BALANCING ACT

Many of us are working harder than ever to keep business moving forward while the meetings industry remains under scrutiny. This means longer hours, higher stress levels and a lot more headaches. Relax, take a breather and read on to see how a few local event pros keep their reality in check and their life in balance.

• Step away from the Blackberry
Just because your clients and co-workers know you have a BlackBerry, it doesn’t mean you have to answer immediately. Technology is meant to make your life easier, not theirs.
I have one rule: leave your work at work. Don’t take your problems home with you, or worse, your client’s problems. Admittedly, I’m only able to achieve my goal about 25 percent of the time and I am constantly thinking about my work, my office and my staff (which is good and requires a focus and constant attention for sure).

• Plan it Out
Color coordinates you calendar so that each type of activity has a certain color assigned to it: purple for friends, green for money-generating activities, orange for networking, etc. If you do this, you can clearly see where you are spending the bulk of your time and can readjust where you see fit. Today’s Outlook calendars provide amazing efficiencies.

• Stay Healthy
Planning ahead is essential. Some vendors find it hard to fit exercise into their schedule with routine, especially during the busy season. First you need to establish a routine and don’t quit because you mentally feel like your body is tired. If your body isn’t healthy then your mind wont’ be healthy and that’s a disservice to our clients, our team and our family. Also as we get into our busy season don’t forget to also get some sleep.

Vacation Blogs

I wanted to share a few of my favorite blogs that I like to creep on and check out.

If you are thinking of taking a trip, you might find some helpful hints on any one of these blogs. I have tried to assemble a group of various type of travel experiences for you. I don't want to overwhelm you but check some of these out and find one that stimulates you to think about your next destination. Hmmm, I think I will settle in at Park City, UT this holiday season vacation as I want to hit the slopes before our busy January and February. Good luck on your plans.

http://vacation-travel-talk.blogspot.com/
http://traveltide.blogspot.com/
http://makewayforjo.blogspot.com/
http://www.travel-babel.blogspot.com/
http://besthotelreviews.blogspot.com/
http://newyorkdailyphoto.blogspot.com/
http://parisculture.blogspot.com/
http://spainguides.blogspot.com/
http://air-travel-kit.blogspot.com/
http://cruisediva.blogspot.com/

Sleepless Nights

There are many nights that go by with little or no sleep. Many people try various things to obtain a restful sleep. From relaxation to sleep aids to heavy medication to systems of reading a few pages each night to even watching the close of the news or Jay Leno's show. Once you get to that REM state, enjoy. It seems to evade me frequently so I just get up, put some low music on and either watch TV hoping to fall back to sleep, read or write. One of my most recent scribblings was published it the Southwest Meetings and Convention Managing - their Winter issue and it was all about how we can position ourselves to survive what lies ahead. I don't know if it is right or wrong, helpful for some but there lies some ideas and actions to take to keep everyone in our industry moving forward. I hope you can get something out of it. Here is the URL if you're interested, I have printed it below for your ease.
Open Mic: Positioning for the Up Swing

http://sw.meetingsmags.com/article/open-mic-positioning-swing

Katherine Christensen, CMP, DMCP
Issue: Winter 2010
As our economy begins to strengthen, it's time for those of us in the industry to position or reposition our businesses, products or services with our markets. I recently shared with some business owners what our team did over the hot, dry Southwestern summer. We didn't hibernate over the slow summer; instead, we retooled our look, feel, product offerings, and services and diversified our business. Our team is now relaxed and refreshed, with revitalized service offerings.

Customers don't flock to you if they don't know what you do, how you do it, how you can offer them a valuable service and why your service is distinguished from another-unless they know about you, hear about you and see you involved.

Whether you are a caterer, a transportation provider, a decorator, an entertainment group, a meeting planner or a hotel or venue sales manager, you need to be on the top of your game, especially now. Here are a few time-tested principles that are a good reminder for everyone in your office.

1. Know your customer and market. You should be confident that there is a demand for your product/service in your community or marketplace. Successful businesses know their customers and make adjustments according to community-, market- and culturally specific factors and trends.

2. The product or service itself is an important marketing tool. In a highly competitive field where similar businesses are selling similar products, business naming and branding becomes even more important. Every employee is an extension of the marketing department. Make business cards for everyone and they will be distributed with great pride.

3. Partner with a complementary business for lead referrals (ie, a venue with a caterer). Promote your products and services through advertising campaigns, public and media relations efforts, TV and radio commercials, Internet advertising, and direct-mail initiatives.

4. Promote yourself as an expert. Additional ways to create brand and service awareness include writing or contributing to articles as an expert in your field.

5. Keep customers coming back through in-store or on-line promotions, loyalty programs, coupons and special offers, and involvement in your immediate community (sponsoring sporting, chamber, or charity events, etc.) or industry (speaking at conferences, tradeshow booth discounts).

6. A website is without a doubt an essential tool for finding and keeping customers. Showcase and describe your product and services. Set up a blog, get on LinkedIn and Twitter and start chatting.

