Exhibiting Service fees are sky high, why?

How can the exhibitor who is already dealing with a crappy economy deal with the every increasing charges placed on us by the show decorator and convention services companies?  There is a lot of controversy on this topic as fees continue to climb and accountability is hard to get.  Serenity J. Knutson, Editor in Chief of PlannerWire has a series of articles addressing these issue and providing a variety of opinions from those of us in the mddle of it.  See the entire article and my two cents worth at http://www.plannerwire.com/article_template.cfm?aid=1633&sid=30/

Bugs are Big Business

The first business conference and expo organized by the Arizona Pest Prevention Organization (AZPPO.org) was a great success. I had the privilege of presenting two seminars to the attendees recently at the Mesa Convention center where nearly 400 professionals in the pest management industry came together for education and support.  The bug business is big business. I was particularly amazed at how much science and technology goes into creating the products that keep the ants away from our picnic lunches and our kitchens free of roaches.  There was a clear emphasis in both the seminars and in the expo on safety and environmental protection.  Discussions about becoming “Green” were abundant and several new techniques and products were introduced on the show floor.  I was facinated by the reseach that was shared on such issues as the life span of bees, termites and rats and how many seconds it takes to kill a roach.  I was also impressed at how knowledgable and friendly the vendors were.  Everyone I talked to seemed to enjoy the two day event.  Congratulations to Helen and Nate and all the people who put together the 2009 Saguaro Continuing Education Conference and Expo.

Your health is everything!

Who would have thought that a stomach ache on Monday night would turn into accute appendicitis that would land me in the hospital on Tuesday night.  It took me 16 hours of enduring what I thought was a touch of food poisoning and one missed day of work to finally give in to the pain and see a doctor. Actually my husband had to talk me into it.  They don’t mess around with problems with your appendix.  I saw the doctor at 3 pm, was sent to the emergency room at 4:40 for a CT Scan and went into surgery at 7pm.  Never even stopped back home.  Good thing I had on my nice underwear.  I told that to my Mom who always warned me this might happen and she had a good laugh.  Stayed overnight in the hospital and was home by 2 pm the next afternoon.  You just never know.  All is well. Nice to have great staff on hand to cover for me at the office. Thanks Karol Ward and Sue Marshall for being there and doing such a great job.  I know all you business owners out there can really relate. Good health to all. 

SR

Exhibit Like an Expert

If you happen to be coming to Phoenix next week you can catch my “Exhibit Like An Expert” seminar at the August 5th meeting of BOMA (Building Owners & Managers Association) and at the Maricopa Home and Garden Show on August 8th.  I will be teaching the attendees the five key elements they must master that will turn their exhibit booths into a powerful profit center.  I love teaching that seminar because it includes practical, relevant tools and strategies that can be immediately implimented at the show.  The five elements of importance that we review in detail are:  Goal setting, Display Design, promotion, sales strategies and effective follow-up.  I get really excited when the seminar attendees go back to their booths and rearrange their products, change the location of their table or adjust their props in response to my instructions and tips.   Helping exhibitors look great, sell more and make money at tradeshows, consumer shows and events is my goal.  For some of my free tip sheets or to hear more about our line of display products to make you stand out from the competition check out our redesigned website at www.ExhibitExpertsAZ.com . If  your organization or conference needs a speaker on the subjects of exhibit marketing, networking, publicity or entrepreneurship give me a call to chat.  602-437-3634.  I hope to see you at a tradeshow soon.

Networking goes Hi-Tech

At the TS2 convention and tradeshow for the tradeshow industry that I spoke at in Chicago this past week there was a company facilitating a new networking program for attendees.  It took mixing and mingling to new heights and provided a fun way to connect to everyone.  The company is called Mingle360  www.mingle360.com and they provided every attendee with a free Mingle Stick. About the size of a flash drive and strung on a lanyard for convenient access, your device captures information from other people’s devices with the press of a button.  So I’m walking the aisles in the exhibition hall or I’m sitting next to someone at an educational session that I want to meet.  After a brief conversation I’d say lets mingle.  We’d face mingle sticks, press the button and a green light confirms we have indeed mingled minds and personal data.  Kind of sexy and fun and a great ice breaker.  In addition it’s a valuable tool for collecting loads of contacts quickly.  At the end of the conference you would go to the Mingle 360 desk, hand them your minglestick and all the info would be uploaded for you to retrieve when you return to your office.  Pretty cool.  I loved using it.  Contact www.mingle360 to find out how to add the mingle stick to your next event.  And if you need anyone to speak about how to turn your tradeshow booth into a powerful profit center consider me, The Exhibit Expert.  www.SusanRatliffPresents.com

