Yesterday I had the privilege to be part of DOT-PAL PHILINDEX at Hyatt Hotel, Manila. It was attended by BUYERS from INDIA. PACEOS presented to this buyers from INDIA.

The event is simple yet meaningful for our tourism stake at India. Last year, we have over 300,000 visitors from India. However, data shows that there are around 14 Million tourists from India that roam around the world. We must therefore capture a sizeable amount to this big market.

Events like yesterday are a positive sign for our tourism industry. I am happy that PAL now has trips from India to Manila and vice versa. This augurs well and hopefully contributes positively to the economic progress of our country.

Now on its second year, Kabuhayang Pinoy Expo received a resounding approval among the companies and organizations that joined last year. This is a positive indication that many visitors of the expo involved themselves to the different companies present on the event either as business partners or dealers.

This year, a better Kabuhayang Pinoy Expo is prepared to provide more business and livelihood opportunities to the public - a must now that the country is facing economic challenges and people are looking for other sources of income to augment their traditional sources of income which is their salaries as employees.

Kabuhayang Pinoy Expo also boasts business games and activities that are intended to immerse and familiarize participants on different aspects of running a successful enterprise. This portion of the event is educational and entertaining that all visitors will surely be glued or prompted to join the activities.

Some of the activities are Biz Deal or No Deal, Pinoy Negosyanteng Henyo, Negosyo or Bayong , Malachi, Primevera1, Gran Merlen Health Competition, Movement Dance Studio Summer Show, Metrobank Join and Win Show, Snow Flakes Creamery Ice Cream Show, and  King Sue Sausage Eating Contest.

Look and Feel Great Expo starts tomorrow at Market Market Activity Area. I have written I lot of times about this event (an indication how in love I am in this concept). After describing the event in words I am now trying to show you through a collage of pictures the activities that await you. Activities that is exciting, fresh and vibrant.

They say picture say a thousand words, and I am allowing the pictures to say to you what you should not miss in this great event.

See you there and come early!

After the planning, selling and completion of all ingredients needed to make an event successful, you are pushed in the waiting  corner for the  actual day of the event ( which starts not on the first day of the event but the ingress or move-in day).

This is one aspect of the event that is very difficult. Your emotions are bottled-up. Anxiety and excitement fights inside of you and your team. Doubts swirl around your head. Did I accomplish all the necessary pre-event needs to make this event a BIG S! Is there anything I have overlooked that could spell disaster during the actual event? Are my team equipped? Is there anything I could do to make this event better before the actual day of the event?

Yes! The waiting game hangs like the sword of Damocles. Trepidations are a natural occurrence. A caffeine fix could not even do anything to allay the emotions that you have inside. It is like you are waiting for the gate of adrenaline rush to open.

The waiting game is one of the crossroads of the event. It is where you keep in silence while your mind shouts and your heart pumps in a rhythm that you cannot define.

Tic...tac ...tic...tac

The clock ticks and your awareness are heightened. Funny but true, I sometimes experience the hairs of my body go up, akin to watching a horror movie - excitement, anxiety, paranoia, and hubris, a mix of everything.

This is the waiting game – all you can do, which I and Exlinkers do, is pray that everything will be alright.

***

If you are wondering what I am waiting to happen - blimey! It is Look and Feel Great Expo. If you have forgotten, it is this April 15-16, 2011 at Market, Market, and Taguig City.

There are a lot of snack foods available for us to nibble and enjoy. However, majority are considered junk or bad for our body.  If taken excessively, they can even be a cause of our illnesses.  But again, we cannot seem to stop having them because they have been part of our entertainment and relaxation time; a part of our lifestyle.

The good news is a healthy snack is now made available which looks after our health and total wellness.  Introducing, Solara.

Solara is a baked multigrain snack food that offers all the goodness of a regular chip without the “junk”.  It is made from 5 whole grains: Oats, Corn, Barley, Brown Rice and Whole Wheat, which serve as a good source of FIBER that provide auto-detoxification in the body.  Solara is also enhanced with LECITHIN to aid in weight control. Solara does not contain transfat, MSG and cholesterol, making it a healthy and guilt-free snacking experience.

Solara is a great snack food that is yummy and healthy. Once you start munching it, it will leave you wanting for more.  It’s a perfect companion during office breaks, relaxing at home in front of the TV or unwinding from a stressful day. So go on, keep on munching Solara.

For all of you who wanted to have a bite of Solara, it will be available at the “Look and Feel Great Expo”, April 15-16,2011 at Market, Market, Taguig City.

