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Conference Management & Event Planning
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Forget GPS—customers in ten major U.S. cities can now book professional chauffeurs for their rental cars. Car rental giant Avis has teamed up with WeDriveU, a private chauffeur service, to make this convenient new option available to Avis Preferred members.
With Avis Chauffeur Drive, fully insured and certified drivers, who know the ins and outs of local thoroughfares and can navigate city streets with ease, pick up customers in their rental cars from baggage claim or passenger loading zones, chauffeur them around town, and can drop them off and return their rentals at the end of their trip. There's no need to wrestle with maps and directions, and customers can get work done while en route to their destination, making the time savings alone worth it for business travelers in a crunch. And offering customers the best of both worlds: a driver for the part of their trip they need one, and just the car for the rest of the journey.
The service is priced at USD 30 per hour, with a 3-hour minimum, in addition to standard rental car charges—an estimated 35% less than customers might spend on standard car and driver services. Customers can reserve chauffeurs up to 24 hours in advance in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Phoenix, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. But there’s no reason why this concept couldn't take off in other regions or industries—entrepreneurs in any hire business should consider how their clients might benefit from booking professionals along with their rentals. For an extensive look at the role of rental in the experience economy, check out trendwatching.com's transumers briefing.
Website: www.avis.com/driver
Contact: info@wedriveu.com
Articles from Bloglines.com |
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By any practical definition, tools are good, while gadgets are less than essential. The question is, where do you draw the line?
We'd define a useful tech tool as something that makes your work easier—and doesn't complicate your life. Here are five for meeting planners:
In this electronic age, the business card still survives as a critical networking tool. CardScan, an electronic business-card scanner, brings the contact information on the card into your PC so you can use it. CardScan can save a card as an image on your PC in less than three seconds. More importantly, it instantly imports contact information into the included CardScan database; or into popular contact programs like Outlook, ACT!, Lotus Notes, and Goldmine; or to contact managers on PDAs and smart phones.
One mild criticism of CardScan is that its optical character recognition (OCR) sometimes misses information. We tested the current version with 11 business cards. It took us just a minute to scan all 11, and another 10 minutes to proof the data. CardScan's software is quite good at recognizing names, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses, but cards with lots of logos, colors, or unusual lettering sizes or fonts can confuse it.
But recognition of information was better than 90 percent, and CardScan saved us lots of tedious retyping. And while recognition has bulked up, CardScan has slimmed down, to just 5.8 by 3.3 by 1.5 inches and a weight of seven ounces. Requiring only a USB cable (no batteries or power cord) it's easy to throw in your laptop bag.
Adding a Dymo labelmaker to CardScan (both now owned by Newell Rubbermaid) makes them a powerful combination for small meetings. As delegates or on-site registrants arrive, you could simply scan their business cards, add them to your database, and print their nametags. Later, you could print address labels for follow-up mailings. CardScan Executive, www.cardscan.com; $259; Dymo LabelWriter Duo, global.dymo.com; $209.
Carrying a projector for small meetings or one-on-one presentations is now a no-brainer, thanks to Boxlight's BumbleBee. It measures just 4.75 by 3.9 by 1.9 inches and weighs under a pound—two pounds with battery pack. You'll need a pretty dark room to see the BumbleBee's 800 x 600 resolution image, because it has just 150 lumens of brightness. Still, its LED lamp technology offers 20,000 hours of life. Also, it outputs VGA, video, and S-Video, and has an SD card slot for projecting digital photos. www.boxlight.com; $799.
Conducting frequent conference calls on the road? Now you can make mobile mini-meetings of high quality with the Spracht Aura BT mobile speakerphone. The "BT" stands for Bluetooth, and this pocket-sized unit will work with your mobile phone, cordless home phone, and PC or Macintosh for voice-over-Internet calls. The three-watt speaker makes it loud enough to use in a car or conference room, and its noise and echo cancellation features give it sufficient sound quality. www.spracht.com; $149.95.
Something every meeting planner must think about is emergency medical care for delegates. Now you can have that information at your fingertips with a new software application, InTouch, from Garmin International and the Mayo Clinic. If your cell phone is GPS-enabled, it automatically finds the nearest accredited emergency health facility. If not, just enter the city/zip code to search for nearby facilities from a list of over 3,800 accredited providers.
