Whether your company are planning team building events or meetings, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere of corporate hospitality is very important for the success of your conferences. Corporate hospitality allows for both colleagues and clients to socialise, relax and work as a team. Meetings, conferences and seminars all allow for the opportunity of corporate hospitality, it can create fun and creativity to your annual meetings or team building.

When planning corporate events there are several things that need to be considered, such as location, conference venues and the activities you want to partake in. Good client and staff relations are a very important aspect to any business and successful events. Team building and corporate hospitality will ensure this success.

Location is very important when planning your hospitality; you need to establish a location that is easily accessible for your clients. Having access by both rail and airport can be particularly important. The location also needs to be considered for the type of activity that you are planning to do for your event. Activities will work well alongside your events, whether you are planning sports or team building as part of your corporate hospitality.

Choosing the venue is a key element to planning your corporate event as a good venue will set the mood for the event, seminar or meeting. Good food will be expected, good spaces and an excellent will all help with team building at your chosen event. If the conference venue you end up going with also offers a hotel you will help clients that live out of town and make them feel more inclined to attend.

Corporate hospitality is also a good PR tool when your company wish to introduce new concepts, plans and products as the event will be memorable and a welcoming choice. Creating a positive environment for training courses and seminars will help your attendees remember the material you are presenting and leave an impression about your company.

Finally, it is worth remembering that even serious conferences and seminars can benefit from corporate hospitality. The help of a fun activity can cement the professional bonds between the clients and colleagues. This team building makes your companies seminars or conferences seem far more appealing whilst establishing the import information that needed to be conveyed within them. Events like this are guaranteed to leave a lasting and positive impression of your company regardless of the content that needed to be communicated, which is exactly what corporate hospitality sets out to do.

Dominic Donaldson is an expert in the hospitality industry.
Find out more about Corporate Hospitality and how the services available can help with enhancing your business.

[tags]Corporate Hospitality, Corporate Events, Corporate days[/tags]

A Digital Signage Network is a collection of Digital Signage Media Players controlled from some central location via a Local Area Network (LAN) or a Wide area Network (WAN). Provision is generally made for a Media Scheduler which allows the collection of Media Players to be controlled from a central location. Some solutions also make provision for local operators to customise the Media displayed. A network of Players will generally require a Network Management System to allow the health status of the entire network to be observed from a central point.

Digital Signage Networks deployed in the retail sector for the purposes of advertising may also require a means to provide an Audit Trail of the media played.

The three core sectors who benefit hugely from digital signage are education, retail and corporate.

It displays powerful communications in high definition using live TV or video feed, RSS, HTML and Flash content all on one screen.

A small high-speed network appliance with built-in web server allowing users to configure scheduled, zoned multi-media content for a variety of display screens.

The applications are endless. Digital Signage is a popular choice in education, from Primary Schools through to Higher Education establishments. Through the use of screens placed in reception areas, staff rooms, canteens and boarding houses Digital Signage has been a proven method to communicate to pupils, students, staff and guests. Examples of information used in these environments are sports results, menus, timetable or room changes and photos of school trips.

In the retail sector one only has to saunter through a shopping mall to see examples of digital signage application. Content in this sector can vary from being highly informational, for example listing features of the latest mobile phone, to aspirational, showing images intended to resonate with the viewer, for example pictures of a car rally shown at a performance car dealership.

Digital Signage is becoming commonplace in the corporate arena as a means to communicate to both internal and external staff as well as visitors and customers. Staff facing screens can inform about call statistics in a call centre, sales targets in a business or provide relevant news information on the trading floor of a bank.

Take a pilot study customer. It was discovered that the holiday tour operators were competing for the window space. The tour operators alone gave this customers enough revenue in two months to completely pay for the audio visual projector system. Thereafter he generated income from the projector and estimated about a third more customers coming into his shop. Holidays booked and hence turnover increased which overall had been his main aim.

