Do you ever find yourself running out of ideas for your next big conference? Maybe you have been in the events industry for years and feel like you need some fresh ideas to bring to the table.

A silent conference could be the answer to spicing up your next event.

As the hottest new trend in the events industry, a silent conference has been revolutionising the way events use their break out spaces.

Here’s five ways it can help you revamp your next event:

1. Host your break-outs in the same space, instead of hiring multiple break-out rooms

Have a budget in mind that you just aren’t meeting? Save money and bring something new to the table with silent break-outs. Using the silent conference system, you can host all your break-outs in your plenary space. You can even get creative and divide the breakouts with drape or wooden construction to create a more intimate feel.

2. Create multiple silent theatres in your exhibition space

Change-up your typical exhibition by adding silent theatres to the expo floor. These theatres can engage your audience in a new and fun way whilst selling your product or teaching your delegates something new. Audience members can use their silent headsets to listen to a pre-recorded audio feed, or a live presentation. Theatres can even be run side-by-side with audiences of any size.

3. Hold a silent meeting

Spice up boardroom meetings by hosting a silent meeting! Delegates can speak into their conference microphones and hear the entire conference on their silent headphones. This is perfect if the event space is large, if it is taking place in a noisy area or if you want to conceal the audio for privacy reasons.

4. Take your delegates on a silent tour

Want to highlight something really interesting at your exhibition? Host silent tours around your exhibition space to put the spotlight on the key products. Delegates can follow the speaker using their silent headphones, whilst the speaker navigates their way through the expo.

5. Take your audience ‘speed dating’

Bring a little fun to your event by conducting a ‘speed date’ format for your break-outs. Simply set-up several different silent break-outs in the same space and have your delegates move to each station after 10 minutes. Delegates can move and follow each session independently using the channel selector on their receiver. This is great idea to get as much content into your sessions as possible!

Three Habits To Help You Thrive In Today’s Changing Market

What’s the difference between a Realtor or Lender who will be out of the business within the next 60 days…and a Realtor or Lender who will do three extra transactions in the next 60 days?

No, it’s not bigger ads, more cold calling, or sending out your local sports team’s game schedule.

It’s setting the goal – three extra transactions in the next 60 days – and then having the self-discipline to reach it.

Now, here’s my definition of self-discipline: The willingness to do what it takes to achieve the results you want regardless of your mood.

Mood has to do with your motivation. Motivation usually happens at the beginning of a new project or goal; your dreams are dancing in your head and you’re ready to go. You know that feeling – you’re going to get up an hour earlier and go to the gym, or you’re going to stop grabbing fast food on the run and pack a healthy lunch instead, or you’re going to reorganize your workspace so it’s easier to find things, or you’re going to do three extra transactions in the next 60 days. Yes! I’m in! Bring it on!

But the human condition is, in a few hours or days that initial “high” begins to fade. You start to come down, even crash a little bit. And now that goal you set seems more like plain, hard work. That’s where self-discipline can prevent you from quitting. 

Motivation starts the race. Self-discipline crosses the finish line.

Building self-discipline is one of the hardest things you’ll ever do. I speak from my own experience because this is my greatest challenge. What keeps me trying is absolutely knowing that self-discipline is one of the most significant aspects of personal and professional development. Without it, we remain a pale shadow instead of the highest version of ourselves.

So we set a goal, and that’s good, because a goal gets you focused. Specifically, a goal gets you focused on the habits you need to form to make that goal come true. Habits are memorized solutions. When your mind figures out how to get something done, it saves the solution which is then reinforced when you apply it again. That solution is a habit. It could be looking both ways before you cross the street, setting your alarm clock at night, or taking a shower every morning.

What habits could you form to help you reach the goal of three extra transactions in the next 60 days? Here are my suggestions: 

Habit #1: Commit to thinking of the market as cyclic.

