Installation and dismantling

Exhibitslist scoured the trade show floor and managed to capture a picture of an exemplary installer: well prepared, brought all his equipment. But let's just imagine he didn't.  Well, just as the panic starts setting in and he begins brainstorming various workarounds involving stacking buckets, rolls of duct tape, and one perfectly timed jump-- part 2 of the 'Installers Code' kicks in.

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This is the first in a series of "Installers Life" articles on the unwritten code and set of rules of trade show exhibit installation.

I've been working in the trade show/exhibit installation world for the last twenty years and I've found that there's a strict code that exists on show floors. Break the code and you tend to have more difficulty and you will quickly gain a bad reputation, especially if you're always working in the same venue. Large installation houses like Czaranowski and Nth Degree are always the most likely to stick to the code. Sometimes new installers take a while to get up to speed.

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Many of us know the phrase, "Form Follows Function."  It is a part of the industrial design terminology to describe how a product was inspired - usually from the function of the product itself.  Form follows the function, once an innovative and curious phrase, now seems to be overused as much as box frame laminate and fabric construction is used in the exhibit business.  It is so 1990's!

Consumer product design begins with an underlying function that is engineered to meet a specific need, or solve a problems that consumers experience daily.  To make a long story short, product design has value and can truly make someone else's life easier.  It can be measured and as a result can be appreciated.

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I have always worked for one company. It fits my lifestyle, but I have always wondered if it would be better to work freelance. There are a number of issues involved, but I think it comes down to your personality and your willingness to take risks.

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Exhibitslist was on the trade show floor of the Detroit Auto Show in January and ran into Steve Drouillard.  Rumor has it that Steve is a legendary installer in the area.  We thought interviewing Steve would be a great way to spark off some discussion of what it takes to make a great installer.

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Frustration

Being an installer can be one of the most frustrating jobs in the world.  There are so many variables that come into play in bringing an exhibit to life.  You don't just rely on yourself.  In many cases you are on a team with people you have never met, in a city that you don't know very well.  Labour can be shoddy, shipping can be shifty and equipment can break down.  Talk about frustration!

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