The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) draws huge numbers to annual events of exceptional, ever-increasing quality, and CES 2012 will be no different. By all possible measures, CES is truly incomparable – the number and quality of exhibitors and attendees, the intense media focus, the incredible variety of markets represented and the unique special events. If your firm needs to be there – the Las Vegas Convention Center, Tuesday January 10, 2012 through Friday the 13th – CRE can help you make your best impression.

CES has options for all marketing strategies, and so do we. If you want to show off your product or service to one and all, consider an Open Booth Space with one of our large-screen plasma display rentals showing your eye-catching invitation. If you prefer to meet and greet new and existing clients in a more private setting, then CES’s Meeting Place or Suites may be the spot to showcase new product offering using iPad rentals.

This year, there are more than a dozen CES TechZones featuring such exciting niches as “green tech,” iOS- and and Mac-specific products, 3D monitors and tablets/e-readers. With our complete selection of event production rentals, we’ve got you covered whatever you decide to do.

NAMM 2012

The annual convention of the National Association of Music Merchants, NAMM 2012, is set for Thursday through Sunday, January 19th to the 22nd, 2012, at the Anaheim Convention Center. Get the inside track on the newest gear, freshest ideas and best strategies for your business. Network with global pros, attend NAMM U development sessions, learn about the latest challenges and opportunities – and put your own best foot forward with the right CRE trade show convention rentals; we are the official technology rental provider for NAMM Trade Show.

At NAMM 2012, there will be some 1,400+ exhibitors from all over the world. In addition to welcoming as many as possible to your own booth – showing a presentation on our special NAMM plasma rentals, or inviting folks to interact with your product demo on one of our LCD touchscreen monitor rentals – you can also “multiply your presence” to capture contact info without wasting “people time.” Rent interactive kiosk technology from CRE and position a unit or two in high-traffic areas (the ones where you and your team won’t be, naturally).

“You can’t get hands-on on the Internet,” as the NAMM promotional materials say. You need to get there in person! Whatever your strategy, CRE can outfit your booth and breakout sessions, and keep you in touch with your team with WiFi devices like iPads or tablet PC rentals.

No matter what size your budget is, CRE can help your strategize a potent presence at CES, NAMM or both. Call or e-mail an experienced Account Executive and let’s work out the best plan for you. You can also use our Quick Rental Quote form if you know what you need. Either way, we’re ready, willing and able to help you put your best foot forward in Las Vegas, Anaheim – and everywhere else!

Conventions and conferences are tremendous opportunities to reach the right kind of people, the ones that need your product or service (whether they know it or not). Appearing at the right venues will enhance your brand identity and increase your firm’s visibility, while you are simultaneously generating leads and driving new sales. As a leading provider of state-of-the-art event production services, CRE Rentals can not only advise you – we can equip you.

Participating in the right events helps you

• make new business connections,

• keep abreast of industry trends,

• observe your competitors in action and

• hone your marketing and sales strategies.

Naturally, you will want to impress attendees without breaking the bank, and much of the answer lies in the old “4P Method” – Planning Prevents Poor Performance. Remember, too, that most cost overruns are due to excessive revision and redundancy. So (1) do things right the first time and (2) stay on schedule.

Your pre-event checklist

• The first thing that will impress conference attendees is an invitation. You can use e-mail blasts, phone calls, press releases and other approaches in the mix that works best for you. Target existing customers, prospects, business leaders, industry analysts, bloggers and anyone else who may be interested – or should be!

• To ensure you have the right exhibit to fulfill your marketing goals (within your budget, of course) you should check out different booth designs. You will need visual appeal, so CRE plasma rentals should be at the top of your list.

• If you do a little research, you can discover what unique and creative booth ideas generated buzz on the exhibition floor of other conferences. Not everyone you invite will show up, so you must attract visitors to your booth.

• Consider which accessories, lighting setups and audio visual rentals will solidify your brand image. Compelling sights should be used in tandem with compelling sounds – without blasting the neighbors, of course.

• Also: Stock some cost-effective giveaways, make sure your booth staff project a professional image, prepare a talking points one-sheet and be proactive in steering people to your exhibit area.

Two overlooked strategies

Early Bird – Start your pre-conference promotion before the ink dries on your booth contract. If you have sales and field personnel using iPad rentals, make sure they carry PDF versions of your promo pieces, and tell them to spread the news.

