Category Archives: Design

ICFF International Contempory Furniture Fair

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The 26th annual International Contemporary Furniture Fair, North America’s platform for global design, will map the newest frontier of what’s best and what’s next at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, May 17-20, 2014.

 

DATES
Trade – Saturday, May 17 and Sunday, May 18 – 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Trade and General Public – Monday, May 19 – 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
Trade and General Public – Tuesday, May 20 – 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

LOCATION
Jacob K. Javits Convention Center – (11th Avenue at 38th Street) – New York CityFor the four-day duration of the Fair, 165,000 net square feet (15,300 net square meters) of the Javits Center will be abuzz with more than 29,500 interior designers, architects, retailers, designers, manufacturers, representatives, distributors, and developers. On Tuesday, May 20, the ICFF opens its doors to the general public, as well.More than 500 exhibitors from all points of the globe will display contemporary furniture, seating, carpet and flooring, lighting, outdoor furniture, materials, wall coverings, accessories, textiles, and kitchen and bath for residential and commercial interiors. This remarkable throng of exhibitors creates an unparalleled opportunity to view a broad yet highly focused selection of the world’s finest, most innovative, and original avant-garde home and contract products side-by-side, under one roof.The ICFF hosts representatives from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, El Salvador, France, Germany, Guatemala, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Philippines, Portugal, Scotland, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, U.S., United Kingdom, and Venezuela.Making their yearly pilgrimage to the celebrated design hub will be contingents from Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, British European Design Group (BEDG), Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM, Philippines), Ceramic Tiles of Italy, Furniture New York, The Furniture Society (U.S.), Inside Norway, Interiors from Spain, JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization), and Portugal Brands.

FACTS

Here are the facts – 165,000 Net Square Feet (15,300 Net Square Meters)

570 Exhibitors –

230 First Time
297 U.S.
273 Non-U.S.

11 Categories – Furniture, seating, carpet and flooring, lighting, outdoor furniture, materials, wall coverings, accessories, textiles, kitchen and bath, fabricators

33 Countries – Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, El Salvador, France, Germany, Guatemala, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Philippines, Portugal, Scotland, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, U.S., United Kingdom, Venezuela

10 Contingents – Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, British European Design Group (BEDG), Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM, Philippines), Ceramic Tiles of Italy, Furniture New York, The Furniture Society (U.S.), Inside Norway, Interiors from Spain, JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization), Portugal Brands

11 Special Features – ICFF Talks, ICFF Studio, Schools, designboom mart, ICFF Editors Awards, Textiles*, Jasper Morrison: The Good Life*, ASID at the ICFF*, ICFF Opening Night Party at The Museum of Modern Art, Bergdorf Goodman, ICFF Public Day

* New 2014 – 29,642 Attendees – Interior designers, architects, retailers, developers, facility managers, wholesalers, store design professionals, hotel and restaurant designers, manufacturers

ICFF – Floor Plan

ICFF – Exhibit Appointed Contractor Form – EAC

ICFF – Important Dates

 

 

ICFF TEAM TELEPHONE NUMBERS

Listed below are the specific departments and their Direct Dial phone numbers. While most of the questions you may have about your participation at the ICFF should be directed to the Operations Department, the departments and functions listed below are the exceptions, and you should call them directly with any inquiries at the phone number listed.

INQUIRING ABOUT: DEPARTMENT / DIRECT DIAL NUMBERS:

On-Line Directory listing Karla Frisenda (914) 421-3290 kfrisenda@glmmarkets.com

Display Construction & Shipping Inquiries Operations (914) 421-3261

Exhibitor Badges customerrelations@glmmarkets.com (800) 272-7469 or (212) 204-1060

Payment of Booth Space The ICFF Team (914) 421-3239

Public Relations & Marketing Tobin and Tucker (212) 879-5776 icff@tobinandtucker.com

SET UP HOURS
CHILDREN UNDER 18 YEARS OF AGE WILL ABSOLUTELY BE PROHIBITED DURING THE SET-UP AND DISMANTLING OF THE FAIR. THERE WILL BE NO EXCEPTIONS TO THIS RULE.  Exhibitors may set up beginning on Wednesday, May 14 after the receipt of their freight. Please refer to the Targeted Floor Plan for your delivery time.

