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History
History of ExpoDisplays, A Division of Diamond Displays International
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| 1970 |
| ExpoDisplays |
ExpoDisplays was founded in Buffalo, New York by a British display company wanting to enter the U.S. marketplace with their portable display systems. At that time, portable systems did not exist in the US marketplace.
As ExpoDisplays began producing and promoting their line of portable/modular systems, not only did they have to generate a sales network, they also had to create product acceptance. As exhibitors started experiencing the benefits of lightweight displays, reconfiguration, easy refurbishment and the versatility of these new portable displays, the need in the marketplace began to grow. ExpoDisplays had positioned itself as one of the industry pioneers in the portable/ modular arena. |
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| 1975 |
| ExpoDisplays |
| Giltspur, a display division of Unigate, a large British food conglomerate, acquired the British company, including ExpoDisplays. ExpoDisplays relocated to the Chicago market to be closer to the then "trade show hub". ExpoDisplays continued to add new products and grow the servicing representative network nationwide during their tenure in Chicago. They became known for their product quality and service. |
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| 1980-1985 |
| ExpoDisplays |
| Increased labor and space costs led ExpoDisplays to locate to Tampa, Florida to help control these costs and provide better service. At this time ExpoDisplays sold a mix of imported and domestically produced display systems through an expanding representative network. |
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| 1989 |
| Diamond Displays |
| Jeff Culton and a partner started Allen-Culton, Inc., a trade show marketing company based in Birmingham, Alabama. The main division, American Exhibition Services (AES), the pioneer of trade show marketing, soon became the largest trade show marketing company in North America. |
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| 1991 |
| Diamond Displays |
| Allen-Culton, Inc. added two divisions. Diamond Displays International and Diamond Graphics were formed to design and produce the exhibits and graphics used by AES at trade shows. Diamond continues to build exhibits and interactive kiosks that are used by AES at over 200 of North America's largest shows each year. |
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| 1992 |
| ExpoDisplays |
The British parent company, Unigate, made a corporate decision to return to their core business of food production and distribution. As a result, ExpoDisplays was sold from Giltspur to a group of private individuals. Giltspur locations were all absorbed by ExhibitGroup to become ExhibitGroup Giltspur.
ExpoDisplays continued to develop new product lines domestically and improve their distribution channels through manufacturers’ representatives. The product mix included seven different product lines ranging from low end table top to full-sized custom modular panel systems (ExpoAire, Airelite, ExpoFrame, The 2001, Odyssey, Eclipse, and Quantum).
Marketing and generation of name recognition for the brands and ExpoDisplays continued at an aggressive pace to build the reputation and identity for the company and their products. |
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| Diamond Displays |
With the design and fabrication departments in place, Diamond began offering their services directly to local businesses. Shortly thereafter, storage and management services were added making Diamond a full-service custom exhibit house.
Diamond also created a custom display division and a portable display division, which began manufacturing a pop-up display system (Expo-Flex) and a panel display system (Economeer Series). |
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| 1993 |
| Diamond Displays |
Diamond Displays concentrated primarily on local sales of both custom and portable trade show exhibits, using this time to improve its portable products for a future run at the nationwide market. Several distributorships were awarded to test the feasibility of a nationwide distributor network.
Diamond marketed their custom exhibit division in a 20' x 20' space at the 1993 TS2 Show in Atlanta. |
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| 1993-1995 |
| Diamond Displays |
The portable product line improved tremendously with the addition of the Premier Series panel system. Growth was rapid, with revenue doubling in 1993, 1994, and again in 1995.
The success of Diamond Displays and Diamond Graphics contributed to Allen-Culton, Inc.'s rapid growth, helping land the company on the "Inc. 500" list of the fastest growing private companies in the U.S. for two straight years, 1994 and 1995.
With their products and services in place, and successful trial distributorships under their belt, Diamond was ready to go nationwide. |
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| ExpoDisplays |
The management group running ExpoDisplays’ daily operations approached the ownership and proposed a management purchase of the company, which took place over the next couple of years. This team continued developing products, building brand loyalty and marketing ExpoDisplays to create a market leader.
ExpoDisplays coined the phrase and tag line "Corporate America's Single Source for Displays, Exhibits and Graphics" to become a leader in the portable modular industry. |
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| 1996 |
| Diamond Displays |
Diamond Display's plan for nationwide distribution came to be with the introduction of Authorized Diamond Displays Distributors (ADDD.) Dealerships were awarded coast-to-coast to distribute Diamond's portable products. To prevent becoming detached from the market and end users, Alabama was retained as a factory-direct territory.
The Imagineer Series pop-up system was introduced with tremendous success, replacing the Expo-Flex.
Diamond became "international" when a dealer in Taiwan became Diamond's first international distributor.
