You are Invited

Business card size works well for invitations to special events.

What do you visualize when you think about invitations? More than likely you are thinking about a wedding or a party. You may even think about a verbal invitation that is extended to you for a business event. Invitations come in all sizes and shapes and for almost every event. So how can you get your invitation to your business event noticed? Here are three easy steps that may help increase the attendance at your events.

First, network with those that you would like to attend your event, ask them personally about their calendar. If they have some time free, and then if you can set an appointment with them at the date and time of your event. This will generally yield a yes. Let them know that you will phone and remind them a couple of days ahead of time, just to confirm their attendance. You may then give them a business card invitation at that point so they have a printed reference.

Second, phone everyone you personally know (everyone that is relevant to you gaining more business) and ask them if they would be available on the date and time specified for the event. If they respond yes, tell them why you would like to see them at that specific time. If they still agree, follow up with mailing one of your business card invitations.

Lastly, you will need to ask previous clients to attend. Ask if they can attend at the date and time you have selected, if not, ask if they know anyone else in their organization that can take their place. If they do, simply book them in and tell them you will send a reminder.

It is actually quite easy to get the invitations noticed, the most difficult thing is to make sure those agreeing to attend actually make it to the event. You will probably find there is a 20 to 30% fall-out. If you plan for this fall-out, you can determine how many people to invite in order to fill the room.

You are Invited

Business card size works well for invitations to special events.

What do you visualize when you think about invitations? More than likely you are thinking about a wedding or a party. You may even think about a verbal invitation that is extended to you for a business event. Invitations come in all sizes and shapes and for almost every event. So how can you get your invitation to your business event noticed? Here are three easy steps that may help increase the attendance at your events.

First, network with those that you would like to attend your event, ask them personally about their calendar. If they have some time free, and then if you can set an appointment with them at the date and time of your event. This will generally yield a yes. Let them know that you will phone and remind them a couple of days ahead of time, just to confirm their attendance. You may then give them a business card invitation at that point so they have a printed reference.

Second, phone everyone you personally know (everyone that is relevant to you gaining more business) and ask them if they would be available on the date and time specified for the event. If they respond yes, tell them why you would like to see them at that specific time. If they still agree, follow up with mailing one of your business card invitations.

Lastly, you will need to ask previous clients to attend. Ask if they can attend at the date and time you have selected, if not, ask if they know anyone else in their organization that can take their place. If they do, simply book them in and tell them you will send a reminder.

It is actually quite easy to get the invitations noticed, the most difficult thing is to make sure those agreeing to attend actually make it to the event. You will probably find there is a 20 to 30% fall-out. If you plan for this fall-out, you can determine how many people to invite in order to fill the room.

You are Invited

Business card size works well for invitations to special events.

What do you visualize when you think about invitations? More than likely you are thinking about a wedding or a party. You may even think about a verbal invitation that is extended to you for a business event. Invitations come in all sizes and shapes and for almost every event. So how can you get your invitation to your business event noticed? Here are three easy steps that may help increase the attendance at your events.

First, network with those that you would like to attend your event, ask them personally about their calendar. If they have some time free, and then if you can set an appointment with them at the date and time of your event. This will generally yield a yes. Let them know that you will phone and remind them a couple of days ahead of time, just to confirm their attendance. You may then give them a business card invitation at that point so they have a printed reference.

Second, phone everyone you personally know (everyone that is relevant to you gaining more business) and ask them if they would be available on the date and time specified for the event. If they respond yes, tell them why you would like to see them at that specific time. If they still agree, follow up with mailing one of your business card invitations.

Lastly, you will need to ask previous clients to attend. Ask if they can attend at the date and time you have selected, if not, ask if they know anyone else in their organization that can take their place. If they do, simply book them in and tell them you will send a reminder.

It is actually quite easy to get the invitations noticed, the most difficult thing is to make sure those agreeing to attend actually make it to the event. You will probably find there is a 20 to 30% fall-out. If you plan for this fall-out, you can determine how many people to invite in order to fill the room.

You are Invited

Business card size works well for invitations to special events.

What do you visualize when you think about invitations? More than likely you are thinking about a wedding or a party. You may even think about a verbal invitation that is extended to you for a business event. Invitations come in all sizes and shapes and for almost every event. So how can you get your invitation to your business event noticed? Here are three easy steps that may help increase the attendance at your events.

First, network with those that you would like to attend your event, ask them personally about their calendar. If they have some time free, and then if you can set an appointment with them at the date and time of your event. This will generally yield a yes. Let them know that you will phone and remind them a couple of days ahead of time, just to confirm their attendance. You may then give them a business card invitation at that point so they have a printed reference.

Second, phone everyone you personally know (everyone that is relevant to you gaining more business) and ask them if they would be available on the date and time specified for the event. If they respond yes, tell them why you would like to see them at that specific time. If they still agree, follow up with mailing one of your business card invitations.

Lastly, you will need to ask previous clients to attend. Ask if they can attend at the date and time you have selected, if not, ask if they know anyone else in their organization that can take their place. If they do, simply book them in and tell them you will send a reminder.

It is actually quite easy to get the invitations noticed, the most difficult thing is to make sure those agreeing to attend actually make it to the event. You will probably find there is a 20 to 30% fall-out. If you plan for this fall-out, you can determine how many people to invite in order to fill the room.

More Business Card Uses

Why would you use an event pass?

Event passes are often used as giveaways to entice people to attend some event. You will find that most time-share companies will have passes to be used to attend their spiel, plus they also give away other goodies. Event passes are used extensively; there is no reason why you cannot put your own together and then distribute them to your potential customers. For example, I have a partnership with Power Marketing and last spring I was tasked with putting on an Executive Breakfast. The breakfast was free to participants. The talk was not a sales pitch; it was simply passing out information about the "Seven Deadly Sins of Selling" based on a white paper they wrote (which is available on my website BizMechanix.com). I created event passes using business cards. The card was not necessary for attendance, but I found most people kept it in their wallet because it was the right size.

We ended up giving away 200 passes which resulted in 117 registrants and then 87 attendees. We were very pleased with the results. You can use passes for entrance into a trade show that would normally have an entrance fee attached, these passes will be deemed much more valuable than the ones I created for Power Marketing. If you want to use the passes as a way for others to get to know you, find an event that you can use for promotion and then distribute event passes to your target audience. You will be surprised at the number of people that will attend just because they have tickets!

The key to event passes is that you do not attach a fee to them. If you decide to charge full price, then selling your event will be a little more difficult. You may, as an alternative, decide to give the buyer a discount. Which ever way you decide to promote the event, the best is always free. Save yourself time in designing passes by using business cards.

More Business Card Uses

Why would you use an event pass?

Event passes are often used as giveaways to entice people to attend some event. You will find that most time-share companies will have passes to be used to attend their spiel, plus they also give away other goodies. Event passes are used extensively; there is no reason why you cannot put your own together and then distribute them to your potential customers. For example, I have a partnership with Power Marketing and last spring I was tasked with putting on an Executive Breakfast. The breakfast was free to participants. The talk was not a sales pitch; it was simply passing out information about the "Seven Deadly Sins of Selling" based on a white paper they wrote (which is available on my website BizMechanix.com). I created event passes using business cards. The card was not necessary for attendance, but I found most people kept it in their wallet because it was the right size.

We ended up giving away 200 passes which resulted in 117 registrants and then 87 attendees. We were very pleased with the results. You can use passes for entrance into a trade show that would normally have an entrance fee attached, these passes will be deemed much more valuable than the ones I created for Power Marketing. If you want to use the passes as a way for others to get to know you, find an event that you can use for promotion and then distribute event passes to your target audience. You will be surprised at the number of people that will attend just because they have tickets!

The key to event passes is that you do not attach a fee to them. If you decide to charge full price, then selling your event will be a little more difficult. You may, as an alternative, decide to give the buyer a discount. Which ever way you decide to promote the event, the best is always free. Save yourself time in designing passes by using business cards.

More Business Card Uses

Why would you use an event pass?

Event passes are often used as giveaways to entice people to attend some event. You will find that most time-share companies will have passes to be used to attend their spiel, plus they also give away other goodies. Event passes are used extensively; there is no reason why you cannot put your own together and then distribute them to your potential customers. For example, I have a partnership with Power Marketing and last spring I was tasked with putting on an Executive Breakfast. The breakfast was free to participants. The talk was not a sales pitch; it was simply passing out information about the "Seven Deadly Sins of Selling" based on a white paper they wrote (which is available on my website BizMechanix.com). I created event passes using business cards. The card was not necessary for attendance, but I found most people kept it in their wallet because it was the right size.