Cast a Net – Most industries have numerous conferences and trade shows every year, but many firms cannot afford to go to more than one. If this is your situation, arrange to get your promotional materials to associates in non-competitive industries that are exhibiting at shows scheduled before yours.

Call or e-mail an Account Executive for all your on-site production needs, as well as trade show expertise. Know what you need? Use the Quick Rental Quote form right now!

Don’t forget to check out Part 2 of “Impressing Conference Attendees” on Thursday, September 22nd.

Fall is coming, and that means it’s time once again for Oracle OpenWorld 2011, being held October 2-6 at San Francisco’s Moscone Center. Researchers, entrepreneurs, the scions of today’s industries and the innovators of tomorrow’s – representing every imaginable industry – come to OpenWorld from the overwhelming majority of nations on Planet Earth.

If you want to master Oracle technology, this is the place, with literally hundreds of sessions, 450 exhibits, scores of technology demos, numerous breakout sessions and many exciting keynotes from world tech leaders from which to choose. If you want to outfit an exhibit area to reel in interested parties, CRE has the convention rentals expertise to help you there, too.

For 30+ years, CRE has been providing solutions for breakout sessions, presentations and exhibits, and is a veteran of OpenWorld. Our plasma rentals can anchor your booth with dramatic displays and signage, while iPad rentals empower your conference team by putting those same materials (and/or others) right in their hands for “portable presentations.”

As we’ve said of previous OpenWorld events, Oracle delivers “five days of education with insights and connections that will transform your business.” The clincher for 2011? This year’s “Appreciation Event” concert features Sting. How can you afford to miss all this?

Solar Power International 2011

From its previous home in Anaheim, Solar Power International 2011 (SPI) moves to Dallas, TX, for its annual conference, to be held October 27-29. SPI is among the biggest, most wide-ranging solar power exhibits and conferences in the world with some 24,000 professionals from over 125 countries in attendance.

With 1,200+ firms from all of the solar power vertical markets exhibiting across an expanse of nearly a million square feet (gross), SPI is working hard to achieve its goal: to “advance and support the solar power industry and to promote the growth of U.S. solar markets.”

Encounter new products, service providers and prospects while networking with professionals from the broadening horizons of the industry. Draw passers-by into your exhibit area with unique (and fun) LCD touchscreen monitor rentals that engage, educate and entertain. From manufacturers, contractors and engineering firms to utility companies, government representatives, investors and financiers, the connections you need to make will all be there – don’t let ‘em get away!

In addition to Audience Response System rentals and other gear, CRE has tips for a successful breakout session. Want to multiply your presence cost-effectively? Capture information from high-traffic areas with interactive kiosk rentals customized with your message and queries. We are conference and exhibit professionals. We can help! One call or e-mail to an experienced Account Executive, or a few minutes with our Quick Rental Quote form, and your solution is on its way.

Interbike International Bicycle Expo (Interbike) is the premier bicycle industry business-to-business (B2B) event, bringing together leading manufacturers, retailers, support industries, cycling advocates and media to tend to the business and technology side of cycling. The event assembles over 1,100 cycling-related brands and draws over 20,000 attendees every year. The 2011 edition of the show will once again be held in Las Vegas from September 12th to 16th.

To move or not to move?

It almost wasn’t so. Last year Interbike announced it was moving its 2011 show from September to the month of August. Almost in passing, the organization mentioned that the location was moving, too, from Las Vegas to Anaheim. The announcement unleashed a flood of feedback, surprising Interbike’s top brass.

It “elicited a very real response,” said Interbike show director Andy Tompkins. After “countless conversations [with] exhibitors and retailers” the group reversed course. “We are hearing loud and clear,” admitted Tompkins, “that [the] industry prefers September dates and the convenience of Las Vegas.” CRE is particularly experienced in serving the great convention centers of the West, even if you just need a dozen tablet PC rentals for your team.

Interbike shifts paradigms

During the scheduling kerfuffle, Interbike execs heard from numerous industry insiders about the show’s importance to the marketplace. It is still “the industry’s show,” said Tompkins, and “the market’s passion and commitment” to it means that the 2011 and 2012 events will be “groundbreaking.” Expect large, milling crowds, and stay connected with iPad rentals – they’re notepads, display devices, phones, e-readers and Internet appliances in one slim, slick package.

