Trade shows can be an effective promotion and sales tool for your large or small business, but they can also be a complete waste of time and money if not done right. Whether your trade show booth is a huge success or dismal failure hinges on your advanced preparation. Get the best return on your investment by adding an organized trade show binder, pricing sheets and solid promotional materials to your booth.

When you are exhibiting at a trade show, there are five essentials you need: your booth, trained staff, promotional materials, laptop and a trade show binder.

The contents of the trade show binder, which is a reference guide, includes the tools and information that your staff needs while talking with booth visitors.

Here’s how to compile a trade show binder, and what to include:

The Three Ring Binder

Your trade show binder should be a three-ring binder with D-shaped rings that can hold a large amount of materials. Choose a brightly colored binder that will be easy to locate at your booth.

What materials will you need at the show? Use the binder tabs to separate materials into categories. It will help your staff find the information quickly. Make the tab labels as general or specific as you’d like. Major categories may include:

• General company information. Important people, departments, corporate offices and phone numbers.
• Training. Instructions and materials from the pre-show training. Cheat sheets with sales information and exhibit staff phone numbers.
• Sales. Up-to-date lists of contact information for your sales office, dealers, distributors, and demo center in this section. This section will probably be used most often. List names, phone numbers, and addresses of key people and facilities in your sales organization, and include branch offices should a booth visitor asks, “Who’s your rep in Philadelphia?” Pricing sheets should be added.
• Product. Copies of all product brochures, spec sheets, photos, samples, and more.
• Marketing. Company and product logos, CDs, special fonts and all exhibit graphics. If graphics are lost or damaged, or incorrect, you can easily recreate at the show.
• Staff. Place copies of your staff’s airline itineraries, hotel confirmations, and exhibit-staffing schedule in this section of the binder.
• Finance. The company’s earnings statements should be in this section. Staff may be asked for the latest annual report or recent news articles about the company’s latest earnings report.
• Press kit. If press stops by your booth be ready with a press kit that includes current press releases. If you plan a press event, keep extra invitations in this section’s heavy-duty sheet protectors to hand out.
• Stationary. If you ship leads back to the office, include pre-printed corporate overnight shipping forms. Tuck a few fax forms and some corporate stationery into sheet protectors at the back of the binder, including No. 10 and brochure-sized envelopes.

  As you compile resources, talk to sales, product and marketing departments to find out which materials they find most useful.

  Lastly, set up a binder table of contents. You can color-code this section to match the colored tabs used to separate the categories.

4 Trade Show Binder Tips

1. In each tabbed section, insert heavy-duty sheet protectors or inside pockets to hold the documents you’ll collect. It alleviates the need to hole-punch documents.
2. Keep the binder in a central location in the booth. Make sure that staff members know where to find it and what’s in it.
3. Updating your organized binder is easy. Keeping it updated stops your booth staff from answering “I don’t know” or the time consuming search for someone who knows the answer when attendees ask difficult questions.
4. The information in the binder is confidential. It should not be removed from the information counter. Keep the book locked up when it’s not being used.

Following these tips insures your booth staff will be confident, efficient and productive.

Don’t visit a big-box retailer for your company’s trade show, sales, product, marketing and other department binders. Get a durable, quality three-ring binder the first time around. Consult with a three-ring binder specialist to help you find the perfect binder for the job.

Self-Awareness of Lung Cancer

The more you know about the disease, the easier it is to support and raise awareness. Though this is the leading cancer killer all over the globe, responsible for nearly 30 percent of all cancer deaths each year, it gets very little attention. November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month – time to enhance people’s knowledge about the disease and the importance of early diagnosis to reduce the risk.

Educate People about the Consequences of Smoking

Smoking causes nearly 80 percent of all cases of deaths. Exposure to second-hand smoke also increases the risk among nonsmokers. Spread knowledge among the general public about the danger of using cigarettes or tobacco products!

Support through Social Media

You can show your support on Facebook or Twitter – as media plays a vital role in spreading a message. Share inspiring stories of survivors, caregivers and families of those who have been diagnosed with lung cancer. To commemorate this month, you can even change your cover photo.