Set up hours are:

Wednesday May 14 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Thursday May 15 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Friday May 16 8:00 am – 5:00 pm

All exhibitors must vacate the premises by 5:00 pm on Friday in order to facilitate the cleaning of the aisles and the laying of the aisle carpet.

FAIR HOURS
All exhibits must be open and ready for business by the official open hour each day and remain fully staffed until closing time. The ICFF hours are:
Saturday May 17 10:00 am-5:00 pm Trade only
Sunday May 18 10:00 am-5:00 pm Trade only
Monday May 19 10:00 am-6:00 pm Trade only
Tuesday May 20 10:00 am-4:00 pm Trade and Public
Exhibitors will be admitted starting at 8:00 am each day and may stay until one-half hour after the Fair closes each evening. Any exhibitor wishing to conduct a meeting should contact the ICFF Team about the use of one of the meeting rooms available at the JKJCC.

LOCATION
The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center of New York (“JKJCC”) is located at 655 W. 34th Street, New York, NY 10001, between 34th and 39th Streets and 11th and 12th Avenues. The ICFF will be held in Halls 1A-1D from May 17-20, 2014. SURTEX, a trade show for surface design, will occupy Hall 3A from May 18-20, 2014. The signature mix™ marketplace will occupy Halls 3B-3E from May 18-21, 2014. Please call (800) 272-7469; (212) 204-1060 if you require special accessibility or arrangements during the ICFF.

ON SITE MANAGEMENT OFFICE
We will maintain a fully staffed office at the JKJCC in Room 1A02 located directly adjacent to the entrance to Exhibit Hall 1A.

ON SITE EXHIBITOR CONTACT
Please be sure to fill out our SHOW SITE CONTACT FORM to allow us to contact your representative in New York in the event of an emergency. This information will be kept confidential.

The Displayers at ComicCon

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October 10, 2013 – examiner.com

 

When Greg Rathe, owner of The Displayers, a NYC company specializing in displays for conventions, museums, exhibits and other corporate clients, took over a building across the street from the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, he knew he wanted to do something really cool for one of the biggest and most popular conventions hosted at the location, New York Comic Con.

  

st marks sml

The Displayers moved into the new location back in June, and spent about 2 months cleaning up the industrial space and renovating it to suit their needs. Now, with today marking the kick off for the four day mega event, Rathe has turned his building into a pop up site that celebrates another NYC business, St. Mark’s Comics, which has been in the same location on St. Mark’s Place in the East Village for over 30 years.

 

460 11th Ave - The Displayers

 

Rathe’s business has been family oriented since before World War 2, when his Grandfather, Fred Rathe, began dressing windows for Macy’s. Rathe says he is a born and bred city boy, who remembers collecting comics as a kid, and therefore it made perfect sense that he team up with another city bred guy to celebrate Comic Con and provide great marketing for both family owned businesses during the convention.

 

Mitch Cutler and his comic shop have been fixtures on the main thoroughfare of the East Village since well before the street became the tourist attraction it is today … And now with NYCC in full swing, St. Mark’s Comics is hosting events over the next four days that solidify its status as a standard bearer of all that is cool in the comics universe. And, oh yeah, how about that cool pop up right across the street from the convention center, the St. Mark’s Comics Cartoon and Pizza Saloon?

Rathe has chosen this event to launch their new location and celebrate the New York Comic Convention, and so far, if the tweets from fans of St. Mark’s Comics are any indicator, it is looking like a success. One fan tweeted that pizza and comics in one place was her idea of heaven. Rathe had his company design a huge sign with the St. Mark’s Comics logo on a red banner to put up outside the building, which is located at 460 11th Avenue, between 37th and 38th Streets, and it cannot be missed by attendees lined up outside the convention center waiting to enter the halls of fandom.

 

Link to the entire article and Examiner.com

Written by:  Linda Covello

Singapore Tourism – Renderings

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The Displayers developed designs for the 20×50 Singapore trade show exhibit at the IMEX Convention in Las Vegas.