In Gary Keller’s Shift: How Top Real Estate Agents Tackle Tough Times, he talks about how, in our business, what goes up must come down, and what’s down won’t stay there forever. Shifts are never unexpected, but rarely predictable. But we’re in the habit of saying, “Gosh, this has never happened before.” Then, once the shift is over, we act as if it’s never going to happen again. When shifts occur and fear runs rampant, you have to get out of your fear and your concern about what’s going to happen to you, and start connecting with people, being the solution for them, interpreting for them, and letting them know what’s happening. How do you do this?

Habit #2: Commit to calling every one of your past clients and others in your sphere of influence over the next 60 days to check in, and offer them information about opportunities that could benefit someone they know.

Make a list of the names and telephone numbers of past clients you enjoyed helping along with friends, neighbors and others in your sphere. Keep that list with you and make your calls first thing in the morning when it’s quiet, in between appointments and when you’re in line at the bank. If you get voicemail or the answering machine, don’t leave a message – call them back. Your conversation could start something like this:

“Hi, Rob, it’s Joe Stumpf. Can you chat for just a couple of minutes? I called to ask if you have any questions about the market that I could answer for you. (Answer their questions.) I also wanted to let you know that a great property just came on the market that would make a perfect home for a first-time buyer. I was going to place an ad in the paper, and then I thought, before I start dealing with people who don’t know me, I’d give you a quick call and offer my time to people you know who might need it.”

By the way, did you notice? You’re not putting anyone on the spot by offering the loan or property to them. Instead, you’re offering your time to someone they know.

Habit #3: Commit to being willing to do what it takes to achieve the results you want regardless of your mood.

This is where self-discipline comes in – after you’ve made your first seven calls and not one person has referred anyone to you. The initial “high” of setting the goal has started to fade, and it would be so easy to find a dozen things you’d rather do than make these phone calls. Two dozen!

But as you keep making those calls, it’s going to become a habit, just like looking both ways before you cross the street. The more it becomes a habit, the more self-discipline you’ll develop. The more self-discipline, the more you’ll want to press on. The more you press on, the higher your likelihood of reaching the finish line.

I’ll leave you with this thought…

Over the next 60 days, how many transactions will you get by NOT making your calls?

“There is only one problem with common sense; it’s not very common.”

– Bryce’s Law

We’ve got some very bright and ambitious young people joining the work force now but they are coming at a very different time in the business world. Thanks to technology, we now live and work in a much faster paced society than what I joined just three short decades ago. It is also a much more competitive environment due to changing economic conditions. True, the Greatest Generation has basically moved along, but the Baby Boomers are still firmly in place and are not inclined to retire any time soon. This means the class of 2007 will be competing not only with people in their 20’s, 30’s and 40’s, but also with people in their 50’s and 60’s who cannot afford to retire.

This got me thinking about how well we are preparing the next generation of workers. Are we really training them to succeed or are we setting them up to fail? Sure, they might be well educated in their professional area of expertise, but I am finding a remarkable number who lack basic street smarts. Somewhere between the safety of home and school, and the bitter realities of the real world, a void exists in preparing our youth for adulthood. In a way its like being a parachutist for the first time, except you are being pushed out the door with no instruction on what to do. This can be very traumatizing to young people who tend to be overwhelmed by the responsibilities of adult life.

In school, students were only concerned with attending class, absorbing the material, eating and their social life. But now in adulthood, they suddenly have to face such things as insurance, taxes, housing, transportation, banking, investments, retirement accounts, health care, nutrition, paying bills, corporate cultures, etiquette, dress, career development, business ethics, office politics, networking, employment, management, etc. Oh yea, and Work. They may have been adequately trained for their profession, but nobody is preparing them to make the transition into adulthood.

The parents haven’t prepared them. If anything, they have sheltered their youth from reality for far too long. For example, many kids today have not had to mow a lawn, clean a dish, push a broom, or hold a part-time job. Instead, they were free to concentrate on their homework and video games. In other words, parents have failed to instill the concept of simple responsibility and the value of a dollar. A lot of parents today are “hands-off” meaning they are content to let others raise their children for them, be it a relative, a nanny, a coach, or a teacher, thereby providing them with some free time to rest and relax.