Donate for Research

Hundreds of nonprofit organizations like the Lung Cancer Research Foundation conduct various programs to collect donations for research, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. You can also participate in any of their.

Early Diagnosis Can Reduce the Risk

We often listen to friends, family and people we trust when deciding if our symptoms are serious enough to consult a physician. Have a discussion and make them aware of the disease. Ask them to see a doctor to avoid further complications.

Volunteer

Enquire with your local government authorities about their action plan for lung cancer research. Ask the general public to send messages to the authorities. The more people send messages about this type, the more likely it is for them to act on it.

Host Awareness Campaign

Organizing awareness campaigns is one of the best ways to show your support and bring certain issues to the attention of a large group of people. Host a campaign in your community and make people aware this type, its implications, treatment options available, etc. Share the stories of cancer survivors which to give hope and courage to people. Use customized silicone wristbands as giveaways in your campaign as they are perfect for everyday wear. They are easily available online and there is a variety of options for you to choose from – types, colors, fonts, sizes and styles. White is the recognized color for lung cancer. Get white wristbands and personalize them with inspirational awareness messages.

Whatever you do, the ultimate goal is to make everyone aware of the seriousness of this problem and protect future generations!

One of the best exercises for developing your handicapping skills is with the self-directed rolling show parlay. “What?” you ask. No it is not some new fangled IRA or 401k applied to horse racing. It is a method of playing the races on a limited budget while had the same time testing your handicapping skill over a full or partial race card given many different conditions.

You may wish to play your rolling show parlay with your top picks on Pick Threes, Pick Fours, Pick Fives, Pick Sixes, and even Place Pick Nine’s. A number of race tracks now offer Place Pick Nine’s for as little as a one dollar wager. If you are just learning, your budget is limited and you want to enjoy the excitement of horse racing this is a great way of playing without sacrificing your entire bankroll.

Place Pick Nine or Place Pick All is now offered at a number of tracks including Arlington Park, Hawthorne Race Course, and Hollywood Park. You will first handicap all your races to make your place pick nine wager, picking one horse you expect to finish either first or second. Utilizing the selections you made, you would wager a Show bet on each horse prior to the start of each race. After each race the winnings will be posted on the tote, you will then cash your ticket and bet a show on your selection on the next race. Based on your winnings, bump up the amount of your next show wager by one dollar.

For Example, in Race #1 your horse finishes second for show money of $3.50. You would then wager three dollars to show on your selection for Race #2. Should your horse finish out of the money you would then knock your show wager back down to two dollars. Should your horse finish in the money revert back to the three-dollar show wager you placed in Race #3. Continue to do this throughout the race card. As earnings build move up to a four-dollar show wager maxing out at a five dollar show wager.

To get an idea of how it works let’s examine a recent Place Pick foray made during the Arlington Park meet in the summer 2010. [SH = Show wager. (1st) = finish position of horse selected. Earn = for $2.00 wager. Ext. = Extrapolating the wager. Bal. = Running balance of funds].

Race 1 #6 Plenty of Jack. $2 SH (3rd) Earn $3.40. Bal. $3.40
Race 2 #5 Terminal One. $3 SH (1st) Earn $3.20. Ext $4.60. Bal.$5.00
Race 3 #6 Delightful Daisy. $3 SH (1st)Earn $3.20. Ext $4.60. Bal. $6.60
Race 4 #6 Atticus Christy. $3 SH (2nd) Earn $2.20. Ext $3.30. Bal. $6.90
Race 5 #2 Cool C Note. $4 SH (2nd) Earn $2.80. Ext $5.60. Bal. $8.50.
Race 6 #6 Sparse. $4 SH (2nd) Earn $3.60. Ext. $7.20. Bal. $11.70.
Race 7 #1 Loves To Fly $4 SH 7th Place Ext. $0.00. Bal. $7.70.
Race 8 #10 Silent Candy $2 SH (3rd) Earn $6.40. Ext. $6.40. Bal. $12.10
Race 9 #1 Battle Buster $3 SH (1st) Earn $2.60. Ext. $3.90. Bal. $13.00.

