Experts & Opinions
Jan 18, 2014
I’m not a fan of resolutions … Why? I never keep them! Each year, I type a list and hang it in places I’ll have to look at every day. It’s very motivating for the first few months until my resolutions become a daily reminder of how I can never keep them … And they get ripped down.
This year, I decided to forget accomplishing XYZ by the end of 2014; why not just set goals that I want to meet? Realistic goals satisfy my competitive nature and eliminate the hovering resolution cloud that haunts me and makes me feel defeated.
Personally, a few of my goals for the… more
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Jan 10, 2014
Every year, one of the industry meetings I really look forward to going to is the Professional Convention Management Association’s Convening Leaders annual event, which runs Jan. 11-14 this week in Boston.
There are several reasons why I am REALLY excited about this year’s event:
1. It’s in Boston. I absolutely LOVE Boston, and I haven’t been there in a few years. It’s a fantastic city in every way, but I especially love the people, history and Boston has some great convention center venues and hotels.
2. … more
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Jan 04, 2014
Let’s face it. In our personal lives our significant others appreciate the flowers or the small token we deliver because it signals we were thinking of them and took time to act on that thought in a kind, loving way. It’s the time and effort they usually appreciate most.
Ken Robinson wrote in his great book, “The Element,” “We need to challenge what we take for granted about our abilities and the abilities of other people. This isn’t as easy as one might imagine. Part of the problem with identifying the things we take for granted is that we don’t… more
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Jan 01, 2014
Michael Douglas, business development director, GenieConnect - an event participation solutions provider for the events industry - has released his top 10 predictions for the event technology industry in 2014.
1. Organizers will seek integrated solutions - As technology becomes more prominent within the event industry, customers will have higher expectations of the services that their suppliers provide, and seek integrated solutions for registration, online mapping, mobile apps and audience response.
2. Windows Phone will be the heir to BlackBerry - While many consumers… more
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Dec 27, 2013
You invest a lot in the trade shows that you exhibit at. How much? At 36% of the average trade show budget, booth space costs are your single largest expense. Plus, your choice of shows affects the rest of your entire trade show budget.
So which trade shows are worth your marketing investment?
Here are 13 signs it’s time to stop exhibiting at a trade show and ply your business down different carpeted aisles:
1. The Wrong Attendees: If your buyers are not walking a show, then why exhibit there? The top reason exhibitors back out of a show, or take a smaller booth size, is because they… more
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Dec 13, 2013
You’d like to do trade shows better. But you don’t have the time. But what if you could find more time? What if there were activities you could do that would either save you time at every show, or are worth spending extra time on to reap huge benefits later?
Here are some ideas in key trade show areas:
Promotions:
1. SAVE TIME: Can you find a promo that works across multiple shows, so you don’t have to create, source and buy a promo at every trade show?
2. INVEST TIME: Take time to define your buyers’ demographics – age, gender, mindset, occupation. Get… more
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Dec 07, 2013
The end of the year is always a time for reflection. For many of us, it involves closing out a fiscal year, transitioning from a brutal work schedule to a hectic holiday schedule and hopefully some time to think about your business and what you need to do to stay relevant and competitive.
Change has historically come slow to the tradeshow business. Real slow. Like watching ice melt kind of slow.
Opportunity and business conditions have warranted that the industry step-up and evolve, and it has responded impressively. However, we must continue to innovate and manage our businesses at a… more
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Dec 07, 2013
When I talk to show managers about their biggest event challenges the recurring theme is: How to grow attendance, getting more exhibitors, getting more attendees, Building event traffic and attracting a larger number of quality attendees.
It is all about attendance.
1. Make Sure Newbies Know the Basics: As a show organizer, your goal is to have exhibitors return each year. Get new exhibitors off on the right foot. Some may know the ropes, but don’t assume that they all do. Here are a few of the basics.
• Signage: Make certain… more
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Nov 30, 2013
In the last 10 years or so there have been fundamental technological and economic changes that have rewritten the trade show rule book. Not rules like how close to the aisle your exhibit structure can be or how loud your music can play, but rules about what it takes to succeed on the showfloor.
Some changes evolved slowly over the years, and some were wrenched into place almost at once. Here’s what’s changed – and how you can adapt to those changes:
1. More Uncertainty: Economic uncertainty has lasted for years, and shows little signs of going away. This makes your top… more
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Nov 30, 2013
Some people believe they aren’t creative, not innovative and weren’t born with the “creative gene.” What happens if I wasn’t born with it? How can I become more innovative in my personal and professional life?
Fortunately, there are some great tips out there we can all benefit from, and, yes, they came from Google. However, instead of Google.com, they came from a senior leader at Google.
In a summit about innovation for IT leaders, I had the chance to meet a senior leader from the innovation team at Google, Emily Ma.
Emily spent her entire career focused on… more
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Partner Voices
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