The following information may be required by Network Administrators before a digital signage solutions is installed on the network. It covers the following issues: Installation, Access, Security,Data Backup and Recovery maintenance . Before contacting a reputable digital signage company ensure that you are able to provide this information. Also choose a company who is partnered with leading digital signage manufacturers as they will have had comprehensive training, and support will be optimal.

If you want to enjoy the same benefits find an audio visual company that can design install and offer post installation support. Ensure that they hold insurance and are qualified electrical engineers who do the installs.

digital signage and audio visual installations from http://www.edgetechaudiovisual.co.uk/ with first class support

[tags]digital signage, audio visual installations, multimedia, education, corporate, retail[/tags]

Securities laws can be confusing and convoluted for both companies and legal practitioners alike. However, this does not make the subject any different from several other complex legal subjects. But unlike other areas of the law, where the applicability of the law is known and the confusion arises in the context of how the law applies the confusion surrounding securities law often causes companies and legal practitioners to fail to realize that their transaction is even governed by federal and state securities laws at all.

The purpose of this article is to provide companies and attorneys with a brief overview of what types of transactions are impacted by federal and state securities laws. Unfortunately, due to the brief nature of this article, it is not possible to discuss what needs to be done to comply with the numerous federal and state securities laws for each of these transactions. Treatises are written to address those issues. The purpose of this article is to get you to the first, and most important step, in the process, which is to realize that your company’s, or your client’s, transactions may have securities laws ramifications that need to be addressed. Getting to that first step should lead you in the right direction with the proper legal advice.

If your company or client is engaging in any of the transactions listed in this article, or similar transactions, chances are very good there is a securities law issue that needs to be addressed and you should speak with a securities law attorney.

There are few simple but very important concepts to remember when determining if your transaction may involve securities laws. First, securities laws govern securities transactions for all private and public companies regardless of size, and are not just applicable to publicly-traded companies. As an attorney practicing securities law for over eight years the most common mistake many companies and attorneys make regarding securities law is the belief that securities laws only apply to public companies.

Second, it is important to understand what constitutes a “security.” For the purposes of this article a “security” is common stock, preferred stock, limited liability membership units, and any instrument convertible into common stock, preferred stock or limited liability membership units, such as a convertible promissory note.

Third, every transaction involving the offering or transfer of a security is governed, to some extent, by federal and state securities laws. A list of some regular corporate transactions is listed below and you may be surprised to learn which ones are governed by federal and/or state securities laws.

Fourth, every offering or sale of a security must either be registered at the federal and/or state level, or meet the requirements for an exemption from registration. The registering of securities offering and sales, or complying with a proper exemption, is covered in numerous treatises and cannot be discussed within the confines of this article.

Out of these four basic concepts a few questions usually arise: i) What type of transactions are governed by the securities laws?; ii) What could possibly happen if I don’t comply with the securities laws?; and iii) My company engaged in one or more of these transactions and didn’t have a securities law attorney review the transaction, what can I do?

To answer the first question lets take a look at a number of typical activities by a fictitious business called ABC, Inc. For the purpose of this example let’s assume ABC, Inc. incorporates in California, and then undertakes the following as a private company:

- ABC, Inc. issues shares of its common stock to its three founders.

- ABC, Inc. sells shares of its common stock to several friends and family members of its three founders in order to raise money for operations.

- ABC, Inc. receives a loan from an unrelated third party and in exchange issues a promissory note, which, at the request of the lender, is convertible into common stock of ABC, Inc. in the event the note is not timely repaid.

- ABC, Inc. hires a director of marketing to assist with advertising its products. In the employment agreement, ABC, Inc. gives the employee a warrant to purchase X number of shares of ABC’s common stock at a fixed price.

- ABC, Inc. enters into a share exchange agreement with XYZ, Inc., wherein each company agrees to exchange shares of its common stock in exchange for the other company’s common stock.

- ABC, Inc. is ready to start manufacturing its widgets and needs cash for the manufacturing. As a result they offer up to 30% of the company’s stock to third party investors in exchange for money to cover manufacturing costs.