We ended up giving away 200 passes which resulted in 117 registrants and then 87 attendees. We were very pleased with the results. You can use passes for entrance into a trade show that would normally have an entrance fee attached, these passes will be deemed much more valuable than the ones I created for Power Marketing. If you want to use the passes as a way for others to get to know you, find an event that you can use for promotion and then distribute event passes to your target audience. You will be surprised at the number of people that will attend just because they have tickets!

The key to event passes is that you do not attach a fee to them. If you decide to charge full price, then selling your event will be a little more difficult. You may, as an alternative, decide to give the buyer a discount. Which ever way you decide to promote the event, the best is always free. Save yourself time in designing passes by using business cards.

More Business Card Uses

Why would you use an event pass?

Event passes are often used as giveaways to entice people to attend some event. You will find that most time-share companies will have passes to be used to attend their spiel, plus they also give away other goodies. Event passes are used extensively; there is no reason why you cannot put your own together and then distribute them to your potential customers. For example, I have a partnership with Power Marketing and last spring I was tasked with putting on an Executive Breakfast. The breakfast was free to participants. The talk was not a sales pitch; it was simply passing out information about the "Seven Deadly Sins of Selling" based on a white paper they wrote (which is available on my website BizMechanix.com). I created event passes using business cards. The card was not necessary for attendance, but I found most people kept it in their wallet because it was the right size.

We ended up giving away 200 passes which resulted in 117 registrants and then 87 attendees. We were very pleased with the results. You can use passes for entrance into a trade show that would normally have an entrance fee attached, these passes will be deemed much more valuable than the ones I created for Power Marketing. If you want to use the passes as a way for others to get to know you, find an event that you can use for promotion and then distribute event passes to your target audience. You will be surprised at the number of people that will attend just because they have tickets!

The key to event passes is that you do not attach a fee to them. If you decide to charge full price, then selling your event will be a little more difficult. You may, as an alternative, decide to give the buyer a discount. Which ever way you decide to promote the event, the best is always free. Save yourself time in designing passes by using business cards.

Profits are within 6 Degrees of Freedom

How far away is the person you need to meet?

We have spent some time discussing your inner circle and have suggested that you take time to list all of the people that you know and that KNOW YOU. This inner circle is the start of finding out who knows a person that you need to meet. You will need to take time to contact your list with news and make sure you ask for referrals. I know this is somewhat difficult as I hate asking friends and acquaintances for anything. The best way to get support for your endeavors and getting the introductions you want is to put on an event. The event can be a party, a celebration of your new product line or service, a business seminar, or any other thing that will bring people to you for face-to-face interaction.

Suggest that your friends bring others that they know will be interested in what you have to offer. Your friends are more likely to invite and introduce you to others in a social setting than on the phone, putting them on the spot. Use your inner ring to get to your outer ring. Using web technology to find these relationships are sometimes a necessity - try LinkedIn.com and see what it can bring you. When you do decide to put on an event, be very specific about whom you want to attend and try to tailor the invite list to suit your business needs. As mentioned before, I put on a seminar and invited business people to get some free information and I paid for the breakfast. It took six months to follow up on all the leads and get appointments with those who were interested. I even got referrals from attendees that thought someone they knew could use me.

Events will go a long way to tap into existing relationships and further your inner circle. In order to get people to attend, you must have something of value to offer. Your offering must also be consistent.

Profits are within 6 Degrees of Freedom

How far away is the person you need to meet?

We have spent some time discussing your inner circle and have suggested that you take time to list all of the people that you know and that KNOW YOU. This inner circle is the start of finding out who knows a person that you need to meet. You will need to take time to contact your list with news and make sure you ask for referrals. I know this is somewhat difficult as I hate asking friends and acquaintances for anything. The best way to get support for your endeavors and getting the introductions you want is to put on an event. The event can be a party, a celebration of your new product line or service, a business seminar, or any other thing that will bring people to you for face-to-face interaction.

Suggest that your friends bring others that they know will be interested in what you have to offer. Your friends are more likely to invite and introduce you to others in a social setting than on the phone, putting them on the spot. Use your inner ring to get to your outer ring. Using web technology to find these relationships are sometimes a necessity - try LinkedIn.com and see what it can bring you. When you do decide to put on an event, be very specific about whom you want to attend and try to tailor the invite list to suit your business needs. As mentioned before, I put on a seminar and invited business people to get some free information and I paid for the breakfast. It took six months to follow up on all the leads and get appointments with those who were interested. I even got referrals from attendees that thought someone they knew could use me.

Events will go a long way to tap into existing relationships and further your inner circle. In order to get people to attend, you must have something of value to offer. Your offering must also be consistent.

Profits are within 6 Degrees of Freedom

How far away is the person you need to meet?

We have spent some time discussing your inner circle and have suggested that you take time to list all of the people that you know and that KNOW YOU. This inner circle is the start of finding out who knows a person that you need to meet. You will need to take time to contact your list with news and make sure you ask for referrals. I know this is somewhat difficult as I hate asking friends and acquaintances for anything. The best way to get support for your endeavors and getting the introductions you want is to put on an event. The event can be a party, a celebration of your new product line or service, a business seminar, or any other thing that will bring people to you for face-to-face interaction.

Suggest that your friends bring others that they know will be interested in what you have to offer. Your friends are more likely to invite and introduce you to others in a social setting than on the phone, putting them on the spot. Use your inner ring to get to your outer ring. Using web technology to find these relationships are sometimes a necessity - try LinkedIn.com and see what it can bring you. When you do decide to put on an event, be very specific about whom you want to attend and try to tailor the invite list to suit your business needs. As mentioned before, I put on a seminar and invited business people to get some free information and I paid for the breakfast. It took six months to follow up on all the leads and get appointments with those who were interested. I even got referrals from attendees that thought someone they knew could use me.

Events will go a long way to tap into existing relationships and further your inner circle. In order to get people to attend, you must have something of value to offer. Your offering must also be consistent.

Profits are within 6 Degrees of Freedom

How far away is the person you need to meet?

We have spent some time discussing your inner circle and have suggested that you take time to list all of the people that you know and that KNOW YOU. This inner circle is the start of finding out who knows a person that you need to meet. You will need to take time to contact your list with news and make sure you ask for referrals. I know this is somewhat difficult as I hate asking friends and acquaintances for anything. The best way to get support for your endeavors and getting the introductions you want is to put on an event. The event can be a party, a celebration of your new product line or service, a business seminar, or any other thing that will bring people to you for face-to-face interaction.

Suggest that your friends bring others that they know will be interested in what you have to offer. Your friends are more likely to invite and introduce you to others in a social setting than on the phone, putting them on the spot. Use your inner ring to get to your outer ring. Using web technology to find these relationships are sometimes a necessity - try LinkedIn.com and see what it can bring you. When you do decide to put on an event, be very specific about whom you want to attend and try to tailor the invite list to suit your business needs. As mentioned before, I put on a seminar and invited business people to get some free information and I paid for the breakfast. It took six months to follow up on all the leads and get appointments with those who were interested. I even got referrals from attendees that thought someone they knew could use me.

Events will go a long way to tap into existing relationships and further your inner circle. In order to get people to attend, you must have something of value to offer. Your offering must also be consistent.

Trade Shows and Trade Show Exhibits - How to Get the Most Out of Your Next Tradeshow

Trade shows as a key component of every industry, association, and professional meeting. Their importance cannot be over stated for the attendees, the sponsoring organization, and the exhibitors themselves.

Trade show attendees have access to "what's new" in one place. They can check it out anonymously and with no obligation. If they aren't interested they can just walk away.

The sponsoring organization sells space to the exhibitors, money it uses to reduce the attendee's fees and other costs. The individual attendees save money, the registration is lowered to help get more people to attend, and the exhibitors have a larger pool of prospects.

When it is done right, the trade show component of an event is a huge benefit to everyone.

This article will help you be a better exhibit hall visitor.

As a trade show exhibit hall attendee you should focus on spending as little time as possible disqualifying each exhibitor - making decisions quickly regarding the exhibitor's relevance to you. If not move on, don't give them your card or let them scan your badge!

