Marketing Articles About Events

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MarketingSherpa Seeks Case Study speakers for 2009 B2B Demand Generation Summits. If you have a great B2B story to tell, think about sharing it with other B2B marketers at MarketingSherpa’s 6th Annual B2B Demand Generation Summit 2009. MarketingSherpa is looking for speakers for the events which will be held September 23-25... (04/24/09 09:00 AM)

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Green Bay Social Media Survey. If you're in Northeast Wisconsin, we'd love your opinion in a new social media survey that tracks what business in our area are doing with today's social media tools. Do you tweet? Does the term "Web 2.0" cause your eyes to glaze over? Are your co-workers on facebook? Help us gear up for the Green Bay Chamber of Commerce social media event on May 19 by participating in this survey. We'd love to hear what your reference point is in this hyper-connected age we live in. Participate by going here: http://whatthetweet.marketingsavant.com/surveyGreen Bay Social Media Survey

(04/03/09 09:01 PM)

How Toyota Followed Baby Boomers. Last week I presented on a panel with Professor Arturo Perez-Reyes (UC Berekeley) at an event in San Francisco we put on with Jupiter Research. One story the Professor shared about Toyota was something I hadn't heard before... He said that Toyota followed the baby boomer generation as a market. They looked at the demographics and spending power of that generation. I think it went something like this... They started with the Corolla, then Celica for when they got into college, then Corona/Camry, then launched Lexus when they had discretionary income. They followed the 'bulge' of spending the baby boomers had. It's an interesting way to think about the markets you're going after. Is it big? how will it evolve? How will it effect your product strategy? (04/03/09 09:00 PM)

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What causes webinar attendees to bail?. Webinars and webcasts are a key tactic in lead generation toolkit. The challenge with webinars is that if you don't do a super job, attendees will bail on you and they may never register one of your events again. That's... (02/25/09 09:00 AM)

New Event...New Blog - Digital Centered Marketing.

Bill, Toby and I are going on the road again with the AMA! Starting in October, we're putting on a new event titled "Digital Centered Marketing." Like any good digital event, we've started a new blog to chronicle the examples and ideas that we encounter as we run up to the event.

Digital Centered Marketing is all about:

The marketing world is becoming digitally-centered faster than most marketers ability to learn, adapt and apply the latest techniques. Conventional marketers and agencies trapped in standard marketing models are no longer producing the same results that they were even a few years ago. Forward-thinking marketers have begun to shift their thinking from the traditional environment to the digital centered multi-channel environment.

This Digital-Centered Marketing program will explore the changing landscape of marketing that is no longer about exposure but rather engagement in digital relationships through digital media founded on the intelligent use of digital data and CRM.

Real-world models, pockets of excellence insights andÂ? process examples gained from Digital Centered Marketing: Moving Your Marketing into the Digital will change your business for good. Come learn how leading marketers are thinking differently, taking fresh approaches and embracing non-traditional thinking by putting digital at the center of the marketing universe.

If you're interested in going beyond the discussion about social media and hearing about how digital is truly changing how businesses set strategy and go to market in this decade, you won't want to miss Digital Centered Marketing.

Follow along on the blog or join us at an event in Chicago, New York or Seattle!

(02/24/09 09:00 AM)

New Event! What's Your Marketing Stimulus Plan?.

I've just launched the first of a series of marketing, thought leaderships and social media events that I'll be running in Wisconsin in 2009. If you're up for some 'marketing stimulus', I recommend that you check out this program!

The MarketingSavant Group invites you to attend the Marketing Stimulus Plan Boot-Camp, a one-day in-depth workshop that will jumpstart or revitalize your marketing efforts in these tough times. The best companies don't cut marketing spend in a downturn, they do the opposite. They know that even the toughest market conditions still provide plenty of opportunity.

Attend this one-day workshop to refine and revitalize your marketing strategy to help you swim upstream during the recession and position your company for long-term success.