- One of the founders of ABC, Inc., distributes a portion of his shares to several third party investors in order to avoid dilution to investors of ABC, Inc., which would occur if they purchased shares directly from ABC, Inc.

Which of the above transactions is governed by federal and state securities laws? The answer is all of them. For each of the above transactions a review of applicable securities laws needs to be completed, and in some cases federal and/or state filings may be required. This securities law review should be completed prior to any of the above transactions being initiated. Additionally, in order to meet federal and state securities laws related to offerings of securities, certain disclosure documentation, such as a private placement memorandum and/or financial statements, may need to be provided to investors prior to their investment.

This leads to the second question for most companies: “I didn’t have the required securities law research done and did not do any federal and state securities filings, but I have not heard from any federal or state agencies, what is the possible impact on my business?” This question is difficult to answer. The impact could be varied. If you only issued shares to the founders of the company, although filings may be required, the failure to make the filings may not be detrimental.

However, for companies with an eye towards growth and that took outside investor money, or companies that may attempt to sell their business, or attempt to go public at some in the future, the impact can be devastating. For instance, after the founders of ABC, Inc. have spent countless hours growing their business with a goal of being acquired by a larger player in the industry, when that opportunity finally comes the failure to have properly researched and complied with federal and state securities laws may cause the possible acquiring company to pass on the opportunity to acquire ABC, Inc.

Another possible result could come from a disgruntled shareholder who complains that at the time they made their investment certain information about the company and the risks involved with their investment were not disclosed to them and may file a lawsuit seeking a return of their investment and additional damages.

A third possible result could come from the company with an eye to becoming publicly-listed. If federal and state securities laws were not complied with at the time investors purchased their shares then when the company goes before the Securities and Exchange Commission and other regulatory authorities to register its securities the SEC may question the offerings and validity of the shareholders, or question the failure to register certain offerings of securities, and may leave the company in the unenviable, and very expensive, position of having to admit to the SEC that federal securities laws were not followed and may have rescind the previous non-compliant stock offerings and sales by offering to its shareholders to repurchase the shares they purchased.

This leads to the third question: “My company completed one or more of the above transactions but did not have a securities law attorney review the transactions, what can I do?” While it is ideal to seek advice prior to any offering or issuance of stock, obviously this does not always occur. However, all is not lost. Many times there are actions and filings that can be completed after the transaction in question to remedy many of the deficiencies created by failing to do so before the transaction, so long as they are done prior to any federal or state inquiries or a complaining shareholder.

In conclusion, both private and publicly-traded companies alike need to seek out and obtain legal advice regarding any issuance of securities to help avoid issues with federal and state regulators, as well as shareholders. Ideally, this advice should be obtained prior to the issuance of the securities. However, even if it was not obtained ahead of time, the advice should be sought as soon as possible to determine any issues and attempt to remedy and problems as soon as possible.

Craig V. Butler, Esq. is an attorney with The Lebrecht Group, APLC located in Irvine, California (http://www.thelebrechtgroup.com). He can be reached at (949) 635-1240 or via e-mail at cbutler@thelebrechtgroup.com.

[tags]issuance of stock, sale of stock, securities, federal securities law, securities registration[/tags]

Where will you like to have your event? There is not exact answer for this question. The venue you choose will depend on so many factors. You have the dress to consider, accessibility, theme of your event, and what season is the event held. You will like to hold your event at a place where you will get the most respond that you had all your invited participants attending. The following guidelines will help you decide a venue that serve the comfort of your participants.

To achieve this, you need to set priorities. The best way is to list all the things you need to do for the event in order of how important they are. And then each of these categories, you need a guideline to follow. For example, as a first step, we need to list all the things you are looking for in the venue. And to help more I created a list of the most important things to consider when deciding on the venue. But remember that you need to list according to their own priorities. This is because all sites may not fit exactly what you want and you might have to make an exception in one or more of their preferences.

