Ranger Boats has been manufacturing premium custom fishing boats since 1968.  The site includes several  buildings on a multi-acre site.

Ranger Boats invited 600 boat dealers to Flippin for their annual Advantage Tour which includes meetings, sales seminars, on-the-water tests and tours of the plant and operations.  The dealers arrived on Wednesday and Friday mornings for the split schedule.  4 PlantTours Service Reps arrived on Tuesday at 5:00pm to set up all the PlantTours equipment for the next morning’s tour.

They ordered receivers and headphones for 4 groups of 75 dealers in each tour.  We pre-programmed and labeled the groups 1, 2,3, and 4.  One guide led each group through 6  stops on the tour of the plant.  At most stops, a presenter was stationed with visual aids, posters, samples, etc. to present the technical information regarding the stage of each boat’s production, process stage.  The presenters and guides provided a description of all updates of  products and manufacturing  methods.  The president and founder of the company were also present to deliver remarks.

PlantTours handled the tour guide equipment logistics for the plant staff and groups and set up all the equipment a separate display and seminar building.  Ranger Boats chose the Moderate Noise/Behind-Head headphones for light noise reduction for each guest; few areas of the manufacturing area are high noise.  After their opening comments by the Vice President of Sales ended at 7:30am and each participant was equipped with safety glasses they were issued the receiver and headphone and were gathered by group by each assigned guide. It took about 20 minutes to issue all the radios and headphones to the dealers.

Each guide did a quick sound check and each group was assigned a tour route that began on a Spaced Start, so they rotated through each tour stop every 5 minutes.

Ranger Boats use this annual meeting and tour to update their dealers on new boat enhancements and competitive features.  The guides used Hand-Held microphones so each guide could pass the Microphone to the Presenter at each station for their portion of the tour.

All tours were completed by 11;45am.  No service or assistance was needed.

A wrap-up summary meeting and comments from management concluded the event at the plant.

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Flowserve produces flow control and pump products for oil, gas, chemical, water resources and other Commercial uses under the multiple brands.  The plant is approx 500,000 square feet and handles almost all production and assembly functions in-house, including assembly, electrical components, testing, warehousing and shipping.

The Resid Upgrading Conference was held to review manufacturing processes and update customer user groups during a weeklong event.  110 guests arrived on  buses at 12:30pm after meetings and lunch at their hotel in Long Beach.  The PlantTours equipment was set up for the tour that morning to conduct our tests and separate the units by group.

Flowserve split each busload into two groups.  We pre-programmed and labeled the groups A, B, C, and D.  One guide (plant engineers) and several other staff members walked each group through the 6 stops on the tour.  At each stop, a presenter delivered the message on their area/process.

PlantTours assigned 3 Service Reps to handle the tour guide equipment logistics for the plant staff and groups and set up all the equipment under a hospitality tent set up directly adjacent to the entrance to the plant.  We separated it by group (4) for quick and easy distribution.  The Flowserve contact chose the Moderate Noise/Behind-Head headphones for light noise protection and high comfort for each guest; few areas in the plant are high noise.  Each guide gathered his/her group after the welcome for the Plant Manager one group at a time and sent them the PlantTours Distribution table.  We issued the receivers, and headphones and accompanied each group into the plant. It took about 10 minutes to issue all the receivers and headphones to the 110 group participants.

Hand-Held microphones were used by each guide in addition to their head-worn mics to allow Q&A from the visitors.

We monitored the tours throughout the plant by rotating from group to group.  No service or assistance was needed.

At about 2:30pm, the first group arrived to return their receivers/headphones and by 3:00pm, all groups were in the training room, having lunch and were ready to board their buses for the return trip to the hotel.

We look forward to serving Flowserve for their next event opportunity.

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PlantTours Serviced Great River Energy for a Siemens User Group Meeting for a Peaking Station Tour on their new facility.  The schedule was set for 2 groups of 50 people each divided into 3 sub-groups of 17 participants.  PlantTours Reps arrived on site at 7:15 am for the 9:30am start time of Group #1.

The groups arrived at 9:00am and were greeted by the plant staff for a welcome and schedule review.  Each group was led by a guide to our table for the distribution of the receivers and headphones.  We outfitted the first group of 50 in about 5 minutes and the assigned guides to each of the 3 groups, then escorted their group to the first stop on the tour. Three stations at the plant were staffed with one presenter each.  As each guide and group arrived, the guide passed the hand-held microphone to the presenter for their portion of the tour.  The Group 1 tours were complete in approx. 45 minutes and they returned to the presentation area.  By this time, all the guests in Group 2 had been outfitted and were ready for their guides to escort them out to begin their tour.  All tours were complete by 10:45 am and the participants loaded the buses and departed to the meetings for the next section of the event.

The comment from the client was “We will definitely use your services again!”  The group was early and we were ready.

The Trade Show is held in the Exhibit Hall with 12 individual display areas.  Each area if piped and draped to provide visual separation, bu the challenge that Aaron Rents has faced is the constant ambient noise from 12 loud P.A. Speakers blaring at the same time.  As the groups rotate through each exhibit, no one could hear the presenter in their assigned area.  The shows had become completely counter-productive and unsuccessful.

Aarons came to PlantTours to solve the problem.  Our experience with tradeshows and this type of exhibit venue equipped us to present a detailed plan to provide each exhibitor and attendee/participant with the ideal solution.   Our crew of Service Reps arrived at the exhibit hall the night prior to the first day of the event to set up.  We moved all the equipment into the Exhibit Hall, placed a receiver and headphone on each chair in each exhibit area and tested each unit programmed to match the hands-free microphone placed on the table at the front of each display for the product reps to use for their presentations.  Over the next two trade show days, 14 groups of 70 Aaron Rents Managers were assigned 20 minute time slots to rotate through the exhibits.  Our Service Reps were on hand to straighten up the areas and replace the headphones and receivers during the rotation turns of the schedule.

Instead of a constant noisy cacophony of sound, the client told us how shocked he was at “how quiet everything was”.  With our system in place, even among nearly 1000 people in one large area, all that could be heard during the presentations was the low murmur of the presenters speaking in normal voice tones into their microphones.  So according to the client’s comments, not only could all the attendees easily and clearly hear and learn the material presented, they were not fatigued by constant loud ambient noise.  In addition, the speakers were refreshed and comfortable and the schedule was precise, on time and a total success.

Following the conclusion of the Day #2 of the show, our Service Reps handled the process of packing and removing all the equipment from the Exhibition Hall.  The client told us that the service was hassle-free, turn-key and that they looked forward to having us handle their show in Dallas, TX in 2010.

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Our Service Representative arrived at the meeting location at 8:15 am for the 10am tour. Our Meridian plant contact had the tables prepared with tablecloths for the distribution area. At about 9:40 am the meeting dismissed from the conference room and the group arrived in the lobby area to pick up the receivers and headphones recommended for their tour.

Meridian Automotive SystemsThere were three tour groups who received pre-set, pre-programmed equipment specifically chosen for the facility and the comfort of the guests. After the equipment was efficiently distributed, the first group began their tour at the paint facility and other groups followed behind them every 10 minutes.

After touring the paint facility, the groups traveled by bus to the main facility. At this facility, the groups were able to see the changes that had been made to the plant. The tour lasted about 1.5 hours. Per PlantTours service standards, a Service Representative was on hand, but the tour group experienced no issues. The tour was completed on time to good result.

Meridian Automotive SystemsWhen all of the guests returned from the tours, the PlantTours Service Representative quietly received and packed up the tour system equipment. Our client and the guests dismissed for the rest of their visit, and the PlantTours staff departed for the airport.