Who: The MarketingSavant Group
What: What's Your Marketing Stimulus Plan? Workshop
When: January 27th, 2009 from 8:30 to 4:45
Where: De Pere, WI at the F.K. Bemis Center - St. Norbert College
How Much: $295 early reg / $395 after 1/9/09
Where do I Sign Up: At the Eventbrite website

Marketing managers, sales professionals, business owners, and executives within small to medium sized companies responsible for sustaining profitability and striving growth in a downturn will learn how to:

* Develop a road map for putting frugal, ethical and effective marketing strategies in place immediately
* Understand how new approaches in digital and social media marketing can catapult your company into new market opportunities
* Adapt your marketing spend for today's unpredictable economy
* Adjust prices and promotions without sacrificing market share or brand image
* Focus on accountability and obtaining measurable results from your investments
* Improve strategic and tactical planning with marketing ROI techniques and tools
* Manage your marketing budget and collaborate CFO and CEO

It's been said that "Every adversity carries a seed of equal or greater benefit." This program will help you and your business find the silver lining in those dark clouds by adopting creative, compelling, and low-cost/high-return marketing strategies. We'll discuss and learn new ways to devise new strategies to overcome economic turmoil, and execute new tactics to win, sustain and grow new business.
Bonus Item for Attendees:

All attendees will receive a copy of Marketing in a Downturn: Recession-Proof Strategies for Smart Marketers, a 90-page e-book featuring over 25 interviews with leading marketers, consultants, managers and business owners sharing their most effective marketing strategies for remaining profitable and sustaining growth during a downturn.

Who Should Attend?
* Marketing and communications professionals
* Small business owners
* Channel and brand managers
* Entrepreneurs and start-up managers
* Advertising and public relations professionals seeking new client solutions

You'll Walk Away With:

* Dozens of low-cost and effective ideas that you can implement immediately to jumpstart your marketing in the recession of 2009
* The tools, templates and action plans you'll need to succeed in the world of digital and social media marketing
* An idea packed e-book, Marketing in a Downturn: Recession-Proof Marketing Strategies for Smart Marketers, on how to make the most of your marketing in a recession

Register Now at Eventbrite

(02/24/09 09:00 AM)

More blogging over at www.digitalcenteredmarketing.com.

Blogging on Danavan.net has been a bit light recently due to involvement in (sometimes way to many) other projects.

Along with Toby Bloomberg and Bill Flitter, I'm currently involved with a three-city series for the American Marketing Association called Digital Centered Marketing.

Check out the Digital Centered Marketing event blog over here: http://www.digitalcenteredmarketing.com/

(02/24/09 09:00 AM)

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New Event! What's Your Marketing Stimulus Plan?.

Attend this one-day workshop to refine and revitalize your marketing strategy to help you swim upstream during the recession and position your company for long-term success.

Register Now at Eventbrite

(12/17/08 09:00 PM)

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More blogging over at www.digitalcenteredmarketing.com.

Blogging on Danavan.net has been a bit light recently due to involvement in (sometimes way to many) other projects.

Along with Toby Bloomberg and Bill Flitter, I'm currently involved with a three-city series for the American Marketing Association called Digital Centered Marketing.

Check out the Digital Centered Marketing event blog over here: http://www.digitalcenteredmarketing.com/

(10/30/08 09:00 PM)

New Event...New Blog - Digital Centered Marketing.

Digital Centered Marketing is all about:

The marketing world is becoming digitally-centered faster than most marketers ability to learn, adapt and apply the latest techniques. Conventional marketers and agencies trapped in standard marketing models are no longer producing the same results that they were even a few years ago. Forward-thinking marketers have begun to shift their thinking from the traditional environment to the digital centered multi-channel environment.

This Digital-Centered Marketing program will explore the changing landscape of marketing that is no longer about exposure but rather engagement in digital relationships through digital media founded on the intelligent use of digital data and CRM.

Real-world models, pockets of excellence insights andÂ? process examples gained from Digital Centered Marketing: Moving Your Marketing into the Digital will change your business for good. Come learn how leading marketers are thinking differently, taking fresh approaches and embracing non-traditional thinking by putting digital at the center of the marketing universe.

