I had the opportunity to sit down and speak to Renee Jain (pictured left) of ICC Rents to discuss a little about what their company does and what they offer to convention, trade show and event planners.  ICC Rents began as a family owned business as the vision of Ganpat “Jim” Jain, Renee’s father, in Chicago in 1979. The company began as a computer rental company and has exploded into one of the top rental companies in the trade show world.  What was once only servicing the Chicago area and McCormick Place, now is nationwide and services all the major conventions centers from Orlando to Las Vegas to New York and L.A.  Renee can recall the business in her father’s den when they first started and talks about the long hours it took her father, and later her brother  Raj Jain, to build this business to its current state of a 24/7 full on customer service shop servicing the nation with over 100 employees.

ICC Rents is a company that can provide all of your technology needs from a laptop for your tradeshow booth to that 103″ Plasma TV or seamless Video Wall.  They provide all the back end support as well.  Once you rent a component, you can rest assured that it will be at your show, on time, working, and will be backed by support should anything go wrong.  They have touch screen monitors, interactive kiosks and just about anything that will set your tradeshow booth apart from the competition.  They can help get you noticed on the show floor.

I asked the simple question of “why can’t I just buy a television from the local store and use it?”  She was well prepared with a response and raised many questions I had not thought of, like extension chords, cables, set up and delivery, and many other reasons why renting is a smart investment for using a company like ICC Rents to handle your needs.  Technology becomes obsolete, many pieces of equipment break down and many other reason why having a support team is important in renting the proper equipment.  There are many hidden costs that she discussed as well.  They are truly knowledgeable in the industry and have become quite trusted in more areas than just for a tradeshow.  They have corporate clients that use their services as well for onsite training and setting up meeting and events.  I could not begin to cover all the areas where they can help you with your technology needs.

In addition, and because I am serial procrastinator, this statement she said stuck in my mind:

“We are the last minute provider” ~ Renee Jain

What she meant is that many people forget about something like a required hard case for that 50″ plasma TV for their wall, or they forget that they needed a wall mount for that television or of a cable needed to make it work. When this happens they can be there immediately to cure any forgotten item or to make sure your trade show booth comes off without a hitch.  I think am going to put that number in my pocket for my future trip to Vegas in September as chances are I’ll need it.  With 24/7 service such as theirs, I can rest easy because we all know I’ll forget something.  They can help.

ICC Rents handles any type of tradeshow and not just the technical market.  Everyone is needing technology to catch attention of convention attendees and tradeshow attendees.  She mentioned the bridal industry and agricultural industries and many other areas where technology can enhance your tradeshow experience and produce more leads.

Back in March of 2008, ICC Rents was merged with Smart Source Rentals, a powerful partner that has taken their service and their ability to service trade shows and conventions to the next level.  Give ICC Rents a call for your needs, be it a computer laptop to a wall mounted television to an interactive kiosk.  Tell them Convention Insider sent you!

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I just recently came home from a convention and like other times, I pull out my suitcase and go through my receipts, my clothes and shoes and other things I need to wash and put away, and finally I go through the giveaways, or the swag I received from the event. I had a pen, a canvas bag, some sticky notes and other small items that had various company logos and branding. I always look through these things and put the pens in that drawer in my desk, use those note pads constantly, and have that cool toy that my kids fight over. Where do these things come from anyway?

I had a chance to sit down and talk with a company that does just that–promotional products for your convention or trade show. A one stop shop called MARCO Promotional Products.

Ken Arch, President of MARCO Promotional Products is a second generation leader in the company started by his father in 1964. Ken is pictured on the right with company CEO Dick Nelson. Nelson also comes from a company that was started by his own father. The company now has 50+ employees and has two locations to serve their customers.

I spoke with Ken Arch about some of the things that his company is doing and how they are providing products and services to convention and trade show planners. It was a simple idea for Ken as he indicated, “We have been in business a long time and we provide the best products, the best prices, and the best service.” After speaking to Ken for a while it was clear that their company could back up that charge. They truly want to make it easy for companies or the individual to come away with the best of the best in a promotional product. They offer free samples to try before you buy, free art preparation which in most other cases is a charge you will incur, and they can offer 24 hour service. Not only that , they provide real people to speak to when you need to hear a friendly voice on the other end of the phone.

As I wandered around their website I noticed that they too are catering to the ever popular “Green Movement” and providing promotional products that are eco-friendly. In fact, they also provide a glossary of terms to help guide people in the right direction.