 

Singapore Exhibition and Convention Bureau requested: 

  • Clean design separating the Singapore Pavilion from other exhibitors.
  • (16) individual environments, a screening area and bar environment.
  • Suspended canopy identifying  Singapore from all angles.
  • Orchids and greenery throughout.

K:ACTIVE JOBS 2013Displayers'13SingaporeSNGAPRE 20x60 8-28-1   K:ACTIVE JOBS 2013Displayers'13SingaporeSNGAPRE 20x60 8-28-1   K:ACTIVE JOBS 2013Displayers'13SingaporeSNGAPRE 20x60 8-28-1   K:ACTIVE JOBS 2013Displayers'13SingaporeSNGAPRE 20x60 8-28-1

Portable Display – Patented By The Displayers

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Can your exhibit company say they patented the ‘Portable Display’?

 

Patent drawing

The 1952 Patent Reads:

“This invention relates to display apparatus more particularly to a display which may be knocked down or collapsed for packaging in a relatively light, easy-to-handle packing case. The new apparatus comprises a plurality demountable support panels capable of being assembled together to form a display screen in a variety of specific arrangements. Each panel is made up of four-lightweight tubular frame members made preferably of a hard aluminum alloy.

 

A packing case, preferably . of lightweight ply wood, is included and is of a size sufficient to contain our entire display apparatus in knocked- down or collapsed condition. The packing . case however performs another function and that is to support a collapsible counter surface. A drape or cover, preferably of the same material as the curtains for the support panels, is provided to cover the counter supported by the packing case and to extend to the floor thereby hiding from view the open packing case and resulting in the composite counter appearing to be a table.”

 

 

US2587698.pdfUS2587698.pdf

 

 

 

 

Zero Halliburton – Fly through of Flagship Store Conceptual Design

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Zero Halliburton is developing a flagship retail location in New York City. The Displayers were asked to develop conceptual designs and renderings of the environment. Using current marketing materials to identify merchandise and advertising, renderings of the stores interior and exterior from the streets view were created. Below is a fly-through video of the stores exterior and proposed renderings of the environments interior.

Zero Halliburton

DESIGN ACTIVE JOBS 2012Displayers-12zerohalliburtonZEROHALL nyc s

Architectural Digest Home Design Show – 2013

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The Displayers has participated in the development of the Architectural Digest Home Design Show since its inception 12 years ago, working with Architectural Digest and MMPI (Merchandise Mart Properties) to develop elements of the show including the entrance, signage, the AD 100 Area, lounge and other sponsorship areas including Lincoln’s installation.

 

Architectural Digest and MMPI have recommended The Displayers to exhibitors including: 

Artistic Tile | Cortina Leather | Dennis Miller Associates | Ethan Allen | Exquisite Surfaces | Holly Hunt | KitchenAid | Lefroy Brooks | MauraStarr | Moore & Giles | Scalamandre | OrientNJ | Stamberg Aferiat Architecture | Stark Carpet

 

The Displayers management and exhibit installation services to many of the shows exhibitors in addition to exhibit design, construction, graphics, shipping, storage and maintenance.

 

We hope the below information is helpful, and if assistance is needed, we are happy to help or provide guidance.  We invite your questions.

_______________________________________

Overview

We are excited to welcome you to the 12th annual Architectural Digest Home Design Show. Here you’ll explore the latest ideas and products for the home — from furniture and lighting to kitchens and baths. Whether starting from scratch or searching for that single object to finish a room, the Show promises to introduce you to something you simply have to bring home.

 

Show Hours and Admission

March 21-24, 2013

  • Thursday: 11AM – 7PM  – (Open to Trade and Preview Guests)
  • Friday & Saturday: 11AM – 7PM – (Open to the Public)
  • Sunday: 10AM – 6PM  – (Open to the Public)

We are thrilled to announce that DINING BY DESIGN New York 2013, the premier fundraising event for DIFFA: Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS, will be located adjacent to the Architectural Digest Home Design Show at Pier 94. Be sure to experience this spectacle of table environments created in a variety of magnificent styles.  This portion of the show will be closed to the public on Thursday at 3:00 p.m. and on Saturday at 4:00 p.m.

