Slient Auction Season

Fall is historically a time to get back to business. Summer is over, kids are in school and meeting rooms are booked across the nation. This is high traffic time for conventions, conferences, trades shows and Silent Auctions! Many charities, non-profit organizations, and private companies use the silent auction as a way to give back when the weather is too cold to host an event outside.

There are lots of ways to get in good products for the auction that will bring in a high $$ profit. Asking clients, vendors, neighboring offices, and popular venues around town to partner and offer services is a good way of getting the community involved. By adding donations together and creating a "Package" (example: Theater Tickets and $150 gift card to close by restaurant) can boost your minimum bid prices.

Another big ticket item that brings in the cash is a singed autograph. These can sometimes be hard to find. A friend a the White Socks can most likely get you a signed ball but what about those celebrities not local to the Chicago area??

For a little help try out the autograph store. They send out all autographs, sans shipping on consignment and will take back anything that does not sell (once again shipping...not an issue).

With a wide variety of products you can get just about anything your heart desires. Guitars, photographs, collectibles. Just ask the American Diabetes Association. They sold "The Boss" for a whooping $2200!!!!

Weekend Convention Boredom

Weekend? You mean you want people to spend their Oh so precious weekends at a work convention? Even the most dedicated of attendees would rather sleep in, have lunch in their pajamas and dinner with friends than go to a weekend convention.

So spice it up! Making the weekend enjoyable is key to showing your gratitude for taking guest away from their treasured personal days. One way to do this, take the convention to the streets! After a full day of sitting in a banquet room listening to a key note speaker your attendees need fresh air.

Make your reception shorter and connect it with a local "Dine Around" in lieu of dinner. Most hotels have resources to help you coordinate payment and reservations. For large groups offer a number of different restaurants that really showcase the city. If you can rely on their expertise, do it, and save yourself time.

Review your organization's food and beverage history. This will give you an idea of what types of restaurants your attendees would like. Adjust your guarantees and orders to mirror your group's tastes and eating habits. If you don't collect historical data you should...
Click here to get you started.

This can also be a huge draw to your convention. People always get excited about food. Plan it well enough in advance and you can highlight the information in your programs and informational emails. Add links to the restaurant web pages and featured menu! (Usually a good idea to have a set menu with pre-negotiated price to provide seamless service. Although people do enjoy freedom of choice to order from a menu!)

Wet their appetites for a good meal, and draw them into your meeting that much more!!!

Website Woes

Now that everyone is on Facebook, Twitter, Linked In...there is more traffic directed to a companies web page. This is great news for some, and scary news for others. If you haven't put much though into your site you are getting beat out by the competition that has an attractive site 9 out of 10 times.

What does your website say???

Is your company: Fresh, Cutting Edge, Innovative
But your last blog post is June 2008 and the Font on your web page is Times New Roman, which by the way is not so new. You have no current references on your site and your staff pictures were taken at Olin Mills.

How about: You tout Experience, your history, All your past clients and press releases. Every employee in your firm, how many kids they have, where your mom’s cousin’s best friend did her PHD…

TOO MUCH INFORMATION! I’m board with you, just by looking at you. No way I want to call these people to talk.

OR maybe your: Efficient, the solution center, able to streamline business.
Yet your links don’t work. The copy on your web page is long and convoluted. I can’t pinpoint your product or service right away. And a prospective client has to fill out their life story on your contact page to get a quote or start business with you.

Be aware of what you’re putting out there. Your web presence is everything. Prospects will discredit you in the time it takes to scroll down your page if the look is not consistent with the message.

Determine your brand and then promote it. Word of mouth is the best marketing strategy. Be sure that yours is about how impressive the fluidity of your message and reliability your service is.

Fish For Fall!!!

(Fish Cakes with Apple Mint Yogurt Salsa)

I never pass up an opportunity to be inspired. Inspiration can come from any daily encounter. My inspiration this week comes from the seafood department at the new Whole Foods in Chicago. It is the chains largest store and the fish displays keep up with the theme of big! One of the most beautiful whole fish displays I’ve ever seen. From Ahi Tuna, to a half filleted sea bass their spread includes exotic fishes flown in daily that can be quite hard to find in the Chicago area. Not to mention the shrimp bar displaying 8 types of chilled and seasoned jumbo shrimp.

All the bright colors are eye catching and the variety is a huge plus. With Apples, Figs, and Butternut Squash also being in season just imagine what interesting menus can be created!

Fish is always a great event entrée alternative and with all the options at the new Whole Foods it seems like it’s time to freshen up those dusty old menus.

Labor Day Already???

With such a wet Chicago summer it's as if Labor Day snuck right up on us! This week of sunshine is really quite inspiring and with the long weekend weather outlook extremely promising, this holiday may turn out to be the most agreeable environment for fun.

The city of Chicago never does disappoint when it comes to activity and this holiday weekend is no exception. Check out this list of fun and exciting events all about town.

http://chicago.about.com/od/artsculture/a/LaborDayWeekend.htm

Necesary Evil

The phrase "social media" has successfully infiltrated our every day vocabulary. It's all the rage. Everyone is poking, de-friending, and suggesting people hourly.

I personally don't like all the social media. Facebook updates and twitter...same thing??? Linked in, Gather, MEETin.org, NetPary.... all for business professionals. Yet, with so many how do you know which ones will have the professionals you want to be "Networked/Linked/Meet and or Gathered" with?

Here's what I want to know. What's the line between business and professional?
For example:

I have a facebook page that I created while in college back when facebook was just for college students. Yet, now years later as a business owner I have clients who want to be my friend. Do I deny because there are aspects of my life that I want to keep private? Or does that make me seem cold... and shouldn't I be networking to promote my business???

So do I do what others have done? Take down all personal information/pictures/and de-friend all "questionable" contacts who may have been my friend back when I was 15 but now their anti-government rants or racy bar photos might make me look bad?

Is social media a strategy to promote business or a way to make sure all your "friends" get invited to your 21st birthday party? I guess it's up to you...

Beware: every news source, business book and marketing professor will tell you to get yourself out there, and it may very well be the new "it" business strategy. Just remember every fad fades away but your posts, comments and pictures will forever be archived for anyone to see no matter what, "fake name/block/or privacy" method you choose.