About 1220

What is 1220?
1220 Exhibits, Inc. is a leading full-service exhibit and event marketing company specializing in the creative development and fabrication of experiential environments for the tradeshow, museum and retail marketplace.  1220 Exhibits has the complete turnkey capabilities and a singular creative genealogy to serve large corporations and growing businesses in search of measurable "Best of Show" results, as well as, museums, sports halls of fame and other organizations primarily in search of quality craftsmanship and professional project management.
Second only to “How much is this going to cost me?” is our most frequently asked question, “Where did we get the name 1220?”.  Our four-digit company name derives its origins from the street address, 1220 McGavock, where our first associates began to dream-up dimensional solutions for our client’s exhibit and museum needs.

Where is 1220?
1220 Exhibits, Inc. is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee with additional locations in Las Vegas, and Chicago. 

Nashville is the site of 1220 Exhibits’ corporate offices and a full-service design, fabrication and storage facility with state-of-the-art design, graphics, CAD, production and logistics technology.  Tennessee was chosen for its ideal proximity to the majority of U.S. convention cities and for its great skilled labor base and cost-competitiveness.

Las Vegas is the site of a large storage facility with light manufacturing capabilities.  1220 Exhibits has sales offices in Nashville, Chicago and Las Vegas.  For international requirements, 1220 Exhibits partners with an alliance throughout Europe and the Pacific Rim.

Who is 1220?
1220 Exhibits, Inc. was founded by two revered advertising executives and movie entrepreneurs, Jerry Carden and John Cherry, of Nashville’s Carden & Cherry Advertising Agency.  Years before they embarked on the wild ride that was their creation, Ernest P. Worrell of syndicated commercials and Ernest movie fame, Mr. Carden and Mr. Cherry started 1220 Exhibits.  They had been seeking an exhibit agency to produce a three-dimensional marketing piece for one of their advertising clients. They appealed to the designers who created and built the sets for their video production company and a small shop was opened across the street. The project was an unqualified success and the talented team of designers and artisans were hereafter referred to as “the bunch over at 1220”.

Today with the same ownership in place, 1220 Exhibits has grown to 90 talented, hard working and passionate associates under the leadership of President Matt Carden.

When is 1220?
1220 Exhibits, Inc. is always “tomorrow.”   Since its beginning back in 1976, the fresh thinking of the 1220 Exhibits team is constantly asking, “what’s the next thing that will draw in our clients’ audience?”

2006 marks the 30th anniversary of 1220 Exhibits’ founding.  Over the past three decades, 1220 Exhibits has shown rare longevity and steady growth as it has matured into a respected medium sized exhibit and event company.  1220 Exhibits’ leadership team, which brought the experience of working at the largest companies in the industry, has purposefully sought out this ideal size.  They realize that their clients like the fact that 1220 Exhibits is big enough to handle their most complex assignments, but small enough to give top-down personalized attention.

Why 1220?
The truth is the few full service exhibit and event companies that have reached 1220 Exhibits’ level of expertise and capabilities aren’t all that different.  There are however five essentials that we feel distinguish us from the others:

Creativity

  • Unique Advertising/Marketing Agency Heritage
  • Award-winning “Best of Show” Portfolio
  • Experience Converting Brand Into
    Architecture With Clarity And Impact
  • 5-Step Delphi Design Process

Quality Craftsmanship

  • Museum Grade Excellence Applied To All Work
  • Industry’s Top Builders And Craftsmen
  • Highest Standards Of Workmanship

Comfortable Working Relationship

  • We Serve You With Honor As A Trusted Partner
  • We Listen To You
  • We Are A Pleasure To Work With
  • We Can Be Depended Upon To Address Your Needs
  • We Exceed Expectations

Value Proposition

  • Hard To Beat Combination
    Of Quality And Low Cost
  • Great Skilled Labor Base And
    Competitive Labor Rates At Home Location
  • Conveniently Located Satellite Facilities
  • Bundling Of Cost Saving Services
    Through Multi-Client Activities
  • "Best of Class" Logistical Partners
  • Lightweight Materials That
    Lessen Drayage Costs
  • Additional Discounts Offered

Automation and Technology

  • Unique Blend Of Cutting Edge Tools
    To Streamline Process And Lower Costs
  • Need For You To Travel To Oversee Process
    Reduced Or Eliminated
  • Exhibit Control – Web Based
    Asset Management From Your Desktop
  • Shop Cam – Real Time Views
    Of Your Project On Your Desktop Computer
  • In House State-Of-The-Art Graphics Production
  • CNC Router For Computer-operated
    Woodcutting Efficiency
  • Light Jet – Digital C-prints