Trade show set up videos

Northwest Creative Imaging just launched the first round of trade show display set up videos to help our customers in finding the perfect display. Most customers are concerned about how easy a display is to assemble before they buy it, and our comprehensive set up videos are very helpful in determining set up times. We host all of our videos on YouTube so they can be accessed everywhere including at the trade show. OneFabric displays are one of our most popular products and the set up video shows how easy they are to assemble. We also just introduced the Waveline display which is a little more difficult to assemble but still very easy. We will continue to keep adding to the site and eventually have set up videos for all of our products. Stay tuned to our site for all the most current trade show products. Truss displays will be available shortly with great pricing and a large selection!

Why do companies fail?

Every year, especially in the last couple of years, thousands of established companies either liquidate or file bankruptcy. It is remarkable that so many established businesses that were once successful, simply become irrelevant and loose everything. There can be many causes, but one fatal business management error that has been amplified by this economic crisis is inefficient labor and underpaid talent. There are many companies that manage their employees pay based on what is "fair" or "equal" as opposed to merit or value. In many companies there is a lot of waste in overpaid lower level employees and underpaid upper lever employees that actually bring in money. When times were good it was very easy to keep employees around because they had been with the company for a long time or were close to retirement, even if they did not produce value for the company. Now that revenue's are down, bloated payrolls are feeling the pressure from tight budgets and deficits. This has also caused a lot of employers to underpay or restrict pay from higher level employees that actually have the talent to get them through this tough economic climate. This has cause a surge of new companies being formed and employees changing companies.

Why do companies fail? One key reason is wasteful payroll management. Paying too much for non-producers and not enough for talent is a determining factor in the health of any company. The math simply doesn't work out. If one employee is pulling the weight of 5 non-producers, then eventually the one producer will leave or stop producing, creating a payroll of 6 employees and no revenue. Once that management style is implemented it is just a matter of time before a snowball effect occurs and the entire company crumbles. This is usually caused by poor upper management and uniformed decision makers.

What can you do? If your company is experiencing these same problems then stand up to management and show them the path of the company. If they are unresponsive it would be wise to find a new place to work before you are forced out of your job. Usually companies that mismanage employee payroll have many other issues that will also lead to failure.

What does this have to do with trade show displays? Not much, but its very important business advice in a tough economy!

Trade Show Displays

Trade show displays in general are portable graphic, fabric, or laminate systems that are ideal for events such as trade shows. They are also used for almost any event that requires a portable product such as marketing and networking events. In the past 10 years trade show displays have expanded into many other styles and shapes. Pop up displays used to be the most popular choice because they are highly portable and fairly inexpensive. Now there are many other options including Hop Up displays and Waveline display systems that are even more affordable and portable. This has also helped the online trade show industry take off. Most brick and mortar trade show display retailers are having to find new ways of expanding market share because, for the most part, showrooms are becoming irrelevant and too costly for most companies. Price point is so key in the industry that most customers will work with a company with a low price instead of a company with a higher price and a showroom. This change in the last 10 years has made most companies with showrooms move towards the higher end, custom displays market while most internet based companies provide the low cost items. As the industry matures and new, innovative ideas are created, most custom displays will be purchased online as well.

Coyote Pop Up Displays

The Coyote pop up displays section is finally underway on the Northwest Creative Imaging web site. We have put together a pop up display package that combines the best frame in the industry with the best graphics in the industry. Basically, if you are looking for the best in quality and clarity, the Coyote pop up display from Northwest Creative Imaging is the way to go. Usually a product of this quality will cost you much more than a standard system, but our system is priced around the same as most standard pop up systems with lower quality frames and graphics. The Coyote frame has been around since 2001 and has become one of the most popular pop up display frames because of its very simple and basic design that works very well and is extremely durable. The frame has a lifetime warranty, while maintaining a very low defect rate. The graphics that are included with all of our Coyote kits are high definition Lambda graphics which are the highest resolution trade show graphics available. These graphics usually cost quite a bit extra because of the quality and durability, but Northwest Creative Imaging is offering this entire kit at the same price as most premium display packages. We will be expanding this line continuously so stay tuned to our site for more updates!

Premium banner stands on sale!