Follow along on the blog or join us at an event in Chicago, New York or Seattle!

(09/24/08 09:00 PM)

Webinar Today! How to Create a Web 2.0/Social Media Marketing Strategy for Your (Professional Service) Firm.

Join me and the fine folks at RainToday.com (I love their site - seriously!) for a web seminar on leveraging social and emerging digital media (and a little bit of thought leadership marketing thrown in) for the professional service firm.

We're on this afternoon, September 9th, at 2PM Eastern.

Many professional services firms have a burning desire to somehow leverage the power of Web 2.0 and Social Media to grow their own business. They see others blogging, connecting in social networks, and launching podcasts and online videos, and wonder, "How do I get a piece of this social media action and how will it grow my business?"

There are several sound strategies marketers can use. In this RainToday.com webinar, online marketing expert Dana VanDen Heuvel will provide you with ideas, examples, and a plan of action for immediately putting these technologies to work to attract new clients.

Specifically you will learn:

* What Social Media and Web 2.0 is and how it came to be
* How various tactics - blogging, social networking, social bookmarks, and online media - can help you market your firm
* Examples of how other firms have grown their business with Social Media and Web 2.0
* How to plan a Social Media and Web 2.0 marketing strategy that works best for you

Sign up or become a RainToday.com member today and you will know how to derive business value from the latest online tools.

For a deep dive into using the social networking site LinkedIn, don't miss Jason Alba's webinar, LinkedIn 101: How to Unlock the Power of this Online Tool on Thursday, September 11. Become a RainToday.com Member and attend both these events, plus all other live events for an entire year for only $199.

(09/09/08 09:00 AM)

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Some Thought Leadership on Thought Leadership Marketing. I had the distinct pleasure of presenting to the Reno-Tahoe chapter of the American Marketing Association today. The topic was Thought Leadership Marketing. What a fun group! The deck from the event is below.

Thought Leadership Marketing

view presentation (tags: thought leadership marketing)

(07/23/08 09:01 PM)

Learn Word of Mouth Marketing.

Always willing to post a shameless pitch for a good cause... here's an upcoming event that you won't want to miss!

Word of Mouth Marketing Crash Course - Chicago, July 30th

Learn Word of Mouth Marketing Our friend and WOM guru Andy Sernovitz is hosting a small-group word of mouth marketing seminar. Usually he only does private training for companies at a very large price, so this is a rare chance for 50 people to get the best introduction to word of mouth that there is.

We've arranged for a $250 discount for our clients. Use code "welovemarketingsavant" when you register.

This is a very practical, hands-on course. In one intense day, you will:

* Master the five steps of word of mouth marketing
* Construct an action plan that your company can start using the very next day
* Get the same training that big corporations (Microsoft, TiVo, eBay) have received -- for a fraction of what they paid
* Know how to translate word of mouth marketing into real ROI
* Participate in an active, intense day of practical brainstorming (not boring theory)
* Learn from Andy Sernovitz, the guy who literally wrote the book on word of mouth marketing

Andy promises you will learn a repeatable, proven marketing framework that is easy to execute, affordable, and provides measurable results within 60 days.

More information: http://events.gaspedal.com

(07/08/08 09:00 PM)

Geoffrey Moore "Provocative Selling" Presentation. Geoffrey Moore presented at Austin Texchange a couple weeks ago. It was a great event. A lot of buzz from 300 entrepreneurs and executives in attendance. His topic was "Provocative Selling: How to Break and Enter Markets...Even in a Downturn". The biggest takeaway for me was that 'leads' don't work when selling something new in a downturn. You have to have the warm introduction and participation from executives, and create a sense that something is missing in the prospect's business without your solution. Geoff gave me permission to link to his slides from our Austin Texchange site here. Also see pictures from the event. Incoming President Charley Dean (Silverton Ventures), Geoffrey Moore, and Sam Decker (outgoing Texchange President) (06/30/08 09:00 AM)

Blogging not just for "young persons".