This list is a compilation of important aspects any Event Planner should utilize for selecting a venue:

1. You’re the professional here, Trust your instincts. As a director of a play must know the limitations and other factors that he or she has to work with when designing a set of production, which must have the same mood. Many party planners fall here, as some huge hall and it would be great, when it could have had a more intimate space, which would be much better. See the end of the game on its head.

2. Take your time. Do not ever rush into choosing the venue for local planning. Event planning is very important to all take the time to get the right venue. The big event usually has a clear plan in mind and concise picture as to what they need and to pick up something in a hurry is never a good idea. Indeed, after a couple that meet their needs as it is preferable to have a fall is never a bad idea.

3. Consider your surroundings. How many times have I seen a game with an event planner in a creative rather unusual, and not considering the environment as it applies to parking and overall appeal to the audience you intend to attract. Basically you have to consider who is coming to an event and think that a challenge to enter and leave. Sounds crazy, but I have seen glorious events fraught with bad parking.

4. Place restrictions are important. Many party planner has condemned a great place, but to ensure that no restrictions had not strange that in mind. Sounds funny, I know, but as more and more events, you will be surprised as to the restrictions in some parts of the force, usually because some other abuse of a privilege group. Do your homework and is a consummate professional in all their transactions.

Apart from the above, the following must also be thought out carefully to get the right atmosphere that will suite the event that you want.

Willie Greg is an expert in event marketing. He write articles for exibition calendar and trade show calendar.

[tags]event venue, choose event venue, event planning, event planner[/tags]

In order to be influential in meeting your goals, you also need to be empowered to do so. How do we attain empowerment? A lot of people think of empowerment as a desirable state to achieve. But how do we really empower ourselves?

The first thing we have to do is find out the real meaning of empowerment. Empowerment can be defined as being able to have control over your life. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean having power over the life of other people. To be empowered basically means having control or power over all the aspects of your own life. It means you have to think of yourself and take responsibility for your life.

And I mean to really take ownership. When things are not working well, don’t look outside of yourself for excuses or for a means to fix it. We are all affected by the economy, by how we are treated by others, by our family upbringing. But those are only pieces of the fine cloth we are quilted together with. Thinking that you are fully responsible for your own life and its results is empowering alone. Only you set the direction, only you can veer back on the path when you’ve been “off roading” a bit. Taking full responsibility for your health, your weight, your knowledge, your career advancement, your choice of the relationships you are in. It can be scary, but it is freeing at the same time.

But there may be obstacles along the way that will hinder self-empowerment. Our social conditioning can greatly deter our aim to be empowered. Most people have been conditioned to give away their powers. In fact, all of us are conditioned that way. For instance, we always consider that the people in authority have absolute knowledge. Our minds have been conditioned not to question their capabilities. Doctors who give us advice are one fine example. We, as patients, have always kept in our mind not to question their advice. We simply take their advice and view it as gospel. But recently, this kind of attitude is changing somewhat. People are becoming more responsible for their own health. They have learned that even if these people are in the authority, we can also question them with respect.

Think about yourself, what do you also need to question, to change, to take ownership of? That is the simple definition of empowerment, taking full responsibility and ownership of the one person you can - you.

Take inventory, notice what is not right and make it right, notice what is working well and amp it more. And have fun doing it!

Debora McLaughlin: Executive & Business Coach, Speaker, Consultant & Mentor, works with executives, business owners & managers to optimize profits, people & performance. Author of several books including Blueprint for Success with Stephen R. Covey and Ken Blanchard. http://www.opendoorcoaching.com

[tags]empowerment, inspire, motivate, coaching, business, entrepreneur, corporate, leadership, executive[/tags]

Selecting the right kind of packaging is essential to the long term success of your product in a crowded marketplace: the packaging must not only be appropriate to the type of merchandise it is protecting, it must also be visually appealing in order to even get noticed in the first place. Here are some tips for knowing how to choose the right kind of product packaging.

