Trade shows are BACK! Buyers are eager to see products in person, meet and talk with business leaders face-to-face, and experience the full-sensory show of exhibits. As buyers rush back to the exhibit floor and trade shows burst back onto the scene, don’t make the mistake of thinking that just because you may have survived the past 2 years without showing up at a trade show, you can do that in 2022. Nope! And this year’s return of trade shows offers you a chance to revitalize your business with this ever-important avenue of marketing. Is it worth your time and your budget? Absolutely!
7 Reasons to Make Trade Shows a Priority in 2022
Topics: Nashville trade show displays, Nashville trade show exhibits, Nashville trade show installation, skyline Nashville, trade show marketing, Blog, Skyline, trade show booth installation Nashville, trade shows, Tradeshow event, tradeshows, environments, trade show leads, sales leads, success, branding, F2F, face to face marketing, B2B, client engagement, event planning, marketing and advertising
...but often not considered
In the flurry of activity that goes into preparing for a trade show – from the best technology to the flashiest graphics to the prime booth location at the event – don’t make the critical mistake of overlooking a crucial element of your brand and your marketing: DESIGN. Good design creates more space, improves the functionality of space, enhances space through lighting, color, texture, scale. Design is meant to be both very visible and magnetic, but yet subtle enough as to be almost invisible. Since many marketers are worrying about how to get noticed, design is the answer. It’s the visual image that will make people notice you. Through the use of balance, focus, and repetition, you can inspire your prospects and elevate your presence at any event.
Topics: Nashville trade show displays, Nashville trade show exhibits, marketing, skyline Nashville, trade show marketing, design, Blog, booth design, exhibit design, Nashville events, Skyline, Trade Show Displays in Nashville, trade show displays Nashville, trade show exhibiting, trade show exhibits, trade shows, success, branding, webinar, B2B, trade show planning and logistics, event planning
Don't Let a Cancelled Trade Show Cancel Your Marketing Goals
Maintain Marketing Momentum
Canceled! Postponed! Rescheduled! TBA! What’s a marketing department to do when trade shows and events can’t be put on the calendar in ink?! All this penciling in and erasing is likely to drive even the most hardcore marketing folks crazy. But never fear. You don’t have to wait until trade shows resume to pick up with your marketing goals. Making lemonade out of lemons is part of a marketer’s job, and here are several ways you can make the sweetest lemonade during this stagnant summer season.
Topics: Nashville trade show displays, Nashville trade show exhibits, marketing, skyline Nashville, trade show marketing, design, Blog, booth design, exhibit design, Nashville events, Skyline, Trade Show Displays in Nashville, trade show displays Nashville, trade show exhibiting, trade show exhibits, trade shows, success, branding, webinar, B2B, trade show planning and logistics, event planning, COVID-19, virtual meetings
By Sofia Troutman
We are living in some strange days for sure and the landscape is constantly shifting under us. As event and marketing professionals, we are basically circus performers spinning all the plates – we are accustomed to managing people and schedules and events, keeping all the moving parts moving, and all while managing ourselves. We, too, have social lives, families, personal budgets, and individual goals. Much of the time, these two worlds run nicely parallel. Occasionally, though, the two worlds collide and a personal crisis interferes with work life.
Topics: Nashville trade show displays, Nashville trade show exhibits, Nashville trade show installation, skyline Nashville, trade show marketing, Blog, Skyline, trade show booth installation Nashville, trade shows, Tradeshow event, tradeshows, environments, trade show leads, sales leads, success, branding, F2F, face to face marketing, B2B, experiential marketing, client engagement, event planning, marketing and advertising, Aerosmith
"Dude Looks Like A Lady" ... Tap Your Inner Aerosmith to Improve Trade Show Results
By Shawn Lacagnina
I’ve always loved music, and growing up in the 80s, I was singing along to the best music ever as I cruised our small town in my Oldsmobile Cutlass. I don’t remember a time in my life when I couldn’t belt out “Dream On” at the top of my lungs. Back then, we couldn’t believe we’d make it to 2020. So, for old times’ sake and a little fun, here are the top 10 ways to Aerosmith your way to a great trade show.