If you’re exhibiting in a major way, CRE’s excellent event production services will make your trade show appearance a hit. You can also put together your own booth a la carte, so to speak, and draw passersby into an interactive presentation on a Interbike plasma rental . If you’re attending to gather materials and distribute your own, you can set up a mini branch office with CRE’s vast range of office equipment rentals.

Green is keen!

We can help you make your tradeshow experience greener than ever, too. Save on four-color printing by handing out business cards or flyers with URLs listed, so interested folks can save a few trees while reading your “virtual marketing materials.” Multiply your presence with CRE’s interactive kiosk rentals, which can be configured to your specifications to dispense info (and collect it, too). Very handy, and kiosks don’t take lunch breaks. (But you should!)

If you’re working yourself to a frazzle setting up your exhibit or strategizing a breakout session, let CRE help. We’re seasoned trade show specialists that also happen to have one of the largest inventories of high-tech rentals anywhere. One call or e-mail, or a few minutes with our Quick Rental Quote form, is all it takes to get you on your way to Interbike.

If you’re involved in any way with the business of fashion, the MAGIC Show 2011 is definitely where you want to be from the 22nd to the 24th of August, 2011. Being held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, the show is Ground Zero for thousands of fashion industry professionals from around the world. The range of people and firms at MAGIC – manufacturers and buyers, fashion leaders and textile designers, marketing mavens and brand builders – is world-class, too.

This year, in fact, the U.S. Department of Commerce and MAGIC will co-host “Sourcing in the Americas” on Sunday, the 21st, the day before MAGIC’s official start. The day-long summit will showcase textile mills, apparel, footwear, component suppliers and service providers throughout Latin America. Attending, exhibiting or both, MAGIC is where you will discover the hot new trends, from design to retailing, while you’re buying, selling and “schmoozing.” This is where it happens.

Display a winning attitude with Plasma Rentals

The popular saying, “Go big or go home,” applies perfectly to the winning attitude you need if you’re heading for the MAGIC event (or any other). At MAGIC, all the companies, big and small, go to great, often expensive lengths to promote themselves with dramatic visual displays, free gifts, breakout sessions and more. CRE can outfit you with big, bold plasma rentals and the other tools you need to get the most from this one-stop-shop event.

If your conference team is small this year, you can multiply your presence with interactive kiosk rentals customized to make your pitch and take contact info from passersby. CRE can help both veteran business owners and new entrepreneurs to “go big” without the “big bucks,” and make things happen at MAGIC. If you host a session, our Audience Response System rentals provide a two-way exchange of information that can be invaluable in helping you focus your branding message and PR.

MAGIC’s Global reach

The seminars conducted at MAGIC are extremely popular because of the top quality presenters and keynote speakers. Outfitted with our iPad rentals, your conference team can take notes (written or voice), snap photos, take videos, stay in touch and access online conference resources. If you work in fashion, you have to be at MAGIC – and if you go, you need to “go big.” There’s no better way to prepare than to get CRE, with its full range of convention rentals, on your side. That’s how MAGIC gets done.

It gets done quickly, too, when you call or e-mail our experienced CRE Account Executives. It doesn’t cost a cent to brainstorm your conference strategy with them, and when you get it nailed down we have the full range of event production services available. One call does it all – but you don’t even need to do that if you know what you need. In that case, use our handy Quick Rental Quote form. Either way, CRE will give you the magic!

And, a second, special conference will be held in conjunction with Comic-Con. The ICv2 Comics, Media and Digital Conference will be at the  San Diego Marriott Hotel and Marina, next to the Convention Center on Wednesday afternoon, July 20th. This event brings together leaders in the creation, production and distribution of comics to discuss the powerful new trends shaping the future of entertainment (generally) and comics (specifically). The sorts of folks who use our AJA Io HD rentals and the latest-’n'-greatest Macs (see our recent blog on the newest iMacs) will be all over the place. You’ll feel right at home!

Enhance your presence at Comic Con with plasma rentals

Are you exhibiting and want people to stop in their tracks? CRE has 42” to 65” big-screen plasma rentals or consider renting 3D plasmas to get your booth the attention you want.