Herbalife, one of the leading direct selling companies on health products, supports “Look and Feel Great Expo”, April 15-16, 2011, Market, Market, Taguig. Herbalife will hold Fashion Show of their Biggest Loser Winners, and give talk on “How to Live a Healthy Life” during the event. In photo (left to right) Ms. Cindy Manimtim, Exlink Sales Associate, Orly Ballesteros, Exlink Operations Head, Ms. Younghee Chung, VP and General Manager, Herbalife of Korea and Philippines, and Mr. Choonghoon Kim, Herbalife International Philippines Country Manager. “Look and Feel Great Expo is organized by Ex-link Management and Marketing Services Corporation. For more information, visit www.lookandfeelgreatevent.com.ph or call tel # 643-3887.

It is hip, cool and funky. A T-shirt design that is up to the times -I am talking about the Look and Feel Great Expo T-Shirt. Good news is you can have one of these limited T-Shirt when you purchase a product at the Look and Feel Great Expo, you automatically have a raffle stub and it will be drawn during the day of your purchase.

Indeed, it is a great and exciting way to win and join raffle prizes. You buy, get a raffle ticket and wait for the hour it is drawn, winners are announce; if you are one of them, you take home the T-shirt – it is that easy!

So do not miss this event and be there at all cost!

Exhibition is a battlefield. It is a battlefield where companies battle for ATTENTION -the visitors’ attention. This war mentality will help any company joining the event to be prepared. As the saying goes, planning is half the battle won.

Now, how do you win the battle? In my experience there are 5 Collaterals that you must have and that you cannot win the battle without it.

1. Flyers and Brochures

Flyers and brochures are very important. This is where visitors read information about your company offerings. This maybe simplistic but I have seen a lot of companies neglect this basic collateral. Yes, you know the answer - lost of selling opportunities.

Therefore, never forget to design an attractive brochure or flyers. It can convert sales in exhibitions.

2. Samplings

There is a study that in food expo those exhibitors that give free tasting get to sell more as compared to those that do not.

In car expo, those that provide test drives get to convert sales.

In other products the same hold true that clients/visitors who are given a chance to sample or experience the products and services get more opportunities to maximize their investments in exhibitions. You may call this experiential marketing, and yes, definitely, everybody crave to experience something before they purchase it.

3. Giveaways

Everybody loves free and it is a magnet that never fails to attract a lot of visitors. So never forget to offer free giveaways. It does not matter if it is not expensive. The most important thing is your visitors get something free.

Call this building Goodwill to future and new clients.

4. Calling Card

A mortal sin that is often repeated by those manning your booth is that they forget to bring their calling cards. Again, this is business and exhibition is about building trust and relationships – calling cards cover this ground for you on the initial stage of building trust and relationships.

If you do not have calling cards you lose the chance to be remembered by your future clients. You ask me why?  Of course, there are other booths and exhibitors out there who is better prepared than you, that is with calling cards; and even if they did not make any impression they might still have the edge when potential buyers return to their office and start recollecting what took place in the event.

5. Lead Information Sheet

Exhibition and events engagement does not automatically convert to sales. If this is the case you need to get back at those visitors who qualified as your target market. A lead information sheet is vital to take down all necessary information about the buyers and visitors you talk with.

Making a follow-up is one of the sales processes that will only be successful if you have taken all the important information of those that you intend to follow-up.

Lead generation is only successful if you have properly documented those that expressed their interests on your products and services.

This is the 5 collaterals that you cannot be successful without and this is a guarantee, so take heed and enjoy your exhibition marketing.

Yesterday I attended an event for entrepreneurs; it was almost 4 years since I attended again this particular event. I was happy to see there are many attendees. It made me conclude that the subject matter has reached the tipping point and now it is part of our daily life. So attendees like me wanted to know this new world and learn how to cope and maximize its presence.

The night is going well, the speakers are great not until the second to the last speaker shamelessly begun selling instead of teaching. A big No No when you are given the opportunity to speak in front of a large audience.

Speakers are thought leaders in a learning event. They should not be salesmen who sell snake oil in front of a captured crowd. I pity those people who are methodically influenced by the presentation of the salesman pretending to be a speaker.

Distasteful is a very mild word to describe what was happening. It is crime and will always be categorized as a crime if you abused the trust that was accorded to you by the organizers and attendees. The podium or rostrum for that matter is a respectable platform and respect must be given at any cost.

Again, if this is a product presentation event then it is ok to sell but it’s not. It is a knowledge sharing event about your success, failures, best practices and pitfalls (I hope you get the grip of what I am talking about).

So now, always remember do not sell to me, teach me and let me be transformed by the lessons you bring. It is not too much to ask and it is all I expect when you use the stage, hold the microphone, and flip your awesome PowerPoint.

Until now when that moment passes my mind, I scratch my head in dismay and heave a sigh coupled with this word, “ Anoooobayaaan”.