The teachers haven’t prepared them either, but in their defense this shouldn’t be in their job description. Instead, they should be concerned with teaching academic subjects, such as math, literature, languages, science, etc. However, since a lot of parents have dropped the ball, teachers have been forced to become surrogate parents, something they are not necessarily trained in or suited for.

Ultimately, this means today’s corporate managers are inheriting a generation of naive young people with unbridled enthusiasm who are having difficulty adapting to the corporate world. Many of this generation seem to believe they are uniquely different, that the old established rules of today’s corporate culture no longer applies to them; that corporations must adapt to them, not the other way around. Such naivety can be dangerous and lead to their demise as reality sets in.

To overcome this problem, perhaps we can help our youth by devising a new type of curriculum that would teach such things as:

• Personal Organization – e.g., managing finances, insurance, housing, transportation, etc.
• Adapting to the Corporate Culture – how to understand the culture and adapt to it. This would include discussions on business ethics, and studying change.
• Professional Development – teaching concepts of craftsmanship, continuous improvement, and basic business skills.
• Social Skills – how to effectively communicate and socialize in an office environment.
• Do’s and Don’ts in the Workplace – discussing the realities of employment, company policy manuals, and other legal issues.
• Management 101 – teaching basic management concepts and rules to help “newbies” fit into the corporate culture.

Actually, none of this is new. We have all had to learn it through the School of Hard Knocks. However, if the next generation is to ever have a chance in today’s fast paced world, we have to jump-start this process for them. Otherwise they will have difficulty surviving. Basically, what is needed is just some simple parental advice.

If you would like to discuss this with me in more depth, please do not hesitate to send me an e-mail.

Keep the faith.

Cruising is a holiday type that is fast becoming the more popular option for travellers. We have seen a major rise in the number of cruise ships in particular fleets as well as new companies that are reaching into new destinations.

There are plenty to choose from some of which include Carnival, Royal Caribbean, P & O, Princess, Costa and so many more. Some cruisers will choose the same cruise line over and over again while others prefer to try out new ships and new companies.

But why is it becoming so popular? There are many benefits of cruising which I will outline in this article.

1. You only need to pack and unpack once. Most cruises will be visiting many ports so you get to travel to many locations without having to pack and unpack each time.

If you were to travel the traditional way i.e. flying to each of the destinations you would lose half a day each and every time you departed for the next destination. With a cruise that is not necessary.

2. All your food is catered for. This includes your main meals three times a day, plus snacks and other food services with most of the companies catering for you 24 hours a day.

3. Kids club. There is a reason so many families enjoy booking cruises and that is because of the fantastic kids club programs on board so that the adults can drop off the kids and get some time to relax themselves and the kids will have fun and be entertained themselves.

4. Entertainment is provided. There are plenty of music shows, comedy acts, dances, bingo and other games all provided so you will never be bored. There is always something going on around the ship and caters for wide range of audiences.

There are generally comedians, hypnosis, magicians, dancers, singers, bands and other weird and wonderful acts that make your cruise fun.

5. It makes a good alternative for those who hate flying. Cruise ships are fairly steady and allow those who hate flying an opportunity to head overseas without conjuring up any fears or dislikes.

While not everyone loves the open ocean over 80% of people who do book a cruise will book another one at least once more in their lifetime.

Travelling by air, by road or by sea all have their own set of benefits and really comes down to what you want to do and where you would like to see.

As far as value for money goes and the constant entertainment, food gauging and more on board it is fairly easy to see why so many people love to cruise as their preferred method of travel.

Not so long ago, Disney procured Club Penguin – a virtual world for kids between 6 to 14 – for a cool $350 million and the deal also allowed the founders an opportunity to make another $350 million from now till 2009.