Topics: Nashville trade show displays, Nashville trade show exhibits, Nashville trade show installation, skyline Nashville, trade show marketing, Blog, Skyline, trade show booth installation Nashville, trade shows, Tradeshow event, tradeshows, environments, trade show leads, sales leads, success, branding, F2F, face to face marketing, B2B, experiential marketing, client engagement, event planning, marketing and advertising, Aerosmith
Marketing Videos: Which Camera is the Right One?
By Matt Bohar
Do you love watching those smart, fun videos on social media? Of course you do! Everyone does. They are so creative, and what’s more, they’re effective. A whopping 87% of video marketers say video has increased their website traffic and 83% say video helps them generate leads. And perhaps most importantly, 80% boast increased sales because of video marketing. For this reason, 95% of video marketers plan to increase their video marketing budget next year.
Topics: Nashville trade show displays, Nashville trade show exhibits, Nashville trade show installation, skyline Nashville, trade show marketing, Blog, Skyline, trade show booth installation Nashville, trade shows, Tradeshow event, tradeshows, environments, trade show leads, sales leads, success, branding, F2F, face to face marketing, B2B, experiential marketing, technology, client engagement, event planning, videography, marketing and advertising
Top 10 Methods of Building Your Brand at Trade Shows
By Mike Thimmesch
If your company wants to build its brand at trade shows, your company is in good company. In survey after survey, exhibitors tell us that building brand awareness is their number one (or at least #2) goal in trade show marketing.
Topics: Nashville trade show displays, Nashville trade show exhibits, Nashville trade show installation, skyline Nashville, trade show marketing, Blog, Skyline, trade show booth installation Nashville, trade shows, Tradeshow event, tradeshows, environments, trade show leads, sales leads, success, branding, F2F, face to face marketing, B2B, technology, client engagement, event planning, marketing and advertising
4 Ways to Close The Sale Following Trade Show Cancellations
By Michael Criscuolo
In times of unforeseen catastrophe – the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2008 financial crisis, 9/11 – businesses are confronted with unprecedented challenges, from plummeting revenue streams to navigating employee retention and potential furloughs, even paying the rent. Sales and marketing teams are quickly finding their previously planned trade shows and meetings are postponed or cancelled. How, then, can sales leaders, marketing teams, and product managers support business continuity and continue to meet with key clients and prospects under such challenging circumstances? One way is by engaging in strategic, alternative meeting planning. The purpose of this article is to outline four ways to meet when attending your trade show or conference is no longer possible.
Topics: Nashville trade show displays, Nashville trade show exhibits, Nashville trade show installation, skyline Nashville, trade show marketing, Blog, Skyline, trade show booth installation Nashville, trade shows, Tradeshow event, tradeshows, environments, trade show leads, sales leads, success, branding, digital marketing, F2F, face to face marketing, B2B, technology, client engagement, event planning, lead capture, marketing and advertising, COVID-19, trade show cancellations, virtual meetings
If ROI is the name of your exhibiting game, the real product of your trade show is leads. If you ask almost any exhibitor why they attend trade shows, you’ll most likely hear the number one answer (or at least number two) is lead generation.
Topics: Nashville trade show displays, Nashville trade show exhibits, Nashville trade show installation, skyline Nashville, trade show marketing, Blog, Skyline, trade show booth installation Nashville, trade shows, Tradeshow event, tradeshows, environments, trade show leads, success, branding, digital marketing, F2F, face to face marketing, B2B, technology, client engagement, event planning, lead capture, marketing and advertising
Three Technology Trends at Trade Shows
Just when you’ve purchased and acclimated to the latest, greatest new innovation in technology – BOOM! – a new trend comes on the scene and your technology is old news. Because of the ever-changing nature of technology (and remember, this is a GOOD thing! We want to be improving and growing!), trade show managers can be hesitant to get on board with the latest hot item. But just imagine if we’d resisted such early innovations as badge scanners or marketing automation software – technology that has vastly improved the trade show experience. The trick is to pump the brakes on the here-today-gone-tomorrow trends and to rev up to the ones with staying power. Pay attention to these three advancements in trade show technology that are sure to be around for many, many years.