I came across a great essay in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ sub req) that has one of the best quotes on explaining that blogging isn't just for kids...and that you're not just reaching kids, or moms, or geeks when you target bloggers!

Blogging often is seen as a young person's game. But I think it's a near-perfect pastime for me and others who have retired or are approaching retirement -- and our numbers in the blogosphere are growing daily.

In fact, blogging is also for centinarians:

Now there are thousands -- including 108-year-old Olive Riley, who lives in Australia and blogs at Life of Riley (www.allaboutolive.com.au) with the help of her friend Mike Rubbo.

I talk about this in seminars and events all the time and am even pitching a few folks on the idea that blogging is for the masses (at least, now it is!) and until you do a bit of exploration, you never know who you can reach!

(06/17/08 09:00 AM)

Attention Austin Entrepreneurs: Geoffrey Moore Speaking June 18!. Geoffrey Moore is the best selling author of Crossing the Chasm and Inside the Tornado. He will be in Austin on June 18th speaking to Texchange on the topic of “Provocation-Based Selling: How to Break-and-Enter Established Markets….Even in a Downturn.” This is the first time he has spoken publicly in Austin. Texchange meetings are normally for members only, however this event is open to the public. This event will surely sell out, and this blog posting (along with Austin Startup) is one of the first mentions of this event outside of Texchange. Geoffrey Moore is one of the top speakers in the nation, and it’s pretty rare to get an A-list speaker in Austin. Take advantage of this rare opportunity, and sign up now before the event is sold out. [Update: already 1/3 sold out as of 5/12.] When: June 18th, 6:30pm Where: Austin Country Club Cost: $60 for non-members Register Here: http://tinyurl.com/4tch6c Selling disruptive innovations requires a special approach as markets are self-organized to privileged incumbents and exclude challengers. The key is to win over the ever-elusive executive sponsor. Drawing on six years of experience as a venture partner at Mohr Davidow Ventures, Moore explains how start-ups have learned to get past the gatekeepers and capture the attention and support of line-of-business executives. Geoffrey Moore Geoffrey Moore is a co-founder and managing director at TCG Advisors and founder of The Chasm Group. He is the author of Crossing the Chasm, Inside the Tornado, The Gorilla Game (with co-authors Tom... (05/12/08 09:00 PM)

Want more signups/subscribers? Test your forms!.

This from Bill Flagg of RegOnline talks about how he has continuously works on optimizing the account signup page for the RegOnline website to maximize the conversion rate. [via Brad Feld]

What a great post to encounter first thing this morning. I just had this discussion with two separate clients in the past two days on how to optimize their account signup and newsletter subscription forms. Some great advice from Bill:

Here's what I learned to ask myself and my team... 1. Which information is a must-have? Do I have to know where they came from or can my web analytics tell me? 2. Which information could we collect later? For example, we collect billing information when the client goes live with their event. 3. Eliminate the rest. If a piece of information doesn't create a change in action, then I eliminate the field.

I agree with Bill 100% and often ask a couple more questions to get this right. Of course, you're never done asking questions. You should always be testing you forms to achieve greater conversion!

1. What data can you market to? If you're asking for address, birth date, phone number and the like - are you really going to market using all of that data or are you just collecting it because you think you need it (or your CEO thinks you need it)
2. How does the data tie into the rest of your CRM and database marketing efforts? If you're a B2B company you'll want to and need to know different things than a CPG company.
3. What's the "form fatigue" factor and how do you eliminate data point collection to ease up on your customer's patience.

