Image 4's Insight
Trade shows are often huge events and it’s easy to get lost in the crowd. That’s why you need to make a memorable impression. The power of visuals is one of the most effective ways to stand out so be sure your booth has that “wow” factor: create attention-grabbing visuals to draw people in and offer some perks as a way to keep them engaged. Equally important is an effective networking strategy to make the most of these face-to-face opportunities and planning ahead is critical. The good old giveaway still packs a punch, but only if it’s thoughtfully chosen - tie it to your brand to leave a lasting impression, even months after the show.

Article Excerpt:
Trade shows are a rare opportunity to gather with everybody you need to meet.  

Image 4's Insight
No longer are color palettes, design styles and furnishings at the top of the commercial designer's checklist. Today, it's all about sustainability, wellness, community and authenticity. These considerations require architects, commercial interior designers, developers and builders to work together and embrace design-thinking to remain competitive in the future.

Article Excerpt:
2018 saw developments in psychograhics, sustainability, wellness, community and authenticity. These trends will dominate the industry’s landscape in 2019.

Image 4's Insight

An effective branch transformation needs to be more than just cosmetic and should help achieve the bank's performance objectives while providing a frictionless customer experience and increased employee productivity. Focusing on the distribution model, analyzing branch behavior, managing wait times, and reevaluating success metrics are but a few things that go into getting branch transformation right.

Article Excerpt:
Branch transformation is one of the most challenging projects for a bank, involving premises, processes, people and technologies.  

Image 4's Insight
Choosing a character to embody your brand - either an existing, real-life character or one designed by you - not only helps your internal team create more cohesive and true messaging, it can also help customers immediately connect with your brand. Whether or not your company decides to use your character in future marketing campaigns, defining that character will be a valuable learning process and ensure company values are aligned with its actions.

Article Excerpt:
We’ve all heard trust is the foundation of any good relationship, whether in a friendship, a marriage or between coworkers. The same is true for building a company’s brand and the relationship between a company and the customer. Identifying a brand character establishes this brand trust by allowing immediate infusion of trust cues from a familiar (and trustworthy) persona into messaging.

Image 4's Insight
What seemed like a good idea at the time turned out to have opposite of the intended effect: recent studies have shown that open-space work environments actually reduce productivity and lower employee morale. In fact, they led to fewer face-to-face interactions, less collaboration and lower job satisfaction. Today, companies are moving towards giving employees a greater sense of control over their work environment by giving them more privacy.

Article Excerpt:
In recent years, open-plan office spaces became a trend that businesses were quickly jumping on. Many large corporations redid their office design just to accommodate the newly desired open work spaces, but studies show that open work spaces actually reduce productivity and lower employee morale.

Image 4's Insight

93% of retailers believe customers are more likely to spend money with a brand they feel connected to and yet only 55% of retail leaders plan to invest in building out experiences within their stores to help foster brand connections. Don't miss the opportunity to get ahead of the curve and create memorable brand experiences that establish connections and increase brand loyalty.

Article Excerpt:
New data shows brands have an opportunity to build emotional bonds with customers via experience-based retail.

Image 4's Insight
When you start asking yourself if trade shows are even worth it anymore, it's time to rethink your trade show strategy! Given the large investment of time and resources required to exhibit, you need to maximize your impact to ensure success. From booth location, to messaging, to promotion, here are a few best practices to consider before heading off to your next show.

Article Excerpt:
With the time, money and resources you'll invest to represent your business at a trade show, it's important to know how to maximize your impact.