Topics: Nashville trade show displays, Nashville trade show exhibits, Nashville trade show installation, skyline Nashville, trade show marketing, Blog, Skyline, trade show booth installation Nashville, trade shows, Tradeshow event, tradeshows, environments, trade show leads, success, branding, digital marketing, F2F, face to face marketing, B2B, technology, client engagement, event planning, booth lighting, marketing and advertising, artificial intelligence
Getting Leads...A Trade Show Strategy
By Chris Rowe
Occasionally, I’ll read a really great article on LinkedIn or a blog post by an associate in the trade show business about what sounds like a new and fantastic idea to attract attendees into the trade show booth. I’ll daydream a bit about what it would take to pull it off. I’ll wonder if it would work for our booth. I’ll wonder if it would truly generate good leads. And then . . . I’ll wonder if it worked for THEM. Drawing a big crowd to your booth is exciting. An active booth feels energizing and smells like success. But does it actually mean that you’re having a profitable show?
Topics: Nashville trade show displays, Nashville trade show exhibits, Nashville trade show installation, skyline Nashville, trade show marketing, Blog, Skyline, trade show booth installation Nashville, trade shows, Tradeshow event, tradeshows, environments, trade show leads, success, branding, digital marketing, F2F, face to face marketing, B2B, client engagement, event planning, marketing and advertising
Tracking...Advanced Digital Marketing
By Matt Bohar
Tracking campaign results with Google Analytics is crucial for honing and adjusting future campaigns. However, often exhibitors just don’t do it. For more information on that, read this blog post. Exhibitors often won’t measure their website engagement from email blasts and other advertising. And because these stats aren’t tracked in Google Analystics without manually enabling it, they miss out on crucial information that they need to adjust their inbound marketing.
Topics: Nashville trade show displays, Nashville trade show exhibits, Nashville trade show installation, skyline Nashville, trade show marketing, Blog, Skyline, trade show booth installation Nashville, trade shows, Tradeshow event, tradeshows, environments, trade show leads, success, branding, digital marketing, F2F, face to face marketing, B2B, technology, client engagement, event planning, social media marketing, marketing and advertising
13 Reasons Exhibitors Value Trade Shows
Is it really worth it? All the time and money and energy and set-up and tear down and time out of pocket. Are trade shows really all that great?
Turns out, YES! Yes, they are. Exhibitors value trade shows for lots of reasons, from helping them meet their objectives to just making their jobs more exciting.
Topics: Nashville trade show displays, Nashville trade show exhibits, Nashville trade show installation, skyline Nashville, trade show marketing, Blog, Skyline, trade show booth installation Nashville, trade shows, Tradeshow event, tradeshows, environments, trade show leads, success, branding, F2F, face to face marketing, B2B, client engagement, event planning
Looking for some FREE and EFFECTIVE resources to help you reach your marketing goals? Look no further! We’ve compiled a list of websites and helps aimed at assisting anyone with business objectives, a tight budget, and plenty of focus. To help maximize your trade show ROI and surpass your event planning benchmarks, read on!
Topics: Nashville trade show displays, Nashville trade show exhibits, Nashville trade show installation, skyline Nashville, trade show marketing, Blog, Skyline, trade show booth installation Nashville, trade shows, Tradeshow event, tradeshows, environments, trade show leads, success, branding, F2F, face to face marketing, B2B, client engagement, event planning
Coronavirus Travel Tips for Trade Show Travelers
25 Business Travel Tips
What are the risks of exhibiting with the health threats that are currently looming? We have put together a few travel tips to address the Corona Virus outbreak. More people are taking pause before booking their travel to their next event. This is a unique situation, and hopefully will be over soon. However, as trade show and event professionals you may wonder what you need to think about when preparing to travel or organize your next event. If you are not the event organizer, do you even go? Recently, Amazon, Sony and Ericsson decided not to exhibit at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona because they did not want to expose their employees to the Coronavirus.