While we did not win the Place Pick Nine, we did have a net profit of $13.00 for the day all the while conserving our original bankroll going in of $20.00. As you can see, the rolling show parlay can help you gauge how your handicapping is going. Make adjustments in your next outing. It is clearly a fun way to play and teaches serious discipline.

As mentioned above you may wish to apply the self-directed rolling show parlay to Pick threes, Pick fours, Pick fives, and Pick sixes to condition yourself for a handicapping challenge. Other ways to apply this wagering technique might go beyond the play of a single-track race card. Try a multiple track stakes Saturday covering a number of races or even a multiple track with specific conditions, say all seven-furlong races. The goal here is improving your handicapping skills, having fun on a budget and hopefully making a little coin.

With a the rolling show wager you can budget as little as two dollars for each race and the one dollar for the Place Pick Nine wager. Should many of your horses finish in the money, you could come home with a few extra bucks. At the same time you will have fun and sharpen your handicapping skills while playing the races.

Continuing education, new technologies and product demonstrations are all good reasons dental practices attend a trade show. It’s quite easy to come back from a trade show, get back in the normal swing of things and forget to ensure that you’ve gotten the most out of the experience.

To ensure your time out of the office and money spent on attendance benefit your practice, do adequate follow up including these five steps.

Review with Staff

If certain staff members joined you for the trade show, give them the opportunity to share what they learned in your next staff meeting. Your staff will feel like you’re investing in their growth and development reducing turnover and other team members benefit from hearing lessons learned.

Good dental practice management should keep an eye on retention and how staff is doing.

“Employees who feel that their own professional goals are supported will care more about their contribution to your practice and see it as a valuable part of their career path.”

– Dentistry IQ

Evaluate Practice Needs

Now that you’ve seen the best of the best technology and tools on the market, regroup with your team to evaluate your practice’s needs. This should include where you’re at in current contracts for software and services to understand your timelines as well as staff bandwidth and finances to implement. Pulling a DDS profit report can help showcase your finances as you look at spending additional money.

Having clear goals and expectations for new technology is important.

“The key is to determine the specific use of the technology. Will it be to provide better case presentation and education? Will it be used to improve efficiency throughout the practice? Or will it project to your patients that you continually stay current with the advances in dentistry? Once the specific reason is identified, then you can construct the appropriate plan of action.”

– Dental Economics Magazine

Evaluate Special Offers

Now that you’ve reviewed needs with your dental practice staff, revisit any special offers promoted during the trade show. Often, certain vendors will try and lure you in with offers only good within a specific timeframe of the trade show.

This might make the timing of implementation more critical for you and your staff or alter what you thought your financial situation was for adding the service or technology. Be sure to discuss these offers in detail with the sales reps and get it all in writing to have your legal team review before jumping at the opportunity. Some special offers aren’t worth the added clauses or burdens that come with them.

Share Your Experience on Social Media

Your patients want to know they’ve made the right choice in dental practice. Sharing about the recent continuing education or learning opportunities you took part in at a trade show or conference can provide reassurance that your dental practice is a smart choice for their dental health.

Dental practice marketing is an important aspect of your work. Social media enables you to build a relationship with your patients.

“Relationship marketing through social media helps your practice stop focusing on what you make (dentistry) and focus on the things you make possible.”

– The American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry

Regularly check in on your efforts by doing a DDS marketing report to see what posts are performing well on social media will inform your team on what to share about trade shows in the future.

You now have the tools to do effective follow up from your recent trade show experience. Regroup with your staff and start the conversation about next steps.

For exhibitors, generating leads from a trade show booth is a difficult task. Just setting up a booth to make your presence felt in the crowd is not enough. You need to consider other factors such as teamwork, goals and incentives. If your exhibit has failed previously, then it wasn’t your bad luck. Several drawbacks such as lack of planning, professional teamwork and pleasantries might be the cause.

Here is a rundown of reasons that make a trade show booth fail at an exhibition.

Lack of preparation

A trade show requires a lot of preparation without which failure is almost certain. You need to travel to the place of the event before the main event date. This is necessary to chalk out the requirements needed for a successful trade show booth. You also need to ensure that you and your team have enough rest before the main event date to appear fresh and attentive on the show day.