The website was barely 2 years old when it was procured. At the time of acquisition Club Penguin was raking in about $4 million in monthly revenue just from subscriptions alone. This was excluding the sales from selling virtual goods and other online merchandise.

Soon after news of this phenomenal acquisition break out, many around the world would attempt to follow after the footsteps of the entrepreneurial trio who created Club Penguin and pocketed $100 million each. Two years in exchange for that kind of money isn’t exactly shabby!

In the wake of this situation, the questions to answer are:

o Is there a need for another Club Penguin or more Club Penguins for that matter?

o Will Disney break Club Penguin or make it better?

o Can somebody come up with something better than the deceptively simple Club Penguin?

o Even if somebody comes up with something better than Club Penguin, would it be even half as popular as Club Penguin?

o When the market is flooded with dozens of replicas of Club Penguin, would saturation occur or would this spawn more virtual kids?

o How would this shape the landscape of the web community?

o What kind of opportunities do the big venture caps see in virtual worlds for kids?

o Would the big ‘G’ or any other internet giants see value in the next Club Penguin enough to procure it?

o What kind of social problems can potentially result in the midst of all these?

I believe these are worthy questions to ask yourself if you are interested to create the next virtual world hit for kids.

The world is changing at a neck breaking speed and there are more and more products that are targeted specifically at kids being spawned even as you read this article. Virtual worlds for kids are one of them.

The race is on to create the next Club Penguin!

Why Live Stream Your Event?

Live-streaming firms will live broadcasts your service, so you can stretch your reach to anyone who is unable to attend your wedding, event or worship service due to poor health, distance, cost or work.

Cloud streaming services were designed to accommodate anyone who’s unable to attend a special event due to poor health, distance, cost or work. Home participants can view your wedding or other special event LIVE from their home computer, tablet or smartphone.

Some of your friends and family can’t make it to your wedding? No problem. Live broadcast your wedding, and share your special moment live, online with friends and family located anywhere in the world!

The reasons why you’d choose to broadcast could be that you want to reach family, friends or followers who are sick or injured, too old to make it in person or people traveling who want to continue to participate in your event or their own faith community.

It Encourages Trust and Transparency. People prefer to buy from brands they trust. Customers generally associate trustworthiness with quality and excellent service. One way to build trust with your audience is by creating a live video to showcase company transparency.

You can increase the number of active participants in the church community, and possibly even the attendance of you church by allowing uniquely private worshipers and members who rarely attend church watch the services from the comfort of their home.

Archiving your live streams and making them available as video on demand is also a great way to lock in the experience of each event forever and lets people who missed the live event stream watch it later.

Live-streaming is also a great solution for outreach to those who cannot attend due to the difficulty or distance, in addition to those serving abroad or staying in hospital or nursing home. or out of town family, or “snowbirds” with live streaming to any Internet-connected device.

When it comes to live streaming or Webcasting an event, having a responsive, knowledgeable (we answer the phone and resolve problems) customer service team is arguably one of the most important factors that will make-or-break an event. From experience, we know that remote participants (viewers) possess varying degrees of familiarity with computers, in addition to Internet basics.

Live webcasts has provided many people with the chance to join in the celebration and gives never before seen flexibility!

Stretch your reach

Convert Site Visitors into Customers or Members.

Expand Your Ministry with No Geographical Boundaries.

Reach current members & visitors.

Minimize customer or member attrition.

The world is your stage – expand your audience with no geographical boundaries.

The last three weeks have been rather eventful in the world of tax preparers oversight!

It all started last March when three tax preparers filed a law-suit against the IRS, seeking to end the testing requirements that would require tax return preparers to demonstrate competency, and to maintain proficiency by taking 15 hours of continuing education courses, in order to continue preparing and file tax returns for their clients.

A couple weeks ago came the news that U.S. District Court Judge James E. Boasberg of the DC District Court had ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, declaring that contrary to the IRS’ assertions, the agency does not have statutory powers to regulate individual tax preparers. The Judge enjoined the IRS from continuing to administer tests to certify the competence of tax return preparers.