MARCO Promotional Products has a wide array of clients and customers from the very large non-profit organizations, to the large corporate customer, to the very small individual with a small order. They also offer very competitive prices and back that with what Ken told me was “double the difference lowest guarantee”, which he explained as ” if you find a lower price we will double the refund to you.” They also have a program for those that have orders not needed to be filled for 60-90 days called their Asia Direct program. This allows MARCO to deal direct with the manufacturer for you in getting you the best price, often times Ken indicated as a “25%-30% savings.”

Right now for Convention Insider readers and those that visit the site at Conventions.net, MARCO Promotional Products is offering a great savings, a $100 savings on a purchase of $300 or more. These details can be found on their site as well. If you are a convention planner, meeting or event planner, you can take advantage of this offer and start saving money on your next event. MARCO will guarantee your savings.

The next time you find yourself pouring through the swag after your next trade show or convention, think about where those materials came from and think about the process it took to get you that item, chances are it came from a company like MARCO Promotional Products! Thank you Mr. Arch for taking time to speak with me and keep up the good work.

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Companies are using technology in ways that are innovative and beneficial for catering to the online world.  Trade shows and conventions must begin to search for ways to make technology work for them and allow them to also get into the online world.  One of the ways to accomplish this is to look for companies that are thinking ahead of the curve and making it possible to change the way business is conducted.  One such company that is out ahead and innovative is Trade Show News Television.

I had a chance to sit down and speak to the CEO of Trade Show News Television, Mr. Bob Lipp.  Bob has a very good understanding of creating exposure for your company, as he comes from an advertising agency background.  Bob opened his first ad agency long ago before anything digital was ever imagined.

“It seems like a former lifetime,” said Bob, when asked to remember the way it was. “Today, everything is digital, and with streaming video capabilities expanding on the web, more businesses, business magazine publishers, and trade show managers, are looking to video to deliver the message.”

This is a unique opportunity for trade shows and conventions and others in the industry.  Event planners and convention planners must take a look at the service provided by Lipp and his company. 

“More than ever, business customers and prospects access their information online through streaming video,” stated Lipp. “Our concept gives trade show exhibitors a unique sales tool that continues to support sales long after the trade show has ended.”

As a person that is hooked up in the use of new media for advertising, marketing and PR, I must say that I am very impressed with the company and their message.  I’m contacted daily by companies looking for ways to get into the new media space using sites like You Tube, FaceBook and Myspace.  They see the power behind the use of those new forms of media and are trying to find ways to get into the space.  The possibilities for the use of this company’s services are limitless.  I can see that exhibitors, and show managers can use this service to enhance the reach they have and to allow them to show many other people that otherwise are not able to get the experience of their trade show or convention.  It allows people the opportunity to get a feel for the excitement. 

Look into this company and their affordable services.  Trade Show News Television offers three streaming video packages: focus, reach and custom, each based on the need for content, distribution and additional marketing support.  Some of their samples are an excellent look into what they provide as well as the video above. 

Popularity: 46% [?]

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I have been spending a lot of time lately speaking to and interviewing some of the leaders in our industry of conventions and trade shows and I will be doing a series of posts to reveal the results of those interviews and discussions.  One of the things that seems to occur to me after speaking to these industry leaders is that there seems to be a shift in what is the norm in trade shows and conventions and how they are being handled.  I have heard tell of new technologies being used, new players in the old world of how things were done and show managers that are seeking new ways to plan events and shows.  One thing is certain, there will be some benefit to the show exhibitors and attendees based on the changes I have seen in little areas.  Stay tuned for more information as I get all my notes together and get my posts completed.

If you would like to be featured as a thought leader in the industry or if you are doing things in the convention or trade show industry that you feel is revolutionizing the way we do business, please feel free to drop us a line or use the contact section to let us know about you.  I’ll be contacting many others to find ways to reveal what is happening in the world we live in.

Popularity: 43% [?]

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We have not stopped blogging here at Convention Insider, and we haven’t broken our spell check features, we have been busy making adjustments to the Conventions.net site and making plans on how we can be the most used convention resource guide in the trade show and convention world. 

Part of the changes we have made, is the use of a new search feature here on Convention Insider.  Over on the right side of the page here, you will see a search widget, or as the folks at Lijit like to call it, “a search wijit.”  There goes the spelling alarm in my head.  This feature allows you to search not only the content here on Convention Insider, but it let’s you search the entire Conventions.net site, our network of linked friends, or the entire web, you get to choose.  Your search results will be show you directly to the information you are looking for.  If you wanted to find out about moving people for your convention and search for the folks at The Convention Store, you not only get the Friday Feature article written here, but it also send you right over to their spot on Conventions.net .  Feel free to poke around here and use the search feature and we’ll keep providing you with the results.