Typically the exhibit hall opens on a day packed with main platform presentations and concurrent workshops. It is likely to be the busiest day of the event - so there is little time to cover every exhibitor there.

But visiting every booth is a must. You never know when someone with a tiny last minute table in the back of the hall by the restrooms has the very answer you've been looking for.

First impressions are critical. Beyond the freebies and the clever booth setups, it's those first 45 seconds that make all the difference - for attendees and exhibitors alike.

Start by asking the company's rep "so, what do you do?" or its equivalent. Whether the vendor hired part time booth bimbos or brought their seasoned sales or technical reps will be immediately clear.

If the vendor is there just taking up space in order to scan the badges of folks who stop by to bag one of the free trinkets - what does that tell you?

If the trade shows exhibitor is serious about building relationships with new prospective customers and connecting with current customers you can be sure the rep will have their 30-second pitch ready.

In thirty seconds a knowledgeable company rep can tell you what they have on offer and what's in it for their target customers. If you like what you hear, bingo, if not move on.

And don't think you are offending the company's rep when you turn and walk away. They don't really want to spend their time with you either - if there is nothing mutually beneficial to talk about.

Of course if you already know what they do, you might start with "so, what's new for 2008?" or something to that effect.

Remember, your objective is simple - spend just 45 seconds with 90% of the exhibitors, so you can invest as much time as you need with those few exhibitors whose products and services can help you.

Ok, now that you've identified the trade show exhibitors you want to invest your time with, what should you do - what questions should you ask them?

First, ask the company rep to tell you the number one question people ask that leads them to their company's solution?

They will know this if they are doing keyword related advertising. What keywords (problems) are they buying with their search engines because the people who have that problem are ideal prospects for the exhibitor's solutions?

This is a first level inquiry, you are trying now to determine whether or not the words they are advertising for are the words you use when you are searching for information about the problem their product or service solves.

Second, do they speak YOUR language? This is an easy way to determine for yourself whether or not they see you as their ideal type prospect or not. If they use examples that are clearly not relevant to you, there's a message in that. If they talk about installations of their products with outfits like yours, there's a message there too. This is a second level disqualification process, to cut through the pitch.

Finally, who are their competitors? They have them, they know it, you know it and they know you know it. How are they superior to them? This will provide a knowledgeable company rep an opportunity to expound on their unique selling proposition. How they react to the question will tell you how confident they are in their application in your situation.

I have attended several trade shows during the last few months. Most recently I covered the Search Engine Strategies event and trade show. I spent several hours in the exhibit hall asking the questions above and was pleasantly surprised by the results.

Maybe it was because the vendors were acutely aware of the value of the opportunity to make the best possible impression on potential new customers.

Perhaps it was because they could feel their competitors breathing down their necks and wanted to make their best pitch to the right people - so they asked the right questions and gave the right answers, no game playing to get sign ups to a marketing list.

Or it could be that the cost of being there and bringing their best people to answer the tough questions this knowledgeable audience had for them was great enough to make them focus their efforts on the right actions to get the right prospects on their list for follow up.

And by the way, in case you didn't ask the above questions of the vendors at the last trade show exhibit hall you were in, you can ask them when the follow up sales calls begin.

Trade Shows and Trade Show Exhibits - How to Get the Most Out of Your Next Tradeshow

Trade shows as a key component of every industry, association, and professional meeting. Their importance cannot be over stated for the attendees, the sponsoring organization, and the exhibitors themselves.

Trade show attendees have access to "what's new" in one place. They can check it out anonymously and with no obligation. If they aren't interested they can just walk away.

The sponsoring organization sells space to the exhibitors, money it uses to reduce the attendee's fees and other costs. The individual attendees save money, the registration is lowered to help get more people to attend, and the exhibitors have a larger pool of prospects.

When it is done right, the trade show component of an event is a huge benefit to everyone.

This article will help you be a better exhibit hall visitor.

As a trade show exhibit hall attendee you should focus on spending as little time as possible disqualifying each exhibitor - making decisions quickly regarding the exhibitor's relevance to you. If not move on, don't give them your card or let them scan your badge!

Typically the exhibit hall opens on a day packed with main platform presentations and concurrent workshops. It is likely to be the busiest day of the event - so there is little time to cover every exhibitor there.

But visiting every booth is a must. You never know when someone with a tiny last minute table in the back of the hall by the restrooms has the very answer you've been looking for.

First impressions are critical. Beyond the freebies and the clever booth setups, it's those first 45 seconds that make all the difference - for attendees and exhibitors alike.

Start by asking the company's rep "so, what do you do?" or its equivalent. Whether the vendor hired part time booth bimbos or brought their seasoned sales or technical reps will be immediately clear.

If the vendor is there just taking up space in order to scan the badges of folks who stop by to bag one of the free trinkets - what does that tell you?

If the trade shows exhibitor is serious about building relationships with new prospective customers and connecting with current customers you can be sure the rep will have their 30-second pitch ready.

In thirty seconds a knowledgeable company rep can tell you what they have on offer and what's in it for their target customers. If you like what you hear, bingo, if not move on.

And don't think you are offending the company's rep when you turn and walk away. They don't really want to spend their time with you either - if there is nothing mutually beneficial to talk about.

Of course if you already know what they do, you might start with "so, what's new for 2008?" or something to that effect.

Remember, your objective is simple - spend just 45 seconds with 90% of the exhibitors, so you can invest as much time as you need with those few exhibitors whose products and services can help you.

Ok, now that you've identified the trade show exhibitors you want to invest your time with, what should you do - what questions should you ask them?

First, ask the company rep to tell you the number one question people ask that leads them to their company's solution?

They will know this if they are doing keyword related advertising. What keywords (problems) are they buying with their search engines because the people who have that problem are ideal prospects for the exhibitor's solutions?

This is a first level inquiry, you are trying now to determine whether or not the words they are advertising for are the words you use when you are searching for information about the problem their product or service solves.

Second, do they speak YOUR language? This is an easy way to determine for yourself whether or not they see you as their ideal type prospect or not. If they use examples that are clearly not relevant to you, there's a message in that. If they talk about installations of their products with outfits like yours, there's a message there too. This is a second level disqualification process, to cut through the pitch.

Finally, who are their competitors? They have them, they know it, you know it and they know you know it. How are they superior to them? This will provide a knowledgeable company rep an opportunity to expound on their unique selling proposition. How they react to the question will tell you how confident they are in their application in your situation.

I have attended several trade shows during the last few months. Most recently I covered the Search Engine Strategies event and trade show. I spent several hours in the exhibit hall asking the questions above and was pleasantly surprised by the results.

Maybe it was because the vendors were acutely aware of the value of the opportunity to make the best possible impression on potential new customers.

Perhaps it was because they could feel their competitors breathing down their necks and wanted to make their best pitch to the right people - so they asked the right questions and gave the right answers, no game playing to get sign ups to a marketing list.

Or it could be that the cost of being there and bringing their best people to answer the tough questions this knowledgeable audience had for them was great enough to make them focus their efforts on the right actions to get the right prospects on their list for follow up.

And by the way, in case you didn't ask the above questions of the vendors at the last trade show exhibit hall you were in, you can ask them when the follow up sales calls begin.

Trade Shows and Trade Show Exhibits - How to Get the Most Out of Your Next Tradeshow

Trade shows as a key component of every industry, association, and professional meeting. Their importance cannot be over stated for the attendees, the sponsoring organization, and the exhibitors themselves.

Trade show attendees have access to "what's new" in one place. They can check it out anonymously and with no obligation. If they aren't interested they can just walk away.

The sponsoring organization sells space to the exhibitors, money it uses to reduce the attendee's fees and other costs. The individual attendees save money, the registration is lowered to help get more people to attend, and the exhibitors have a larger pool of prospects.

When it is done right, the trade show component of an event is a huge benefit to everyone.

This article will help you be a better exhibit hall visitor.

As a trade show exhibit hall attendee you should focus on spending as little time as possible disqualifying each exhibitor - making decisions quickly regarding the exhibitor's relevance to you. If not move on, don't give them your card or let them scan your badge!

Typically the exhibit hall opens on a day packed with main platform presentations and concurrent workshops. It is likely to be the busiest day of the event - so there is little time to cover every exhibitor there.

