Parting Thoughts
Did you blink? Because I did, and here we are in December again! I know it’s cliché to remark on the speed of time, but thinking about it always reminds me to reflect on the year that was, and truth be told, it has been a terrific year. Speaking of time flying, 2017 marked Creatacor’s 30th anniversary. I think back to 1990 when I first started with the company—in the time before email, popular use of the cell phone and even fabric graphics. All paperwork was sent via fax and we had to rely on landline phones to communicate. There was also something called “lead time” which has somehow been replaced by the often-asked, ”Can I have it tomorrow?”
At Creatacor, we’ve changed quite a bit over these last 30 years, but the adrenaline rush and excitement which come with helping our client pull off successful events never gets old. In 2017, we accomplished a great deal, including:
- Several wonderful projects, including the largest event we’ve partnered on in Creatacor history;
- Continued partnerships with clients we have been supporting for years;
- Collaborated with new clients which have helped us expand our product offerings as well as our global reach;
- Expanded and strengthened supplier relationships; and
- Increased outreach to our upstate New York community, through blood drives, holiday family sponsorships and collaborative endeavors with our local school district.
So as the year comes to an end and on behalf of Gerry, Linda and myself, we want to thank our Creatacor team members for their commitment to always going above and beyond expectations, and also our incredible clients and suppliers for collaborating with us to consistently achieve our joint goals. We hope you get some time this holiday season to slow down, relax and enjoy time with friends and family.
Wishing you the happiest of holidays.
We’re looking forward to tackling new challenges together in 2018!
— Will Farmer, COO
Project Spotlight: NRG Systems at WindEurope
Amsterdam
November 28 -30, 2017
Could a rental exhibit be right for you?
by Will Farmer, COO
Tight budgets and hyper-competitive marketing environments, all while trying to improve product sales and make your brand stand out are just a few of the many challenges faced by today’s exhibit/event manager. Dr. Suess should have written a book, “Oh, the Challenges You Will Face!” to provide a little extra motivation toward getting us to the places we all need to go.
In the exhibit world, we know budgets are fixed and before we can even get to the fun stuff, 35% of our budget goes to purchasing floor space. If we don’t create an inviting atmosphere which solves these challenges, thousands of potential customers will walk by a slab of concrete. So there are a lot of decisions that go into making and maximizing the budgetary dollar.
One option that we like to offer relates to examining the pros and cons of incorporating rental exhibits as a component of your broader strategy. Rentals may make sense based on your individual approach, but you need to evaluate your plans and goals before any decisions are reached, something we do regularly with our clients.
Do you only exhibit at one or two shows per year, or does your program involve multiple shows annually? Do the shows overlap or are they conveniently spaced out? Is your exhibit focused on brand building, marketing specific products or both, depending on the show? Does the booth size vary from show to show or are you consistently purchasing the same size space? Is your corporate culture one of maximizing cost of ownership by using the same exhibit for multiple years or is it important to change the look and feel of the display after a limited number of uses. Does the company allow for capital purchases? Answering these questions will help determine which strategy may be best for your company.
T’Bugs
So our very own founder, Tom Lemery, got together with Dave Ross, a friend and colleague, and authored a children’s book. Now available on Amazon!
According to one reviewer, it’s “a creative book that will delight middle-grade through young adult readers who love technology! These T’Bugs are fun, engaging, and different than any other characters you will find in other books. Kids will be talking about Lumens, Lara, Surge, Breaker, Riker, BT and Bobby to name just a few. Each of these technobuggies come in all sizes and shapes and each has a talent and they use their skills to perform a service for the rest of the swarm. The authors, Dave Ross and Tom Lemery, have created a memorable story that will become a favorite of children everywhere. This could easily become a series of stories about all the fascinating characters. I can see this as a cartoon or full-length movie in the future.”
Creatacor In The News
(11/2) NYC Marathon Expo, New York, NY
(11/3) Play Fair 2017, New York, NY
(11/3) Walmart Toyland 2017, Bentonville, AR
(11/7) NAPT 2017, Columbus, OH
(11/14) AAPS 2017, San Diego, CA
(11/28) WindEurope, Amsterdam, Netherlands
(12/5) Power-Gen 2017, Las Vegas, NV
(12/5) SABCS Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX
(12/6) ICSC 2017, New York, NY
(12/12) CAMX – Composites and Advanced Materials Expo, Orlando, FL
(12/16) NYS MWBE Conference, Albany, NY
(1/9) CES 2018, Las Vegas, NV
(1/11) Cohoes & Clifton Park Kiosks, Clifton Park, NY
(1/23) SHOT Show 2018, Las Vegas, NV
(1/23) Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week, Las Vegas, NV
(1/24) Iowa Park Congress, Des Moines, IA
(1/24) PGA Merchandising Show 2018, Orlando, FL
(1/27) Photonics West 2018, San Francisco, CA
(1/30) IPE/IPPE, Atlanta, GA
(2/9) Times Union Home Expo, Albany, NY
(2/9) The Home Show, Utica, NY
(2/17) Toy Fair 2018, New York, NY
(2/22) The Precast Show 2018, Denver, CO
(3/5) TMC/ATA 2018, Atlanta, GA
(3/8) Natural Products Expo West, Anaheim, CA
(3/13) NY BEST, Albany, NY
(3/21) Global Pet Expo, Orlando, FL
(3/27) International Battery Seminar, Fort Lauderdale, FL
(3/28) Central Plains Dairy Expo, Sioux Falls, SD
(3/29) Curtis Lumber Builders Expo, Saratoga, NY
The Javits Center hosts over 35,000 companies annually? With 840,000 square feet of flexible exhibition space (which occupies six city blocks along the Hudson River), the facility can accommodate any size event.