Want to cover more territory at lower cost, with 100% dependability (and no coffee breaks)? Use interactive kiosk rentals to “multiply your presence” cost-effectively by giving out your company’s message while “taking names and numbers” from attendees you may have missed otherwise.

iPad rental – the perfect tool for your staff

If your company is attending Comic-Con, make sure your staff is properly outfitted for the right tasks. For those attending sessions where speakers, panelists and attendees consider the state of comics today – how they’re used in everything from TV ads and merchandising to blockbuster movies (or not) – then Apple’s iPad is a good pick. Renting an iPad will help your staff stay in touch, download the conference program, record audio and/or video of sessions, take notes and look “super-cool”.

Everything you need for a successful conference is right here at CRE.  A visit to our Quick Rental Quote form is all it takes to get things going. Whether you need to strategize your Comic-Con presence, or get 20+ computer rentals to equip a new customer service department tomorrow (yep, tomorrow), CRE is your one-stop shop. We do it all, we have it all, so look no further – give a call!

Experts (and buyers) of all kinds

Hardware, software and service companies of all kinds will be touting their wares to 90,000+ media and entertainment professionals from some 150 countries – executives, producers, writers, content distribution/delivery experts, IT managers and many others. CRE convention rentals are key to an effective exhibit – you are going, right? – and, with a shot at over $35 billion in purchasing power in attendance, missing the NAB Show could cost you. CRE can deliver and set up everything you need to make a powerful impression, starting with attention-getting, big-screen plasma rentals.

Show promoters are not kidding when they say that the NAB Show is “where possibilities become realities,” and to maximize your presence you need to be in multiple places – at once. How? You can use both humans and machines for this nifty trick. Send some of your conference team through the Convention Center with iPad rentals stocked with presentations, marketing materials and video clips. If you’re short on humans, you can place a few of CRE’s interactive kiosk rentals in strategic locations to offer product/service info and capture attendee contact data.

Mapping the future

From custom-designed content management systems to the latest software for creating natural 3D environments, the NAB Show is also where you will get up to speed on where the future’s headed. Whether you’re leading one of the 500+ skill-building sessions or polling a room full of broadcast pros with our Audience Response System rentals, we can set it up right – and pack it up when you’re done. After five or six days of interacting with over 1,500 different companies spread across more than 800,000 square feet of floor space, you might be a little tired!

Conferences are just one way that CRE can help you, but you’re not exhibiting and/or attending one every day. For every other day of the year, we’re here with the solutions that will empower you to plow through production bottlenecks with our render farm rentals or store terabytes of digital media on Xserve RAID rentals. Use the Quick Rental Quote form if you know what you need, or call or e-mail an expert Account Executive for assistance. Whether you’re headed to Vegas next month or not, CRE is the right destination when your digital workflow needs a boost or a breakthrough. That’s what we do!

The construction industry is one of America’s true engines of growth and productivity, and CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2011 (Construction Expo/Concrete And Aggregates)– in Las Vegas from March 22-26 – is its premier gathering place. CONEXPO, held every three years, brings the latest in services, technologies and equipment. Are you exhibiting? Lets us help you strategize the perfect convention rentals to make your best impression.

Rent plasmas & touchscreens to stand out

With 2,000 exhibitors expected, and an ocean of attendees, you need to stand out. Nothing works quite so well as great video or animated presentations on large-screen plasma rentals. Getting people to stop is one thing – now you want to engage them. Touchscreen LCD monitor rentals, as well as the Sony VAIO L touchscreen computer rentals, offer a simple way to interact with attendees. Consider making the presentations available on your Web site, too, and hand flyers or cards with the URLs to people who walk past your booth.

The CONEXPO focuses quite a bit on education, with 120+ sessions on everything from new industry trends to marketing. The exhibit area will be divided into “product concentration” areas, which will help route interested parties your way – but not everyone will stop at your booth. Counter that by carrying your presentations on iPad rentals, so you can take your multimedia message around with you. You now have multiple ways of communicating your own excitement to attendees.

Get interactive at Green Roads Summit

CONEXPO is holding a Green Roads Summit to cover such crucial topics as sustainability, transportation, climate and competitiveness. Multiply the effectiveness of your conference presence by adding interactive kiosk rentals. These units can be programmed to offer your product presentations on a touchscreen interface, while also collecting contact information on attendees you never see. If you have arranged to lead a breakout session during the summit, combine both information and audience feedback with Audience Response System rentals.