But visiting every booth is a must. You never know when someone with a tiny last minute table in the back of the hall by the restrooms has the very answer you've been looking for.

First impressions are critical. Beyond the freebies and the clever booth setups, it's those first 45 seconds that make all the difference - for attendees and exhibitors alike.

Start by asking the company's rep "so, what do you do?" or its equivalent. Whether the vendor hired part time booth bimbos or brought their seasoned sales or technical reps will be immediately clear.

If the vendor is there just taking up space in order to scan the badges of folks who stop by to bag one of the free trinkets - what does that tell you?

If the trade shows exhibitor is serious about building relationships with new prospective customers and connecting with current customers you can be sure the rep will have their 30-second pitch ready.

In thirty seconds a knowledgeable company rep can tell you what they have on offer and what's in it for their target customers. If you like what you hear, bingo, if not move on.

And don't think you are offending the company's rep when you turn and walk away. They don't really want to spend their time with you either - if there is nothing mutually beneficial to talk about.

Of course if you already know what they do, you might start with "so, what's new for 2008?" or something to that effect.

Remember, your objective is simple - spend just 45 seconds with 90% of the exhibitors, so you can invest as much time as you need with those few exhibitors whose products and services can help you.

Ok, now that you've identified the trade show exhibitors you want to invest your time with, what should you do - what questions should you ask them?

First, ask the company rep to tell you the number one question people ask that leads them to their company's solution?

They will know this if they are doing keyword related advertising. What keywords (problems) are they buying with their search engines because the people who have that problem are ideal prospects for the exhibitor's solutions?

This is a first level inquiry, you are trying now to determine whether or not the words they are advertising for are the words you use when you are searching for information about the problem their product or service solves.

Second, do they speak YOUR language? This is an easy way to determine for yourself whether or not they see you as their ideal type prospect or not. If they use examples that are clearly not relevant to you, there's a message in that. If they talk about installations of their products with outfits like yours, there's a message there too. This is a second level disqualification process, to cut through the pitch.

Finally, who are their competitors? They have them, they know it, you know it and they know you know it. How are they superior to them? This will provide a knowledgeable company rep an opportunity to expound on their unique selling proposition. How they react to the question will tell you how confident they are in their application in your situation.

I have attended several trade shows during the last few months. Most recently I covered the Search Engine Strategies event and trade show. I spent several hours in the exhibit hall asking the questions above and was pleasantly surprised by the results.

Maybe it was because the vendors were acutely aware of the value of the opportunity to make the best possible impression on potential new customers.

Perhaps it was because they could feel their competitors breathing down their necks and wanted to make their best pitch to the right people - so they asked the right questions and gave the right answers, no game playing to get sign ups to a marketing list.

Or it could be that the cost of being there and bringing their best people to answer the tough questions this knowledgeable audience had for them was great enough to make them focus their efforts on the right actions to get the right prospects on their list for follow up.

And by the way, in case you didn't ask the above questions of the vendors at the last trade show exhibit hall you were in, you can ask them when the follow up sales calls begin.

Trade Shows and Trade Show Exhibits - How to Get the Most Out of Your Next Tradeshow

Trade shows as a key component of every industry, association, and professional meeting. Their importance cannot be over stated for the attendees, the sponsoring organization, and the exhibitors themselves.

Trade show attendees have access to "what's new" in one place. They can check it out anonymously and with no obligation. If they aren't interested they can just walk away.

The sponsoring organization sells space to the exhibitors, money it uses to reduce the attendee's fees and other costs. The individual attendees save money, the registration is lowered to help get more people to attend, and the exhibitors have a larger pool of prospects.

When it is done right, the trade show component of an event is a huge benefit to everyone.

This article will help you be a better exhibit hall visitor.

As a trade show exhibit hall attendee you should focus on spending as little time as possible disqualifying each exhibitor - making decisions quickly regarding the exhibitor's relevance to you. If not move on, don't give them your card or let them scan your badge!

Typically the exhibit hall opens on a day packed with main platform presentations and concurrent workshops. It is likely to be the busiest day of the event - so there is little time to cover every exhibitor there.

But visiting every booth is a must. You never know when someone with a tiny last minute table in the back of the hall by the restrooms has the very answer you've been looking for.

First impressions are critical. Beyond the freebies and the clever booth setups, it's those first 45 seconds that make all the difference - for attendees and exhibitors alike.

Start by asking the company's rep "so, what do you do?" or its equivalent. Whether the vendor hired part time booth bimbos or brought their seasoned sales or technical reps will be immediately clear.

If the vendor is there just taking up space in order to scan the badges of folks who stop by to bag one of the free trinkets - what does that tell you?

If the trade shows exhibitor is serious about building relationships with new prospective customers and connecting with current customers you can be sure the rep will have their 30-second pitch ready.

In thirty seconds a knowledgeable company rep can tell you what they have on offer and what's in it for their target customers. If you like what you hear, bingo, if not move on.

And don't think you are offending the company's rep when you turn and walk away. They don't really want to spend their time with you either - if there is nothing mutually beneficial to talk about.

Of course if you already know what they do, you might start with "so, what's new for 2008?" or something to that effect.

Remember, your objective is simple - spend just 45 seconds with 90% of the exhibitors, so you can invest as much time as you need with those few exhibitors whose products and services can help you.

Ok, now that you've identified the trade show exhibitors you want to invest your time with, what should you do - what questions should you ask them?

First, ask the company rep to tell you the number one question people ask that leads them to their company's solution?

They will know this if they are doing keyword related advertising. What keywords (problems) are they buying with their search engines because the people who have that problem are ideal prospects for the exhibitor's solutions?

This is a first level inquiry, you are trying now to determine whether or not the words they are advertising for are the words you use when you are searching for information about the problem their product or service solves.

Second, do they speak YOUR language? This is an easy way to determine for yourself whether or not they see you as their ideal type prospect or not. If they use examples that are clearly not relevant to you, there's a message in that. If they talk about installations of their products with outfits like yours, there's a message there too. This is a second level disqualification process, to cut through the pitch.

Finally, who are their competitors? They have them, they know it, you know it and they know you know it. How are they superior to them? This will provide a knowledgeable company rep an opportunity to expound on their unique selling proposition. How they react to the question will tell you how confident they are in their application in your situation.

I have attended several trade shows during the last few months. Most recently I covered the Search Engine Strategies event and trade show. I spent several hours in the exhibit hall asking the questions above and was pleasantly surprised by the results.

Maybe it was because the vendors were acutely aware of the value of the opportunity to make the best possible impression on potential new customers.

Perhaps it was because they could feel their competitors breathing down their necks and wanted to make their best pitch to the right people - so they asked the right questions and gave the right answers, no game playing to get sign ups to a marketing list.

Or it could be that the cost of being there and bringing their best people to answer the tough questions this knowledgeable audience had for them was great enough to make them focus their efforts on the right actions to get the right prospects on their list for follow up.

And by the way, in case you didn't ask the above questions of the vendors at the last trade show exhibit hall you were in, you can ask them when the follow up sales calls begin.

How to Prepare for a Fundraising Event

Well, that time of the year is upon us once again. People from all walks of life start to band together in pursuit of one common goal, to get their favorite candidate elected come November. Yes, election season is just about to arrive, meaning that we can now start flooding our candidates with enough wads of money to ensure that their campaign will stay afloat all the way up to the day we vote in these midterm elections. One of the most important aspects of any respectable campaign is the need to raise enough money to pay for advertisements, mudslinging jabs at an opponent, and all of the supplies and wages that are ultimately necessary to keep any campaign running at full steam. A lack of funding can easily mean that a candidate who should have otherwise easily swept the votes at the poles could end up simply treading water in a feeble attempt to save his political life.

No campaign can run without the need for fundraising. The act of raising funds for your favorite candidate is totally necessary even if the that candidate has an amazing track record, supports all kinds of initiatives that the average person is rooting for, and has enough charisma to be able to put a smile on even the most aggressive opponents. Unfortunately, most of the highly qualified candidates who should have won find themselves coming in last place in a two man race simply because not enough time was devoted to fundraising efforts. Without the money which acts as the lifeblood for any successful political campaign, a candidate will never be able to take any office in this country. No how, no way.