The $2.99-a-month offering, available initially from Alltel Wireless and Sprint, also features first-aid tips, a symptom checker, health-video shorts, and drug alerts.
Sidebar: BlackBerry vs. Cell Phone
The cell phone is increasingly becoming a "do-it-all" device. And BlackBerry has raised the bar, adding multimedia entertainment and digital services to its all-the-time business connectivity. The BlackBerry 8800 plays music and video, and includes GPS so you can't get lost, unless you lose your phone. It has a full keyboard, big color screen, and replaces the thumb-destroying BlackBerry wheel with a trackball. Soon available through providers such as AT&T, at about $300. wwwblackberry8800.com
Courtesy of Michael Goldstein, Successful Meetings
Originally published April 1, 2007 inSuccessful Meetings. |
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| Courtesy of: Ben Tesdahl, Esq.
Courtesy of: http://www.mimegasite.com |
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In my recent
article, The Number One Cause of High Food Cost , I singled out
improper ordering as the primary cause of high cost.
If I'm right about the cause, the wise operator should spend more
quality time on placing food orders. Since many of the tasks involved
in placing an order with a vendor are time consuming and analytical,
many operators spend their energy reducing the amount of time spent in
this activity.
Initially, the time saved is put to good use in other key management
areas. Once two or three months have passed, the time savings will
generate less of an impact. Distractions will fill the time slot and
the savings benefit will wane.
I'd like to see the same amount of time spent in a better fashion. You
are already spending this time and it's built into your routine. If you
spent the time more wisely, a significant benefit could be achieved.
Food cost surprises can be dramatically reduced. Better forecasts and
tighter par levels can reduce inventory levels and the resulting
spoilage. Spend most of the time forecasting demand and restrict weekly
purchases to 30% of expected sales. Your inventory levels will decline
(assuming you've been running a food cost percentage over this
threshold). After several weeks, recalculate the necessary par levels
for all key items.
As you fill more of your time allotment with this activity, your cost
improvements will generate excitement. Forecasting will become a game
everyone looks forward to participating in each week. Your actual food
cost percentage will tend to be closer to the ideal cost target. Adjust
the 30% figure above to the long term food cost target.
You may find a few extra hours. Effective bidding can produce major
savings and innovations. Take some of the time and review your purchase
specifications for all key items. A fresh look at these issues will
have lasting results. Tiny changes in specifications can often produce
big profits.
Joe Dunbar
Dunbar Associates
P.O. Box 579
Fairfax, VA 22038-0579
800-949-3295
http://www.joedunbar.com
jdunbar401@aol.com
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Feb. 19, 2007 issue - He's downstairs at the desk, and he
looks and sounds like the hotel concierge. He even made your dinner
reservations and got your clothes cleaned. But he, or she, may not be a
concierge, but a ringer: a ticket broker whose company pays the hotel to let
him pretend to be.
Outsourcing concierges is becoming popular, especially
at midtier hotels. Workers from outside companies like Expedia wear hotel
uniforms and do all that traditional concierges do. Those in the industry
differ on whether that's a good thing. Howard Lefkowitz, president of
Vegas.com, which staffs the desks at Las
Vegas hotels like Excalibur and Bally's, says
outsourcing gives guests better service. But contract concierges aren't allowed
to join les Cléfs D'or, the professional association of concierges. A spokesman
says ringers have a conflict if they get a cut of the tickets and services they
recommend.
Of course, many old-line
concierges take free meals, too. How else would they know where to send you?
—L.S.
Newsweek
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By Peter Romeo
In the beginning, one version had to fit all eaters. Restaurant
chains were founded on the principle of menu conformity, in part
because patrons equated variation with unpleasant surprises, and
largely to lower prices through mass production. Their burger was the
burger you got, regardless of how you wanted it.
But in recent
years, even the mass-market giants have eased their insistence on one
choice for all. You can not only custom-spec your burger, but also opt
for products that were developed for a particular sector of the market,
be it the health-conscious or the skateboard set.