(05/02/08 09:01 AM)

What a WOMMA Event Looks Like (Video). Take a look at this new compilation video of the last WOMMA (Word of Mouth Marketing Association) event in Las Vegas. (04/09/08 09:00 PM)

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Live Event: Ways to Grow Revenues through Alliances. Statistics show that 70% of all business alliances FAIL. Alliance, channel partner, and joint marketing agreements are not new. They just don't always work very well. Why? Not enough forethought into the goals and deliverables from each party participating. That's... (11/05/07 09:01 PM)

Liveblogging TechCrunch 40. I'm at the TechCrunch40 conference in San Francisco today and will be liveblogging the event. Forty startups are launching new Websites/products. Here are the standouts (in the reverse-order that they are giving their demos on-stage): AOL launches Bluestring: It's nice to see some creativity coming out of AOL. Bluestring is a Web-based application that lets you create a slide show easily by mixing photos, music, and video. You can then send those sldie shows to your friends and family, and they can add their own photos, music, etc. if you allow it. Once you are happy with the finished product, you can take an embed code and post it to your blog, MySpace page, or whatnot. The site just launched a few today. 8080 Publishing: From the makers of JPG magazine (a crowd-sourced photo magazine), this startup is launching a new travel magazine called Everywhere. Everyday travelers submittheir photos and short travel write-ups online, and the best stuff gets printed on paper. I like this concept—building a community that creates the magazine—because it is really pushing the bounds of professional-amateur content. (Disclosure: My former Business 2.0 colleague Todd Lappin is the editor). MusicShake: The crowd really liked this one. It's from South Korea, a sophisticated Webtop app that lets you put together a song from over 170,000 tracks that the startup has created—everything from backbeats to vocals sound effects. A 9-year-old in South Korea ended up creating one of the most popular songs on Cyworld using this app. There is... (09/17/07 09:00 PM)

John Moore's Marketing Lessons from Starbucks. Last week was the first event of this year for Texchange (my first as President). The speaker was John Moore, author of Tribal Knowledge and top marketing blog, Brand Autopsy. The title of John's presentation was "Business Wisdom Brewed from the Grounds of Starbucks". John was a senior marketing guy at Starbucks and Whole Foods. I told him Texchange was an audience of (mostly) B2B entrepreneurs and executives, yet his seemingly B2C message didn't disappoint. The lessons learned from Starbucks are applicable to any company. Essentially your employees are your marketing. The culture and passion inside is what becomes visible outside. John calls it inside out marketing. Another point I should make, that I brought up to my discussion table. In order to create a brand like Starbucks, or any great brand, the key is to decide what NOT to do. Again, what NOT to do. Strip away activities, messages, and resources from anything not core to your core. He presented several principles to the audience. Here are the two I liked most:Building the Business Creates the Brand GIST: Starbucks was too busy building a business to worry about something as nebulous as branding. Because Starbucks was busy working in and on the business, the by-product was the creation of a powerful brand which connects on so many levels with people around the world. Rarely, if ever, can you sprinkle magical branding dust to create an enduring and endearing brand. Starbucks Tribal Knowledge tells us you cannot create a brand... (08/23/07 09:00 PM)

Kevin Rose Pownces on Twitter. Digg co-founder Kevin Rose has launched a side project called Pownce that is a direct challenge to Twitter. With Twitter, people can broadcast short IM or text messages to anyone who wants to subscribe to them. Pownce, which just launched last week in an invite-only beta, is already garnering a lot of chatter in the blogosphere, as well as condemnations among hard-core Digg fans. Pownce combines instant messaging, file sharing, and event management, all in one application. So it is a bit more fully-featured than Twitter. With Twitter, it's all about broadcasting every inane thought you have to the world. With Pownce, at least you can restrict your inanity just to your closest friends (or you can tell the whole world, if that's what floats your boat). And the file-sharing sounds like a nice bonus feature. Of course, both services only work if all your other friends are on them as well. Here's a review of Pownce on Mashable.... (07/02/07 09:01 AM)

