Abide By Trade Shows Hours

It's been a tough Winter this year for many people throughout the US with massive amounts of snow and rain, and Mother Nature doesn't seem to be done just yet. In February, I exhibited at a show after about 10 inches of snow came through our area. The organizers didn't want to cancel the business to consumer (B2C) show, but they did push the hours back on the first day.

Attendance was lower than I expected and traffic was definitely slower than expected on the last day. Yes, traffic is typically slower on the last day of a show, but we were going at least 20 minutes between seeing a new person walk down the aisle. Most exhibitor contracts state that you are not allowed to tear down your booth before the absolute end of the show. I train people on many facets of exhibiting at a trade show and I would tell any client to stay the duration because you never know what happens.

At this particular show, many of my exhibitor neighbors began closing up shop early. I wasn't about to bow to peer pressure, so I stayed through the bitter end. During the last 30 minutes of the last day of the show, another exhibitor stopped when he saw me and said, "I've walked by here many times, tell me what you do." That discussion was the best discussion I had at that show. He ended up connecting me with a vendor to begin a project that was at the top of my priority list. Not only that, but the new connection ended up saving me at least three months time on the project and at least $50,000.

Not too bad for spending an extra hour standing around at a show you're paying for. Squeeze all you can out of potential connections whether someone is walking the show or a fellow exhibitor.

Breaking up is hard to do - but it shouldn't be creepy

During my monthly clean-up of email lists that are no longer relevant to me, I unsubscribed from a company using a very simple process. Click the unsubscribe button at the bottom of the email, another window pops up, and you click Unsubscribe again to verify.

After that step, many companies have a page that say, "sorry to see you go" or "come back anytime" to keep a good repoire with that customer and that customer's network of friends. Website AppSumo had another approach.

This is what I saw when I unsubscribed:

Now although this is definitely memorable, it startled me and creeped me out at the same time. Unless you're in the porn business, I can't think of a time where it's appropriate to have a picture of yourself shirtless, most likely in bed, waving goodbye with a sour puss look on your face. Creeptastic!!

If you're going to go cute to be memorable, keep your clothes on and integrate the logo and branding of your company, not a picture of "Chief Sumo."

LinkedIn - Please don't turn into Facebook

Dear LinkedIn,

You're breaking my heart. I loved you just the way you were - I miss your Applications. I miss your Events. And on January 31, I'm going to miss your Answers section. Why do you have to change? You were perfect just the way you were.

Your friend Facebook continues to change and update, but it's not what it used to be. Now, Facebook is focused on its investors instead of its users and it's not fun anymore.

Please bring back the Applications that allowed additional interactivity between LinkedIn users. Please bring back Events so people can connect with others in their industry. And please don't delete Answers - some questions should be asked to the masses, especially since it's inefficient to ask the same questions in multiple groups.

Please don't change. Myself and all of your users think you're pretty just the way you are.

Getting Donations for a Silent Auction is Easier Than You Think

I know it can be hard to ask people for anything. Help, donations, money, you name it. But it doesn't have to be difficult. When you're starting to recruit donations for a silent auction, it's all about making connections. First, connect with the other organizers - do they have any suggestions?

Second, connect with the vendors - they may be able to offer something that would be good for the bidding. I was planning a golf tournament associated with some client events we were hosting and our group used a hotel room block in the area. I called the sales manager at the hotel and asked if they would be able to donate anything that could be used for our silent auction in association with the golf tournament. She provided me with a gift certificate good for two nights at the hotel. See what you can get just by asking!

Third, make sure that you're connecting with people that understand and sympathize with your cause. I hosted a silent auction event where I knew that a manager with a large, well-known sunglasses company was going to be in attendance. I asked one of the other volunteers (who invited him) if they could reach out to him and see if his company would donate. Since that company gets requests all the time, they have an online process that we went through for the donation. We just had to make sure that we sent in the request 6-8 weeks before our event.

Lastly, taking to social media is a great way to get the word to the world about your event. Make sure that you post multiple times about needed silent auction items and ask influential Tweeters for a retweet.

No matter how you go about gathering items for your silent auction, make sure you have a process in place for where donations are to be sent, tracking the value of the item and distributing a tax receipt to whomever donates. If you're working with a 501(c)(3) organization, make sure you have access to the Federal Tax ID number.

QR Codes - Already a Thing of the Past?

In an April 2012 issue of Exhibitor Magazine, a news brief says that NFC technology is expected to outlast QR (quick response) codes. "Researches called QR codes little more than a place holder in wireless communication, as NFC is considered by many to be a superior technology." Don't drop QR codes from your marketing campaigns just yet - researchers don't think it will be mainstream until 2016.

Not sure what NFC technology is? Have you seen the funny Samsung SIII phone commercial? The transfer of data between two phones is an example of NFC technology.

Some countries are already using NFC technology for public transit, but there are some security issues that need to be ironed out first. A data transfer can apparently be eavesdropped on from up to 10 meters away. As with any up-and-coming technology, make sure to do your research on whether it's right for implementation with your activities. Also, future predictions are what they are: predictions. In elementary school I was told that we'd have flying cars by 2006 and I'm still driving around on land just like everybody else.

New Year's Resolution: Get Involved!

It's almost here - the New Year and New Year's Resolution! This year resolve to get more involved in an industry or community organization. I'm not just talking about signing up to be a member, but really getting involved. Many organizations have committees you can sign-up to join or you could get more involved with a position like Secretary or President.

In addition to feeling good about volunteering, you will also gain valuable networking time with people in your industry or your community. Don't have an organization in mind? Simply Google a topic that interests you, for instance "engineer organizations."

Before you dive into volunteering, a word of caution. It can be fulfilling to sign-up for a lot of tasks to help out. Before you take on anything, think about how much time you have to dedicate to volunteering each month and be up front with the organization or volunteer organizers about how much time you have to dedicate. Many will just be happy to have an extra set of hands to help progress the organization's priorities along.

Lastly, don't forget to add your involvement in any organization on your LinkedIn profile. Your online profile is a great way to categorize and display all of your activities (not just your volunteering activities).

Have and happy, prosperous and fulfilling 2013!!

Book Review: The Fun Minute Manager

At a seminar during EXHIBITOR 2012, I won the book titled "The Fun Minute Manager" by Bob Pike, Robert Ford and John Newstrom. Six months later, I finally had a chance to read it! This book was a very quick read and described ways to be a "Fun Minute Manager" through an actual story. The main character Bob is not having fun at work and this book goes through his journey (by talking to a mentor and some converted "fun" managers).

Going through the steps of making work more fun, while still placing work responsibilities at the forefront, can be done. The book goes through ideas of what to do in various types of work places (places where clients come into the office vs. places where clients don't come into the office often); it goes through how to talk to your manager about implementing ideas; and working with hesitant co-workers.

The main things that this book can teach you right off the bat is that consistency with whatever you implement is really important. Read this book if you're looking for ideas to implement to make your workplace a more fun and enjoyable place to be. If you go to work enjoy being there everyday, then it's not work!