Feature Story

Sara Lee Ships For Less

by Carol S. S. Morganti
President
Munson/Morganti & Associates Advertising
Cuyahoga Falls, OH

Headquartered in Chicago, the Sara Lee Corp. has operations in 55 countries and markets products in nearly 200 nations. As a global manufacturer and marketer of brand-name products, Sara Lee's brilliant red ribbon is a familiar sight to many consumers. The company's Deli Division wanted a booth that would translate that successful image and logo onto the show floor.

In developing its new booth, the Sara Lee Corp.'s Deli Division, Cincinnati, OH, wanted to have a presence that could be seen from anywhere on the convention floor of the International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association's (IDDBA) annual show. "For the supermarket-deli industry, it is the single largest and most important show. The IDDBA attracts people from around the U.S. as well as internationally," said Charlie Goodstein, director of product and business development, Sara Lee. Last year's IDDBA show in Orlando, FL, included 1,125 booths featuring 500 exhibiting companies. The event drew nearly 7,000 people to the Orange County Convention Center. Flying The Red Ribbon Headquartered in Chicago, the Sara Lee Corp. has operations in 55 countries and markets products in nearly 200 nations. As a global manufacturer and marketer of brand-name products, Sara Lee's brilliant red ribbon is a familiar sight to many consumers. The company's Deli Division wanted a booth that would translate that successful image and logo onto the show floor. EDC presented a custom design using a modular system that gave the division the visibility it sought without costing the company a lot of "dough." "About four years ago, we looked at several designs, talked with a number of different companies, and looked at different possible executions for this booth," said Goodstein. "The design that Tim Morris at Exhibit Design came up with was a modular piece that had the ability to adapt if we decided to expand it or even to attend different shows with it."

In addition to their reconfigurable design flexibility, custom modular exhibits also mean lightweight, fewer and smaller crates, less labor, and more compact storage when compared to traditional custom displays. Also, since custom modular displays pack into uniform containers, shipping and storage is neat and cost-effective.

One element Sara Lee asked for in its booth design was a rotating Sara Lee banner atop the main mast in the front of the booth. Perched at a height of 18', the rotating banner -- a triangular, backlit sign employing the Sara Lee red ribbon graphic on all three sides -- is visible from across the show hall. "The rotating sign was a great way for us to make sure everybody knew we were there and to come and find us," said Goodstein.

Reminiscent of the ribbon in Sara Lee's logo, a cheerful red, ribbon-shaped header runs the length of the booth.
In addition to the modular system's striking appearance, Sara Lee has enjoyed its flexibility. After the first year, the company decided it wanted to add graphics to the original 20' x 60' perimeter island, along with shelving for additional capacity in the cheese and meat-cutting prep area. Adding the extra space would also allow the company to maintain one of the biggest booths at the show.
Thanks to the modular system, EDC was able to simply add a few key pieces in the middle, stretching the booth to its current 20' x 70' without much expense or effort.

In the reconfiguration, EDC also replaced a graphic transparency panel at the front of the booth with a flat panel video screen upon which Sara Lee now shows its TV commercials and training videos. Located above the archway at the front of the booth, the video display gives the booth an additional point of reference for people coming into or passing by the booth.

Let's Talk

Sara Lee wanted the exhibit to have more than one selling area for its 15 to 20 sales people attending the show. Since there are typically dozens of people in the booth at any given moment, the odds are good that several competing customers are in the booth at the same time. Sara Lee wanted a place where it could bring clients into different areas of the display and talk to them without the client feeling like they were standing right next to a competitor.

"Since it was going to be an island booth, we wanted to make sure both sides of the exhibit could replicate our product display. On either side of the booth, we could draw buyers into the booth and talk to them without having them feel like they're right next to somebody," said Goodstein.

The booth also includes a private conference area with tables and chairs. Located in the back of the booth, the enclosed space allows Sara Lee representatives to conduct private meetings with customers. The expansion and reconfiguration of the original booth made the conference room bigger so the company can now accommodate a larger audience. The new size also provides more space on the perimeter so Sara Lee has more room for product display and food preparation.

Because it is so large, EDC's design also includes two modular seating areas -- or pods -- strategically located at either side of the booth. Those spaces allow the company to have informal conversations in a semi-private setting.

"The booth design really affords us five or six different key spots to be able to talk to our buyers simultaneously, which works very nicely," said Goodstein.

Also central to the booth design are two separate refrigeration areas.

One of the areas uses three different refrigerator cases to form a "U" shape in the middle of the booth. It serves as the primary display area. There is also an upright case just behind the "U" where product is hung on pegs.

While it is a seemingly complex booth, maintaining the exhibit is deceptively simple, an aspect Sara Lee appreciates.

" The booth really has been great, from a maintenance standpoint, because it is modular in nature," said Goodstein. "As the booth gets damaged -- every trade show has its moments -- when we have a problem with a panel or a display or something else, we simply replace that one element and the booth is able to be kept up very efficiently at really a modest cost."

"You have to have somebody reliable. That's where Roadway comes in," said Morris. "Roadway is show-savvy. They know what to do."

Roadway Express is generally the preferred carrier for many of the trade shows EDC serves. The Akron, OH-based carrier features round-the-clock availability for expedited or scheduled deliveries and air freight service. In addition to offering 24 hour access to trade show specialists through an 800 number, the carrier's national trade show team provides on-site assistance at most major shows in North America.

"It's nice to know whether you're here in the office or you're at the trade show floor, you've got somebody from Roadway to take care of any problem and fix it so you can serve your client better," said Morris. "When you call their pager, they're responsive. They get back to you."

While EDC still uses other carriers for logistical reasons, it relies on Roadway for approximately 80% of its shipments. The company started using the carrier on a regular basis three or four years ago. As EDC's business grew, so did its reliance on its preferred carrier.

"She just comes through every time," he said. "She's constantly in contact with me. If I have a problem, she's just a phone call away. She's been real good with that."

EDC has proven in just a few short years that the demanding challenges of exhibit services can be weathered with the right union of talent and dedication. Because EDC can bring together an eye-catching booth with a show-savvy carrier, it was able to grow from a single desk to become one of the premier exhibit houses working today. eb