So, if you are highly supportive of a candidate and you want to help him or her win this coming election, what can you do to help? Without a doubt, a fundraising event is the best way to go about helping your favorite candidate. Since money is involved, you will have no problem getting the potential political winner to come to your fundraising event, so you already have the keynote speaker all lined up. All you really have to do is figure out what type of fundraising event you want to host and how much you should charge your attendees. While there are many different choices for a great fundraising event, many people simply choose to host a fundraising dinner because they are an excellent way for attendees to meet the politician and socialize amongst themselves. A successful fundraising dinner should have a wide selection of meals and a price tag per person that is not astronomically high considering the location and the event. Even though people will show up no matter how much the dinner at your fundraising event costs, it may be a better idea to have a lower priced meal and encourage that all of those in attendance contribute a bit of extra money on the side.

How to Prepare for a Fundraising Event

Well, that time of the year is upon us once again. People from all walks of life start to band together in pursuit of one common goal, to get their favorite candidate elected come November. Yes, election season is just about to arrive, meaning that we can now start flooding our candidates with enough wads of money to ensure that their campaign will stay afloat all the way up to the day we vote in these midterm elections. One of the most important aspects of any respectable campaign is the need to raise enough money to pay for advertisements, mudslinging jabs at an opponent, and all of the supplies and wages that are ultimately necessary to keep any campaign running at full steam. A lack of funding can easily mean that a candidate who should have otherwise easily swept the votes at the poles could end up simply treading water in a feeble attempt to save his political life.

No campaign can run without the need for fundraising. The act of raising funds for your favorite candidate is totally necessary even if the that candidate has an amazing track record, supports all kinds of initiatives that the average person is rooting for, and has enough charisma to be able to put a smile on even the most aggressive opponents. Unfortunately, most of the highly qualified candidates who should have won find themselves coming in last place in a two man race simply because not enough time was devoted to fundraising efforts. Without the money which acts as the lifeblood for any successful political campaign, a candidate will never be able to take any office in this country. No how, no way.

So, if you are highly supportive of a candidate and you want to help him or her win this coming election, what can you do to help? Without a doubt, a fundraising event is the best way to go about helping your favorite candidate. Since money is involved, you will have no problem getting the potential political winner to come to your fundraising event, so you already have the keynote speaker all lined up. All you really have to do is figure out what type of fundraising event you want to host and how much you should charge your attendees. While there are many different choices for a great fundraising event, many people simply choose to host a fundraising dinner because they are an excellent way for attendees to meet the politician and socialize amongst themselves. A successful fundraising dinner should have a wide selection of meals and a price tag per person that is not astronomically high considering the location and the event. Even though people will show up no matter how much the dinner at your fundraising event costs, it may be a better idea to have a lower priced meal and encourage that all of those in attendance contribute a bit of extra money on the side.

How to Prepare for a Fundraising Event

Well, that time of the year is upon us once again. People from all walks of life start to band together in pursuit of one common goal, to get their favorite candidate elected come November. Yes, election season is just about to arrive, meaning that we can now start flooding our candidates with enough wads of money to ensure that their campaign will stay afloat all the way up to the day we vote in these midterm elections. One of the most important aspects of any respectable campaign is the need to raise enough money to pay for advertisements, mudslinging jabs at an opponent, and all of the supplies and wages that are ultimately necessary to keep any campaign running at full steam. A lack of funding can easily mean that a candidate who should have otherwise easily swept the votes at the poles could end up simply treading water in a feeble attempt to save his political life.

No campaign can run without the need for fundraising. The act of raising funds for your favorite candidate is totally necessary even if the that candidate has an amazing track record, supports all kinds of initiatives that the average person is rooting for, and has enough charisma to be able to put a smile on even the most aggressive opponents. Unfortunately, most of the highly qualified candidates who should have won find themselves coming in last place in a two man race simply because not enough time was devoted to fundraising efforts. Without the money which acts as the lifeblood for any successful political campaign, a candidate will never be able to take any office in this country. No how, no way.

So, if you are highly supportive of a candidate and you want to help him or her win this coming election, what can you do to help? Without a doubt, a fundraising event is the best way to go about helping your favorite candidate. Since money is involved, you will have no problem getting the potential political winner to come to your fundraising event, so you already have the keynote speaker all lined up. All you really have to do is figure out what type of fundraising event you want to host and how much you should charge your attendees. While there are many different choices for a great fundraising event, many people simply choose to host a fundraising dinner because they are an excellent way for attendees to meet the politician and socialize amongst themselves. A successful fundraising dinner should have a wide selection of meals and a price tag per person that is not astronomically high considering the location and the event. Even though people will show up no matter how much the dinner at your fundraising event costs, it may be a better idea to have a lower priced meal and encourage that all of those in attendance contribute a bit of extra money on the side.

How to Prepare for a Fundraising Event

Well, that time of the year is upon us once again. People from all walks of life start to band together in pursuit of one common goal, to get their favorite candidate elected come November. Yes, election season is just about to arrive, meaning that we can now start flooding our candidates with enough wads of money to ensure that their campaign will stay afloat all the way up to the day we vote in these midterm elections. One of the most important aspects of any respectable campaign is the need to raise enough money to pay for advertisements, mudslinging jabs at an opponent, and all of the supplies and wages that are ultimately necessary to keep any campaign running at full steam. A lack of funding can easily mean that a candidate who should have otherwise easily swept the votes at the poles could end up simply treading water in a feeble attempt to save his political life.

No campaign can run without the need for fundraising. The act of raising funds for your favorite candidate is totally necessary even if the that candidate has an amazing track record, supports all kinds of initiatives that the average person is rooting for, and has enough charisma to be able to put a smile on even the most aggressive opponents. Unfortunately, most of the highly qualified candidates who should have won find themselves coming in last place in a two man race simply because not enough time was devoted to fundraising efforts. Without the money which acts as the lifeblood for any successful political campaign, a candidate will never be able to take any office in this country. No how, no way.

So, if you are highly supportive of a candidate and you want to help him or her win this coming election, what can you do to help? Without a doubt, a fundraising event is the best way to go about helping your favorite candidate. Since money is involved, you will have no problem getting the potential political winner to come to your fundraising event, so you already have the keynote speaker all lined up. All you really have to do is figure out what type of fundraising event you want to host and how much you should charge your attendees. While there are many different choices for a great fundraising event, many people simply choose to host a fundraising dinner because they are an excellent way for attendees to meet the politician and socialize amongst themselves. A successful fundraising dinner should have a wide selection of meals and a price tag per person that is not astronomically high considering the location and the event. Even though people will show up no matter how much the dinner at your fundraising event costs, it may be a better idea to have a lower priced meal and encourage that all of those in attendance contribute a bit of extra money on the side.

Finding the Right Venue in London

London is an amazing location to hold any event large or small. England's capital city offers a wide range of venues from converted breweries and fish markets, to some of the leading hotels of the world and indeed London has venues to meet every brief.

The difficult part is finding the correct venue and this is where venue finding agencies can really help.

There are many factors in finding a venue in London, however there are 4 major fundamental aspects that are of most importance. The first factor is understanding what the end goal of the event is and also to understand all the specific details of the event, the more information the better!

By understanding all the requirements it will be more simple to match the event to a selection of London's venues. London has venues that are ideal for everything from training courses to sales meetings and from boardroom meetings for 10 senior directors to award dinners for over 1000 people.

The Second factor is to work with experts who have a broad knowledge of venues in London. Many people when looking for venues in London choose to rely on non-specialist agencies that work purely from databases and have not actually experienced these London venues in person.

Our recommendation is to check out the credentials of the people working on your brief, in many cases using companies local to London is the best bet and ask if they have seen the venues that are recommended.

The Third factor is to ensure that you have the location correct for your event. You will need to carefully consider the most appropriate location for your venue to be in.

It's simple to say that you need a venue that is near to a tube station, however is that enough? If you are holding an event that is attracting people from all around the world then you need to consider airport access.

If your event is pulling people from all around the UK then access from mainline stations will also need to be considered.

London has venues throughout many areas and indeed knowledge of what these venues have to offer also plays a hand in your decision.

A good example of this is the number of people who want a venue in London, but because of their lack of local knowledge only, look in the west end for a venue. (a safe bet as they know the location well)

Many people rule out Kensington, Belgravia and the City when venues in these areas of London have much to offer. One major benefit of these areas is that the venues are often far more reasonably priced and often parking and access is better.

