How to Use Social Media to Promote Your Next Trade Show – April 27th, 2012

It was once assumed that in-person events, conferences, and trade shows would diminish in attendance and importance with the introduction of social media networks. However, it would appear that the complete opposite has occurred—trade show attendance levels are actually at their highest, and it would appear that social media is one of the main contributing factors.

Social media generally makes trade shows seem more attractive, more important, and more accessible than ever before. These networks, like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, are increasing people’s interest and willingness to meet with others who have similar interests in person. Without significant resources, trade show event planners can proactively leverage social media for any event, conference, or trade show.

Before the show, take a survey of your expected audience in order to discover the networks they are most active on. Use these channels to share teasers about the agenda, speakers, and topics. Identify potential attendees based on their social content and bios, and send them personal invitations. You can also start a Facebook or LinkedIn group specifically for your event; this allows attendees to start networking with each other far in advance.

At the show, create an official event hastag and communicate it in all of your pre-show and at-show marketing materials. Designate a team of people on your staff to share highlights, retweet to others, and generally keep the Twitter conversation going. It is recommended that you create and claim your event on Foursquare, and allow participants to “check in” each day with a rotating set of special offers. Record your event—or stream it live—and post to your blog with links to your social channels. Lastly, create summaries each day of ideas shared, key participants, and other social details.

After the show, build a list of those who participated—both online and offline—and personally thank them (this is your immediate prospect list for your next event). Convert your various social media pages to immediately reflect the success of your event and promote your next one. Also, be sure to post social media-exclusive offers to book registration for your next event as soon as possible.

Networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn can be great tools to promote your next event. By remaining active before, during, and after the event, you can gain a fairly large following and reach a larger audience than you would have been able to obtain without any online presence. At Configurations, we are determined to make your next event as successful as possible. To learn more about the trade show services we offer, please give us a call today at (407)788-3070.

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NW Trend Show – March 29th, 2012

If you are planning to travel to the northwestern part of the country within the next week, you may want to consider checking out the NW Trend Show, hosted at the Bellevue Hilton Hotel in Washington. This event is presented by the Pacific Northwest Apparel Association, has been in operation for over 65 years and is the longest-running West Coast women’s wear show. In fact, over 2,300 stores rely on this event as a resource for their merchandising needs.

The NW Trend Show is scheduled to begin on Sunday, April 1st, and will continue until the end of the day on Tuesday, April 3rd. Over 160 exhibitors are expected to be present.

The NW Trend Show is organized every year on a regular basis. The event will be fully devoted to the fashion and clothing industry, and will exhibit a wide range of the most elite designs of fashion accessories and clothing. Women’s apparel, accessories, children’s clothing, men’s apparel, and gift items will be on showcase.

This event provides a wonderful opportunity for all fashion entrepreneurs and new companies to work along with the topmost established and contemporary brands to get an international exposure and to find their target customers, retailers, and manufacturers. Visitors will also be able to receive expert advice about a wide range of products and brands from professionals within the industry.

The prestigious profile of exhibitors at the event will include HH Sweats Collection, Hobo International, I.C. Collections, Joseph Ribjoff International, Icelandic Design, Cashmere Spirito, Chapman Enterprises, Foxcroft Shirt Co., and many more.

If you work in the fashion and clothing industry, you certainly don’t want to miss out on this event. For more information, be sure to check out the official details on the Pacific Northwest Apparel Association’s website.

At Configurations, we share your passion for trade shows. Whether the show is in Orlando, or across the nation, you can be sure that we will keep you up to date on the most popular trade shows you don’t want to miss out on. For more information about the trade show exhibit services we provide, please contact us today at (407)788-3070.

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How to Give a Great Presentation – March 6th, 2012

Public speaking can be very stressful. In fact, more people report a fear of public speaking than a fear of death! Three out of every four individuals suffer from some sort of speech anxiety: that is 75 percent of the population! You already know that the experienced professionals at Configurations can handle all of the minute details for event planning, but now we’re here to offer you advice for those huge, inevitable presentations.

Firstly, keep in mind that while you may never be 100% comfortable with public speaking, you can certainly learn how to make the experience less threatening and more fun. Remember that the more prepared you are, the more confident you will feel. Practice, practice, practice! As you become more comfortable speaking, you will naturally gain more confidence. Get a good night’s sleep and drink plenty of water. Eat a good meal, breathe deeply, and visualize a positive outcome.