SHOP.BE INSPIRED.CELEBRATE DESIGN.

A world of design inspiration awaits at the 12th annual Architectural Digest Home Design Show. Explore the latest products for the home. Shop from new and established brands. Get inspired by new ideas and insight from top talents in the industry.

  • Exhibits from 420+ exhibitors with over 500 premium brands
  • Keynote Presentation by Margaret Russell, Architectural Digest Editor in Chief
  • Design seminars presented by The New York Times
  • Culinary demonstrations and tastings
  • 40+ amazing table installations at DIFFA’s DINING BY DESIGN NY

 

About the AD Show:

When and where will the 2013 Show take place?
The 2013 Show will take place March 21-24th, 2013 at Pier 94 in New York City (55th and West Side Highway).

How many people can we expect to attend the Show in 2013?
The Show has been growing in both attendance and exhibitor base for the past several years. In 2012, over 43,800 attendees visited the Show.

Who attends the AD Show?
The AD Show draws a mix of the design trade (architects, interior designers and decorators, showroom principals, buyers) and the high end consumer/homeowner. Although the Show draws an international audience, most of the attendees are from the United States, specifically the Northeast region and the east coast.

Is the Show open to both the design trade and the public?
Yes. The AD Show is open to the design trade (architects, interior designers and decorators, showroom principals, buyers) and the high end consumer/homeowner. Thursday is open only to the design trade (and VIP consumer guests) while Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are open to the trade and the public.

 

Move in / Move out:

 

What are the days and times for set-up & moving out?

Set-up will take place:

• Tuesday, March 19, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.

• Wednesday, March 20, 8 a.m.-5 p.m..

 

All Exhibitors must be moved out by Monday, March 25th. Additional details will be included in the Exhibitor Manual

 

 

About Us

Management Team

MMPI is one of the largest trade show producers in the country. Our competent staff is fully capable of all aspects of trade show management.

 

Mark Falanga
President
Susan McCullough
Senior Vice President

General Information

Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc.
7 West 34th Street
Suite 1027
New York, NY 10001
212.644.0833

 

Driving Directions

How to get to Pier 94:
55th Street and the West Side Highway
New York, NY 10019

From the North (Westchester, Connecticut, Massachusetts):
95 South (via the Cross-Bronx Expressway) to the George Washington Bridge. At approach to bridge, bear right to lower level. Exit at the last exit in New York-Parkway South-9A. Follow Parkway South (Henry Hudson Parkway/West Side Highway) to 54th Street. Turn right. Go one block to entrance and turn right.

Saw Mill River Parkway/Henry Hudson Parkway/Route 9A:
Follow 9A South to 55th Street. Turn Left. Go one block to entrance and turn right.

New York State Thruway/Major Deegan Expressway/Route 87:
Major Deegan Expressway to George Washington Bridge exit. Stay in the right lane towards lower level. Exit at the last exit in New York Parkway South 9A. Follow Parkway South (Henry Hudson Parkway/West Side Highway) to 55th Street. Turn left. Go one block to entrance and turn right.

From the South (New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Etc.):
95 North to the New Jersey Turnpike, Exit at the Lincoln Tunnel. When exiting the tunnel, bear left. Follow signs for uptown or northbound to 55th Street. Turn left onto 55th Street until you reach 11th Avenue and turn left.

George Washington Bridge to Parkway South:
9A. At 55th Street, turn right. Go one block to Pier 94 New York entrance.

From Queens and Long Island:
Queens -Midtown Tunnel: Take Southbound or Downtown exit to 34th Street and turn right on 12th Avenue to 55th Street where you turn left.

Queensboro/59th Street Bridge:
Take 60/61st Street Exit. Go to 5th Avenue alongside Central Park to 59th Street. Turn right onto 59th Street to 12th Avenue and turn left. Go five blocks to the 55th Street and turn right.

From Staten Island:
Verrazano – Narrows Bridge eastbound to the Gowanus Expressway, to the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel. Exit westbound to the West Side Highway/12th Avenue. At 55th Street, turn left. Go one block to entrance.

