, has teamed up with Creatacor on the largest project we have collaborated on to date. For the last four months we have been planning, producing and preparing to execute a well designed traveling event set for a major US brand.

The set is scheduled to appear at seven to ten major sporting events in the coming months. The last step of the production process was for RedPeg to visit the Creatacor facilities to see the set and train on set installation and dismantle. The RedPeg team consisted of a Production Director, two Production Coordinators and two Tour Managers. Everyone spent four days together setting up, labeling, learning and packing the massive event set.



The entire set was packed into the back of a 24' box truck. The truck was carefully "packed" using our CAD program to insure all available space was optimized. We were able to take the CAD drawing to production and they produced slots and compartments that guarantee the new events set pieces are well protected. We also have a few road cases to hold the more fragile items in the set, including LCD TV's and a 44" molded plastic white golf ball and tee. When we were done it looked as though we had packed the set in a 24' long shipping crate on wheels; everything with a place and securely packed for the long ride to Florida and beyond.





The mobile marketing set that we have created is beautiful and something for both teams to be very proud of. We are very excited to get the client feedback after the first event! Stay tuned, more to come from sunny Florida!

It's Exhibitor Show Time Again!

Yes, its true. We get to practice what we preach and actually exhibit at a trade show. Why do we do it? Because it works. There is no better place to meet with new clients, reconnect with current clients, and learn about the latest trends in our industry. Creatacor has been exhibiting at the Exhibitor Show for the last decade, with great success.

Our theme for this year's show mirrors our "Trade Show Rockstar" advertising campaign. Is there a better city than Las Vegas to feel like a Rock Star? We don't think so. Our custom built 20x20 exhibit will be decked out with all of the action of a rock concert. Will there be music at booth 1737? You bet. We will even have a real-live Rock Star on hand if we can get him down to the booth at 11 AM. And for an encore, we will be giving away one Rock Band 2- Special Edition game per day for those that visit our exhibit. Go ahead, take that Rock Star feeling home with you- you know you deserve it.

We've got VIP exhibit hall passes if you need them, just email us at info@creatacor.com and we'll send one your way.

Exhibitor Show Information: Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV - March 14-18

LEGO at Toy Fair 2010.

The LEGO booth is a showroom for retailers and media to review the great new LEGO products that will become available in the coming months. The 3,000 sq. ft. booth needs every inch to display the ever-expanding LEGO product lines which are too many to fit into this page. Visit LEGO.com to learn more.











We'd also like to congratulate LEGO on their win of a Toy of the Year award for Mindstorms NXT 2.0.

Also at the show, the LEGO Licensing booth provides a showcase for retailers to review new LEGO licensed products and a meeting place for licensees and licensors to visit with LEGO representatives.

Techno Source at Toy Fair 2010.

It's always fun & games working on the Techno Source exhibit for Toy Fair and this year's 20' x 60' booth delivered again featuring Rubik's SLIDE, the twisted electronic puzzle you can't put down and Bubble Talk, a new family board game that asks players to match funny captions with funnier pictures.









We'd also like to congratulate Techno Source on their win of a Toy of the Year award for Rubik's TouchCube.

News From Toy Fair 2010.

The LEGO Buzz Lightyear & Woody models stopped by our shop last week to be fit into the LEGO exhibit for Toy Fair 2010 - the biggest Toy Show in the Western Hemisphere - that opened today. More show photos of the LEGO booth to come later on.

Infrastructure Upgrade 1/29 @ 9 AM.

Hello valued customers, trade partners, and Creatacor web followers out there in cyberland.  We'd like to make you aware of an infrastructure upgrade here at Creatacor that will briefly disrupt our telephone service. We are currently working with the nice folks at TW Telecom to upgrade from our current T1s to a fiber optic based phone and internet service.

This switchover will occur on January 29th at 9 AM. It is during this time that our phone service will be down for approximately a half hour.

We are confident that this upgrade will increase our incoming and outgoing call reliability - and it will more than triple our available data bandwidth.  All this extra bandwidth will certainly increase the speed of our online exhibit services - OnCor - and it will also make our remote office users in Florida, New York City and Wisconsin very happy.

This is a major reliability and speed upgrade that will help us better communicate with you, so we can't wait for the 29th.

Thanks for your patience and continued support.

Benefiting Others While Having Fun.

Despite unusually cold temperatures in Orlando that didn't get much higher than the freezing mark, Creatacor President & CEO, Tom Lemery and his wife Gail put on their hats, gloves, sweats and running shoes, and participated in Disney's Marathon Weekend at Walt Disney World in Florida. The 5k "UP - Family Fun Race" was themed after the Disney movie "UP", which opened in theaters in May of last year. This was the first event of three for the weekend, which included a half marathon on Saturday and a full marathon on Sunday.



Presented by Cigna and sponsored by companies like; Sharpie, Champion, Kodak, Spira, Dasani and others, the 5k race benefited the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The 3.1 mile trek began in the EPCOT parking lot and weaved through the back lots and behind the attractions through EPCOT's World Show Case and around Space Ship Earth to the finish line. Although the race was not timed, the Lemery's noted that they finished the race with one of their best times, which is rumored to be under 40 minutes. "It's a great way to help out a worthy cause" said Tom. "Plus you get this very cool medallion for participating." he chuckled. Tom and Gail are regular participants in the 5K races offered by Disney at Walt Disney World throughout the year. Gail participated in 5 such events in 2009, while Tom managed to run in 4. Each event benefits a different charity including the National Kidney Foundation, the V Foundation for Cancer Research and Breast Cancer Awareness. Participants get to run (or walk) through many areas of the parks like Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom and EPCOT that are typically unavailable to the average visitor. Rumor has it that there will be an event at the Magic Kingdom next fall. Gail say's "We'll be there for that one, I'm sure."

Creatacor Hires Graphic Designer.

Creatacor has a new Graphic Designer! We are very excited to welcome Paul Todd to our graphics team. Paul graduated from SUNY New Paltz with a bachelors degree in graphic design and has spent the last several years at the RealtyUSA Marketing Department, where he designed promotional materials, ads, posters, flyers, and a whole host of marketing masterpieces for Realtors and their properties.

While away from Creatacor, he has a 9 month old, Zachary, with whom he likes to spend time with, as well as, playing guitar, flag football and of course supporting the NY Mets (who he says will bounce back in 2010). As a designer he describes his design philosophy as charismatic, out-of-the-box design that grabs the attention of the viewer.....enough said.

I say again, Welcome to the Team! Make yourself right at home!

Image Gallery Updates.

Today, we've updated our Image Gallery with some photos from recent events.

New Island Exhibits:

• Osram Sylvania's Lightfair International Exhibit
• Augen Optics' Vision Expo West Exhibit,
• Transfinder's Association of School Business Officials International Show

New Special Applications and Events:

• TH Outdoor's Subaru "Feel the Love" Marketing Tour

Take a look!

2009 Blog Archive.

Happy New Year everyone! We've hit the ground running as we are off to a very busy start to the New Year. With 2 major custom exhibits at Toy Fair and numerous shows and marketing events coming up in the first month of 2010, we are hard at work.

We are also moving our 2009 blog entries to an archive site and starting the New Year with a fresh page, ready to be filled with all that 2010 will bring. So stay tuned...