Topics: Nashville trade show displays, Nashville trade show exhibits, Nashville trade show installation, skyline Nashville, trade show marketing, Blog, Skyline, trade show booth installation Nashville, trade shows, Tradeshow event, tradeshows, environments, trade show leads, success, branding, F2F, face to face marketing, B2B, client engagement, event planning, human interaction, travel, safety, air travel
What Are You Saying?
When you are a presenter or a booth staffer at a trade show exhibit, your single most important visual is YOU. Your audience is looking at you. They are listening to you. The way you look and sound communicate your entire message and determine your success as a speaker. Your body language, facial expressions, and gestures matter even more, I would argue, than your actual speech. Below are some areas in which your physical expressiveness can wow your audience.
Topics: Nashville trade show displays, Nashville trade show exhibits, Nashville trade show installation, skyline Nashville, trade show marketing, Blog, Skyline, trade show booth installation Nashville, trade shows, Tradeshow event, tradeshows, environments, trade show leads, success, branding, F2F, face to face marketing, B2B
Expectations Have Lowered...Keep it Simple
There was a time when wining, dining, and entertaining clients with concerts, ballgames, and other luxuries would strengthen business relationships and woo new customers. Win the client, write off the expense. However, the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act took a major bite out of that piece of the marketing pie. Even though you’ll no longer be able to woo customers with playoff tickets or front row seats to Wicked, you can still connect with them on a personal level and treat them in a style that adds value to them. No matter what experience you’re hoping to offer clients, the following tips will help you create it.
Topics: Nashville trade show displays, Nashville trade show exhibits, Nashville trade show installation, skyline Nashville, trade show marketing, Blog, Skyline, trade show booth installation Nashville, trade shows, Tradeshow event, tradeshows, environments, trade show leads, success, branding, F2F, face to face marketing, B2B
It's All Going to Work Out!
Steps to Take When Life Throws You a Curve Ball
It’s happened to all of us. We’ve dotted all the I’s and crossed all the T’s and micromanaged every piece of the trade show to perfection. What could go wrong?! Right? Wrong! Inevitably, some minor (or major) mishap will cause a kink in your plans: part of a shipment got lost, the exhibit is held up in customs, someone put a forklift through one of your boxes. While these are concerns and they have to be handled, they are no reason to panic.
Topics: Nashville trade show displays, Nashville trade show exhibits, Nashville trade show installation, skyline Nashville, trade show marketing, Blog, Skyline, trade show booth installation Nashville, trade shows, Tradeshow event, tradeshows, environments, trade show leads, success, branding, F2F, face to face marketing, B2B, installs and dismantles
Alert: Save Thousands on Rigging at the Las Vegas Sands
For those of us involved with trade shows, we know that a high priority is managing the budget. The budget drives where, what, and how we exhibit. And it adds up quickly. There’s the cost of the booth itself; the cost of show services like Wi-Fi, shipping, and drayage; travel and lodging costs; and collateral costs such freebies and giveaways and drawings.
Topics: Nashville trade show displays, Nashville trade show exhibits, Nashville trade show installation, skyline Nashville, trade show marketing, Blog, Skyline, trade show booth installation Nashville, trade shows, Tradeshow event, tradeshows, environments, trade show leads, success, corporate culture, branding, budget, vision, ROI, return on investment, F2F, face to face marketing, B2B, budgeting and measurement, rigging, installs and dismantles
By Jon Althoff
I have loved being challenged in business for over 35 years. In CPG B2C (consumer packaged goods, business-to-consumer); in B2B (business-to-business). Manufacturing. Design. Chemicals. Food (my favorite was candy).
I’ve seen a lot over the years; made objectives most of the time, but many times I, and my organizations, did not. The reason why was occasionally something as obvious as the economy, but most often there was a controllable miss: bad planning and bad alignment.