Over the past 2 years the introduction of the Congestion Charging Zone has again seen venues outside the zone become more attractive.

The forth factor that needs consideration when selecting venues in London is 'time'. This affects conferences and events in London in 2 ways. When considering finding selecting a venue in London the lead time is essential.

If you are looking for a large venue for an awards dinner, many organisers work at least 12 months in advance, with many booking annual events for several years in advance.

For instance if you are looking for an event for 600 + people and only have 3 months until the planned event you will find your selection of venues in London is greatly reduced and indeed many of venues that you would have expected to see as potential choices will be ruled out.

The second implication of time factor is the timing of the event. London has many large seasonal events that affect the availability and cost of your London veneu. Examples of this are Wimbledon, The Chelsea Flower Show, Easter, Bank Holidays and also major sporting events.

Our advice is also to check the events planned at Excel, The QE2 Exhibition Centre and also the Earls Court, Olympia and Wembley.

Many people have had big problems gaining accommodation for their planned event due to sell out gigs by Robbie Williams, coinciding with a large event like the Boat Show. A little planning and foresight can avoid this.

One final consideration is that of seeing the venue prior to committing to it. This is not always essential but it is recommended. Websites, virtual tours and recommendations can all help, but seeing the venue is always best.

In many cases taking an industry professional like a venue finding agent with you will also help as there experience will be able to give you a second opinion you can trust. Having a clear idea of what you are looking for on a site visit is essential and recording it can help when making a decision.

By following these 4 factors finding the perfect venue in London will become simpler! Organisers can then be left to concentrate on the other key areas like sourcing speakers, arranging AV, not to mention dealing with the actual agenda and content of your meeting or event.

Finding the Right Venue in London

London is an amazing location to hold any event large or small. England's capital city offers a wide range of venues from converted breweries and fish markets, to some of the leading hotels of the world and indeed London has venues to meet every brief.

The difficult part is finding the correct venue and this is where venue finding agencies can really help.

There are many factors in finding a venue in London, however there are 4 major fundamental aspects that are of most importance. The first factor is understanding what the end goal of the event is and also to understand all the specific details of the event, the more information the better!

By understanding all the requirements it will be more simple to match the event to a selection of London's venues. London has venues that are ideal for everything from training courses to sales meetings and from boardroom meetings for 10 senior directors to award dinners for over 1000 people.

The Second factor is to work with experts who have a broad knowledge of venues in London. Many people when looking for venues in London choose to rely on non-specialist agencies that work purely from databases and have not actually experienced these London venues in person.

Our recommendation is to check out the credentials of the people working on your brief, in many cases using companies local to London is the best bet and ask if they have seen the venues that are recommended.

The Third factor is to ensure that you have the location correct for your event. You will need to carefully consider the most appropriate location for your venue to be in.

It's simple to say that you need a venue that is near to a tube station, however is that enough? If you are holding an event that is attracting people from all around the world then you need to consider airport access.

If your event is pulling people from all around the UK then access from mainline stations will also need to be considered.

London has venues throughout many areas and indeed knowledge of what these venues have to offer also plays a hand in your decision.

A good example of this is the number of people who want a venue in London, but because of their lack of local knowledge only, look in the west end for a venue. (a safe bet as they know the location well)

Many people rule out Kensington, Belgravia and the City when venues in these areas of London have much to offer. One major benefit of these areas is that the venues are often far more reasonably priced and often parking and access is better.

Over the past 2 years the introduction of the Congestion Charging Zone has again seen venues outside the zone become more attractive.

The forth factor that needs consideration when selecting venues in London is 'time'. This affects conferences and events in London in 2 ways. When considering finding selecting a venue in London the lead time is essential.

If you are looking for a large venue for an awards dinner, many organisers work at least 12 months in advance, with many booking annual events for several years in advance.

For instance if you are looking for an event for 600 + people and only have 3 months until the planned event you will find your selection of venues in London is greatly reduced and indeed many of venues that you would have expected to see as potential choices will be ruled out.

The second implication of time factor is the timing of the event. London has many large seasonal events that affect the availability and cost of your London veneu. Examples of this are Wimbledon, The Chelsea Flower Show, Easter, Bank Holidays and also major sporting events.

Our advice is also to check the events planned at Excel, The QE2 Exhibition Centre and also the Earls Court, Olympia and Wembley.

Many people have had big problems gaining accommodation for their planned event due to sell out gigs by Robbie Williams, coinciding with a large event like the Boat Show. A little planning and foresight can avoid this.

One final consideration is that of seeing the venue prior to committing to it. This is not always essential but it is recommended. Websites, virtual tours and recommendations can all help, but seeing the venue is always best.

In many cases taking an industry professional like a venue finding agent with you will also help as there experience will be able to give you a second opinion you can trust. Having a clear idea of what you are looking for on a site visit is essential and recording it can help when making a decision.

By following these 4 factors finding the perfect venue in London will become simpler! Organisers can then be left to concentrate on the other key areas like sourcing speakers, arranging AV, not to mention dealing with the actual agenda and content of your meeting or event.

Finding the Right Venue in London

London is an amazing location to hold any event large or small. England's capital city offers a wide range of venues from converted breweries and fish markets, to some of the leading hotels of the world and indeed London has venues to meet every brief.

The difficult part is finding the correct venue and this is where venue finding agencies can really help.

There are many factors in finding a venue in London, however there are 4 major fundamental aspects that are of most importance. The first factor is understanding what the end goal of the event is and also to understand all the specific details of the event, the more information the better!

By understanding all the requirements it will be more simple to match the event to a selection of London's venues. London has venues that are ideal for everything from training courses to sales meetings and from boardroom meetings for 10 senior directors to award dinners for over 1000 people.

The Second factor is to work with experts who have a broad knowledge of venues in London. Many people when looking for venues in London choose to rely on non-specialist agencies that work purely from databases and have not actually experienced these London venues in person.

Our recommendation is to check out the credentials of the people working on your brief, in many cases using companies local to London is the best bet and ask if they have seen the venues that are recommended.

The Third factor is to ensure that you have the location correct for your event. You will need to carefully consider the most appropriate location for your venue to be in.

It's simple to say that you need a venue that is near to a tube station, however is that enough? If you are holding an event that is attracting people from all around the world then you need to consider airport access.

If your event is pulling people from all around the UK then access from mainline stations will also need to be considered.

London has venues throughout many areas and indeed knowledge of what these venues have to offer also plays a hand in your decision.

A good example of this is the number of people who want a venue in London, but because of their lack of local knowledge only, look in the west end for a venue. (a safe bet as they know the location well)

Many people rule out Kensington, Belgravia and the City when venues in these areas of London have much to offer. One major benefit of these areas is that the venues are often far more reasonably priced and often parking and access is better.

Over the past 2 years the introduction of the Congestion Charging Zone has again seen venues outside the zone become more attractive.

The forth factor that needs consideration when selecting venues in London is 'time'. This affects conferences and events in London in 2 ways. When considering finding selecting a venue in London the lead time is essential.

If you are looking for a large venue for an awards dinner, many organisers work at least 12 months in advance, with many booking annual events for several years in advance.

For instance if you are looking for an event for 600 + people and only have 3 months until the planned event you will find your selection of venues in London is greatly reduced and indeed many of venues that you would have expected to see as potential choices will be ruled out.

The second implication of time factor is the timing of the event. London has many large seasonal events that affect the availability and cost of your London veneu. Examples of this are Wimbledon, The Chelsea Flower Show, Easter, Bank Holidays and also major sporting events.

Our advice is also to check the events planned at Excel, The QE2 Exhibition Centre and also the Earls Court, Olympia and Wembley.

Many people have had big problems gaining accommodation for their planned event due to sell out gigs by Robbie Williams, coinciding with a large event like the Boat Show. A little planning and foresight can avoid this.

One final consideration is that of seeing the venue prior to committing to it. This is not always essential but it is recommended. Websites, virtual tours and recommendations can all help, but seeing the venue is always best.

In many cases taking an industry professional like a venue finding agent with you will also help as there experience will be able to give you a second opinion you can trust. Having a clear idea of what you are looking for on a site visit is essential and recording it can help when making a decision.

By following these 4 factors finding the perfect venue in London will become simpler! Organisers can then be left to concentrate on the other key areas like sourcing speakers, arranging AV, not to mention dealing with the actual agenda and content of your meeting or event.