The current economic climate has caused many companies to cut costs. In the trade show industry this usually means purchasing economy products instead of premium products. Northwest Creative Imaging has recognized this and put our premium banner stands on sale. During June all premium quality banner stands will be 5% off to help customers with the cost of trade show exhibiting. We have many different options available including adjustable banner stands, retractable banner stands, and banner stands with interchangeable cartridges. Many people are staying away from the premium quality products because of their high price point, but Northwest Creative Imaging offers these products and very low prices making them more affordable to the average exhibitor. We also have a full selection of economy banners that are very affordable and available in large quantities. Please stay tuned to our sales on trade show displays page for all the current sales and new products in the trade show industry!

OneFabric Displays on Sale!

Northwest Creative Imaging has just introduced a new summer sale for OneFabric displays! Currently the 8 foot curved model only includes free LED lighting with the purchase of a frame and graphic package. It is currently posted on our sales on trade show displays page.

The OneFabric display is a quality product manufactured by Brandstand America. The graphic is printed in China for maximum cost savings without sacrificing quality. The frame comes with a limited lifetime warranty and is designed to last for many uses. There are many sizes and shapes available to fit any booth space. The compact design of the display system is ideal for traveling and dramatically reduces shipping costs. Assembly is very easy because the fabric graphic stays attached to the frame at all times so the entire display can be set up in minutes.

Stay tuned to Northwest Creative Imaging for more great deals on trade show displays!

Great Values from Northwest Creative Imaging

Northwest Creative Imaging has been expanding so drastically that many products with amazing value can be easily overlooked. Although NWCI offers every product at a great price, there are some products that are incredible values. The product that fits this description the best is the Hop Up display. This display system is one of the most popular, durable, and effective displays available. Northwest Creative Imaging offers this products for over $300 less than our closest competitor. Another great product is Waveline display. Overall this is one of best value in the trade show industry. The full proof frame design and printed graphic are offered at incredible prices and there is even a good warranty to back it up.

Banner stands are still a very popular option and Northwest Creative Imaging carries hundreds of different models and sizes. They are available in economy, basic and premium lines to make it easier for customers to find banners in their price range. We also offer a large selection of retractable banner stands and outdoor banner stands. The best value in the entire line up is the Orient banner stand. This banner is reasonably priced and includes very good hardware and a high quality graphic.

Effective outdoor marketing options

Outdoor marketing requires a slightly different train of thought in comparison to traditional indoor marketing events. There are many different products that can be used to accomplish effective outdoor marketing including event tents, outdoor banner stands, outdoor flags, and portable billboards. If these products are used effectively they can contribute to a very successful event.

The key to developing a success outdoor marketing campaign is understanding your competitors and customers. Outdoor events require a very unique booth set up that will draw in customers. This can be done with graphic design work or strategic product placement. If all your competitors are using tents then in might be effective to get a sail sign banner with graphics. Its also important to make sure your tent is unique so its easy for customers to recognize and remember you. Our outdoor canopies are available in multiple colors or print options. The design of your tent is a very important part of the marketing strategy. The most effective option would be to use a full dye sub print that is capable of hitting multiple colors. This will allow your designer to make the tent very unique to your company.

Remembering these simple steps will aid in developing at effective outdoor marketing campaign.

Hop Up Displays

Northwest Creative Imaging has just launched a new product line referred to as Hop Up Displays, but are different from the tradition trade show booth. The display uses an Orbus Hop Up display frame and a customer printed graphic from a custom print shop. This allows NWCI to offer the Hop Up display at much lower prices than our competitors. We also offer all the hop ups in complete kits that include lights, a shipping case and case to counter conversion kit. This product is very durable and designed for a lifetime of use. The frame has a lifetime warranty to back up the product quality. We also carry OneFabric displays that are slightly more affordable, but are printed in China. The Hop Up display is printed in the US and the frame is completely engineered and warrantied in the United States!

Cutting Costs without Sacrificing Service

In many industries it is very typical to have low cost providers that have a lower level of customer service while the high cost providers have higher costs. Northwest Creative Imaging believes that every customer should be entitled to great customer service while still paying the lowest price. We offer great service by having complete information on the web site which reduces overall calls. This helps us to use fewer sales people thus lowering costs and offering more one on one service. The owner of NWCI actually takes most sales calls to insure continued quality service. Trade show booths are a very important part of any trade show and Northwest Creative Imaging takes this very seriously to insure every customer project gets completed on time and on budget. Our new Hop Up display is designed to offer a great value to our customers while maintaining extremely high quality standards.