Notes on "The Likeability Factor" (Tim Sanders at Austin Texchange). Last week I became president of Texchange, a local association of Technology entrepreneurs and executives. At our June event we had Tim Sanders, formerly of Broadcast.com, Yahoo, author of Love: The Killer App, and more recently The Likeability Factor. He spoke to a June audience of 130 entrepreneurs and shared some sobering statistics, research, and recommendations. Thanks to Josh Toub at BluefishGroup and Secretary of Techange, I can share these notes for you. [Note: if you are an Austin-based technology entrepreneur or in a Austin-based startup, email me to join]. Biology behind increased importance of emotion in business and everyday life The amygdala (part of brain in charge of emotion) has grown ~1% in the lat 35 years Makes liking the people you do business with much more important than it once was EVP When Tim evaluates a company to invest in or do business with, he evaluates three things: What is the emotional value proposition What is the emotional cost of ownership What is the emotional compensation plan Did research at Yahoo about the essance of loyalty--it's all about emotional attraction In life, the likability factor is almost always the tie break Every presidential election since 1976 has been won by the likability factor. What is likability? Not about charimsa Not about being popular It's about reciprocity, not attraction Emotional Attraction (EA) Leadership An emotionally attractive salesperson will gross 40% more than a neutral person 3 benefits: Reduced risk Doctors who smile are much less likely to get sued... (06/18/07 09:03 PM)

Events this Week. I am writing from Birmingham, Alabama. This week I have two public events and three semi-public events. Here are the public events: CityDate(s)Event Birmingham, AL June 4, 9-11am ASTD Birmingham Chapter, Vulcan Function Room/Vulcan Park. register here. Atlanta, GA June... (06/14/07 09:01 AM)

This Week's Events - Join me!. This week, I have three public events and one private one. Here are the details for the public events. I would love to meet you! CityDate(s)Event Baltimore, MD June 11, 6:30-8pm Pratt Library, Main Branch Philadelphia, PA June 12, 6-8:30pm... (06/14/07 09:01 AM)

Breakthrough Evangelist Writes! Thanks Jen. Fellow blogger Jen Gorman attended my breakthrough event in Cupertino and offers this inspiring post. Check out the whole thing but here is a wee snippet:Within 48 hours of Lisa's talk, I'd learned of a new startup (Worksona.com, a kind... (06/14/07 09:01 AM)

New Self-Development Blog, Sharpening the Saw. Nikhil Gupta started this blog about self-development as a result of attending one of my Breakthrough events. How cool is that!? We all need self-development, so check out his blog here and let him know what you think.... (06/14/07 09:01 AM)

Podcasting At Events. SocialTwister.com:: "To date, we've done a poor job really capturing those conversations but the times and technologies are quickly making it possible for us to not turn our backs on the undeniable." (04/06/07 09:01 AM)

3 Emotions to Drive Execs to Action. Yesterday I was on a panel for a Forrester bootcamp on Social Media. One of the common questions was how to convince senior management to agree to and resource these new emerging channels and marketing strategies. What moves consumers to action? Emotion. It’s not much different than with executives and managers…you just use data to create those emotions! In my experience, there are three emotions I’ve seen drive executive action: Fear – show the competition is having success with a strategy that you are not. I’m putting this first because fear is the biggest motivator in the human psyche. And the first reaction for executives when they see a competitor doing something successful is to react. I’m not suggesting this is always right, but it’s reality. It’s a call to action event. If a competitor is launching an emerging channel strategy, your executives have to decide to do something or nothing. Use this time to drive a recommended strategy. Excitement – show and prove the revenue impact from such a strategy. Changne resistance is typically due to prioritization and predictability. Corporations, and management in them, have a need to drive predictable growth and mitigate risk. Priorities are driven based on familiarity of strategies that drive confident results. Something that can be proved to drive better results and meet or beat forecast excites executives. Pride – most forward-thinking executives want to be first to market, forward thinking, innovative and cutting edge. Some want this because it is right for the company,... (03/22/07 09:01 AM)

Let's meet at WOMMA, April 17, New Orleans. I'm speaking at WOMMA's Word of Mouth Basic Training, April 17, 18 in New Orleans. My topic will be aquiring, amplifying and measuring online word of mouth. Cost for the conference is $795, but that's a bargain compared to most conferences that are closer to $2,000. I've been to a few of these now and they are great events. The association has exploded and you will learn a lot and meet some great people who are focused on how to drive word of mouth to drive business results. Drop me an email if you plan to come!... (03/02/07 09:00 AM)

