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The Competitive Advantage

tag: conferences

June 21, 2016

If these were my employees… I’d fire them!

For wasting thousands of dollars

firedAs I write this, I’m attending Greenbook’s IIeX event in Atlanta… one of the largest conferences in our industry with over 800 participants. Along with the educational sessions, there are several dozen exhibiting companies lining the hallways and in adjacent exhibit rooms.

And here’s where it gets interesting – or infuriating – depending on your perspective. One of the exhibitors had a tabletop display that spanned the length of their 6-foot table. Behind the table, they placed their two chairs… WHERE THEY SAT FOR THE ENTIRE EVENT!

Over the course of the three days, I passed by their table numerous times (the last several times, out of morbid curiosity!). I never saw them engage passersby… and it was a busy event. They – yes, there were two of them – just sat there, talking to each other, ‘working’ on their cell phones and hiding from everyone else. They never once took advantage of the great selling opportunity that was [literally] right in front of them.

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March 22, 2016

7 Tips for Successful In-Person Presentations

Public_Speaking_1Last week, I had the privilege and pleasure (yes – it really was) of speaking to a room full of market researchers at the QRCA-Philadelphia Chapter’s monthly meeting.

It was one of the most enjoyable and successful (based on feedback from the participants) live speaking experiences I’ve had in several years. And as I look back at why it went so well, I think it boiled down to a handful of guidelines that all speakers should follow for in-person presentations…

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March 8, 2016

Networking at a Conference… 8 Ways to be Awesome!

meet at confThere are a bunch of conferences in our industry – TMRE, ESOMAR, Quirk’s, CASRO, MRA and more… not to mention all of the industry-specific ones. And even when you’re attending for just the education (not exhibiting… not sponsoring), networking at a conference can still be a remarkable marketing & sales opportunity for you and your firm.

As you get ready to attend your next event, consider these ideas to maximize your time there…

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June 20, 2015

Hiding in your booth? Really?!

I attended IIeX NA in Atlanta this past week… a very interesting event with a focus on technology and emphasis on the future of research. And attended by 750 people!

A gold mine for those companies exhibiting… or so you would think.

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March 3, 2015

Best booth giveaway ever?

In last week’s post, I wrote about several things NOT to do in a booth when exhibiting. And one of those was giving away cheesy “merch.” I believe that things like pens, mini-frisbees and logo’d post-it notes just don’t deliver lot of value for the exhibitor.

However, I did see one exhibitor at the CASRO Digital Conference a couple of weeks ago with what may have been the best booth giveaway ever… and for a couple of reasons.

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February 3, 2015

7 Reasons Why Conferences Should be Part of your 2015 Plan

It looks like February is becoming the new October in our industry… a month full of conferences. In fact, we’ll be at two of them this year – MRA’s CEO Summit in Napa Valley and the CASRO Digital Conference in Nashville. February also includes Qual 360 and IIeX (both in Europe), the premier of the new Quirk’s Event and more.

Too many? Maybe… but by and large, I am a big fan of these kinds of events. In fact, I’ve got seven reasons why you might want to put more of them on your calendar for 2015.

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October 28, 2014

Best networker ever?

network1I had coffee this past week with an old friend. John is a very successful management & sales consultant and trainer who works with clients around the world. We get together once a year or so to get caught up on each other’s families, businesses and so on.

And with John, it’s always the same thing… somehow, we end up talking about how he can help me – with connections, ideas, recommendations. I leave my meetings with him better informed and even a little inspired. He’s incredible.

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July 29, 2014

9 Questions to Ask Before Deciding to Exhibit

exhibit1You hear from your friends in the industry that a particular conference was really good… strong educational sessions, impressive roster of attendees, good networking. Sounds like an event where you need to exhibit next year, doesn’t it?

Like most every other marketing decision, the answer is, “It depends.” Before you plunk down your firm’s hard-earned money and commit several days of your time, take a few minutes to answer these questions to make sure it’s the right event for you…

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