Undefined goals

A trade show without any goals is equivalent to not participating at all. If you don’t know the motive behind your booth then how can you expect the desired result? With a clear objective of the purpose, you will be able to generate leads from it and not go haywire.

Inattentiveness from the team

If your team is careless at the trade show booth then you won’t be successful on the floor. Your team must be enthusiastic, attentive and interactive to generate leads from the show. The audience in your booth should be actively engaged and entertained for the best results.

Missing open-ended questions

If you or your staff fail to ask open-ended questions then you’re bound to fail. Just talking about your own company without engaging the potential customers is a no-no. It makes the customer lose interest and leave the booth. An open-ended question like, ‘How did you learn about our products?’ is a good way to begin a conversation.

Absence of incentives

The attendees look forward to receiving incentives other than brochures. Only having flyers, leaflets and pamphlets talking about the company and products are not enough to interest them. Incentives such as discount coupons, giveaways or free consultation work great in this aspect.

Not following up

If you feel that your job ends with the trade show, then you’re highly mistaken. Your main aim of participating at the event is to convert leads into customers, which should be done after the show is over. Follow up with them by making phone calls or sending newsletters.

Selecting the wrong trade show

The wrong selection of trade show leads can be to a major hit to ROI. For instance, if your company deals with electronic products, then choosing an event of builders is a big no-no. Instead, opt for electronic or home appliances shows for better results.

Not paying attention to promotions

Lack of promotion of your company or products won’t bring you your desired results. You need to advertise well to gain recognition in the crowd. The display banners and other modes of promotion should be well-lit and prominently visible for attracting the potential customers.

No creativity

A pale and boring trade show booth will never attract visitors, no matter how well you train your staff. With proper creative efforts such as catchy taglines, proper presentation of products and interesting souvenirs you can make an impact on the visitors.

Unable to handle the audience

If too many clients end up in your booth and your team is unable to cope, then your event won’t be a hit. You need to be able to handle as many clients as possible without getting derailed. If you’re well prepared, then nothing can stop you from having a successful trade show.

Remember the above-listed reasons for the failure of a trade show booth and try not to make the same mistakes. Get all the essentials needed for the exhibition beforehand and keep them organized to ensure a successful event. All the best!

Raising show turkeys can be a great business and a rewarding hobby. The only caveat is, it takes a lot more dedication than, say, raising turkeys for meat. In fact, before you even begin to seriously consider this, you need to make sure that you are up to this challenging task. Turkeys, especially those that are bred for competition, need to be cared for and fed regularly — and for the rest of their lives. If you neglect this, your turkeys will fall behind in weight and size, and there won’t be any catching up after that. In addition to these perpetual tasks, raising show turkeys is also a time-consuming activity, and one that requires great amount of patience and dedication.

Raising show turkeys basically involves four major phases, the first of which is setting up an environment that will promote their growth and health. It is important that you have the breeding space ready before the birds arrive, including all the equipment and facilities. Thy typical requirements of a conducive environment are ample space, sufficient ventilation, a controlled temperature, and safety and protection from birds’ natural predators as well as the elements. At this point, it is important to remember that any change in the environment can put stress on the turkeys. As such, it is key that the environment and any changes to it be controlled.

The second phase is feeding the birds a diet that sufficiently supplies their nutritional requirements. The right nutrition allows the birds to achieve their full growth potential. Feeding is an area which would require some research. Before you start raising show turkeys, you should first familiarize yourself with the vitamins and nutrients that promote growth of muscle tissues and bones, those that improve the immune system, and those that provide energy for the birds’ daily activities.

After you have set up the perfect environment for the birds and have figured out the right balance of feeds, the next thing you need to learn to do is how to choose the birds that are most likely to win. The typical criteria for judging show turkeys are weight, size and amount of breast meat. When selecting which birds to enter in competitions, look for those that are biggest and heaviest, and with the most concentration of muscles at the breast. Examine the birds for any defect, such as wounds, crooked legs or broken bones, as these are grounds for disqualification.