By Public Transportation

Piers 92/94 can be reached by NYC Transit Authority via 8th Avenue subway, E or C trains to 50th street, then via M50 Bus line (please note that the M50 Bus does not run on the weekends). Also, bus lines M16 and M42 provide service to 42nd Street and 12 Avenue. For subway and bus information and schedules, call (718) 330-1234.

NYC x Design

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Christine Quinn on Tapping New York’s Vein of Design

New York Times – Currents | Events / By JULIE LASKY / Published: February 13, 2013

After months of vigorous planning, New York will have a 12-day celebration of design this spring extending over all five boroughs. NYC x Design will run from May 10 to 21, to coincide with the International Contemporary Furniture Fair at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and Frieze New York art fair on Randalls Island. Pronounced “NYC by Design” and interdisciplinary in scope, it will present the work of local designers and architects in museum exhibitions, conferences, studio tours, showroom displays, pop-up stores, art installations and a design film festival.

Tony Cenicola/The New York Times NYTCREDIT: Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

The goal is greater visibility for an industry with untapped economic potential, said City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn (left), whose office is leading the project with a steering committee of more than 30 design leaders from business, civic and cultural groups. “We have more designers in New York City than any other U.S. city, but we do a terrible job promoting them in their totality,” she said.

Ideally, the festival would seed itself over time and multiply the number of New York design jobs, she said. In the future, “if we’re doing it right, there’s more set designers in Brooklyn and Queens, more furniture designers in Brooklyn and more jewelry designers in the South Bronx and Lower East Side.”

Festival events can be found at NYCxDesign.com, a Web site that was introduced this week. The program will continue to be updated.

 

Link to The New York Times Article

ESPN – Display Cases

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The Displayers have designed and will be constructing Memorabilia Display cases to fit within ESPN’s beautiful and modern offices set within an Armory. The design will allow for a very transparent display to blend into the environment.  Custom metalwork will mount and support a combination of acrylic and glass panels that will partially covered in vinyl graphics.

Stay tuned for more and photos!

MOMA – Labrouste Exhibit

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The Displayers will construct tables to match those Henri LaBrouste designed for the Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève in the 1840’s.

LabrousteBSG

The Museum of Modern Art describes this show as:
Henri Labrouste: Structure Brought to Light, the first solo exhibition of Labrouste’s work in the United States, establishes his work as a milestone in the modern evolution of architecture. The exhibition includes over 200 works, from original drawings—many of them watercolors of haunting beauty and precision—to vintage and modern photographs, films, architectural models, and fragments. Labrouste made an invaluable impact on 19th-century architecture through his exploration of new paradigms of space, materials, and luminosity in places of great public assembly. His two magisterial glass-and-iron reading rooms in Paris, the Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève (1838–50) and the Bibliothèque nationale (1859–75), gave form to the idea of the modern library as a temple of knowledge and as a space for contemplation. Labrouste also sought a redefinition of architecture by introducing new materials and new building technologies. His spaces are at once overwhelming in the daring modernity of their exposed metal frameworks, lightweight walls, and brightness, and immersive in their timelessness.

Glamour Wall – Video

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For Fashion Week rather than creating a Pop-up store, Glamour Magazine created a Pop-up wall co-sponsored with CO Bigalow.  The event and wall introduced Glamour’s use of QR code on the Pop-up Wall and online.  We are grateful to Glamour Magazine for allowing The Displayers to share this video.

 

The Displayers we responsible for the design, construction and installation on the Pop-up wall.  During Fall 2012 New York Fashion Week, Glamour was all about instant beauty gratification with our Glamour Apothecary Wall, in NYC’s Meatpacking District. Readers lined up to shop the wall using their mobile wallet, the Glamour Friends & Fans app. Take a look at how we made it all happen, from construction to the big unveiling.

