This year’s late Thanksgiving means there’s nearly an entire week missing from the holiday shopping season. Additionally, while sales tend to surge during December, most shoppers are hitting the store with a purpose. They come armed with a list of gifts for Aunt Susan and Cousin Bill, and many shoppers have their costs narrowed down to the penny. A tight time frame and tighter budget do not leave much room for window shopping. Your store’s marketing game needs to be on point this season to entice shoppers through your doors and encourage purchases once they are inside. One of the easie ..read more

Event attendees across all industries are embracing the value of sponsorships. According to recent research from the Marketing Accountability Standards Board and the Association of National Advertisers, the 2018 total for North American sponsorship spending is up 41 percent since 2010, an estimate of $24.2 billion. Sponsorships are even growing faster than event advertising at a rate of 4.5 percent growth compared to 3.4 percent. The Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) recently released the first of the multi-part B2B Exhibition Sponsorship Playbook. Part one is titled “What ..read more

On November 20, 2019, the House of Representatives took the first step toward legalizing marijuana nationwide. Currently, it is legal to sell cannabis in 11 states and the District of Columbia, while 33 states and Washington, D.C. permit the medicinal use of marijuana. The bill approved by the House Judiciary Committee would remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act. According to a CNBC article, “The legislation allows states to enact their own policies and gives them incentives to clear criminal records of people with low-level marijuana offenses. It also includes a 5 percen ..read more

Chicago’s Wrigley Field is more than a century old. Through those hundred-plus years, the ballpark has seen many renovations; however, one element has remained the same for several decades. At the highest point in center field of the ballpark sits a manually operated scoreboard. It’s one of only two such scoreboards remaining in a major league stadium. The other is in Boston’s Fenway Park. The scoreboard is a throwback to the time when manually operated scoreboards were a necessity. The only access is at the top of the bleachers, up a steep ladder, and through a trapdoor. The scoreboar ..read more

Once upon a time, the urban landscape was dotted with small, house-shaped boxes called Fotomats. People would drive up, drop off a roll of film, and return the next day to pick up their processed pictures. Fotomats are all gone now, rendered obsolete by digital photography and home printers. There is no need for overnight or one-hour developing when all pictures are stored on a hard drive or in the cloud, and professional-quality photographs can be printed at home. With 3D printing, we are on the cusp of another revolution in printing. It’s impossible to predict the full level of i ..read more

Regardless of your role at a live event – planner, sponsor, or exhibitor – employing the right signage can make the difference between interacting with a large crowd or staring at your phone all day. Signage lets attendees know where you are, tells them who you are, and draws people to you. Event signage is identifying, educating, and motivating. The right signage can significantly enhance an attendee’s experience. So, what is the right signage? Whether you are a planner, sponsor, or exhibitor, it is a good idea to walk the venue months before the show and try to picture the event ..read more

In 1927, the first chain convenience store opened in Dallas, Tx. Initially, known as “Tote’m,” the name was changed in 1946 to reflect the chain’s new, extended hours: 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Today, 7-Eleven is the largest convenience store chain in North America. However, it has plenty of competition as there are over 150,000 convenience stores in the $661 billion U.S. convenience stores industry. Convenience stores fit the trend for today’s consumer by being exactly what their name implies: convenient. Much like online shopping and curbside pick-up for groceries, the grab-and-go nature of ..read more

Feeling lost is an awful sensation. It is certainly not how you want a first-time guest to your store to feel. Someone who walks into your store for the first time should feel like a welcomed guest. You want someone to feel like they are walking into a comfortable, familiar environment – or a fun, vibrant environment – or an elegant, refined environment. You know your consumer; you know the feelings and emotions that will most appeal to them. So, how can you convey a sense of comfort and familiarity to someone who has never visited your store before? By telling your brand’s story thro ..read more

The summer of 2019 has been a pop culture bonanza. It began with “Game of Thrones” dominating our TVs and “Avengers: Endgame” storming into the cinemas. As it winds down, Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” is riding a record-setting run at the top of the all-genre singles list, “Game of Thrones” disappointed (almost?) everybody, and “Endgame” became the highest-grossing movie of all time. Pop culture changes – continually. As Grandpa Simpson once said, “I used to be with it, but then they changed what ‘it’ was. And now, what I’m with isn’t ‘it,’ and what’s ‘it’ seems weird and scary to me ..read more

It wasn’t too long ago that advertising was mostly static. If you had a sale to promote or a new product line to support, you had one choice for your store: printed displays. Today, while physical media still has a critical role to fill in your marketing plans, there are a greater variety of options available. Digital signage has revolutionized in-store displays. Restaurants, retail, and hospitality industries all benefit when they introduce digital signage, as do companies exhibiting at trade shows and conferences. Digital screens are available in a variety of shapes and sizes, su ..read more