7. Marketing collateral provides potential customers with information about your company. These include brochures, white papers and sales videos. Post them on your website or embed videos in your blog. Remember, keep it to the point.

8. Implementing a marketing database is a great way to log your marketing progress and keep track of customers and leads. Develop a centralized system for everyone in the company to contribute their contacts and leads and provide status updates.

9. Establish a referral system with complementary businesses. Another way to get referrals is through your existing client base. Ask customers to write testimonials, act as references or offer an incentive program for them to refer your services to others. Think about including every level of employee in an incentive program.

10. Identify innovative approaches for bringing in more business. One mistake in running a business is remaining static. If you want to remain competitive you must find new ways for reaching your target demographic, as that demographic is constantly changing, too.


Get Connected:

Katherine Christensen & Associates Inc. // www.kc-a.com

PRA Destination Management Arizona // www.pra.com

Kate & Company Events // www.kateandcompanyevents.com

Katherine (Kate) Christensen has owned and operated her Phoenix-based businesses since 1991. Whether it's riding the tide of the tech explosion in the late '90s or living through Y2K, 9/11 and the recent rough economic seas, she has come back stronger after each global blip and bump. She writes and speaks regularly for the industry on the professions she is involved with and about all facets of the industry, from running a complicated event to managing businesses.

The work week before a holiday is usually productive, but at a slower pace for most. My team was very creative today and held a pot luck in the boardroom with a jeopardy game of grammar. The wall was covered with sheets of paper with questions on the back and marked with 100,200,300 etc. point values, on the front. It was Part 3 of this interactive, fun and educational series. Although we are busy serving our clients, there is always time for good food, great conversation and a little insanity.

I am joining in with the team after a trip to West Palm Beach, FL. I attended the Meeting Masters golf tournament and rendezvoused with a number of clients and friends. The program began on Wednesday evening with a reception and right off the bat I was able to register, pick up my name badge, and meet some new people. With insightful conversation and scrumptious hors d'oeuvres, the view of the three PGA golf courses seemed endless. The PGA National Resort and Spa was host to this event and sports 54 holes of challenging golf. I was eager to play even thought the foursomes were blind, and I had no idea who I would be meeting in the morning.

Our name badges were presented with a lanyard ... for the record I don't like them because people are always looking at my belly to catch my name! When playing golf, is it or is it not appropriate to wear your name badge? It certainly wasn't comfortable while golfing so, off it came and I safely tucked it in my golf bag. On my flight back to Phoenix, I was reading a note from a dear friend, and ironically it was about name badges, so I thought I would share and excerpt of his information. We all struggle with which side to pin or clip our name badge and I found his information interesting enough to share with you.

He said you could also read about this in the December issue of PCMA Magazine as he was a guest author.

...On which side should your attendees wear their name tags? If you say right, you’re wrong…except if you’re in London. Here’s why. Some years ago, a so-called “expert” started the myth that attendees should wear their name tag on their right instead of their left side. I’ve done some research, but I can’t trace the source. Apparently, the rationale that caused millions to switch their badges to their right side was that when you shook hands with someone, it was easier for someone to read your badge because their line of sight was focused on your right side.

Well, not really. Since when do you look to the right when you shake hands with a person? When I shake hands, I usually face them squarely and look them in the eye. Sadly, this “wear-it-on-the-right" myth has been perpetuated by trade-show and convention veterans, who have bought into it. As someone who has been to hundreds of meetings and conventions in my many years, I have never found the right-side rule valid.

What makes more sense is to wear your badge on the traditional left. Why? In the United States and most parts of the world, we walk down sidewalks, aisles, hallways, and staircases on the right. People walking toward us are on our left. As you approach, their left side is closer to you. Doesn’t it make sense that it’s easier for them to read oncoming people’s badges if they are wearing them on their left? Now, if you are in London, Hong Kong, Gibraltar, or anywhere else where people are driving or walking on the left, wearing your badge on your right might make more sense.

Here is another reason to wear a badge on the left, at least for men. Our shirts and suit jackets traditionally have pockets on the left side. The pockets are the most logical place for badges, especially those that clip on. So, if your meeting draws a lot of men, you already have a large group for whom common sense dictates that they put their badge on the left.

Hopefully, I have convinced you of left over right; however, But if we continue to disagree about right versus left, there is a friendly solution. Choose adjustable lanyards for your attendees, so they wear them in the center and at the correct height. It will be right, but not on the right. You know what I mean...
Well my friend, Nick Topitzes, CMP should know, he is in the name tag business and is President of pc/nametag. If you need name tags or meeting related product,check them out at http://www.pcnametag.com/. Not only are they reliable, reasonable and rational, his company,in on your side, they want the best for you and your programs.

So while on the course, or at a meeting or even at your own staff function, just have a good time, enjoy the company and find a few times to laugh out loud each day. As for the name tag ... place it right or left, but wear it, so I'll be sure to meet you at the next event!