Finding the Right Venue in London

London is an amazing location to hold any event large or small. England's capital city offers a wide range of venues from converted breweries and fish markets, to some of the leading hotels of the world and indeed London has venues to meet every brief.

The difficult part is finding the correct venue and this is where venue finding agencies can really help.

There are many factors in finding a venue in London, however there are 4 major fundamental aspects that are of most importance. The first factor is understanding what the end goal of the event is and also to understand all the specific details of the event, the more information the better!

By understanding all the requirements it will be more simple to match the event to a selection of London's venues. London has venues that are ideal for everything from training courses to sales meetings and from boardroom meetings for 10 senior directors to award dinners for over 1000 people.

The Second factor is to work with experts who have a broad knowledge of venues in London. Many people when looking for venues in London choose to rely on non-specialist agencies that work purely from databases and have not actually experienced these London venues in person.

Our recommendation is to check out the credentials of the people working on your brief, in many cases using companies local to London is the best bet and ask if they have seen the venues that are recommended.

The Third factor is to ensure that you have the location correct for your event. You will need to carefully consider the most appropriate location for your venue to be in.

It's simple to say that you need a venue that is near to a tube station, however is that enough? If you are holding an event that is attracting people from all around the world then you need to consider airport access.

If your event is pulling people from all around the UK then access from mainline stations will also need to be considered.

London has venues throughout many areas and indeed knowledge of what these venues have to offer also plays a hand in your decision.

A good example of this is the number of people who want a venue in London, but because of their lack of local knowledge only, look in the west end for a venue. (a safe bet as they know the location well)

Many people rule out Kensington, Belgravia and the City when venues in these areas of London have much to offer. One major benefit of these areas is that the venues are often far more reasonably priced and often parking and access is better.

Over the past 2 years the introduction of the Congestion Charging Zone has again seen venues outside the zone become more attractive.

The forth factor that needs consideration when selecting venues in London is 'time'. This affects conferences and events in London in 2 ways. When considering finding selecting a venue in London the lead time is essential.

If you are looking for a large venue for an awards dinner, many organisers work at least 12 months in advance, with many booking annual events for several years in advance.

For instance if you are looking for an event for 600 + people and only have 3 months until the planned event you will find your selection of venues in London is greatly reduced and indeed many of venues that you would have expected to see as potential choices will be ruled out.

The second implication of time factor is the timing of the event. London has many large seasonal events that affect the availability and cost of your London veneu. Examples of this are Wimbledon, The Chelsea Flower Show, Easter, Bank Holidays and also major sporting events.

Our advice is also to check the events planned at Excel, The QE2 Exhibition Centre and also the Earls Court, Olympia and Wembley.

Many people have had big problems gaining accommodation for their planned event due to sell out gigs by Robbie Williams, coinciding with a large event like the Boat Show. A little planning and foresight can avoid this.

One final consideration is that of seeing the venue prior to committing to it. This is not always essential but it is recommended. Websites, virtual tours and recommendations can all help, but seeing the venue is always best.

In many cases taking an industry professional like a venue finding agent with you will also help as there experience will be able to give you a second opinion you can trust. Having a clear idea of what you are looking for on a site visit is essential and recording it can help when making a decision.

By following these 4 factors finding the perfect venue in London will become simpler! Organisers can then be left to concentrate on the other key areas like sourcing speakers, arranging AV, not to mention dealing with the actual agenda and content of your meeting or event.

Choosing the Correct Venue Finding Agency

There are certain criteria that you should take into account when sourcing a venue finder. The following paragraphs will detail the key factors you should analyse when looking at an agency for the first time and identify some of the strengths of a good venue finder.

The most important factor when looking for a venue finding agency is the quality of their employees. You need to identify quickly whether the venue finding agency is a system based, impersonal call centre employing dozens of staff who have never been to any of the venues they are so heartily recommending, or is it a team of experienced, passionate industry professionals with experience of finding venues for a range of events? If the answer is the former, then keep looking.

Smaller, more personal, agencies often take the time to send their employees out on what the industry calls familiarisation trips or fam-trips for short. This ensures that the employees of the venue finding agency have been to a wide range of venues and been shown around, much like you will be when you shortlist your venues. This also ensures that the staff from a venue finding agency have personal contacts at a variety of venues, ensuring immediate, accurate information and often better financial or availability deals.

Clearly it is not always possible to have seen a venue before short-listing it for a client, however by gaining experience seeing a number of different venues the employees of a good venue finding agency can sift through the endless venue choices and make an informed decision when putting together a shortlist. The final venue choice is rarely the venue finding agency employees responsibility - its yours, and the quality of the shortlist is vital in the success of your event.

Apart from assessing the level of employee knowledge at a venue finding agency, another key factor to assess is the efficiency of their service. A good venue finding agency should provide you with a number of references so you can speak to other customers about their experience. They should be able to get back to your within an hour or two with an appropriate shortlist of venues.

They should also be willing to search again and again to find you the right venue. The difficulty is rarely finding a suitable venue, broadly speaking, the key to an effective venue finding agency is to find the venue that is perfect for your event. A good agency will be happy to review your needs after and unsuccessful search and discuss the brief in more detail before searching again.

Another key factor to try to investigate when sourcing a venue finding agency is the quality of their geographic knowledge. A good agency should be made up of a well travelled team. There shouldn't be any area of the UK that at least one member of the team is familiar with.

This ensures that the more important geographic decisions regarding the venue, i.e. can your delegates drive there in rush-hour, what is parking like etc etc, can be made without reference to the venues themselves - invariably the venue will tell you that access is easy and there are no problems at all at rush-hour. Some local knowledge can paint a very different picture.

If you source a venue finding agency that can satisfy on all of the above points, then your venue finding will be a pleasurable experience. There are many, many companies that pride themselves on this level of service and passion for finding the right venue.

While the larger agencies can find the same information on their systems, they are simply reading from the venue websites - something you could do yourself. You are using a professional company to make your life easier and also to take advantage of their expertise. Just make sure that their expertise is from their experience and not on the screen in front of them.

Choosing the Correct Venue Finding Agency

There are certain criteria that you should take into account when sourcing a venue finder. The following paragraphs will detail the key factors you should analyse when looking at an agency for the first time and identify some of the strengths of a good venue finder.

The most important factor when looking for a venue finding agency is the quality of their employees. You need to identify quickly whether the venue finding agency is a system based, impersonal call centre employing dozens of staff who have never been to any of the venues they are so heartily recommending, or is it a team of experienced, passionate industry professionals with experience of finding venues for a range of events? If the answer is the former, then keep looking.

Smaller, more personal, agencies often take the time to send their employees out on what the industry calls familiarisation trips or fam-trips for short. This ensures that the employees of the venue finding agency have been to a wide range of venues and been shown around, much like you will be when you shortlist your venues. This also ensures that the staff from a venue finding agency have personal contacts at a variety of venues, ensuring immediate, accurate information and often better financial or availability deals.

Clearly it is not always possible to have seen a venue before short-listing it for a client, however by gaining experience seeing a number of different venues the employees of a good venue finding agency can sift through the endless venue choices and make an informed decision when putting together a shortlist. The final venue choice is rarely the venue finding agency employees responsibility - its yours, and the quality of the shortlist is vital in the success of your event.

Apart from assessing the level of employee knowledge at a venue finding agency, another key factor to assess is the efficiency of their service. A good venue finding agency should provide you with a number of references so you can speak to other customers about their experience. They should be able to get back to your within an hour or two with an appropriate shortlist of venues.

They should also be willing to search again and again to find you the right venue. The difficulty is rarely finding a suitable venue, broadly speaking, the key to an effective venue finding agency is to find the venue that is perfect for your event. A good agency will be happy to review your needs after and unsuccessful search and discuss the brief in more detail before searching again.

Another key factor to try to investigate when sourcing a venue finding agency is the quality of their geographic knowledge. A good agency should be made up of a well travelled team. There shouldn't be any area of the UK that at least one member of the team is familiar with.

This ensures that the more important geographic decisions regarding the venue, i.e. can your delegates drive there in rush-hour, what is parking like etc etc, can be made without reference to the venues themselves - invariably the venue will tell you that access is easy and there are no problems at all at rush-hour. Some local knowledge can paint a very different picture.