Check Out The Competition

A marketing survey is a great place to start, especially if you are just getting your product out there for the first time. You will want to visit different places of business where similar items are sold and see what others have done and whether you think such an approach is effective and might be right for you. Some things to consider with others’ packaging:

– Is it visually appealing?
– Is it likely to stand out and grab a customer’s attention?
– Does it protect the product on the shelf and in transit?

Make sure to take comprehensive notes on what you did or didn’t like about a competitor’s packaging choices so that you can refer back to them when it’s your own decision time.

Be Respectful of Retailers

You will want to create packaged product that retailers will clamor to sell, not only because the product looks great and will make money for the retailer, but also because you are respectful of his concerns with shelf space. If your packaging is not easy to display or takes up more room than is cost-effective, retailers are not likely to want to take a risk on buying it. Be aware that shelf space is limited, and choose packaging that will be as compact as possible without sacrificing its marketability. If your product can be hung up, so much the better.

Get The Advice of Professionals

Enlisting the help of packaging professionals who have extensive experience in marketing and design is a great investment that will pay off in the long run. Such a company will have the expertise to create unique package designs that will help your product stand out; it will also be able to advise on or even produce environmentally-friendly packaging options that will be appealing to your customers. Some products present a real packaging challenge because of their shapes, sizes, and/or freshness requirements: a packaging company has probably “seen it all” and will know exactly how to make it work.

Customers are heavily-influenced by visual appeal and often make split-second decisions when it comes to deciding whether or not to purchase a product. A large part of that choice comes as a result of what they see and react too when they look at the packaging: take the time to do it right the first time!

Industrial Packaging (http://www.industrialpackaging.com/)is Industrial Packaging for over 20 years. Art Gib is a freelance writer.

[tags]flexible packaging[/tags]

As a leader, you may have different goals and you want to achieve them your way. You may be either in charge of a team and want to make the best decisions, or you may also be a leader who wants to motivate members to be more productive. Or you could be someone who wants to display your leadership skills to people who are not showing obedience. These different scenarios define your leadership style.

Being a leader means having to motivate people to be more productive, and in some cases, change direction and try to see things from your perspective and thus be more flexible. One would think that an inspiring leader such as the likes of Martin Luther King or JFK, would be able to carry out such tasks efficiently. But then again, not everyone is born with such charisma. Keep in mind that great leaders aren’t born, they are made. (Which is not to say some famous great leaders weren’t born that way. A person’s natural character and make-up can certainly be a benefit or a hindrance.)

A leader who wants to influence and empower others should inspire them with a great enthusiasm. You may not have been gifted with this kind of personality but you can still move people through your honest conviction. You need to be believable and believed.

In case some people within the organization aren’t showing any positive response, you should learn how to make your suggestions appeal to them. If they are still showing a lack of interest and motivation, you need to reach them on an emotional level to get them feeling involved. You must convince them that they can achieve their goals with your idea. This can be a difficult thing to accomplish but you are selling an idea that can bring benefits to your organization. If you show that you are a great leader, your members will be convinced to act for the greater good of the company.

The style of being a greater leader was once thought to be exclusively for those in power. But today, there is a wider concept when it comes to leadership. Team leaders, heads of department, even the senior accounts clerk is a leader who needs to influence others to reach mutual goals. Leadership is all about influencing.

But at the end of the day, your influencing style would be a combination of your own unique personality and what the situation requires.

So what type of leader are you? And what type of leader do you want to be?

Debora McLaughlin: Executive & Business Coach, Speaker, Consultant & Mentor, works with executives, business owners & managers to optimize profits, people & performance. Author of several books including Blueprint for Success with Stephen R. Covey and Ken Blanchard. http://www.opendoorcoaching.com

[tags]leadership, management, coaching, empowerment, influence, executive, business[/tags]

It goes without saying that people who are in power are influential. They have that quintessential element in their make-up that makes it easier for them than most to get their own way, and believe it or not, this has nothing to do with how much money they have. At different levels of society you find people in positions of “power” - those who have influence over the rest of their group.