Last week it was announced that the IRS, working in conjunction with the Justice Department, had moved to lift the initial injunction, while it prepared an appeal to be filed within the next 30 days.

The lead attorney for the tax preparers who filed the suit against the IRS was confident after the initial decision emitted by Judge Boasberg was definitive and unequivocal in its intent to halt the IRS regulation requiring individual tax preparers to take a competency test, and expressed confidence that the Judge would not go back on that decision.

However, on February 1, the Judge responded to the motion from the IRS, in conjunction with Department of Justice and modified his earlier decision. At least for the time being, the IRS does not have to shut down the tax return preparers registration program but, on the other hand, under the modified decision the Judge made it non-mandatory for tax preparers to take the competency test and pay the required testing fees to the IRS. Under the Judge’s modified ruling, preparers may take the test on a voluntary basis and are not required to pay the test fees. However, tax preparers are still required to apply for and obtain a registration number, or PIN, from the IRS, in order to qualify to file tax returns.

Under the new ruling, the IRS does not have to dismantle the costly and complex program it already put in place at a cost of millions of dollars, as such steps would have proven unnecessary should the present court decision be reversed on appeal.

The IRS has indicated that it will appeal the US District Court’s ruling that the agency does not have the power to license the hundreds of thousands of tax preparers who work on individual tax return preparation, and alludes to the fact that immediate discontinuing of the tax preparer oversight program would substantially disrupt tax administration. Already, there has been a delay on the date to begin filing individual returns, which was moved to January 30. Some returns will not start being processed until later.

In light of the events that have transpired in the last few weeks, one thing is certain. The IRS will appeal the Court’s decision to suspend the RTRP competency testing and the plaintiffs who filed the initial lawsuit will probably continue to try to derail the IRS’ intentions to regulate the tax preparation industry.

But judging by opinions aired in blogs by tax practitioners who have already studied for and passed the RTRP test, the oversight program is necessary to curb potential fraud and malpractice, reduce the gross errors in tax returns that end up working to the disadvantage of the taxpayer, but above all, point to having the RTRP certification as a symbol of professional pride and demonstrated competency, which will work to the advantage of the tax professional by raising taxpayers’ trust and confidence in the work of their tax preparer..

Next Day Printing can be anything from printing a newspaper to brochure, visiting cards, wedding card, poster, banner or even a flyer. If you have a press you will generally get orders for much ahead of the deadline given by your clients. But, there are times that the urgency comes as the client would want you to deliver on their order within twenty-four hour of placing the order. In such case you will have to be very fast and get the work done within the deadline given to you by your customer. Therefore, to meet such demand you must ensure that you are having the right type of machine and enough manpower.

Remember you will have to get the machine that can withstand the work -load for the Next Day Printing, as your press might also have to operate during the night time to meet the demand. Therefore, you must have two sets of workforce who will be working in two shifts-night and day shifts. Your machine must also have the capacity to take the workload. So for a press that works twenty-four hour you will have to ensure that both the man and machine will have to operate with the efficiency needed for such an order.

Next Day Printing is not all about quick work.. It is also about quality. If your client wants you to deliver their job order the next day, remember they will not compromise on the quality. They would want you to deliver on both the counts- timely delivery and quality. So quality is an internal part of any job as the customers will want that the job you do is of the highest quality meeting their expectations. If you can ensure timely delivery and quality of work, we are sure that you will get many clients.

Remember the clients who come for the Next Day Printing are those who are short of time. They will want you to deliver on their order within twelve or twenty-four hour from the time they place their order. You might get order for brochure, visiting card, marriage card, poster or even flyer. You must be able to deliver after you have received the order and the material. Once you have established your reputation as someone who give timely delivery and ensure quality work, we are sure you will get many orders.

