Inventor of Smart Exhibit
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Jeff Podergois
Inventor of
the SMART Exhibit®
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When I started my first business 15 years ago I had to attend my
industry's annual trade show. I was shocked when I priced my first
portable trade show booth. My annual sales at the time didn't support
a $5,000 display, but I had to do something. I bought a used 10'
portable trade show booth for $1500. Luckily I have a background in Art Direction/Design
so I was able to make the exhibit graphically presentable for much
less than the display company wanted. I used the trade show display once that
year. The rest of the time it sat in my warehouse tieing up my
precious capital.
That experience planted the seed for the development of a superior
trade show display product in terms of form, function and cost.
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The issues for a complete redesign of a trade show display were extremely
complicated. The display needed to be much lighter than traditional displays,
this would save operating expenses such as shipping. It should be extremely
compact when folded down as to make it convenient to handle. It should
be simple, no extra parts to leave behind, no connectors, magnets, or fragile
metal frames to bend or break. The display should be visible from several
booth spaces away to provide maximum exposure. All graphics should be able
to be changed without having to replace panels. Above all, the price
should be more in line with a marketing expense than a capital expense.
My background as an inventor and Art Director in the television industry
gave me a unique way of thinking about the display. A trade show display
is much like a television studio set. From the front, or what the viewer
sees is a solid, visually appealing structure, but if you go behind the
set you would be amazed at the absence of framing. This was the guiding
thought behind the SMART Exhibit®.
Traditional portable exhibits use a frame to hold fabric/graphic panels. The support
frame adds weight, it is expensive and complicated. It's not important
to your customers how your display and graphics are supported. Their main
concern is what you have to offer and that you appear professional.
The first task was to eliminate the support structure. After five years
of experimentation with various materials I created a completely frameless
exhibit, relying on sturdy geometric shapes and the characteristics of
the chosen material. The exhibit is constructed from a fire retardant,
hollow core plastic panel. This material was chosen because it is extremely
lightweight yet durable. The plastic is then laminated with the industry's
leading brand of trade show display unit fabric.
This revolutionary design consists of unique folds and special hinge scores
which allow the exhibit to fold completely flat when stored. When folded
down, our ten foot trade show display is just 6 inches thick and weighs just 65lbs.
Also, all components fold with the fabric surfaces facing inward for protection
during shipping.
The trade show booth gets it structural strength from the specific shapes. The end
columns or pillars on each side of the exhibit are triangular giving the
display solid footing. The center sections bridge across the end columns
forming an I-beam design for maximum support. It is extremely simple, no
magnetic tracks, metal frame or components to lose. The result is a stylish,
solid appearing structure with eye-catching dimension.
The unique design also has functional benefits that go beyond its
convenience. The end columns are angled at 30 degrees away from
the center of the exhibit. This allows your message to be broadcast
to your prospects long before they arrive at your booth maximizing
your exposure (see graphic below). |
Back of Display |
The SMART Exhibit® is so revolutionary, we were awarded multiple Utility
Patents from the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
I would like to thank all our customers who have reinforced our concept
and embraced our new way of thinking. I would especially like to thank
them for their referral support.
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