Now the
industry’s mass producers are going further and addressing an inch-wide
but rapidly expanding splinter of the U.S. marketplace: Followers of
Islam. As the Chicago Tribune reported last week, a number of the major
chains, from KFC to McDonald’s and Subway, are revamping their recipes
to offer signatures that conform to Islamic dietary law. That entails
using halal meat, or the flesh of chickens and cattle that are
slaughtered in an approved fashion.
And don’t forget lamb. Outback now offers a dish made with a type of New Zealand lamb that qualifies as halal.
It’s
not as if a halal chicken is perceivably different from a typical
unsanctioned bird, as I can attest from personal experience. At least
once a week, deputy editor Paul Frumkin and I head down the street here
in New York for some halal chicken. We could get it from any of
probably 15 carts within a half-mile radius.
We couldn’t care
less that the chicken topping our rice platters is halal. But halal
choices tend to be offered in New York—and presumably a number of other
major cities—by Middle Eastern immigrants who cook in the style of
their homelands. That means marinated and highly spiced proteins
garnished with fiery or palate-cooling sauces, and often both. The
chicken tastes no different per se, but vendors of the halal version
tend to spice it distinctively.
The U.S. chains experimenting
with halal choices are holding to their current recipes; they’re merely
using halal beef or chicken in place of the non-blessed variety. And
those variations have been extremely limited in scale. McDonald’s has
two halal outlets, according to the Tribune story, and other press
reports indicate that KFC also has only two halal outlets. Subway
reportedly has a lone outlet, in New Jersey.
But those limited
endeavors have been enough to stir up controversy, because the halal
designation requires those mega-volume feeders to veer far from their
normal supply route. They have to buy the meat of animals that were
blessed in accordance with Islamic law, then slaughtered in ritualistic
fashion (i.e., the throat slit by a holy person, and the blood
drained).
The halal KFC stores have been assailed by some
Islamic believers for selling chicken that was blessed but mechanically
slaughtered. The critics say that’s the reformed version of hala, not
the true form. And that’s not kosher in their eyes.
It’s also
unclear how a halal quick-service outlet would handle breakfast. Pork
is patently a disqualifier, which means a store would have to forego
bacon and pork sausage if it wanted to keep its halal designation.
The
halal units opened thus far by the big U.S. quick-service chains are
all in areas with sizeable Muslim populations. It remains to be seen
how stores with that designation would be received in mainstream areas.
But how could they miss? With the exception of some tweaks to the
breakfast menu, non-Islamic customers would not have to sacrifice a
thing. And they could count on the business of Frumkin and me, which is
fairly considerable. |
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Aerotechnics™
& You
I
have to admit that I love this time of the year. It seems, right
now, like simply everyone is planning a celebration. Politicos are
preparing for victory celebrations, companies are planning their
end-of-year bashes and theatre groups and schools around the country
are rehearsing all sorts of holiday spectacles. And they're all
asking the same question, "What can we do this year that will
be different, bigger and better than last time?"
You've probably guessed my answer already from the title of this
article. So what are Aerotechnics™
anyway and how can they enhance a show or party? Aerotechnics™
is a system of confetti
and streamer launchers powered by air or Carbon
Dioxide (CO2). Invented by Ed Bartek, special effects engineer
extraordinaire. Aerotechnics™ is the most comprehensive line
available, featuring the largest variety of launchers, the most
efficient launchers, and the largest variety of accessories.
Aerotechnics™ is so named because it was originally conceived
as a safe and regulation-free alternative to pyrotechnic special
effects. You truly can use Aerotechnics™ to create spectacular
indoor simulated fireworks displays, launching showers of streamers
and confetti that seen to burst in mid-air. But Aerotechnics™
doesn't stop there. Use Aerotechnics (tm) to launch T-Shirts, puffs
of simulated smoke, water, ping pong balls, business cards and more.
Fill the air with huge pieces of fluttering brightly colored tissue.
Amaze your audience by shooting streamers from an apparently empty
hand.
Most of our Aerotechnic™ devices use CO2
cartridges that screw into a valve near the base of the device.
When a lever is pulled, a pin punctures the end of the cartridge,
releasing all of the CO2 into the barrel of the device and propelling
the load (confetti, streamers, etc.) into the air. A very simple
principle that can produce amazing results.