In September, Jeff Culton sold his interest in AES, and purchased Diamond Displays & Diamond Graphics outright, forming Diamond Displays, Inc., but continuing as Diamond Displays International. The addition of the distributor network combined with the continued success of Diamond's custom exhibit division led revenue to double again. |
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| 1997 |
| Diamond Displays |
| At the TS2 show in July, Diamond unveiled a program unlike any in the trade show industry. Diamond began offering their custom exhibit capabilities to its Authorized Distributors, creating an exhibit manufacturer that offered both custom and portable exhibits. In addition to an extensive line of portable displays, Diamond Distributors were able to offer custom exhibit design, fabrication, storage and maintenance, all from one manufacturer. This unique approach gave Authorized Diamond Displays Distributors an advantage over competitors that offered only custom or portable exhibits. |
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| 1998 |
| Diamond Displays |
| Diamond officially launched their custom environments division, seeking to aggressively pursue museum, retail and custom interior work. New services included design, fabrication and installation of retail kiosks and exhibits in malls and retail environments. |
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| 1999 |
| Diamond Displays |
| The custom environments division landed the design and fabrication contract for the "Expedition to Mars" exhibit at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. |
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| 2000 |
| Diamond Displays |
The DiamondFlex100 Banner Stand was successfully introduced.
The three portable display line's names were changed to increase brand recognition of Diamond. The Imagineer Series was changed to the DiamondCurve, the Premier Series to the DiamondFold, and the Economeer Series to the DiamondEconomy.
Diamond's rapid growth and future plans resulted in a decision to construct a new facility. In April, Diamond broke ground for the new headquarters on ten acres in Birmingham. Jeff Culton and Diamond's design department designed the facility. |
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| 2001 |
| Diamond Displays |
In March, Diamond moved into the custom-designed, state-of-the-art headquarters. The expanded facility allowed Diamond to combine three Birmingham facilities. The new 75,000-square-foot headquarters includes a 4,000-square-foot showroom, a distributor training facility, office space for employees, graphic and EM departments and a warehouse for building and set up of exhibits.
Diamond improved their production process and product line with the addition of a Multi-CAM CNC router. The CNC router, which produces component exhibit parts with precise accuracy and infinite repeatability, resulted in faster turnaround times, improved product quality, and an expanded product line. Production of 3D letters and graphics moved in-house. |
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| 2002 |
| ExpoDisplays, A Division of Diamond Displays |
On June 1, Diamond made one of their biggest moves ever by acquiring competitor ExpoDisplays of Tampa, Florida. The Tampa operation was moved into Diamond's new Birmingham facility, and Diamond officially announced it would be formally changing their name to ExpoDisplays, a division of Diamond Displays International. “We want to be known for manufacturing trade show exhibits, not for ‘building displays for the jewelry industry’, which has been a common misconception in the past. The name of a company should promote the product being sold. A name change to ExpoDisplays will definitely be in our best interest,” said Jeff Culton, owner of ExpoDisplays, A Division of Diamond Displays.
Diamond began production of all Expo products on August 1. The distributor network, now over 200 strong, became one of the largest in the industry, with even more international reach. After combining product lines, Authorized Distributors were now able to choose from over a dozen lines of quality products. Products include, the Evolution & ExpoCurve pop-up display systems, ExpoAire & Visions panel display systems, ExpoModular & ExpoForm modular systems, DiamondFlex banner stands, custom interiors, museum exhibits, custom kiosks and custom exhibits.
ExpoDisplays also announced the July opening of a new showroom in Huntsville, Alabama. This showroom was opened so ExpoDisplays could better serve factory direct customers in North Alabama. "We have experienced tremendous growth over the last decade in the state of Alabama, and we're confident a North Alabama-based operation will ensure that trend continues. It will bring more personalized service to our North Alabama clients by allowing them to see our full line of products first hand, a luxury our Birmingham-area clients have had for 10 years. Our North Alabama Account Manager has not had the advantage of a showroom, so she is especially excited about the expansion," said Culton. |
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| 2004 - Present |
| ExpoDisplays, A Division of Diamond Displays |
In June 2004, land was cleared behind the present 70,000-square-foot Birmingham, AL headquarters for an additional 60,000-square-foot warehouse to be used exclusively for exhibit storage. This expansion doubled the current storage facility and capabilities. It was included in the original plans for future growth, but the need for additional space came much sooner than expected. The second warehouse was completed and opened in early 2005.
New products have been launched and similar products merged to create one of strongest, most comprehensive lines of portable and modular displays available. ExpoDisplays now has over a dozen product lines (including Evolution, DiamondFlex, ExpoSpace, ExpoLight, ExpoModular, ExpoAire, ExpoForm, ExpoKiosks and more). Services such as design, graphics and Exhibit Management are also available.
Quality, service, and creativity, coupled with impeccable warranties, continue over 35 years of traditions ExpoDisplays has set. |
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