The key to giving a great presentation is in the details: the less content you have on slides, the better. You want to communicate with your audience, not simply read what has already been presented to them! Maintain a five-or-less bullet point rule, and check contrast and font size. You may want to use media, such as photographs, video, or audio, to get your idea across while keeping your audience entertained. Bring simple notes to follow along with your slides and major talking points. Remember, these notes should serve as a reminder, not something to read from!

When you begin your presentation, think positively and entertain your audience with stories. These stories will get your ideas across much more effectively than charts, graphs and numbers. Keep the presentation slow, but steady. Be sure to pause when you need to take a breath or when you want to let strong ideas sink in. Perhaps more importantly, stay confident! Smile, joke, and laugh when appropriate. Having a friendly disposition can entirely change an audience’s perception of you. Lastly, end on a strong note and be prepared for questions.

If you make mistakes during the presentation—and you probably will—don’t look upon them negatively, but instead look at them as something to learn from and correct them in the future. If you are planning a massive presentation, stop immediately and give Configurations a call at (407)788-3070. We will take the pressure off you so that you can focus on giving the best presentation you possibly can. Good luck!

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How Can the VCI Alignment Model Help Your Business? – February 9th, 2012

Corporate branding is an essential component of running a successful business. This type of branding can be difficult and complex due to its large scope, but with a little help and a few tips from Configurations, you can be one step closer to having the most ideal corporate brand image for your company.

Firstly, corporate branding can be defined as the practice of using a company’s name as a product brand name. For example, when you think of the word “Pepsi”, you undoubtedly imagine the entirety of the Pepsi product line, not simply just the original Pepsi. Branding can incorporate many peripherals, including logos, packaging, advertising, or quality of products and services.

When you consider corporate branding, you must also consider the Vision-Culture-Image (VCI) alignment model. It is believed that successful corporate branding begins with a strong correlation between what your company’s top management wishes to accomplish (your vision), what your company’s employees know and believe (your culture), and how external stakeholders perceive your company (your image). It is incredibly important to contemplate your VCI model because misalignments between these factors may lead to an unsuccessful corporate brand.

As you begin the corporate branding process, ask yourself these questions: Is the company’s vision clearly communicated to stakeholders? Do employees understand and support the vision? Does the company deliver what it promises? The answers to these questions can mean the difference between a successful corporate brand and a failed one.

If you are interested in applying corporate branding to your Orlando business, please trust the experienced professionals at Configurations. We will create a custom office environment in which your employees can feel more connected to your brand, thus creating more productive and positive conditions. Don’t wait any longer: please give us a call today at (407)788-3070.

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Posted in Configurations, Corporate Branding, Experiential Branding

Just What IS Exhibition Design, Anyway? – January 20th, 2012

If you have visited any convention, trade show, visitor center, or themed attraction, you have witnessed exhibition design. Exhibition design is the process of developing an exhibit from a concept through a physical, three-dimensional exhibition. Exhibit design requires innovation, creativity, and the ability to invent practical solutions by developing an environment that “tells a story” to potential clients in a three-dimensional space. No matter the location, the main objective of exhibition spaces is to communicate a message through engaging audiences in a way that is meaningful and long-lasting.

Exhibit design is very much a collaborative process that relies on integrating disciplines such as architecture, landscape architecture, graphic design, digital media, and interior design to develop a unique experience for the client that engages and influences their understanding of a product or service. Exhibit designers work very closely with graphic designers, content specialists, architects, technical specialists, audiovisual experts, and occasional stakeholders—such as community members, government agencies, and other partners.

The process of designing an exhibition can be quite complex. Conceptual planning is followed by schematic designing, design development, contract documentation, fabrication, and installation. However, our team of trained professionals at Configurations understands that companies do not have the time or the resources to create an Orlando exhibition with that WOW factor. Allow us to design a unique, engaging, and interactive exhibition to impress your clients. Please give us a call today at (407)788-3070.

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Branded Retail Environments in Orlando – November 16th, 2011

The power and influence of the internet has changed the way people shop. In 2011, 70% of all consumers consulted the internet prior to purchasing anything. In today’s world of retailing, the balance of power has shifted to the customer because they want to be in total control of the sale. The consumer doesn’t want to be sold anything anymore. Instead, they want to be empowered to buy.

As the world of retail is quickly getting more complex and consumer focused, how will your brand communicate to its customers so that they are empowered to buy?

As retailing becomes more and more consumer focused, the need for innovative design that allows the consumer to “experience” the brand becomes critical. It is also essential to keep the brand message consistent in everything from the website to the store environment so that the consumer is comfortable with your consistent message.

The marketing and branding experts at Configurations in Orlando can help you successfully create a branded retail environment that lets your consumers “experience” your brand and gain value from your marketing efforts. Give us a call today at 407-788-3070.