Thanks

SR

Audience response system fast and fun

It was a beautiful few days in Chicago when I attended TS2.  I had a fabulous dinner outside Rush Street watching the happy crowds passing by.  It was a perfect Wednesday night for baseball as  The White Sox beat the Tampa Rays 4 to 3.  It was the first time riding a subway and my experience on the L was just like in the movies.  Travel down a dingy set of stairs to a long cement deck next to the track.  The train comes to a rapid halt and hundreds of people pile into the cars for a jiggly, crowded rapid ride.  By the time you are done you know your neighbor intimately, if you know what I mean.  Anyway back to the business part.  My seminar went really well. I know this because of the cool audience response system we used from Meridia.  Each attendee had a keypad at their table and I sprinkled my presentation with questions that flashed on the screen.  The attendees had eight seconds to press a selected answer on the keypad then the percentages of selected answers appeared next to the question.  It was really cool to get real time feed back and I  am grateful that the answers came back positive for delivering content of value.  The statistics will be compiled and returned to me to use to target my information even more effectively.  The exhibit floor was rather slow and I hear the show was down about 10% from last year.  The exhibitors that were there did a great job for the most part. I did see some new ideas, reconnected with suppliers and met some new contacts. Don’t miss it next year. Check out the cool audience response services from Meridia at www.MeridiaARS.com.

SR

Customer Service-The Key to Survival

If you are wondering where good customer service has gone these days when you’re ignored by the salesperson in the department store, snubbed by the desk clerk who is “on break”, or felt like the invisible man (woman) while the “service person” talks on their cell phone then take comfort in knowing that impecable service does still exist and it’s a sight to behold at the Wild Horse Pass Resort. www.Wildhorsepassresort.com  Four of us dined at Kai, the feature restaurant at the resort last night to celebrate friends’ anniversary.  I have never had such a memorable experience at any restaurant, in my life.  The resorts setting is magical and our table overlooked the mountains and gorgeous pool area. You know you are in for a unique treat when four waiters surround your table place a linen napkin in each of our laps.  The ambience is soothing as the waiter arrives in seconds to explain the history of the resort and takes our drink orders. (which were fabulous) Returning shortly with menues in hand he shows us four different original water colors, each with it’s own story, that grace the covers.  The gorgeous works, all 150 uniquely different, were painted by the current head of security at the resort. Very interesting tidbit.  The themed menu showcases the American Indian culture with many ingredients coming from local Mother Earth. Many of the produce is purchase from the student gardeners at the school nearby.  The menu selections were poetic and it was hard to choose between them. I won’t bore you with details of each meal, which included an unbelievably good Grouper and pork loan embellished with delicous sides.  I have to mention the breads, very different with some made on site with local seeds and herbs.  Hard to explain, but soooo good. Back to the service.  Our every need was met and attended to with perfect timing, never did we have to ask for anything.  The wait staff is incredibly skilled and fully knowledgable about the food, the area and the resort.  The service was so unbelievable good, not just at the restaurant, but throughout the resort.  Get this:  When the waiter overheard our friends tell us their air conditioning was not working too well in their room, he informed us he notified maintenence and it would be taken care of right away.  Bottom line is this. When is the last time someone raved about your customer service.  In this highly competitive business climate you have to go the extra mile or two miles if we have to so our customers feel special, appreciated and cared for.  At Exhibit Experts, we have tried to do just that for fifteen years.  I am sure that is why we have customers that have been with us for that long.  We can always improve, and welcome feedback to keep us on our toes, but it has always been a priority for us and that’s a promise.  Check us out www.exhibitexpertsaz.com if you need any tradeshow displays or products for exhibiting and treat your self to an exceptional dining experience by visiting Kai at the Wild horse Pass Resort.  Bon Appetite!

Are things finally on the up tick?

Friday I exhibited in a tradeshow organized by the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, www.phoenixchamber.com It was held at the Westin Kierland Hotel and I have to say that I was impressed.  I was impressed not only with the professionalism of the show (I’ve exhibited in this event for years) and the quality of the exhibiting companies (about 130 of them), but with the fact that we got so many good, interested, “A” quality leads from the show! Yes I actually was excited and impressed that people were finally getting serious about buying stuff again.  I was actually encouraged that after a miserable first and second quarter, there seems to be a renewed interest in exhibit marketing again.   Of course no company should have ever stopped using tradeshows to promote their business and sell their products because it is one of the most cost effective ways to meet hundreds of potential clients in one place, but they have.  And our new President can share the blame for telling companies across the county not to have meetings, not to travel for sales conferences and not to fly.  Yes that has caused my industry to experience a 35% decline in business.  The media picked up on that and caused a horrendous backlash that impacted small businesses like mine across the Nation.  Those irresponsible comments and the continuing perpetuation of the the issue by the media did not just impact hotels and airlines and meeting planners and restaurants.  It effected the thousands of taxi drivers, brochure printers, florists, electricians, delivery boys, food servers, bell hops, exhibit installer , tradeshow display sellers, truck drivers and other small business owners in every city in every state.  Anyway, I am encouraged by the results I got from the show, by the comments I heard from the attendees and by the excitement other business owners had that also felt the up tick of interest.  I am going to think positive about this next half year and I hope you will too.

