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Helpful tips and advice to help you enhance event experiences for events of all types and sizes, public or private.
February 16
4 Winning Corporate Event Themes
by  Mike KramerNo presence information  on 2/16/2012 8:43 AM

Tired of the same boring corporate event/party every year?  Your clients are.  This year, toss out the stale appetizers and cheap champagne in favor of a night of theme-party fun!  These themes are sure to be a hit with your clients and leave them talking about your party for months to come. 

1.  Vegas Night – This one’s a classic!  Casino themed parties allow you to bond with your clients over an exciting run at the craps table or in the glow of flashing lights from the slot machines.  Everyone loves an excuse to dress up, so make it a fancy affair.  Donating the proceeds to a local charity is a great way to show clients that your business is a solid pillar of the community they care about.

2.  Survivor – Think of this as a fun twist on the generic luau themed party.  As guests arrive, divide them into tribes with different colored leis.  Immunity challenges can help the tribes socialize and build trust among each other, but make sure you avoid gross-out challenges that might turn clients off.  Instead of eating real bugs in a bug eating competition, try the gummy variety.  Your clients will thank you.

3.  Beach Party – Turn your corporate party into an outing for the whole family.  Break out the picnic foods—think burgers, hot dogs, and potato salad—and set up games for all ages.  Throw in some three-legged racing and you’ve got a Norman Rockwell painting.  Not to mention some real down-to-Earth bonding time with your clients and their nearest and dearest. 

4.  Hollywood Red Carpet – Let your clients feel like stars as they walk the red carpet and pose for snapping paparazzi cameras.  Once past the cameras, screen a new movie for your clients, complete with popcorn and drinks.  You can use the time before previews to mingle and thank your guests for coming, and then sit back and enjoy the movie with all of your favorite customers.  During the movie, have your “paparazzi” print out the pictures of your guests to hand out as mementos as they leave.​
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February 15
5 Ways to Grow Your Email Database Now
by  Mike KramerNo presence information  on 2/15/2012 12:34 PM
Category: Lead Generation

So, how do you typically go about growing your e-mail mailing list?  Do you buy a list of e-mail addresses from a hooded guy in a windowless van?  Fill your e-mail newsletters to the brim with hard selling tactics?  Give customers plenty of incentives to sign-up for your newsletter, but don’t tell them where to sign-up?
 
If you do any of these things, you need to seriously reconsider your marketing strategy (and possibly your life choices as well).  However, if you are looking for safer, more effective ways to grow your list, take heart, and try some of these tips:
 
1. It’s not a treasure, don’t hide the map.  Contrary to popular belief, none of your clients will scour your website in search of a newsletter sign-up button.  Help them out.  Be sure to place a link or a sign-up button on every single page of your site.

2. Give people something for nothing.  No such thing as a free lunch?  That may be so, but you can always give away a free information product!  Or a free lunch, it’s your money.  Just make sure that you have clients sign up for your newsletter in exchange for the freebie.  So, I guess it’s not really free, but don’t tell them that!   

3. Make friends and use them (but be sure to return the favor!). Seek out related products or services and become their new best friend.  If you’re lucky, your new friend will let you advertise your newsletter in their newsletter or on their website somewhere.

4. Take to the streets.  When you’re at an event or a conference, carry around a paper sign-up sheet at all times.  This is your target audience, after all, so these are the people you want on your list.  Ask politely or provide incentives, and you will build your list along with your client base.

5. Make it worth their while.  If your newsletter isn’t giving clients something that they can use, be it information, special deals, or interesting updates, they will unsubscribe faster than you can say “No, don’t unsubscribe!”  Keep their interest and you will keep their e-mail on your list.
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February 15
5 Things the Paparazzi Know That Can Help Your Business
by  Mike KramerNo presence information  on 2/15/2012 8:27 AM

The paparazzi may seem like an unlikely source for business insight, but apply some of their techniques to your business and you’ll find that they all may be great CEOs in the making. 