Trade Show Tips

Northwest Creative Imaging is very adamant about our customers being successful at every event they attend. We have an entire section on our site dedicated to trade show tips that will help any exhibitor be more successful at trade shows and other marketing events. Below are a couple highlights from this section of our web site.

Effective graphic design is the most important aspect of any market event. It is critical to analyze your target market and cater to their trends and needs. If this is done correctly it will dramatically increase your success. In many cases a simple and clean design will work very effective. Most buyers go through trade shows very quickly and do not pay close attention to small details. They are specifically looking for products or services their company needs. That is why a clean and simple design works for many industries. There are also industries that buyers walk through shows very slowly and pay close attention to the specific information on your display. If you study your target market it should be clear which design will work the best.

When designing a trade show booth a very important consideration is the type of show you will be attending. If you are a medical billing company and you are attending a show that has nothing but medical billing companies than it would be a bad idea to design your display with "medical billing" as the main headline because most buyers will assume you offer that service. It would be much more effective to make the main focus of your display something unique to your company that your customer desires. This can be something like "Family owned and operated since 1970" or "Easy to use and affordable". This will help set you apart from your competition and make your company more appealing to potential customers.

Taking a look from the customers perspective

It can be difficult at times to see different situations and scenarios from another persons perspective. This is a skill that should be mastered by an business professional that deals with clients or works in marketing. When developing a trade show booth it is incredibly important to design the booth space and the graphic in a manner that will appeal to your clients. In most cases making the booth simple and clean will appeal to most clients because it makes everything easy to understand and interpret. It is critical for first time exhibitors to make their booth space clean and professional. The main reason for this is because no one will know you at the show if its your first time. A clean and simple design will make it easy for new clients to know what you do and be drawn to your booth.

The most common error in designing a trade show display is trying to put too much information on the display. About 9/10 times this type of design will be ineffective because it makes everything too busy. Most professional buyers need to see exactly what you do within 3 seconds or they will pass by your booth. There are many trade show graphic design examples on our website that have worked effectively for clients in the past.

NWCI Premium Hop Up Display on the Market!

Northwest Creative Imaging has just launched our new line of NWCI Premium Hop Up Displays that are an exclusive to NWCIdisplays. The display system uses an Orbus Hop Up display frame and a custom printed dye sublimation graphic from a local printer. By using the high quality Orbus Hop Up frame with a lifetime warranty, and a low cost, high quality graphic print, NWCI has packaged the Premium Hop Up Display as one of the best values available in the trade show industry. It is superior in quality to the OneFabric display, but is only slightly more money. We offer a faster standard turnaround at 4 business days, as opposed to the standard 5 day turnaround for the Orbus Hop Up. The main product line has just been launched and will soon includes custom size Hop Up displays and fully custom Coyote pop up displays. Stay tuned for the Ultra Premium Coyote pop up display with Lambda graphics and revamped large format printing section!

New Waveline Displays!

Northwest Creative Imaging has just introduced Waveline displays to our line up. They are highly portable display systems that very affordable and surprisingly high quality. The frame work is made from tubular aluminum that has a lifetime warranty. The graphic print comes from China and is very colorful and finished very well. This display system is available in many different sizes to accommodate nearly any booth size. The fabric print pulls over the aluminum frame for a pillow case like assembly. There is an industrial strength zipper that secured the print onto the frame and gives the fabric a nice stretch. Any wrinkles that may be in the fabric quickly go away once the display is fully assemble. The fabric is wrinkle resistant so wrinkles are usually not an issue, but a portable steam clean con be used for stubborn wrinkles. There are also many accessories available for the Waveline display including LED lights, fabric tension counters, and dye sub table throws.