 

Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum

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Arts | Connecticut

Mournful, Angry Views of Ireland’s Famine

A Review of Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum, in Hamden

Mark Stanczak/Quinnipiac University

PROCESSION A print of a grieving family is projected on a video wall. By SYLVIANE GOLD / Published: January 4, 2013

Most museums that bear witness to a nightmare, like Yad Vashem in Jerusalem or the Peace Memorial Museum in Hiroshima, are hard to visit. Caught between our need to understand the history and our wish to turn away from the horror, we don’t quite know where or how to look.

But Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum, which opened in October in Hamden, is a different kind of place. For one thing, the event it commemorates, the Irish potato famine, happened too long ago for news cameras to capture piled-up corpses and harrowing testimony. It lacks shocking artifacts, like Hiroshima’s charred, stopped pocket watches. And its contemporary accounts, seen through the period gloss of antique typefaces and hand-drawn images, provide safe distance rather than harsh immediacy.

The museum, a project of Quinnipiac University, presents a selection of these prints and periodicals, as well as letters and other documents, responding in real time to Ireland’s starving populace and deserted villages. But in its inaugural exhibition, it lets later artists, both from Ireland and from the countries in which famine victims settled, do most of the talking. This has the surprising effect of simultaneously softening and sharpening the gruesome facts.

What the Irish now call An Gorta Mor (the Great Hunger) began in 1845, when a deadly fungus attacked the island’s staple food. In tandem with the government in England, which could have mitigated the disaster but found many excuses to limit its role, the potato blight brought Ireland a growing tragedy of slow starvation, rampant disease and escalating despair that did not abate until 1852, by which time a million or more had died and some two million had fled.

It took 150 years after the famine’s worst year, Black ’47, for England to acknowledge some blame for it, and nearly as long for Irish artists to begin grappling with its legacy. So the strongest work in the museum is modern, varying widely in material and ranging in tone from mournful to polemical.

Margaret Lyster Chamberlain’s moving bronze, “The Leave-Taking,” is distinctly in the first key, with its 17 bedraggled figures crowding a ship’s gangway that leads to a new life in America — if they survive the voyage. Another striking bronze, John Behan’s “Famine Cart,” is even more blunt: a skeletal horse drags both itself and a wagon loaded with emaciated cadavers to the burial ground. In “An Gorta Mor” Robert Ballagh uses stained glass for a before-and-after triptych, in which a bucolic farm scene and an eviction flank a half-thriving, half-rotting potato plant. If Mr. Ballagh refers to the Catholic Church in his choice of medium, Kieran Tuohy exploits the Irish landscape itself for his sculpture of a “Lonely Widow,” carved in bog oak.

The painters also defy categorization. Lilian Lucy Davidson’s haunting “Burying the Child” packs an intense emotional wallop, with the central figure leaning into his shovel almost as if he were still digging potatoes; but it is a straightforward image of loss. Nearby, Hughie O’Donoghue addresses the hard times in an abstract watercolor, “On Our Knees.” And in “Black ’47,” Micheal Farrell takes an allegorical approach, depicting a courtroom in which five Irish skeletons emerge from a coffin to accuse Britain, in the reviled person of Charles E. Trevelyan, who ran the government’s disastrously inadequate relief efforts.

“There is scarcely a woman of the peasant class in the west of Ireland whose culinary art exceeds the boiling of a potato,” Trevelyan sniffed in his 1848 book about Britain’s blame-the-victim policies, betraying the contempt with which he viewed the “ignorant and excitable” people he was ostensibly trying to help.

This contempt is visible also in the many famine images of apelike Irish peasants in British journals of the day. They are plastered floor to ceiling, along with illustrated newspaper pages from elsewhere, on a circular enclosure that surrounds the viewer and conveys not just specific horrors from the famine years but also the intense public interest in the Irish suffering abroad and the endless, useless wrangling of the political classes.

It calls to mind the debates that have been raging here and in Europe since 2008, circling around the same old issues of austerity, socialism and responsibility. Trevelyan thought his harsh remedies would lead to a smarter, happier, more efficient, more responsible future. In the galleries of Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum we come face to face with what really happened.

Inaugural Exhibition, Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum (Musaem An Ghorta Mhoir), 3011 Whitney Avenue, Hamden. For additional information: ighm.nfshost.com/ or (203) 582-6500.