CRE has you covered for any type of trade show rental equipment you need for CONEXPO-CON/AGG.  Do you know what you need? Use the handy Quick Rental Quote form, and get just the right gear when and where you need it.

Robot teacher

The ReCon Rover 6.0 promotes logical thinking in kids (plenty of adults could use a refresher, too) and the more they learn, the more of the Rover’s behavior they can control. Using the same technology as in CRE’s LCD monitor rentals, the unit’s bright LCD screen shows all the routes programmed with its 10-button keypad and directional buttons.

The Rover can negotiate obstacle courses in a room full of iMac rentals, carry small items, stand guard and go on missions (with 10 routes in memory at once). It is equipped with LED headlights, microphone and speaker, caterpillar tracks, a “third wheel,” a cargo bay, a “ReCon go home” command and sound effects. In addition to included sounds, there is memory space reserved for four more (like this cool sound).

Indoor/outdoor flying

Radio controlled (RC) devices are nothing new, and helicopters are quite popular. The latest advance is voice control, and the aptly named Voice Control Helicopter that recently hit the market follows five commands: start engine, fly higher, fly lower, hold an item and turn off upon landing. A standard joystick remote control turns it right and left, while a ceiling sensor prevents in-home crashes.

New Mac Pro rentals, of course, have powerful speech command capabilities built in for doing serious work more easily. RC copter makers want to make it easy to have serious fun, too. Thus, the Voice Control Helicopter understands commands in English, French or Spanish, while another copter from Japan needs some commands in Japanese and others in English. Get set for more innovations from this industry.

Party lights for Jedi Knights

If you want a unique touch for a party, consider Illoom glowing balloons. There are LEDs built in, so you just pull a tab before blowing them up for über-cool lighting effects. In a room full of computer rentals with glowing plasma rentals, the balloons would complement the lighting nicely – another instant workplace party recipe. And there’s more to the Illoom balloons than a choice of colors, such as pumpkin and ghost images for Halloween, and others for different holidays and purposes.

Make sure to have fun to balance your hard work, but when you need to blow through a production bottleneck, or put on a great show with our soup-to-nuts convention rentals, we’re ready with everything you need. Call or e-mail our experienced Account Executives, or fill out the Quick Rental Quote form, and let’s get it done.

The National Automobile Dealers Association will hold its 2011 NADA Convention & Expo at Moscone Center in San Francisco from February 5-7. Thousands of new vehicle dealers – plus retailers, automakers and industry leaders – will be there at the most important event in the automotive industry. Exhibitors need to stand out or be lost in the crowd, so  audiovisual rentals and other attention-grabbers should be part of your plan.

Do you have a product or service that targets this industry? Your customers are going to be there as well as your competitors and potential partners. So, it is vital to put on your best show with an interactive presentation displayed on a touchscreen LCD monitor rentals.

Since exhibiting at NADA brings you into personal contact with more auto dealerships than any other venue, you want to make a memorable impression. Letting people “touch their way” through presentations on Sony VAIO L all-in-one computer rental will engage them at your booth, while interactive kiosk rentals placed elsewhere will present your message while capturing information from potential partners and customers. With CRE, you have ‘em covered, coming and going!

RSA Conference USA 2011, coming to San Francisco’s Moscone Center from February 14-18, is the most comprehensive gathering of information security professionals. Attendees will learn about the newest security technologies, get updated on new best practices and gain insight into the security challenges facing businesses today. If you market a product or service to this industry, you can make a big impact with CRE convention rentals tailored to your needs.

The RSA Conference USA 2011 is the ultimate way to connect with security pros from around the globe. They will come from everywhere looking for solutions to the latest security risks, and if you have one of CRE’s plasma rentals you can really wow them. With simple computer programs you can control a multi-monitor setup (even a “wall”), so a few plasma screens or a mix of them and some LCD monitor rentals can make your exhibit the most eye-catching of all.

Consider holding a breakout session with one of CRE’s Audience Response System rentals. You can get immediate input as well as valuable feedback for later use. With CRE’s array of convention rentals you can achieve whatever effect you want.

At CRE Rentals, we are constantly thinking of how we can best serve your needs. We are always ready to equip you to blast through any production bottleneck or put your best foot forward at a convention. Call or e-mail an experienced Account Executive, or fill out the Quick Rental Quote form, and we’ll set you up with the right equipment, at the right place, at the right time and the right price – right away!