Effective Outdoor Displays

Outdoor displays can be a great way to market outside your storefront or at outdoor events. Outdoor banner stands are the most portable outdoor graphic displays because they are light weight and they break down quickly and easily. Event tents are great solutions for portable canopies at outdoor events. They pop up quickly and easily and are made of high quality, durable materials. When choosing an outdoor display it is critical to examine the outdoor elements that the display will be exposed to. There are many outdoor displays that are designed to withstand extremely high winds, while other should only be exposed to light winds. The Spinnaker outdoor banner stand is a great example of a large graphic display that is designed to withstand even the most extreme conditions. The graphic has C-cuts in it to help withstand winds and there are two large bases that can be filled with water to help with stability. You can view our entire outdoor displays section to find the perfect outdoor marketing product for your company.

Gaining attention with minimal costs

The most important part of any trade show is to gain the attention of every potential customer. Even if they are not a potential customer they could know someone who is, that is why effective designs are the key to a successful show. There is one product out now which utilizes a full graphic print from China which is surprisingly high quality and very affordable. The product is called the OneFabric display produced by Brandstand. It is ideal for exhibitors who have a very tight budget, but are still looking to make an impact. The great thing about the OneFabric is all the accessories are just as affordable as the display! You can get a set of 2 LED lights for $105 while most manufacturers charge close to $200 for one! The shipping case and option counters are also great values.

This product was brought on by NWCI because of the great quality and great price point. This gives exhibitors more options that every when going to a trade show. The low cost of replacement graphics give the customer the flexibility of changing designs and messages for different shows. With the OneFabric pop up display it is now possible to get much higher ROI on each show. There are also many banner stands and trade show accessories that can be added to make your booth space unique and exciting. We also offer all the traditional pop up displays if you are looking for a product that has more options or shelving.

Northwest Creative Imaging Takes a Stand Against the Overpriced Trade Show Industry

The trade show industry has always been a very profitable industry for convention centers, display retailers, and the exhibitors who attend the shows. Trade shows are a very cost effective way to make contact with a wide variety of clients and potential leads. Over the years these shows have proven time and time again to offer a good return on your investment.
In the past 10 years prices have been climbing very steadily in the trade show industry making it much more expensive to exhibit, effectively decreasing return on investment. One of the biggest factors contributing to climbing trade show costs is the displays that are being sold on the internet and at brick and mortar stores. Starting in about 2001 a surge of online trade show retailers hit the market offering very good prices in comparison to traditional trade show display retailers. Unfortunately this also caused many problems due to the fact that online companies do not have show rooms and clients cannot see the product before they buy it. These situations breed a large number of online retailers that retailed products of very low quality at premium prices. Needless to say many of the companies trying to find good deals were consistently getting burned on their purchases resulting in spending more money to buy a higher quality product from a local distributor.
In 2009 only a handful of companies like this are still around, many online retailers have begun to sell higher quality products, but they are still selling at a premium in comparison to their quality. This is a very tough problem for online shoppers because there are very few websites that actually disclose exactly where the product is from, who makes it, and the true durability of the product. Many online retailers still do not look at or test their products to insure there are selling quality products to their customers.
Another factor coming into the trade show printing industry is overseas printing from China. The prints are extremely low cost and reasonable quality. This is creating a problem for local printers who are selling to online retailers and are overcharging for US prints. This causes more people to go toward China printers which are still not as high quality as US print shops causing frustration to the end user. Many companies do not even disclose if the prints come from China!
Companies are having a problem finding displays today because of the ambiguity of online shopping and the high cost of buying from a brick and mortar store. This has led a lot of companies to limit their number of trade shows because they cannot afford to market different divisions of their company. This is very sad because the display should be the lowest cost item of the entire show.

 Northwest Creative Imaging discloses nearly every detail of the product relevant to the end user including the products manufacturer, origin, turnaround time, warranty, specs, and templates. “Our vision is to educate each customer through our web site so that every customer is just as informed as we are on every product”, says NWCI owner Matt Nixon. “An informed customer is a happy customer; if they know exactly what they are getting then everyone is happy! We also test every product we carry vigorously so we know exactly how to describe it on our site.”