NSBA supports Small Business in Washington

Well, I didn’t win the Advocate of the year award in Washington DC on June 9th, but I was the only woman in the country to be honored as a finalist.  Congratulations to Thomas C. Pitrone of the Integrity Group from Ohio who is the outstanding recipient.   I had a great time meeting with the leaders of the National Small Business Association and hearing from representatives from Congress regarding the White House plans for small business.  All I can say is we, the small business owners, had better unify, voice our concerns loudly and show our strength  in numbers if we want to preserve free enterprise and nurture the entrepreneurial spirit because we are not going to get much support from the current administration.   There are 26.5 million small businesses in this country and 19.5 million of them are solepreneurs.  4.7 million of those are micro-businesses employing  less than 10 people.  Unfortunately it’s the actions of big business that make the headlines, and big business that gets the attention and the money.   I always thought the economy would be stimulated the most if small business owners could keep more of their hard earned money so they could hire more employees, produce more goods and expand operations.   Oh well, we will persevere regardless,  because that’s what we do.  Let’s stay positive, keep working  the system and make lots of noise. 

SR

It’s nice to be recognized

If you’re like me you enjoy sharing your knowledge and offering support to other entrepreneurs and business owners.  When I started my first business in 1988 after my son was born, I joined the Entrepreneurial Mothers Association.  The comraderie, peer networking and fun we had trying to juggle business and babies made the stress of motherhood and the challenges of business building a little less worrisome.  It was there that I discovered how much I loved being a small business advocate and too special interest in the causes of women business owners.  For 20 years I have  continued that mission and today I was recognized for my efforts.  I hope you don’t mind me bragging a little.  I am proud to share this announcement with you here and encourage you to become a small business advocate and cheerleader in your community too.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 3, 2009

Contact:
Molly Brogan
202-552-2904
mbrogan@nsba.biz 

NSBA Announces Finalists for Advocate of the Year Award 

Washington, D.C. — NSBA today announced the finalists for the 2009 Lewis Shattuck Small Business Advocate of the Year Award. The award winner will be announced during NSBA’s Annual Advocate of the Year Award Luncheon on Tuesday, June 9 at 12:00 p.m., which is the kick-off of the event for the NSBA Washington Presentation on June 9 and 10.

“After evaluating a very impressive pool of candidates, I am honored to recognize these exceptional individuals for their tireless efforts on behalf of America’s small-business community,” stated NSBA President Todd McCracken. “We need them now more than ever.” 

LOCAL ENTREPRENEUR NAMED

NSBA BUSINESS ADVOCATE OF THE YEAR FINALIST 

Susan Ratliff, President of Phoenix based Exhibit Experts, has been named one of five national finalists for the 2009 Lewis Shattuck Small Business Advocate of the Year Award.  The award, presented by the National Small Business Association, recognizes the best and brightest small business owners from around the country who go above and beyond in advocating on behalf of America’s small businesses. The criteria used in determining award finalists was a commitment to small business advocacy, a proven history of volunteer activism on behalf of the small business community and success and growth as a small business owner.  Susan is the only women among the five finalists to be honored in Washington, D.C. on June 9th at a prestigious luncheon where the winner will be announced.  

The event will kick off the NSBA Washington Presentation June 9 & 10 followed by an evening reception attended by Presentation participants, a myriad of Washington insiders and influential Hill staff.  The following day starts with the Congressional Breakfast on Capital Hill including reports from policy experts and lawmakers at a White House Briefing.  The finalists will then meet with elected representatives for an opportunity to provide critical feedback and make suggestions to the Executive Branch regarding relevant issues impacting small business owners across the nation every day.  “I look forward to representing Arizona in Washington and hope to engage in some stimulating conversations regarding what this administration will be doing to assist small businesses in the future” says Ratliff.  

Susan Ratliff has been a small-business owner since 1988, during which time she’s taken an active role as small-business cheerleader, supporter, encourager, teacher and promoter. A true believer in the power of entrepreneurship, Ratliff created the first Women Entrepreneurs’ Small Business Boot Camp which just celebrated its fifth anniversary, and has taken her inspirational message to the women’s prison in Perryville, Arizona. Ratliff has been involved with NSBA, the Entrepreneurial Mothers Association, the Greater Phoenix and Scottsdale Chambers of Commerce, the National Speakers Association, NAWBO and the Arizona Small Business Association, to name a few. 

The four other finalists are Michael Bowlds, President of Mountaintop Marketing Group, LLC of Maryland, Michael Mitternight, President of Metairie, La based Factory Service Agency, Inc, Thomas Pietrone, The Intrity Group from Cleveland and Robert C Smith, President and CEO of Spero- Smith Investment Advisers, Inc, in Beachwood, Ohio. 

To learn more about the Washington Presentation and the NSBA go to www.NSBA.biz,

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