If you source a venue finding agency that can satisfy on all of the above points, then your venue finding will be a pleasurable experience. There are many, many companies that pride themselves on this level of service and passion for finding the right venue.

While the larger agencies can find the same information on their systems, they are simply reading from the venue websites - something you could do yourself. You are using a professional company to make your life easier and also to take advantage of their expertise. Just make sure that their expertise is from their experience and not on the screen in front of them.

Choosing the Correct Venue Finding Agency

There are certain criteria that you should take into account when sourcing a venue finder. The following paragraphs will detail the key factors you should analyse when looking at an agency for the first time and identify some of the strengths of a good venue finder.

The most important factor when looking for a venue finding agency is the quality of their employees. You need to identify quickly whether the venue finding agency is a system based, impersonal call centre employing dozens of staff who have never been to any of the venues they are so heartily recommending, or is it a team of experienced, passionate industry professionals with experience of finding venues for a range of events? If the answer is the former, then keep looking.

Smaller, more personal, agencies often take the time to send their employees out on what the industry calls familiarisation trips or fam-trips for short. This ensures that the employees of the venue finding agency have been to a wide range of venues and been shown around, much like you will be when you shortlist your venues. This also ensures that the staff from a venue finding agency have personal contacts at a variety of venues, ensuring immediate, accurate information and often better financial or availability deals.

Clearly it is not always possible to have seen a venue before short-listing it for a client, however by gaining experience seeing a number of different venues the employees of a good venue finding agency can sift through the endless venue choices and make an informed decision when putting together a shortlist. The final venue choice is rarely the venue finding agency employees responsibility - its yours, and the quality of the shortlist is vital in the success of your event.

Apart from assessing the level of employee knowledge at a venue finding agency, another key factor to assess is the efficiency of their service. A good venue finding agency should provide you with a number of references so you can speak to other customers about their experience. They should be able to get back to your within an hour or two with an appropriate shortlist of venues.

They should also be willing to search again and again to find you the right venue. The difficulty is rarely finding a suitable venue, broadly speaking, the key to an effective venue finding agency is to find the venue that is perfect for your event. A good agency will be happy to review your needs after and unsuccessful search and discuss the brief in more detail before searching again.

Another key factor to try to investigate when sourcing a venue finding agency is the quality of their geographic knowledge. A good agency should be made up of a well travelled team. There shouldn't be any area of the UK that at least one member of the team is familiar with.

This ensures that the more important geographic decisions regarding the venue, i.e. can your delegates drive there in rush-hour, what is parking like etc etc, can be made without reference to the venues themselves - invariably the venue will tell you that access is easy and there are no problems at all at rush-hour. Some local knowledge can paint a very different picture.

If you source a venue finding agency that can satisfy on all of the above points, then your venue finding will be a pleasurable experience. There are many, many companies that pride themselves on this level of service and passion for finding the right venue.

While the larger agencies can find the same information on their systems, they are simply reading from the venue websites - something you could do yourself. You are using a professional company to make your life easier and also to take advantage of their expertise. Just make sure that their expertise is from their experience and not on the screen in front of them.

Choosing the Correct Venue Finding Agency

There are certain criteria that you should take into account when sourcing a venue finder. The following paragraphs will detail the key factors you should analyse when looking at an agency for the first time and identify some of the strengths of a good venue finder.

The most important factor when looking for a venue finding agency is the quality of their employees. You need to identify quickly whether the venue finding agency is a system based, impersonal call centre employing dozens of staff who have never been to any of the venues they are so heartily recommending, or is it a team of experienced, passionate industry professionals with experience of finding venues for a range of events? If the answer is the former, then keep looking.

Smaller, more personal, agencies often take the time to send their employees out on what the industry calls familiarisation trips or fam-trips for short. This ensures that the employees of the venue finding agency have been to a wide range of venues and been shown around, much like you will be when you shortlist your venues. This also ensures that the staff from a venue finding agency have personal contacts at a variety of venues, ensuring immediate, accurate information and often better financial or availability deals.

Clearly it is not always possible to have seen a venue before short-listing it for a client, however by gaining experience seeing a number of different venues the employees of a good venue finding agency can sift through the endless venue choices and make an informed decision when putting together a shortlist. The final venue choice is rarely the venue finding agency employees responsibility - its yours, and the quality of the shortlist is vital in the success of your event.

Apart from assessing the level of employee knowledge at a venue finding agency, another key factor to assess is the efficiency of their service. A good venue finding agency should provide you with a number of references so you can speak to other customers about their experience. They should be able to get back to your within an hour or two with an appropriate shortlist of venues.

They should also be willing to search again and again to find you the right venue. The difficulty is rarely finding a suitable venue, broadly speaking, the key to an effective venue finding agency is to find the venue that is perfect for your event. A good agency will be happy to review your needs after and unsuccessful search and discuss the brief in more detail before searching again.

Another key factor to try to investigate when sourcing a venue finding agency is the quality of their geographic knowledge. A good agency should be made up of a well travelled team. There shouldn't be any area of the UK that at least one member of the team is familiar with.

This ensures that the more important geographic decisions regarding the venue, i.e. can your delegates drive there in rush-hour, what is parking like etc etc, can be made without reference to the venues themselves - invariably the venue will tell you that access is easy and there are no problems at all at rush-hour. Some local knowledge can paint a very different picture.

If you source a venue finding agency that can satisfy on all of the above points, then your venue finding will be a pleasurable experience. There are many, many companies that pride themselves on this level of service and passion for finding the right venue.

While the larger agencies can find the same information on their systems, they are simply reading from the venue websites - something you could do yourself. You are using a professional company to make your life easier and also to take advantage of their expertise. Just make sure that their expertise is from their experience and not on the screen in front of them.

Choosing the Correct Venue Finding Agency

There are certain criteria that you should take into account when sourcing a venue finder. The following paragraphs will detail the key factors you should analyse when looking at an agency for the first time and identify some of the strengths of a good venue finder.

The most important factor when looking for a venue finding agency is the quality of their employees. You need to identify quickly whether the venue finding agency is a system based, impersonal call centre employing dozens of staff who have never been to any of the venues they are so heartily recommending, or is it a team of experienced, passionate industry professionals with experience of finding venues for a range of events? If the answer is the former, then keep looking.

Smaller, more personal, agencies often take the time to send their employees out on what the industry calls familiarisation trips or fam-trips for short. This ensures that the employees of the venue finding agency have been to a wide range of venues and been shown around, much like you will be when you shortlist your venues. This also ensures that the staff from a venue finding agency have personal contacts at a variety of venues, ensuring immediate, accurate information and often better financial or availability deals.

Clearly it is not always possible to have seen a venue before short-listing it for a client, however by gaining experience seeing a number of different venues the employees of a good venue finding agency can sift through the endless venue choices and make an informed decision when putting together a shortlist. The final venue choice is rarely the venue finding agency employees responsibility - its yours, and the quality of the shortlist is vital in the success of your event.

Apart from assessing the level of employee knowledge at a venue finding agency, another key factor to assess is the efficiency of their service. A good venue finding agency should provide you with a number of references so you can speak to other customers about their experience. They should be able to get back to your within an hour or two with an appropriate shortlist of venues.

They should also be willing to search again and again to find you the right venue. The difficulty is rarely finding a suitable venue, broadly speaking, the key to an effective venue finding agency is to find the venue that is perfect for your event. A good agency will be happy to review your needs after and unsuccessful search and discuss the brief in more detail before searching again.

Another key factor to try to investigate when sourcing a venue finding agency is the quality of their geographic knowledge. A good agency should be made up of a well travelled team. There shouldn't be any area of the UK that at least one member of the team is familiar with.

This ensures that the more important geographic decisions regarding the venue, i.e. can your delegates drive there in rush-hour, what is parking like etc etc, can be made without reference to the venues themselves - invariably the venue will tell you that access is easy and there are no problems at all at rush-hour. Some local knowledge can paint a very different picture.

If you source a venue finding agency that can satisfy on all of the above points, then your venue finding will be a pleasurable experience. There are many, many companies that pride themselves on this level of service and passion for finding the right venue.

While the larger agencies can find the same information on their systems, they are simply reading from the venue websites - something you could do yourself. You are using a professional company to make your life easier and also to take advantage of their expertise. Just make sure that their expertise is from their experience and not on the screen in front of them.