I grew up watching a lot of television. Variety shows, sitcoms, game shows and talk shows. The talk shows from Phil Donahue to Merv Griffin to Mike Douglas to David Frost all captured my imagination and viewing time. Little did I realize that one day I would be able to say I helped promote an […]
My Encounters with an Internet TV Star Read More »
Building a following and enhancing your brand are important things to do in order to close sales. But what do you do when your industry is a tight circle and face-to-face selling is the way of life in this arena–and your target demographics are changing? You learn to use social media selectively. Recently I presented
A Social Media Primer for Manufacturing Companies Read More »
It started as a way to stay in touch with my grandchildren in a distant city. Then the idea collided with a speeding object. Harry. My Cairn Terrier. Seriously. Each month I send a box of goodies to my oldest son’s three young children in St Paul. Besides being a fun thing for them to
Letters from Uncle Dog Read More »
All it takes is money, as the saying goes. If you don’t have it, go find it. At our chamber, we rely on three sources of income for our programs: Sponsorships Memberships Admissions and fees to events When it came to the Big D BBQ Battle, we relied on a similar set of sources: Sponsorships
Inventing an Event: Revenue Sources Read More »
At our chamber of commerce we had a long-standing habit of holding the meetings of our basic or recurring programs at our offices or at the same locations. With the impending remodeling of our long-outdated building, it became very evident that we had to find a home (or homes) for these events. Being responsible for
The Transportable Event Read More »
So you think a brochure is just a printed piece that you leave off for people to read or throw away? Wrong–what did it take to create that package? Recently, my client, Greg Farmer of Farmer Business Systems, reminded me just what creating his company brochure meant to him. “If you haven’t really created your
The Brochure Exercise Read More »
Everybody has an idea of what a chamber of commerce is. Whether it is from first-hand experience or urban lore and conjecture, we mostly think of a chamber in one of several ways. I was first introduced to chambers when my dad was a businessman in an Arizona small town. In those days (the 1950s)
What I’ve Learned After 18 Months At A Chamber of Commerce Read More »
From the time we are young children, we love playing with trucks. The Big D BBQ Battle was no exception. Geoeffery and I got to play with some pretty big trucks. We needed trucks for lots of things: A rental U-Haul became our dry storage and local hauler of water and supplies. A loaned refrigerator
Inventing An Event: Trucks Read More »
The Big D BBQ Battle presented a unique set of issues for the North Dallas Chamber. Typically we produce events (annual meeting, HR Conference, Real Estate Conference, et al) in existing places. Ballrooms, hotel meeting rooms, convention spaces and the like. But this was different. We actually had to create the space. I mean, really
Inventing an Event: The Venue Read More »
We were all on board for the event early on but it needed a name. And not just any name. It had to: Be timeless (stand the test of time). Reflect the content of the event. Fit with the brand of the North Dallas Chamber. Be able to be translated easily to social media and
Inventing an Event: What’s in a Name? Read More »