Topics: Nashville trade show displays, Nashville trade show exhibits, Nashville trade show installation, skyline Nashville, trade show marketing, Blog, Skyline, trade shows, Tradeshow event, tradeshows, environments, trade show leads, success, corporate culture, branding, budget, vision, ROI, return on investment, F2F, face to face marketing, B2B, budgeting and measurement
Digital Display Options Buying Guide - Part 2
6 Digital Display Options for Small Digital Displays
Part 2:
In Part 1 of a Buyer’s Guide to Trade Show Digital Displays, we discussed the pros and cons of using tablets, computer monitors, kiosks, and TVs for digital displays. In part 2, we will break down the features and benefits of using larger displays -- projectors and entire video walls.
Topics: Nashville trade show displays, Nashville trade show exhibits, Nashville trade show installation, skyline Nashville, trade show marketing, Blog, Skyline, trade shows, Tradeshow event, tradeshows, environments, trade show leads, branding, F2F, face to face marketing, B2B, technology, display trends
Digital Display Options Buying Guide - Part 1
6 Digital Display Options for Small Digital Displays
It’s a no-brainer to use a digital display in your trade show booth – it offers endless possibilities to convey information and encourage interactivity with your visitors. Besides that, your competition is using it, so you’d better get on board. When it comes to choosing your digital displays, the number of options can be a bit overwhelming. From small tablets to multi-panel display walls, the choices are staggering. So, to help you pick the best choice for your budget, venue, and audience, we’re discussing the features, benefits, and how-tos of each kind of display in two handy articles. This first article will discuss the smaller of the digital displays – tablets, computer monitors, kiosks and TVs.
Topics: Nashville trade show displays, Nashville trade show exhibits, Nashville trade show installation, skyline Nashville, trade show marketing, Blog, Skyline, trade shows, Tradeshow event, tradeshows, environments, trade show leads, branding, F2F, face to face marketing, B2B, technology, display trends
“You gotta spend money to make money!” We’ve all heard this old truism, and while it definitely is, well, TRUE. . .businesses have to make sure they aren’t outspending their profit. There’s a delicate balance between spending enough (and in the right places) and spending too much. On top of that, the balance is always shifting – more like a wobble – as businesses break into new markets or experience an economic downturn or just grow lax in carefully budgeting where their dollars go..
Topics: Nashville trade show displays, Nashville trade show exhibits, Nashville trade show installation, skyline Nashville, trade show marketing, Blog, Skyline, trade shows, Tradeshow event, tradeshows, environments, trade show leads, success, corporate culture, branding, budget, vision, ROI, return on investment, F2F, face to face marketing, B2B, budgeting and measurement
Last week, I had a day of back-to-back unrelated meetings, and I realized that at every single meeting, one of the topics that predictably came up was money. Whether the meeting was administrative in nature or about implementation or planning or advertising or education, considering the financial side was inevitable. Seems like a shallow, obvious thought, but I had this epiphany about how money is intrinsically related to every need and want we have.
This was kind of a bummer. As a creative, out-of-the-box thinker, I don’t want to consider monetary limitations. It seems like a budget sucks the fun right out of an idea.
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Topics: Nashville trade show displays, Nashville trade show exhibits, Nashville trade show installation, skyline Nashville, trade show marketing, Blog, Skyline, trade shows, Tradeshow event, tradeshows, environments, trade show leads, success, corporate culture, branding, budget, vision, ROI, return on investment, F2F, face to face marketing, B2B, budgeting and measurement
...Before Starting Trade Shows
Once you’re thrown into the whirlwind world of trade shows, the learning curve is steep. It’s like being thrown into the deep end of the pool – you either sink or you swim. Either way, there’s a lot of flailing! And although there is nothing like hands-on experience to teach you how to maneuver the trade show life, there are a few things I wish I’d known before I started. Here they are:
Topics: marketing, Skyline Exhibitor Source, trade show displays Knoxville, trade show exhibits Nashville, trade shows, trade show leads, sales leads, branding, marketing budget, ROI, return on investment, face to face marketing, B2B, trade show regulations, booth staffing, trade show planning and logistics
Webinar: "Trade Show Lead Management Essentials"
You Are Invited to Our Next Webinar!
Topics: Nashville trade show marketing, Knoxville trade show exhibits, design, booth design, exhibit design, trade show displays Nashville, trade shows, branding, webinar, B2B, island trade show exhibits
Webinar: "Getting Attention at Trade Shows: 21 Design Tips for Exhibits That Stand Out"
You Are Invited to Our Next Webinar!