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I knew after a few minutes into the conversation with Arnie Roberts (pictured right) of Smart-reg International  that I was in way over my head as it related to technology and the issues surrounding convention or event registration, and the associated lead generation and lead retrieval, or what Arnie likes to call “Lead Capture”.  There are so many issues related to how registrations are done and how lead retrieval is acquired, that our supposed brief conversation turned into a marathon phone conference and left me with my head spinning with all of the information available.  Think I’m kidding?  We talked about Russian spy stuff and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), copper coils and chips, world economics, and many other very technical and cool James Bond kind of stuff.  After all, Arnie got his start more than 30 years ago in the technology sector working for the American Broadcasting Company in their corporate data center.  Arnie knows data.

I can only describe Smart-reg International in a single word - INNOVATIVE.  Arnie Roberts is truly the leading expert in the area of convention or tradeshow registration.  He is sought after by companies not only locally but also globally to provide information on how best to handle registrations not only online as is the case with many of his other competitors, but also on site which is a unique offering of Smart-reg International.  Smart-reg International has handled conventions or events from as small as 200 attendees up to 92,000 people. I’m not sure how I would carry around 90,000+ business cards, but Arnie’s company offers a simple solution with their technology and innovation.  He has done this in locations here in the US, and in places like Barcelona, Berlin, Singapore and New Delhi to name a few.

Not only do they have the technology in place for handling registration and lead retrieval, they are also innovating ways for convention planners or event planners to do some very interesting things.  They are using RFID as I mentioned above to track attendees and provide invaluable data to organizers.  In addition they are adding significant value to the way conference planners can generate more exhibitors by giving value added benefits to them through new technologies.  The technology that is awaiting approval for its patent is the trademarked “ALL IN THE BADGE” technology.  A very cool badge indeed, and all of the benefits are difficult to list here, but suffice it to say, if I wanted to track my attendees, and generate leads, allow them to purchase products, or handle transactions using a badge, this would be the first place I would stop.  Other technologies the company is looking to offer for conventions or trade shows are Product Locater, Colleague Tracker, Smart Mat, and Refer-a-Friend.  Like I said, these guys are a one stop shop for getting your event on top with all the possible technology to make it a success.  If you can make it out to Las Vegas next week (December 10-12, 2007) for the IAEE’s Annual Meeting and Exhibition, stop by and speak to the folks at Smart-reg International at booth #1006, I know they can dazzle you with their service through the use of their technology.

Popularity: 90% [?]

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It seems that I haven’t posted here in weeks, but it has only been days, but I am still behind in bringing things up to date.  You know what they say about excuses?  Well I don’t have much of an excuse for not posting other than I have been given the Super Bug.  I think it has transmogrified into this super bug after mutating and entering my body.  With the number of children I have and being around even more children for the holidays, I think I have been immersed in a germ infested echo chamber that continues to bombard me with bacteria and virus and all other things bad.

I have been to the doctor and finally been given a big dose of penicillin, and have been on it nearly a week now and as I start the road to recovery I will be able to catch up.  I am going to start with a new Friday Feature this week as I have a few interviews lined up for the next few Fridays.  Thanks for the patience and I’ll be posting much more here in the next few days. 

Now if I can get rid of the cough that is breaking my ribs…

Popularity: 51% [?]

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I say Randy is a surprise, because he has no idea I am making him the Friday Feature this week.  I have been having trouble getting together with some of the people we are hoping to feature here, and I didn’t have a Friday Feature lined up for Convention Insider and when I told Randy of this, he said I would think of something.  That was enough inspiration to now make Randy our featured person here on Convention Insider.

You know when you speak to someone on the phone and have a long conversation with them, you get a sense of the person and can usually figure them out.  Nothing could be more true when I got off the phone with Randy in our first conversation.  I knew Randy had a good head for business, understood this thing we call blogging, and all of the other parts of the online experience.  I know you may be thinking “sure Jim he’s the boss what else would you say?”   Yeah I know my bias may show a little here, but I can assure you if you have a conversation with Randy about Conventions.net, you too will understand that he is the perfect man at the helm. 

Many of the people I speak to about online marketing have a vague idea of what I’m talking about, but then I spoke to Randy.  He is a guy that completely gets “it”.  He knows how to market and promote which makes it doubly important why companies should get on board with the Conventions.net team.  Randy is truly interested in getting your company discovered.  If you are a vendor or supplier for conventions or trade shows, he is making it a priority to seeing that your company is not only discovered, but that it also prospers.  Randy is an entrepreneurial spirit that thrives on seeing a business develop and be successful. 

This has not been a paid endorsement of Randy, actually it should be, but I do feel that Randy and everyone at Conventions.net deserve a hand and my heartfelt thanks for making me a part of this exciting venture.  Sorry Randy, I hope I haven’t embarrassed you, at least I didn’t put up that picture of you and that…[edited ]   

I’m kidding of course!  If you want to be a Friday Feature here at Convention Insider, contact us and let us know.  If you are a vendor or supplier of the trade show industry or are part of the convention or event planning community we want to hear from you. 

