nancy, Author at Showgirl Talk - Page 5 of 8Showgirl Talk

Author Archive

Great Business Ideas from Great People!
Posted by nancy on October 25th, 2012 at 6:49 pm
Kudos to Elizabeth Beskin of Fifth Avenue Digital! One of the most brilliant industry ideas was found at the International Special Events Society booth. Everyone who joined the Association was eligible for a professional-quality headshot, complete with make-up and styling. Attendees enjoyed a special perk for joining the organization. It sure beat those boring tables with just printed membership materials and blah-blah! 5th Avenue Digital and ISES were much more popular when they decided to...

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I Want My Badge…NOW!
Posted by nancy on October 25th, 2012 at 5:13 pm
Everyone hates registration lines. This year’s event featured super-express and high-tech registration. Greeters simply scanned a bar code on our smart phones, and we had our badges within minutes. More time on the show floor…less time staring at the back of someone’s head in an endless registration line! ...

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Simple and Simply Dazzling!
Posted by nancy on October 25th, 2012 at 4:35 pm
Can’t afford a high-tech, highly-produced booth? Use your product to decorate your booth instead! Rhinestones, fabric panels, stacks of chairs, and even candy (check out PayPal’s booth!) can add a splash of color and excitement to your display. If you don't feel comfortable making the leap with real ink, you can always opt for glitter instead! (Check out my own Glittertoo down below) Interactivity is a sure-fire way to drive traffic to a booth. Games, photos (see Best of Show), and surpr...

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Who Wants to Talk to an Empty Chair?
Posted by nancy on October 25th, 2012 at 4:30 pm
Empty booths make us sad. Exhibitors who have to cancel at the last minute should either donate their booths to charity or a start-up company, or at least take down their company sign. Sometimes manned booths can appear empty too. Talking on your cell phone or to your booth-mate is a major trade show no-no. We see a lot of chairs, but nobody to talk to!...

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Bright and Timeless Events
Posted by nancy on October 25th, 2012 at 3:22 pm
Photo booths are like theONswitch itself, bright and timeless. At first glance (or first flash) they may seem narcissistic…but the reality is that photo booths create a great opportunity for event attendees to bond, share, and enjoy. They combine the best of old-fashioned photography with the miracles of next-gen technology. Some of the exhibitors sent us our photos via email, or shared them on Facebook via iPads. Those were our faves! We also loved the two FlipBook companies, who inst...

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The Most Event-Full Day of October!
Posted by nancy on October 25th, 2012 at 3:04 pm
BizBash IdeaFest 2012 is one of our favorite shows! Why? Because it’s an event that’s all about events! And why do we love events? Because they combine some of our favorite things… Human connection. We hope that never goes out of style! Creativity and entertainment. People remember experiences, not stuff. The event industry is all about creating memorable, entertaining, awe-inspiring, delicious, delightful, and sometimes educational experiences for guests. Versatility. From corpo...

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Top Chefs
Posted by nancy on June 22nd, 2012 at 6:52 pm
There was no shortage of standout individuals behind the booths, including celebrity chefs, enthusiastic small-business owners and even one of the chefs that works at the White House! Great, tasty food is one thing, but when the person that makes the incredible food is a rockstar as well, then nobody leaves hungry! Here we are with Chef Guy Mitchell, a guest chef at the White House and Vice President's Residence (www.thewhitehousechefs.com). He was fun, charismatic and knew how...

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Dessert Hybrids Pick Up Speed
Posted by nancy on June 22nd, 2012 at 6:21 pm
It's always time for dessert! The combination of familiar snacks and desserts was one of the biggest trends we noticed while scouring the endless aisles of food. Items like Cookie Chips from HannahMax Baking (hannahmax.com) reminded us of potato chips, but with the classic cookie taste. Seth Greenberg (www.browniecrunch.com) had a similar take on the idea, by creating a crunchy brownie that looks like a dark, yet delicious, cracker. ...

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Lights, Camera, Eat!
Posted by nancy on June 22nd, 2012 at 6:07 pm
The Fancy Food Show means Fancy Displays! While many booths boasted colorful products or costumed mascots to reel customers in, a few companies went above and beyond with their elaborate, dazzling presentation. Check out some of our favorites below! It seemed as if you simply couldn't escape the aisles and ailes of different oils from practically every country in the Western Hemisphere. After trying endless varieties of chips and salsa, we dove into the olive oils, complete with hints of cit...

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What Are You Hiding Under There?
Posted by nancy on June 22nd, 2012 at 5:15 pm
At every trade show we go to, there are always those efforts that become tiresome, boring or simply fall flat. The Fancy Food Show didn't have many of these, but we still noticed some things that left our stomachs grumbling (and not in a good way!). It seemed as if everywhere we looked, we were being cornered by some furry mascot which may, or may not have had anything to do with the product they were trying to sell. Some of them were cute, some were disturbing, but all become repetitive and...

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