Chuck’s first post on ELITeTV

Hope you enjoy this weekly blog called XPOTALK! Have a Good Show!

Crating Tips

Things to remember when you build your crate(s).

1. Mark each side with your name & phone # and address you are shipping to. (We will provide preprinted labels, however still suggest your name & phone be permanently on each piece)
2. Be sure to clearly mark your crate , “ THIS SIDE UP”  & “DO NOT LAY FLAT”, “ DO NOT STACK ON” with arrows that can be seen from a distance.
3. If you are going to unpack and repack your crate at the show, you will want to have the tools needed to easily pack back up. (include tools in the crate for the onsite person)
4. Build the bottom of your crate(s) to be forkable, if you attach a wooden skid that can be forked to the bottom of your crate this will assure they will not fork your crate.
5. Take a picture of your crates before they leave.

Rolling Down the River Business Expo

Jack and Heidi will be exhibiting in booth #340 for ELITeXPO at the Rolling Down the River Business Expo at the Pheasant Run Resort Mega Center at 4051 E. Main Street in St. Charles, Illinois.

This expo is a great local business to business expo sponsored by 8 Chicago area Chamber of Commerce groups. There are hundreds of exhibitors with thousands of attendees so make sure you put it on your schedule for April 25th from noon until 6pm.

We look forward to seeing you there!

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Join Eli in Celebrating ELITeXPO’s 25 Year Anniversary

Throughout the month of February, stuffed animal versions of Eli, the ELITeXPO mascot, wearing his ELITeXPO jacket, will be given out at random to Facebook and Twitter users who Like and Follow ELITeXPO. A total of 25 stuffed animal pigs will be given away. If you are a winner, your name will be posted on Facebook and Twitter and you will be notified via social media messaging to contact us to provide your ship-to address in order to receive your pig. You must be a resident of the United States in order to win.

Annual Meeting & Awards Banquet

This gallery contains 16 photos.

The Friday session of the Annual Meeting training was just an incredible learning experience. We had Keith Reznick from Creative Training Solutions with us to teach  us some better approaches to working with customers and prospects. These techniques will allow … Continue reading →

ELITeXPO Annual Meeting 2012

This gallery contains 12 photos.

Jack and Brad discuss sales techniques during a break at the ELITeXPO Annual Meeting in South Elgin yesterday. We had some great guest speakers going over product lines with us that we offer to make sure we were up on … Continue reading →

ELITeXPO’s Annual Meeting

The stage is set, the band starts playing, suddenly your heart is pounding… yes, it’s the ELITeXPO Annual Meeting. OK, so there’s no big stage and the only band is the guitar jam sessions that Dave Mihalik, our CEO has with Brad, our account executive from Phoenix and Chuck, our Tradeshow Services manager from St. Louis. But, it is a huge event every year, nonetheless.

The Annual Meeting is a gathering at the South Elgin, Illinois Corporate Office of all the ELITeXPO Account Executives from across the country. There are great guest speakers planned along with some detailed training sessions. It is a three day event. The first two days consist of the meetings and training seminars followed on Saturday by a company-wide gathering at a local golf club where all employees and their guests will enjoy a meal together, an awards presentation, and yes, a few cocktails.

Final preparations are happening in the office today as the nationwide reps hit the skies to arrive in Chicago for the Meeting. It’s always great to see everyone and we always get to learn something new every year. We look forward to being able to share our experiences with you as the meeting progresses.

The Quiet of the Holidays

It’s always interesting each day, when in the far back corner office where I sit, I can actually hear the sounds of a busy operations team out in our Operations Atrium. I hear the voices, the laughter, the fervent typing on keyboards and the occasional exclamation of dissatisfaction or joy. I do love the Woo Hoos which require a response of “Woo Hoo” from the other Operations team members. It’s a “thing” they do.

Today, I sit here and the quiet is amazing. I still hear some voices and some typing but it is the holidays, and many staff members are out on vacation or off for the holiday. It’s been great for me as an IT person as I’ve been able to update systems with almost no complaints for a change. I’ve also been able to create several marketing pieces and analyze some spending for my 2012 budget. Yes, my Outlook task list is definitely a bit smaller now. (OK, I’ll be honest, the silence has been broken up several times today by the sounds of the trucks backing into the truck dock that’s just outside my window.)

We have many staff members coming in to begin the new year on Monday. With the holiday falling on a Sunday, many of our customers and vendors are closed on Monday so it should be another quiet day. My office will definitely be quiet as I won’t even be here.

The funny thing, as I sit here in this quiet office, is knowing what a difference a week makes. By this time next week, show season will be in full bloom. We already have several RFPs in the works for some large projects and we have received several quote requests these past few days that required responses by next week. We have quite a few exhibits leaving our warehouse next week heading out to their first shows of the season and we have a long list of exhibits shipping all across the country next week.

I’m very excited for the coming new year. The economy is showing signs of life and the tradeshow itself is returning to a place of prominence in every company’s marketing plan.

We wish you all the best this New Year’s and hope your 2012 is a happy, healthy, and prosperous one.

Heidi Maschmann / VP of Information Systems

 

Happy Holidays

I’m sure everyone is ready to begin their holiday vacations any day now. At ELITeXPO, we will have staff in our offices on December 23rd, December 26th, December 30th, and January 2nd. We will also have operations staff available on both Christmas Day and New Years Day that can be reached by leaving a message on the emergency pager extension which is available during the auto-answer message that will play those Sundays.

Keep Your Freight From Being Forced Out After a Show

Have you ever had your freight “Forced” to the General Contractor or Official Carrier after a tradeshow? To save yourself a lot of aggrevation and extra charges, follow the steps below.

1. Acquire a Straight Bill of Lading / Material Handling Agreement from the show’s decorator / general contractor.

2. Complete the bill of lading. Be sure to assign your carrier of choice (ELITeXPO, of course) in the carrier section of the bill of lading.

3. Affix the shipping labels, at least one per box.

4. When your shipment is packed up and you have completed the bill of lading, you MUST return the bill of lading to the general contractor / show decorator in the Exhibitor Service Center. (If this is not turned back in, by you or your I&D service provider, the shipment will NOT be loaded onto YOUR chosen carrier.)

5. Follow up by contacting your carrier once your shipment is packed up and the paperwork is turned in. Let them know it is ready and how many pieces they will be receiving to insure they are set to pick it all up.

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