1.  Be opportunistic.  Think the paparazzi get those shots of celebrities walking their dogs by sitting at home and watching TV?  No!  They hit the streets and seek out their subjects.  By taking the same active approach in your business, seeking out your target clients and showing them your product, you can improve your visibility and begin to amass a loyal following.
 
2.  Get the shot before everyone else.  The all-important first shot of Shiloh Pitt, Brad and Angie’s adorable offspring, was sold for million of dollars.  The second and third shots?  Not as profitable.  It’s just as important for businesses to get to clients before everyone else.  With a little strategic marketing, yours can be the first product that clients see.  And the last.
   
3.  Utilize informants.  The paparazzi can’t be everywhere at once, so they often rely on celebrity frenemies and employees at popular restaurants to notify them of A-lister sightings.  Likewise, you can use your own special informants.  Tools like customer surveys and website analytics can help you better understand your customer relationships.  This information can be used to hone your marketing efforts and discover where you might need more work.
 
4.  Check up on old stars from time to time.  While D-list celebs, like Joey Lawrence or Erik Estrada, aren’t in the news from day to day, the paparazzi don’t ignore them completely.  They strut out a couple photo ops every now and then, like a “Where Are They Now?” for tabloids.  Apply this method to following up on your leads.  Even the leads that haven’t panned out yet are still worth a check-up.  Just don’t devote too much time, or you’ll end up neglecting your A-listers.
 
5.  Resourcefulness is rewarded.  Paparazzi often need to get creative to get the best pictures.  They hang from treetops, rent helicopters, and use any means necessary to get the shot.  While it isn’t necessary, or beneficial, to be as ruthless as the paparazzi, thinking outside the box can help your business thrive.  Whether you choose to employ creative, guerilla marketing campaigns or fresh new approaches to client relations, resourcefulness will take your business leaps ahead of the competition.​

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February 14
4 New Mind-Blowing Green Screen Technologies
by  Mike KramerNo presence information  on 2/14/2012 4:17 PM

Want to make a home video of your daughter climbing a volcano?  You could travel to Iceland, drive out to their most active volcano, Grimsvotn, and let her run wild.  The lava might not boil over and she can just close her mouth to avoid sucking in ash.
 
Or you could be safe and employ the magic of green screening!  You no longer have to be Hollywood elite to have access to these amazing technologies.
 
1.  Not your mother’s photo booths – While the quaint, black and white photo booths still exist, they are largely being replaced by their younger, cooler counterparts.  New green screen photo booths are capable of anything from giving you an exotic static background to attaching your head to dancing bodies and e-mailing you the video.  This is the future, after all. 
 
2.  Travel through time quickly and efficiently – You don’t need a DeLorean.  All you need is an experienced professional photographer who has a green screen set-up in their studio.  It can even be done at home (and that’s probably cheaper than a DeLorean).  Portraits can be set in any era you choose, and you don’t have to worry about accidentally changing the space-time continuum.
 
3.  Remember to thank your 9th grade drama teacher – You always thought you would be a star, and now you can be!  Using widely available green screen and chroma key personal computer software, like iMovie, you can finally have the budget to create that intense, indie romantic comedy set in Fiji.  Just shoot the final kiss scene against a green backdrop, replace the green with palm trees and you’re good to go! 
 
4.  Steal Brad from Angelina (sans cat fight) – Most people don’t get the chance to pose for photos with Brad Pitt, but you can.  Now, photo editing software allows you to cut yourself out of one picture using chroma keying and paste yourself overtop of Angelina Jolie.  You know you want to. ​

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February 14
5 Mistakes in Lead Generation
by  Rob BryantNo presence information  on 2/14/2012 10:06 AM
Category: Lead Generation

Lead generation is not a science, so you can put away your beakers and your lab goggles.  There are plenty of ways to do it right and end up with great leads that evolve into loyal clients.  Unfortunately, there are also a lot of ways to do it wrong. 