EliteXC heavyweight Ken Shamrock thieved the spotlight in the wake of “Primetime” on CBS “Saturday Night Fights” last weekend, calling out Kimbo Slice for his weak showing against James Thompson in the main event of the evening. Rogers who obliterated “The Colossus” in the first round at EliteXC: “Urban Certification” earlier this year – made a point to needle Slice in the post-fight press conference, which nearly led to an altercation on the podium.

The World’s Most Dangerous Human has kept a steady monotony of criticism rolling throughout the week, saying that Slice should either “step up or step aside.” Slice has remained silent for most of the public relations assault. While nothing is official, Kimbo Slice has accepted Brett Rogers’ challenge, telling Bas Rutten on ESPN.com radio that the fight is on perhaps sometime after his bout with Shamrock in October.

Short of calling out Kimbo Slice’s maternal parent, Rogers did and said just about everything he could to make this fight happen. And evidently it worked, even though Elite XC Live Events President Gary Shaw indicated immediately following the fight that it wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. If it is indeed truthful and Rogers and Slice didn’t just set this up themselves in the media it could start a fashion show. If it’s as easy as posting a challenge up on a Website and saying some crude phrases at a press conference, then Kimbo Slice might have a line out the door after his next fight.

Methodically this is a fight Kimbo Slice should fear. Yes, Ken Shamrock is the larger fighter and Kimbo Slice just had a rough time with Tank’s size, but Rogers is a different fighter than Shamrock. He wants to strike with his enemies, which is Kimbo’s meal ticket. The knocks on Kimbo have been his inexperience and ground game. People have questioned his striking, and now Brett Rogers will most likely look to prove Kimbo is all hype by beating him at his own thing.

A manicure can be more than a getting a nail trim and choosing a new color. It can reflect a seasonal style, showcase a specific design, or use contrasting colors to throw some whimsy into the look. Here are ten fun suggestions to use on your next trip to the nail salon.

1) Throw in some sparkle

Without going overboard, silver or gold glitter can make fingernails pop. It’s a versatile style as well. Glitter can cover the whole fingernail, or just cover the outer edge to highlight a more conservative color.

2) Mirror nails

Mirror nails use a reflective service to catch the light and everyone’s eye in the room. Use these with a dark backdrop, such as a black dress, to stand out.

3) Mix and match colors and finishes

Don’t be afraid to experiment with both colors and finishes on the same finger. For example, a gold band with a glossy finish next to a maroon matte base can look striking.

4) Polka-dot madness

Polka-dots are a fun, flexible design. The dots themselves can either be multicolored or a single color. Rainbow dots against a black base goes with anything. The dots can be any size, depending on how bold the customer wants to be.

5) Add in a Hand Massage

A manicure can be more than a style upgrade. Try a hand massage next time you’re at the salon. Studies show that a hand massage relaxes the muscles as well as the mind. In addition, they feel good, and the massaging lotion will reinvigorate the hands and skin.

6) Irregular Patterns

Not every pattern has to be predictable. A popular way to mix things up is to invert the color selection on one finger, such as a white lacquer with red edge, except for one finger that is all red. It’s a creative way to stand out and let the secondary color take center stage for a moment.

7) French Tips

A French tip typically starts with longer, blocky nails. Then the emerging part of the nail can stand in contrast to the rest of the nail. Don’t be afraid to throw a swirling or zigzag design on the tips to take advantage of this trend.

8) Try a Gel Manicure

Acrylic nails have been around for years, but the gels are on the rise. Start with a natural color to see if they match your preferred aesthetic, and they get increasingly daring the next time around.

9) The Ruffian

This style paints close to the nail bed and frames the primary color. Use a darker color along the ridge of the nail and fill the rest in with a lighter shade for an easy, mature look.

10) Get a Surprise!

Depending on the nail salon, a customer could let the manicurist choose the design for a surprise. They often have a deep reserve of colors and patterns with from which to draw. A few suggestions can help guide the style preference for those who get nervous with complete surprises.