Topics: Nashville trade show marketing, Knoxville trade show exhibits, design, booth design, exhibit design, trade show displays Nashville, trade shows, branding, webinar, B2B, island trade show exhibits
Exhibit Design...Where is the Future Going?
Exploring the past, present, and future trends of trade show exhibit design....
Ask seasoned trade show professionals… some may say that exhibit design is not new, it is simply a new application based on historical designs. In the ever-changing industry of trade shows and events, one thing is consistently desired: intriguing design. We wanted to explore the history of design and felt there was no better place to start than with 30-year veteran, Greg Mathieson, a Senior Exhibit Designer at Skyline Exhibits and Scooter Hendon, Skyline Sector 5 Exhibit Designer with multiple industry awards under his belt.
Topics: marketing, booth design, exhibit design, Skyline Exhibitor Source, trade show booths, trade show displays Knoxville, trade show exhibits Nashville, tradeshows, branding, digital marketing, trade show planning and logistics
Experiential Marketing At Trade Shows
Some things must be felt, seen, tasted, smelled, attempted, or heard in order to be believed. Through a campaign, we can tell someone what we think or how great our offering is, however there is no replacement for showing someone face to face and allowing them to experience it for themselves.
Experiential marketing allows your skeptical prospects or most dedicated customers to develop an emotional investment in your products or services, literally helping them shape your brand’s evolution. Another by-product of this is shortening the sales cycle because the prospects and clients are becoming more comfortable with who and what they are purchasing.
Topics: Insider, Nashville trade show marketing, marketing, trade show marketing, trade show exhibits Nashville, Tradeshow event, trade show leads, branding, F2F, face to face marketing, B2B, client relationships, experiential marketing
Do a web search on hiring models for your trade show and you’ll find not just a few articles that decry the practice. There are a lot of reasons to be cautious in the use of models. For one thing, having a gaggle of hot models in your exhibit can actually intimidate some people. That high energy and frankly “intense” atmosphere that is often associated with the proverbial “booth babe” environment is tough for the more reserved people, and can even cause anxiety just by being in the area.
Topics: Insider, Nashville trade show marketing, marketing, trade show marketing, Skyline Exhibitor Source, trade show booths, trade show exhibits, trade shows, trade show leads, branding, ROI, return on investment, F2F, face to face marketing, B2B, booth staffing, promotional models, island trade show exhibits
We all know that branding has intrinsic value, but how much value can actually ascribe to a “Brand”… more specifically our brand. This is no small question and one that is challenging to answer.
Consider this simple example pulled from each of our everyday lives. When we visit the drug store or grocery store and we have to choose between the “store brand” version of a product or the branded version positioned right next to it on the shelf. The dilemma that faces us in that moment is do we compromise on perceived quality and go for the less expensive “store branded” version? It seems like there would be a lot of us that would pick the less expensive option… Not true.
Topics: Nashville trade show exhibits, marketing, trade show exhibits, Trade Show Exhibits Knoxville, trade shows, branding
5 Ideas for Client Engagement
No one wants to be replaced, as a company or a person, and having remarkable client engagement that eclipses that of your competitors makes you hard to replace. Once we differentiate ourselves we become difficult to switch out with other companies that do the same thing that we do. The best part about delivering this intangible value to clients is that it is fairly low cost or no cost, but essential to success.
Topics: marketing, Skyline Exhibitor Source, trade show displays Knoxville, trade show exhibiting, trade show exhibits, trade show exhibits Nashville, tradeshows, branding, client relationships
Telling Your Company Story
Story telling has been a popular topic in exhibiting over the last several years. I’ve used the term myself when talking with clients. And I do agree that when we are designing a space we have a story to communicate. But I also caution our clients that you need to be savvy as to what story you are telling. You have to sort out what story you want to tell about your company.
Topics: marketing, creative, design, Skyline Exhibitor Source, trade show displays Knoxville, trade show exhibiting, trade show exhibits, trade show exhibits Nashville, tradeshows, branding