New York Times Article

Coca Cola Pavilion – 1964 World’s Fair

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Jack Lescoulie tours the Coca-Cola pavilion at the New York World’s Fair and receives a guided tour from Barry Howard, Vice President of the Displayers Corp, which created the pavilion.

They walk into a contemplative garden. Fountain seen with the Taj Mahal in the background. Howard notes they’ve added fragrance to make the setting as realistic as possible. They enter a Bavarian inn. Lescoulie mentions the scent of pine.

Howard says they can control the climate, as well as the sounds and smells. They enter a Cambodian rain forest which includes a recreation of the Ankhor Watt temple. Howard notes they had to get rid of a snake because it looked too real.

The sound of a bullfrog is heard. They step onto the deck of the S.S. Brazil with a view of the Bay of Copacabana. Engine noise is heard. View through window into dining room that’s only four by six feet but appears much larger due to mirrors. (Link)

http://www.antiquesnavigator.com/ebay/images/2013/300851793660.jpg

Coca-Cola Pavilion

Join us at the Coca-Cola Pavilion for The Pause that Refreshes! Come along on a Global Holiday where you’ll experience the sights, sounds and smells of five world locations where you can enjoy an ice cold Coke!

Pepsi Cola Pavilion presents Walt Disney's It's a Small World at the New York 1964 World's Fair.

Pepsi Cola Pavilion presents Walt Disney’s It’s a Small World at the New York 1964 World’s Fair.

Roland "Rolly" Crump with model and sketch for his Tower of the Four Winds for the Pepsi-Cola Pavilion, "It's a Small World" at the 1964-65 New York World's Fair.

 

Roland “Rolly” Crump with model and sketch for his Tower of the Four Winds for the Pepsi-Cola Pavilion, “It’s a Small World” at the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair.

 

Why are Brand Colors so Important?

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When it comes to branding, the main backbone of a strong and easily recognizable identity is expressing the right colors through a ingenious graphic design. Without it, the majority of popular brands would not exist in the form as we know them today. So, what do colors say about your brand? Marketo recently conducted a research that they presented in a form of an infographic, showing why brand colors are important:

 

Infographic: Column Five / Marketo

BY Dorian CiobanAuthor

Dorian Cioban
With years of experience in the fields of photography and graphic design, Dorian is a very creative, skillful and hardworking individual. His motivation comes from a strong desire to do new things that will help express himself in an imaginative and fun way. He is currently a student of Graphic Design & Visual Communications at Faculty of Arts & Design in Timișoara, Romania.  Branding Magazine: Why are Brand Colors so Important? by Dorian Cioban: July 26, 2012

 

6 Tips to Managing Client Expectations

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6 Tips to Managing Client Expectations
Inc. Magazine
Michael A. Olguin
May 7, 2012

These tips will help you build longstanding relationships that can withstand the good times as well as the bad.

So much work goes into winning new business, regardless of the vertical space in which you work; there is the initial prospecting, early conversations, strategic program development, budget consideration, and creation of a deliverables timeline. Unfortunately, all of that work can come to a screeching halt before the ink is dry on the contract when the same amount of time, energy and commitment isn’t placed on managing the client’s expectations after the business is won.

To ensure this is never overlooked, we developed the Super Six: keys to developing excellent client expectations and building longstanding relationships that can withstand good times as well as bumps in the road. After all, it’s easy to keep a client when things are going well; maintaining a client when times are tough is the true test of a relationship. We believe the Super Six will aid in this process:

1. Build a relationship that goes beyond client/vendor I have long maintained that business people like working with people they not only respect, but also personally like. Therefore, we believe that developing a personal relationship goes a long way in building a stronger business relationship. Get to know the client’s family situation, how they spend their free time, where their interests lie and, most importantly, what motivates them on a daily basis. When you understand what makes them tick as a person, you can translate that into your business relationship.

2. Regularly communicate and address problems directly A lack of communication is usually at the root of most problems associated with clients. Any good client relationship will be able to weather setbacks if you are proactive in communicating both good and bad news. When communication is direct and transparent, trust forms and helps to create a foundation for long-lasting relationships.