Northwest Creative Imaging sells their trade show and print products at a fraction of the cost of most online dealers. “We feel that every company should be able to exhibit at a reasonable cost, there are sites that charge over $600 for a basic banner stand which is price gouging in my opinion. We don’t mind working a little harder for our money in order to give our customers a lower price. With our low cost and high quality prints our customers can try different designs at different shows to maximize ROI. This is the key to long term business success for us and our customers. We don’t offer a lowest price guarantee because we have the lowest price, period. We don’t play negation games; we just charge the lowest price we can. We don’t mark up our products just to mark them down. We feel our customers will appreciate this because they can order everything online knowing they are getting the lowest price already, most business people do not want to waste time negotiating for the lowest price.”
Northwest Creative Imaging specializes in trade show booths, store fixtures, large format printing, and banner stands. They only sell the most portable display options to maintain a user friendly site and fast and easy shopping.

NWCI Customer Wins Best Booth Award

This past weekend a customer of Northwest Creative Imaging won best booth award and a local trade show. The award was given because the professional and effective booth set up. Once again this is a great example of how a low cost trade show display can still work as effectively as most of the higher priced substitutes. The entire selection of products on NWCI are very affordable, but still meets NWCI quality standards for durability and craftsmanship.

The best options are the One Fabric pop up display and the Arise pop up display. The One Fabric is one of the most affordable graphic backdrop displays available while the Arise is still highly affordable and has a heavy duty frame that can support shelf's, back lit headers, and Lambda graphics. Both displays are very easy to set up and use full color graphic printing!

Making a statement without breaking the bank

Whenever compiling an advertising campaign, the projected return on investment is the most critical number to analyze. If your ROI is not sufficient then the campaign will be dismissed by management. This happens very often in the trade show industry because costs across the board are very high and can price many companies out of trade show exhibiting. It is very unfortunate because trade shows are one of the most effective ways to make your company known in the market place.

Northwest Creative Imaging understands this dilemma for many companies and has an answer for portable trade show exhibiting. The One Fabric display is a fairly new addition to the trade show industry and is quickly becoming a favorite due to its incredibly low price point and surprisingly high quality graphic prints. This product is made and printed in China, but is quality controlled by US and European companies to insure quality. This product with NWCI pricing is making professional exhibiting extremely affordable for many companies who normally could not exhibit. We multiple shapes and sizes so you will be sure to find a One Fabric pop up display that will work perfect for your convention!

Trade show event tents and outdoor canopies

Outdoor canopies and event tents are great outdoor marketing solutions that can help promote your brand and products. Northwest Creative Imaging offers portable outdoor displays solutions for exhibitors looking for stunning outdoor display options. These tents can collapse and expand quickly and easily making outdoor set up effortless. These work great for all types of farmer's markets, wine tasting events, and fairs. You can get your event in a variety of colors or you can have a full dye sub custom printed tents with your logo and company colors.

Northwest Creative Imaging also supports all of our customers with a variety of articles and small business tips to inform our customers of industry related information. A recent article on avoiding misleading advertising is very helpful for anyone who is shopping online. We also post on multiple blogs and other networking sites to keep our customers up to date company related news.

Incorporating projector screens into your display

Using a projector screen at a trade show can be a very effective way to capture attention of attendees while making your company look very professional. Most exhibitors don't realize that a projector screen can be used on almost any display, including banner stands! All you need for a projector screen is a blank white space and you can do that on almost any trade show display. Pop up displays are the most commonly used trade show booth because they are affordable and easy to assemble. If you would like to incorporate a projector screen into the display all that needs to be done is to design a white space that is proportional to your projector screen ratio. If you currently have a fabric pop up display you can simply get white Velcro graphic that will attach directly to the display. This can even be done in banner stands and other trade show stands to create a very effective display without having to purchased a fulling customized unit.

Designing a Cost Effective Display

Designing a cost effective trade show display is not only possible but can be very effective. There are many graphic options including banner stands and back wall displays that can effectively display your message without breaking your budget. The most important factor in an effective display is the design of the graphic backdrop. There are many simple and easy ways to create a very effective backdrop and Northwest Creative Imaging specializing is creating effective trade show graphics at a fraction of the cost of most design companies.

We strongly believe that a great trade show design require simple elements that will stand out to you prospective clients. Our experience and understanding of marketing and business assists us in create extremely effective designs without spending your entire budget. You can always call Northwest Creative Imaging for a quote on graphic design for any trade show project!