Every summer, our exhibit structure partner beMatrix hosts a multi-day Summer Academy program for industry professionals to gather and discuss best practices and learn about new product offerings. This past July, our logistics manager Tim King traveled to Georgia for this training and reported back his findings for our team and yours to benefit from!
Learn more about beMatrix by visiting their site or by contacting a Creatacor specialist today! Read Tim’s recap below:
The first day began with a bus ride through the very busy streets of Norcross Georgia to the BeMatrix facility a few miles away. We were greeted by Tara Ericson, CEO of BeMatrix USA who was very welcoming and expressed her enthusiasm to me to see a member of the Creatacor team at the training.
The training began with Tara giving an overview of the company and their sustainability mission. Then we went around the room and everyone had a chance to introduce ourselves to the group and talk about what they did within their company. It was so interesting to see almost every part of the particular business represented in the seminar. From CEO’s to warehouse workers, we are all there for a common purpose. Something that is worth noting is beMatrix’s drive to become a 100% sustainable company. They are working on a buy back program of older frames that will be used to remake new frames with a purity in the aluminum of up to 76%. More to come on this in the very near future.
Dave Brown was the next presenter to give an overview of the many different product lines beMatrix has available and what is being developed and currently in the works. A lot of this was a refresher for myself since we have been working with beMatrix at Creatacor for many years now. It was also helpful to know what to expect in the future. He also spoke in the afternoon about their rental program as beMatrix wants to be the first choice for rental of matrix walls with facilities in Atlanta and Las Vegas.
Dave spoke about the Double Deck Rental they offer and the reasons why beMatrix version of this was a more versatile option for our clients. What I found to be their best selling point was the material handling savings and the many options they offer with their deck. Their deck, like their walls, is made of lightweight, recyclable aluminum and can be assembled in under eight hours with a small team of installers. I saw some exciting options that they are offering such as a site window in the floor of the upper deck, a two-part staircase with a landing in the middle, a railing system that matches existing BeMatrix panels and the option to add LEDskin panels on the upper deck.
In between Dave’s presentations we had the opportunity to tour their warehouse and see the product assembling stations and their on hand inventory. Their facility is very clean and well organized –– some of which we’ll certainly shamelessly borrow back at our shop, like a separate room that houses an inventory of all their “off the shelf, quick pick items”.
The afternoon was a mix of a presentations by Pablo Perez on Design Best Practices in Graphics and a presentation by Matthew Schneider on Outdoor and Extreme Solution. Matthew’s presentation for Outdoor Solution with beMatrix was informative and a new area I haven’t had much experience with. They call this program “pop-IN and pop-OUT Solutions”. We were able to see first hand a couple of examples that beMatrix had set up both inside and outside their facility. The inside pop-IN utilized beMatrix Glass Infill Walls along with an all glass door that works with a stabilizing and closing mechanism. The all glass door is a clean and appealing addition to any set up using the Glass Infill Walls.
The outside pop-IN was a great solution for any activation outside utilizing existing beMatrix panels for the floor, walls and ceiling. beMatrix offers adjustable floor supports to help with those uneven surfaces. They had 2 versions, one was mainly beMatrix and the other was a mix of beMatrix and their latest product they call beConstruct. The examples that were constructed outside their facility have been in the elements for almost two years and the frames still look great.
We finished off the afternoon with a presentation by Dominek Cardoen on their new product lines. The focus was on their newest Tooless connector called the Fast Clamp – a great new product that lets the tech construct the walls and be able to attach them together with no other assistance. They boast a time saving of up to 50% using this connector. The other new product that was presented is the LEDskin P1.5. They worked with Unilumin (Screen & Displays) to create a high quality LEDskin cabinet with a 1.5mm pixel pitch that revolutionizes COB Flip Chip LED Technology.
Day 2 began with a short presentation by Destiny Mathis and the Account Management Team giving an overview of the ordering process. This focused on what to expect from your regional rep when placing orders and talked about lead times, what was available off the shelf and what a custom order would look like. Another very informative session.
Next up was a presentation by Matt McGraw on the LEDskin. This covered their current LEDskin product line including flat panel screens, LEDskin Curved In set, the LEDskin Curved Out set and the LEDskin Perfect Corner Set. Matt and his team demonstrated the versatility of the LEDskin framesand on how easy they were to connect and the durability of the frames. It’s the opinion of many that if you’re an exhibit house and not utilizing LEDskin’s in your set up now that you will be behind the trend.
For the last session, we took a short walk across the boulevard to another location in the complex. beMatrix had a demonstration set up for the class that showcased their Ceiling Deflection hardware. They have developed a full product line and demonstrated how these pieces can be used to take the sag out of a ceiling or canopy. The method is simple and easy to use.
For our final session we formed three teams and we were asked to construct a matrix set up from a blueprint using b62 panels, beTruss components and LEDskin panels. The configuration consisted of a closet with a straight run of b62 panels that incorporated beTruss as a stabilizing unit for the wall. The LEDskin panels were a stand alone feature using b62 panels and a base plate. My role was to lead and guide the team through the set up. Our team, of course, was the first to complete the set up -– it must have been great leadership!