Popularity: 41% [?]

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I was recently making a list of the things I wanted to get out of a convention my company is sponsoring and attending as an exhibitor.  The regular stuff showed up on my list such as new business, exposure, some advertising benefits, some leads and the rest of the things that we all hope for when we invest in a convention or trade show as an exhibitor.  One of the things I put down on the list that caused me to pause was the fact that I am also looking for market research.

Market research can be an invaluable tool for a business that provides a service.  I first thought of this in the trade show setting when I was interviewing Elaine Curl, the CEO of The Convention Store.  One of the services they provide that I did not get into the piece is market research for their clients and customers and it started me thinking about market research in the larger context.  How can you perform market research at a convention?  This question led me down many paths, and I came up with all kinds of ideas for myself and others, but the one that stuck out most was the market research that can be done by the convention center themselves.

Follow my thinking here if you will.  If the convention center themselves had a booth at each of the shows they hold, they could gather valuable information from attendees and exhibitors on how their experience was from both sides, one as attendee and the other as vendor or exhibitor.  This would also show some faith in the convention organizers that you are backing their trade show or convention as being an exhibitor yourself.  Go through the process of being on the end of having to deal with conference organizers and event planners.  Did the convention center make it easy for the exhibitor, and did the experience go smoothly?  These are only a few questions that would prove as valuable feedback of the convention center themselves.  Perhaps this is accomplished through other means like email surveys and hand out surveys for feedback, but I would think that being in the trenches and being a part of the event itself would be a great way to be a part of the experience.  How can market research play a role in your convention or trade show?  This is a question that I hope spurs some attention to this and other ideas on how to gather intelligence at an event or convention you attend.

Popularity: 43% [?]

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Colorado used to be host to The International Golf Tournament every year and it was played at a very exclusive golf course called Castle Pines.  Not only was the course itself very exclusive, the neighborhood was like trying to get into Fort Knox.  It was nearly impossible to drive past the gate of this guarded community.  So what happens when you have to have 50,000 people attend the golf tournament?  I myself had attended the tournament and can remember parking in a horse pasture a few miles away from the gate.  How did we reach that elusive community?  We were moved there by a specialty company that specializes in moving people at events.

This special type of company is what we are featuring in this week’s Friday Feature.  I had a chance to speak to the CEO of The Convention Store, Inc., Elaine Curl and I learned a number of very interesting facts about the ability to move lots of people from point A to point B in the area of conventions, trade shows and other events.  Other events to the people at The Convention Store include very important gatherings such as Presidential Inaugurations and of course my favorite events, sports gatherings, such as the Ryder Cup!

It was clear after speaking to Elaine Curl of The Convention Store that she is truly and expert in her field of Transportation Logistics and Design Management, or in other words she can do a great job of moving lots of people and doing it securely and safely and with little hassle to the passengers as possible. Elaine tells me that transporting people is like”

“Creation of a beautiful dance, or like choreographing a wonderful production of a dance in a Broadway show.”

Truly this is the case since they can choreograph moving 10,000 people in 45 minutes!  Try to wrap your mind around the logistics of that and you will understand why it is imperative to have experts such as those as Elaine and her company The Convention Store.  Thinking just about the issues of safety and security alone can make my head spin, but The Convention Store is equipped with the expertise to make this a very easy proposition for your convention or trade show or other events as I spoke about above.  I asked about their experience, and it is clear they are an industry leader with 24 years of experience. 

Showing a bit of her human side Elaine quipped that she has gone as far as printing up T-shirts that had on the front:

“We Have Told A Million People Where to Get Off!”

We had a good laugh and then she also showed her professional side  when she revealed a very impressive list of clients and people they have served all over the country and in Canada, including of course, the Clinton Administration with its inauguration, The PGA, Baltimore Airport, Dulles International Airport, and National Education Association to name just a small list.  

After speaking to Elaine I got a feel for her hands on approach to every contract they fulfill, down to her inspecting every driver roster, vehicle maintenance logs, and visits to every bus maintenance facility they use for fulfilling the needs of their customers.  She has a huge responsibility with her choreography , but after 24 years, they are not only on top of the game, they love to play it.  I for one know where to find my next vendor for convention transportation.  You might check out The Convention Store yourself and find out if they can dazzle you as they have me.  Just take a moment to read about the people they have served and the opinions of that service. Good luck Elaine with your future and if ever I need to move 10,000 people in 45 minutes, I’ll definitely look you up!

Popularity: 53% [?]

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