Tips on Being a Good Moderator. I ran into a few posts on moderating which I just haven't seen before. Being a moderator of anything -- a company meeting, an off-site, or a business event is a tough job. If you are working with panelists, they... (01/04/07 09:02 AM)

Pencil Drop (The end of Digg as we know it?). So, the latest bit of civil disobedience from the seventh grade is the pencil drop (nothing new). Word goes out that at exactly 2:04, everyone drops their pencil. Teachers hate this. Coordination turns random events into noticeable events. I'm on... (12/12/06 08:47 AM)

Valuing Your Off Selling Time. Quality of life is important as the holidays are upon us. Getting things done - and working smarter is a key to success - so that one can participate in fun, after hours events. For me, shopping during the hectic... (12/12/06 08:47 AM)

3 Ways to Get More Involved in Professional Associations & Networking. Ever feel like you are attending lots of meetings and events for professional organizations but the returns and rewards are low? You won't want to miss our Monday morning Score More Sales tele-call on this topic, with special guests Gayle... (12/12/06 08:47 AM)

[Tom Peters] Last Impressions Come First!. http://www.tompeters.com/blogs/main/007299.phpNobel Laureate Daniel Kahneman (a psychologist who won the Economics Nobel) tells us, as reported in the February 2005 issue of Psychology Today, that our memories are very selective. In particular, no matter how extended an event (party, commercial transaction),... (12/12/06 08:04 AM)

XPLANE visual thinking workshop in Toronto. XPLANE founder and CEO Dave Gray will be giving a visual thinking workshop in Toronto on September 8: "The title of the workshop will be 'The Power of Pictonics: Using Visualizations to Tell Your Technology Story.' I am really looking forward to this. There will be plenty of hands-on exercises to help you hone your visual thinking and storytelling skills. You'll also learn some of the 'secret sauce' that goes into making visual explanations. This will be a pretty special event, to be held in the beautiful and hi-tech MaRS convergence and innovation center in the downtown Discovery District. It also happens to coincide with the Toronto film festival, one of the best film festivals in North America in my opinion. So if you've been meaning to visit Toronto you couldn't pick a better time." (08/29/06 09:03 PM)

"Finally, an event for those of you who wear too many hats!". So leads a mailer I recently received from ISA (Instrument Society of America). Seems that they are putting together their "First Annual Marketing & Sales Summit". Wow, a real B2B organization putting together a marketing program!

The ISA seems to be more about software and automation these days than instruments per-say, so maybe I'm overreaching in thinking they care about 'industrial' marketing vs. 'tech' marketing.

Anyway, it lands at a bad time for me to be able to attend (second week of September), but maybe some of you guys out there are interested. www.isa.org/rsvp/1 (08/21/06 09:00 PM)

Seven Warning Signs When Buying a Franchise. The decision to invest in a franchise is a life-changing event. It is incumbent upon every prospective franchisee to thoroughly investigate a franchise opportunity before signing the agreement. Mu ...

(08/21/06 09:00 PM)

Another neat trade-show tool for visitors. So I was at the TS2 show this week. This morning I get an email from the lead-swipe company Expo Exchange.

"To help you gain the maximum value from the event, we are inviting you to make use of a new attendee service - ExpoCard Visit Tracker - which contains the contact information for the exhibitors you visited during the event. This information was compiled by virtue of your use of the ExpoCard lead retrieval system used by our exhibitors. This service will allow you to be proactive in following up with those exhibitors you spoke to during the event."

How many times after a show have you tried to remember that company with the cool product? It was too early to get a call or literature back...or the company never followed up. Now you get a handy list of folks who swiped your attendee badge. Very nice!

(Of course it won't work for the exhibitor who asked for my business card and then stapled it into a notebook.) (07/29/06 02:28 PM)

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