While the principle of Aerotechnics™ is simple, the challenge
in using them comes in deciding how they should be loaded. Even
our smallest device, when loaded properly, can produce a huge-looking
effect. Following are some tips for getting the most out of every
shot.
First, always use Backpressure
Caps. A Backpressure Cap is a cardboard cap that fits over the
end of the cannon's barrel and is secured in place using masking
tape. We sell black masking tape for just this purpose but standard
masking tape may work just as well. When the Backpressure Cap is
sealed in place it allows the pressure from the CO2 to build up
in the barrel until the cap is finally blown off, lifting the payload
high into the air. Without a Backpressure Cap you may notice that
your shots do not travel as far or generally appear to "fall
flat."
Next, when shooting confetti always use a Lifting
Cup. The Lifting Cup is designed to be inserted into the barrel
first and pushed all the way to the bottom. It is slightly smaller
than the inside of the barrel has a beveled edge that produces an
airtight seal. This allows the CO2 to press on the bottom of the
Lifting Cup, which in turn presses on the payload, instead of the
gas escaping around the sides. A Lifting Cup will add height to
any effect, but is especially useful with confetti loads as the
CO2 seems to have a hard time propelling them any distance without
one.
A quick note on both Lifting Cups and Backpressure Caps; when shooting
out towards an audience, be aware that people may be startled when
a small cardboard piece comes out of the air at them. Both Lifting
Cups and Backpressure Caps are small and light enough that they
shouldn't cause any harm whatsoever to anyone they may land on.
In today's litigious climate, however, one should always be cautious.
Finally -- the fun part -- the payload! What you load into an Aerotechnics™
device depends on what effect you're looking to achieve. Experimenting
with the supplies you receive with your device is a good way to
get ideas, but allow me to make a few suggestions. The following
descriptions are for loading the Pocket
Cannon™, but will work in all of our Aerotechnics™
devices. Be aware that larger devices will require more payload
material.
Turbofetti™
is tissue confetti cut into 5/8" x 2" rectangles. Usually
packed in stacks of 480 pieces, it creates a cloud of confetti that
flutters and spins gently to the ground over a period of several
seconds. For a "traditional"
confetti look, this works great! The supplies for a "traditional"
shot would be: 1 - 1" Lifting Cup, 2 – stacks Turbofetti™,
1 - 1" Backpressure Cap and 1 - 8g CO2 cylinder.
Aerostreamers™ are streamers that shoot into the air and unroll
as the fall to ground. They create a wonderful "bon voyage"
look that would work for many shows. No production of "Anything
Goes," should go on without at least one streamer cannon. One
thing that makes streamers appealing to many people is that they
create a large-looking effect like a confetti shot without as much
mess. Streamers are simply easier to clean up than confetti, which
may explain why streamer shots are so popular at trade shows and
conventions where many shots happen of the course of a day.
We have many sizes of Aerostreamers™ available, from 1/4"
x 18'
Standard Streamers to monstrous 1/2" x 50' streamers. The
18' streamers work wonderfully indoors as they can unroll completely
before hitting the ground. Here's my favorite way to use these,
developed over several years' show-floor experience: 15 - 18' Aerostreamers™,
1 - 1" Backpressure Cap and 1 - 8g CO2 cylinder.
An interesting look may also be achieved by mixing Turbofetti™
and Aerostreamers™ in the same shot. The effect is a burst
of streamers emerging from a cloud of confetti and would make a
great finale for an event that uses other confetti or streamer shots.
The supplies to create this look are: 1 - 1" Lifting Cup, 10
- 18" Aerostreamers™, 1 – stack Turbofetti™,
1 - 1" Backpressure Cap, 1 - 8g CO2 cylinder. The key to preparing
the payload is to load the streamers, but keep one out. Take the
free end of this streamer and wrap it several times around the Turbofetti
(tm). This will hold the Turbofetti™ together until the streamer
has started to unroll, delaying the confetti burst.
As I've already stated, the Pocket Cannon™ comes equipped
with enough supplies for three shots. However, if you get only one
thing from this week's article, let it be this:
BUY MORE SUPPLIES WHEN YOU ORDER ANY AEROTECHNIC™ CANNONS!