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Posted in Branded Retail Environments, Branding Online, Experiential Branding

What’s In A Brand? – November 9th, 2011

A brand is a company’s face to the world. It is what the world sees and comes to recognize as the company. A brand can include the company’s name, logo, slogan, tagline, culture, brand character, and anything else associated with the image of the company. A brand is also how the company is perceived by the world and the value that they associate with the company.

A brand is a promise to your customers. It is a set of fundamental principles and values that are understood by anyone who comes into contact with a company. For example, when people see the Apple logo on a laptop, they understand that this product stands for innovation and quality, because this is what Apple stands for.

The key to creating a successful business is to start branding your company early on. This is a great way to express what your company is about and what value it offers to the world. However, it is important to accurately and effectively brand your business from the beginning so that you communicate a clear and consistent brand message to your customers. For example, choose a logo that is cohesive with your company’s name, mission, and purpose.

The branding experts at Configurations in Orlando can help you successfully convey a consistent brand message to your target audience, which could include your customers, shareholders, employees, and analysts. Give us a call today at 407-788-3070.

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Successful Corporate Events in Orlando – October 27th, 2011

Creating a successful corporate event for employees, customers, or investors can be a huge project. However, it is possible to put together an event that is exciting, motivating, and memorable, while still accomplishing the goals of your event. There are a few important aspects of an event that can make its impact last well beyond the date of the event.

The first thing to accomplish when planning for a corporate event is to establish an objective for the event. Once you have a purpose and goals for the event, you can plan ways to achieve these goals. Companies can hold events to encourage and motivate employees, to gain investor confidence, to celebrate accomplishments or company awards, to demonstrate new products and services to customers, or to convey industry expertise over competition. Picking your event’s purpose will help define your event and will guide the rest of your decisions relating to the event.

Another essential aspect to determine for your corporate event in Orlando is the budget. By establishing a budget, you can effectively make decisions about other details of the event such as the venue, entertainment, food, number of attendees, etc. It is helpful to decide the total amount that you’ll be spending for the event and then divide that number by your estimated number of attendees to determine the cost per person.

At Configurations in Orlando, we serve as the single source for your entire corporate event needs. Our Orlando branding experts blend multi-media, dynamic speakers, themes, entertainment, creative set designs, visual elements, and logistics to create an engaging event that showcases your company, strengthens your brand, and accomplishes your event’s objective.

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Posted in Configurations, Corporate Branding

Branding Your Business Online – October 13th, 2011

It’s not enough anymore to just have an aesthetically pleasing website and a social media presence online in order to effectively brand your business online. Nowadays, you need more than this to stay competitive and effective online.

Don’t just start the conversation. You also need to evolve the conversation. Social media is about having a meaningful conversation. By doing this, you can connect customers to the brand, create prospective clients, develop relationships, and build rapport with your community. It is very important to actively participate in conversations relating to the brand by replying to comments, posts, and messages from others online. This will keep the conversation going and will keep the customer thinking about the brand.

Appear in the media as a source of expertise. By doing this, you are conveying to customers that you are an expert in your industry and customers will trust your input and your business. Also, you can add testimonials to your website to increase credibility with potential customers.

Fully integrate your site. Add social media icons to your website in a place where they will easily be seen. This can increase traffic to both your website and your social media pages. Adding an engaging blog to your site will add relevant and continuous content to your site, increasing its chance to be seen by search engines. The most important thing to do with your website is to cater it to your customer. You want to be able to address your customer’s needs through your website.

To learn more about how Configurations can help you build your brand online, contact us today. 407-788-3070.

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Posted in Branding Online, Configurations, Corporate Branding

Connecting Your Employees With Your Brand – October 6th, 2011

One of the most important aspects in branding your business is to make sure the brand permeates all aspects of your business. This includes training your staff in the branding message. Let everyone know the company goals, mission, and aspects of the brand image. Everyone should understand what the branding message means to the public and strive to communicate the brand in their work.

Show and lead by example, and encourage everyone to lead others in the process. If you convey the brand in a very positive way, your subordinates will look up to you and strive to convey the brand in their own way, but with a positive image as well.

Create the office environment to connect with the brand in every possible way – culture, attitudes, decorations, etc. Also, when employees communicate a positive branding message in their everyday work, recognize and reward their positive behavior. Hire and retain people who inspire a positive environment and are passionate about the brand.

For more information on how Configurations in Orlando can help you convey your brand through all aspects of your business, call 407-788-3070. One of our branding experts would be happy to assist you.

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Posted in Configurations, Corporate Branding, Experiential Branding
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