 
Here are five common pitfalls when it comes to B2B lead generation (and what you can do to avoid them!):
 
1.  Dragging your feet.  I know, I’m Captain Obvious, but it bears saying.  If you don’t play the game, you will never win.  Overcome any self-consciousness or internal squabbling that is forcing you to remain stagnant and implement a program that will grow your business. 
 
2.  Me. Me. Me.  Although it may seem counterintuitive at first, try dropping any eye-catching, egocentric ads and focus your marketing campaign on what customers really care about most.  Themselves.  By showing potential clients how your product or service can help eliminate a problem that they have, you become a trusted advisor instead of a salesman.  Cue maniacal laugh. 
 
3. Leaving out the call to action.  If you don’t ask your clients to act, chances are they won’t.  Give them something to pounce on.  No, not a mouse, more like a special offer or an opportunity to learn more about your business.  Once you get their foot in your door, you have the chance to convert them into loyal clients.
 
4. Giving up too early.  Don’t give up on your lead generation efforts once they start to bear fruit.  Savvy businesses know that a continued effort will bring in new leads for as long as the company can sustain it. 
 
5. Being Shortsighted.  Some leads take longer than others to develop.  Believe it or not, not everyone needs your product or service right now.  Some folks might not need your item for a few months or a year down the road.  Nurture every client relationship like a momma Panda and you will end up with both immediate sales and future clients.

In live event settings, the effectiveness of B2C lead generation efforts depends on how relevant and targeted the engagement is. Using photos as leverage to collect consumer data within the scope of a traditional photo activation is one of the most tried and true methods to strike data gold, especially when those consumers represent a loyal and passionate fan base for your brand. An example of this is World Wrestling Entertainment. See how they were able to use a fan festival for one of their signature annual events to gather valuable data about their attendees (registration required)...
 
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February 13
6 Ways to Engage Clients at your Next Corporate Event
by  Rob BryantNo presence information  on 2/13/2012 7:21 AM

The point of a corporate event is for your clients to have fun, be engaged, and associate you and your company with happy, positive memories.  None of this is going to happen if everyone is sitting at their tables with polite smiles.  Your guests will be wondering how much money they can save on their babysitter if they return home a few hours earlier than they planned.

Want your guests to shell out the big bucks for their babysitters and party all night?
  
1. Make it a themed event.  Encourage clients to come dressed in a costume to fit the theme.  Lions, tigers, and bears, oh my!  Your party is sure to be memorable, and each person’s choice of costume can become an instant icebreaker as you mingle.
 
2. Rent a photo booth.  If you want your clients to create memories that last forever, let them document the event themselves!  Photo booths can be a playful addition to the festivities, and every time your clients see the goofy pictures of themselves with the werewolf from accounting (see #1), they will remember your party.
 
3. Invite a special guest.  Whether you choose an industry hotshot or a well-known name, your clients will be thrilled to bask in your guest’s lime light for an hour or two.
 
4. Teach them something.  We’re not talking long division.  Offering an expert to teach new golf techniques or cooking skills gives clients a tangible return for doing business with you, a gift they won’t soon forget.
 
5. Help them relax.  In the days of high-stress and long work weeks, your clients will love a chance to unwind.  Whether you choose a ten minute massage or a wine tasting, allowing your clients to unwind is a great way to show you care.  Yahoo! chose dodgeball. See how Catch the Moment was able to combine a photo booth concept with Yahoo!'s fun activity (registration required): 
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6. Leave them with a useful parting gift.  Don’t give guests kitschy knick-knacks that they’ll throw out the window as soon as they round the corner.  Give them something they can use.  Bonus points if the gift is associated with your company.  If you’re a car dealership, make it a keyring.  Selling a software or technology product?  Try a thumb drive.
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​Helpful tips and advice to help you enhance event experiences for events of all types and sizes, public or private.