I know that sounds like a sales pitch but, trust me, you'll want
more than three shots worth of stuff. The first three shots are
good for getting used to the device and what it can do. The catch
is, once you know what you can do you're out of supplies! Additional
loads, CO2 cartridges and other supplies are not that expensive
and the benefit of getting exactly the look you want is worth the
added expense.
*********************************************
Theatre Effects Customer Service Department
service@theatrefx.com
www.theatrefx.com |
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By Nicole Weston
on Rockstar
Filed under: Events, Celebrity Shopping  We mentioned
that singer George Michael was hired to play at a New Year's party in
Russia for $3 million. What we didn't mention is that he was at the
party for just over an hour. This is a classic example of the luxury
party trend of renting rockstars
(or other celebrities) to show up at parties. Christina Aguilera, Bette
Midler and Robin Williams have done over the top birthday parties. 50
Cent and Aerosmith have done multimillion-dollar bat mitsvahs. "It's
common knowledge that Bruce Springsteen and U2 won't do it," said the
head of the corporate and private events division for Creative Artists
Agency, but just about everyone else will.
The artists may be doing it for the money (at thousands of dollars
per minute, who wouldn't?), but they're also making some people really
happy by appearing at their special event. Is it worth the payout on
the part of the consumer? That's for you to decide the next time you're
throwing a million dollar birthday party. |
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From advertising to zinfandel, Slashfood's look back at 2006Posted Dec 28th 2006 9:02AM by Nicole Weston
Filed under: Site Announcements, Business, Organic, Trans Fats, Trends, On the Blogs, Lists, in sixty seconds, High-fructose corn syrup, Health & Medical 
Want to look back on some of the top news, trends and other food
related goings-on of the last year? After a jam-packed year of posting,
there are some topics that keep coming up again and again. From A to Z,
here are our top picks from 2006:
Ad mascots made a comeback and even got spinoff merchandise of their own.
Bacon was just about everywhere
Premium and gourmet coffee is everywhere, and there is an increased appreciation for it.
Dark chocolate is more popular than ever
Energy drinks are a big hit with teens. Caffeinated vodkas are taking the trend even further.
Fois gras is banned in Chicago, although you wouldn't know it to eat there.
Gelato is nearing the top spot on the list of cold, sweet treats that people love to indulge in.
High fructose corn syrup is being looked on with a more critical eye by consumers and removed from some drinks. Food-related illnesses got national headlines.
Junk food ads have been banned from many TV programs in the ongoing battle against obesity.
Kobe beef is expensive, but it's also the best.
Labeling was altered all over the world to make it easier to identify healthy foods when shopping.
Marshmallow Fluff was involved in a lawsuit over the name fluffernutter, while the same sandwiches were vilified in Massachusetts schools.
No-knead bread was a great motivator to get people to bake at home.
Organics really hit the mainstream and have become so prevalent, that some feel that interest is actually beginning to wane.
Phones became dieting tools, as well as recipe resources and wine references.
Quick service restaurants - a.k.a. fast food - alternate between healthy decisions and unhealthy ones.
Rachael Ray is everywhere, including the dictionary.
Sodas, after being forced out of schools, are being reinvented into healthier drinks.
Trans fats are aggressively being pushed out of our diets
Unusual wedding cakes, and specialty cakes for all occasions, are top choices for couples looking for something really special and go a lot further than last year's popular cupcake towers.
Vending machines are being stocked with healthier choices in schools, but more exotic options elsewhere. .
White tea received a lot of attention for its purported health benefits
Our food porn picks are the only X-rated things you can look at when you're at work without getting in trouble.
Yogurt was everywhere, from cereals to chewing gum. It's one of the best foods you can eat, so why not eat a lot?
Zinfandel almost became California's state historic wine. |
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PRODUCT GALLERY: SWEET SMELLS
Dec 27, 2006 6:00 AM
Scentevents suggests enhancing events with
complementary aromas. A small scent player, requiring 1 amp of
electricity and measuring 7 inches wide, will perfume an indoor or
outdoor area as large as 2,000 square feet. The scents are
environmentally safe and range from holiday-themed pumpkin spice to
fresh-cut grass. |
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