3. Agree on strategy, goals and timelines Until you and your client agree on strategy, goals and timelines, you are always at risk of them not understanding what success is and how it should be measured. We always suggest creating a scope-of-work document that outlines the program details, budgets and metrics. This will alleviate any confusion over expectations and hopefully eliminate a difficult conversation.

4. Be a  Agree on strategy, goals and timelines When you offer your client advice, direction, input and business counsel, you become a truly valuable partner. This style of open dialogue helps to establish the respect necessary to ensure better project management. Clients hire outsourced marketing services because they want an objective opinion. If you fail at giving that POV, you subject yourself to being a “yes man or woman,” which will ultimately be your undoing.

5. Be a good listener Listening is one of the most misunderstood and least used tools in managing client expectations. Many clients are unsure of what they are trying to accomplish or not very good at articulating it. As such, you must have excellent intuition and listening skills in order to identify key messages being communicated. One of the best ways to compensate for a client who communicates poorly is to repeat what you have heard and ask them to confirm the accuracy of key takeaways, which will ultimately impact expectations.

6. Budget is not a bad word Most relationships will go south very quickly if you are not open and honest about budgets. To start, you must be realistic about setting a clear understanding of the budget required to execute the desired program. Throughout the course of the program, you must have regular dialogue about budgets. If you don’t address the client until you have an issue (i.e., operating over budget), you will not only have an unhappy client, you may also find yourself eating the overages.

At the end of the day, your ability to manage client expectations is going to hinge on how well you choose to communicate. If you leave things up to chance, chances are you and your client will both be disappointed. However, if you take the time to listen, be proactive about communicating openly and address any issues head-on, you will keep client expectations in check and be in a good position to grow your relationship over time.

http://www.inc.com/michael-olguin/6-tips-to-managing-client-expectations.html

Grand Central Holiday Fair – Design Concept Flythrough

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The Displayers managed the installation and dismantle of Grand Central Terminals Holiday Fair for (6) years.  Installation of the Holiday Fair required the handling and installation of (43) crates to assemble and fill the 12,000 square foot Vanderbilt Hall over a (20) men to assemble over (5) days.

Jones Lang LaSalle and The MTA asked that conceptual designs be proposed to replace existing system.  The renderings and fly – through was The Displayers proposal.

 

Design 960 des GCT Holiday Fair concepts pg4-9 12-19-08-1 540x960

design 400 90 des GCT Holiday Fair concepts pg1-3 12-19-08-2

Crain’s New York – The Displayers

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An article about our beginning.

 

Display maker puts together a solo effort

THE FAMILY BUSINESS CAN BE a frustrating place for a budding entrepreneur. Eager to make his own way, Greg Rathe abdicated his position as third-generation heir apparent at Rathe Productions, a big designer of trade shows and museum exhibits. Instead, four years ago he founded his own outfit, The Displayers.

“Growing your own company is something you don’t get a chance to do in a 55-year old family business,” says Mr. Rathe. Naming his company after his grandfather’s biggest competitor in the 1950s.

Mr. Rathe targeted an eclectic array of businesses, designing and installing trade show booths, exhibitions and showrooms.  Mr. Rathe says he made a specialty of fast turnarounds, calling on relationships he’d built up with suppliers during his years at the family business and assembling a melting pot of specializations on his staff.

The company balances display design with corporate identity work. Projects include in-store marketing materials for Apple Computer stores and acrylic logos for DKNY stores in Europe.  Museums may offer the most fertile ground for growth, as the size of The Displayers’ projects for that segment is increasing. The Displayers served as construction manager for the renovation of the Jewish Museum’s permanent exhibition and recently won a commission to create a 3,000-square foot exhibit at the New York City Police Museum.

The Displayers has grown to 1.4 million in revenues and eight employees.  That’s a far cry from Rathe Productions’ army of almost 100 architects, graphic designers, carpenters, metalworkers, engineers, computer specialists and artists, but Mr. Rathe says he has no regrets. “It’s like a fishing village – the sons go off and get their own boats,” he says. “There’s plenty of fish for everybody.”