Finally, the last part of raising show turkeys is keeping records of them. Records allow you to keep track of the progress of your turkeys, and your previous decisions regarding each of them. Your records should also include notes about the facilities, such as temperature, humidity levels, weights, health and feed consumption.

If you are pitching a reality show concept, it is very important to know how to write a treatment for a reality TV show and to understand how writing a treatment for a reality TV show right is more than just being able to put your concept into words. It is an art that needs to be mastered. A great reality show concept needs a well-written treatment to make the production house or the networks want to invest money.

Make a Lasting Impact

You need to convince them that your idea is doable, unique, and entertaining. This is moreso important if you are not a well-known writer or do not have any good projects under your belt. The question now is how to write a treatment for a reality TV show that can have a lasting impact on the minds of your readers. Here is what you could do.

Points on How to Write a Treatment for a Reality TV Show

1. Portray your logline. An example would be: 11 people in a house competing to emerge as the final survivor. Your logline needs to be very short and snappy, appealing and gripping. In short, at the end of it, your reader should be asking for more. This is the first thing you need to know on how to write a treatment for a reality show

2. Describe your characters. What sort of participators would you like to have on the show? Families? Men or women? People from a specific profession? People with certain things in common? If a host is needed, then decide who could be the right fit for it.

3. Introduce your concept. In just a few paragraphs, visualize how you think the first episode of the show should be like. Be creative, share details, and engage your reader. While you are at it, remember that it is a treatment and not a script, so too much information is unnecessary – be brief and to the point. In your first paragraph, give an idea of what can be expected in the coming paragraphs. Write it as your first episode, which introduces the whole show, the characters, the drama, the twists, the climax, and a lead into the second episode. You are now getting closer to succeeding in writing a treatment for a reality show.

4. Write an outline of the episodes-at least the first few. Make sure that it is no longer than a paragraph, but has a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. This is very important, because this convey to the production house that you have thought of how your idea will develop and survive beyond the first few episodes, giving your concept the extra credibility it needs to be converted into a show.

Final Touches

Now here is one thing you do not want to do: do not discuss technical details in the treatment like the sets, camera angle, and so on. You should only focus on conveying your story. Finally, read it through several times to sift out any typos and have it registered with WGA to protect your concept.

This is the recipe for success in writing a treatment for a reality show. Carefully considering these points as you write your treatment for the reality show will ensure that you are ready to effectively pitch your reality show idea the right way.

It is important for you to come across as mature to a guy if he is going to consider having a long term relationship with you. Guys will tend to get rid of females who they don’t think are mature enough to be lasting relationship material. If you want to know how to convey to a guy that you are a mature person, just read the following tips.

Don’t intrude into his space

If you don’t give a guy some personal space, he is not going to want to be around you. You wouldn’t like to be with him if he didn’t respect your privacy, so why should he? Allow him to have some freedom and make some of his own plans without your interference.

Don’t exaggerate small matters

Don’t make a big deal out of small matters and go into tantrums unnecessarily. If you blow matters out of proportion, it will create a lot of conflict between the two of you and he may even start doubting the relationship.

Control your emotions

Do not slip into mood swings and act fussy or cranky like a child. If you are disappointed, handle it like an adult and do not let your anger get out of hand. Do not ever make judgments or decisions based on your emotions. Being able to control yourself and your emotions will show him that you are an emotionally mature person.

Have confidence in yourself

Be confident in yourself and do not look to him for approval. Don’t be swayed by other peoples’ opinions and be able to trust yourself. Use good judgment in your actions. If he sees that you are a confident person who doesn’t look outside of herself to find approval, he will naturally feel attracted to you and consider you emotionally mature.

Have a degree of self respect

Don’t do anything stupid because someone else thinks it is cool or fun to do. Use moral judgment in any actions you take and never go against your conscience. People who are emotionally mature will never allow themselves to be pressured into doing things that they don’t deem responsible.

Don’t look for his approval

Some girls think that they have to gain the guys approval in order for him to think that they are matured. This ends up making you look even more immature. The important thing is that you approve of yourself. If you can do that, then you will automatically gain his approval.