An influential person usually doesn’t have a hard time getting other people to do something or listen to his personal views. Basically, an influential person can make things happen with just a snap of the finger. When you are influencing someone, you are changing his behavior in a way. But before you can become a source of influence, you must first have an understanding of the human behavior.

Who would have thought that one little word could be that pivotal factor in influencing others to see things your way? Hard to believe? Well, it’s true. Did you know that the word “because” has a profound effect on the way you influence others?

According to a study conducted in Harvard University, when people use the word “because” often in making a request, they usually get a favorable response. And this is regardless of what comes after the word “because”. Seems giving a “reason” (the “because” of the matter) makes all the difference. Using a “because” justifies your request in the minds of others. It lends importance to your statements or requests. See the difference in this example. Pretend you wish to push in front of a queue to be served first.

“Excuse me, do you mind if I push in to get a cup of coffee?”

“Excuse me, do you mind if I push in to get a cup of coffee because my car is parked illegally outside and I have to hurry.”

Letting you push in might be something done begrudgingly, but the power of the “because” is more likely to see it happen than if you don’t use it.

So when you use the word “because” when you present an idea, expect to have a favorable compliance regardless of what you say.

This way, the word “because” is already a point of influence. It already shows that you are not a control and command leader but one that understands that communication is the key to engagement and explaining purpose is part of effective communication.

Today everyone values their time and energy. Learning the mission, goal or purpose of what we are asked to do helps to promote engagement. Engagement means that your staff (or even your teenager!) is more productive, happy and willing to provide greater service to your clients, teams and stakeholders. Overall everyone wins, just “because.”

Debora McLaughlin: Executive & Business Coach, Speaker, Consultant & Mentor, works with executives, business owners & managers to optimize profits, people & performance. Author of several books including Blueprint for Success with Stephen R. Covey and Ken Blanchard. http://www.opendoorcoaching.com

[tags]coaching, business, corporate, executive, leadership[/tags]

One point of influence is the law of reciprocity - what you give out will come back to you, karma, cause and effect, do unto others as you would have them do unto you, if you want to be happy, help others be happy. In a nutshell, it’s about you doing something good for somebody else, and the favor is repaid to you.

Whichever way you learned this “law” from your parents, we’ll just call it the law of reciprocity for now and we will all know what we’re talking about.

This ‘law’ has been proven to be very effective, time and time again. Even a movie was made about it. Each time you give something of value, you can expect other people to give you something in return. This has been proven to be true in a lot of cases. Sometimes, when we give something to others, they unknowingly give back or even feel obliged to reciprocate in one way or another. Sometimes the returned favor comes via a different person or via a different means, but it is always returned. And it also feels so good to be helpful to others!

More business is won if it comes from a place of servitude - serving others willingly. This is because as with everything else, even business operates on the same law of reciprocity. This also explains why some bad business owners are seen to get their come-uppance or some other form of personal misfortune in life. It’s the law of reciprocity in practice.

At a networking meeting I don’t hold back, I’ll give my best coaching/consulting and mentoring advice to those around me. Simply by giving I’m often asked to continue the conversation professionally as well.

When you fully understand how the law of reciprocity works, then you can also use it during a negotiation. For instance, when making concessions, you are basically giving away something valuable to another person or group of persons. People will feel obligated to give back with a concession, which is basically what the law of reciprocity is all about.

In current times if a prospective client asks for a concession, agree (if you want them for a client) but at the same time ask them to provide a written testimonial or endorsement for your service so you can continue to market to others. This in turn might even provide greater value. As a leader give support to your staff and you will find they will work productively in appreciation. Give what you’d like to get and use the law of reciprocity to successfully influence your personal and professional life.

Debora McLaughlin: Executive & Business Coach, Speaker, Consultant & Mentor, works with executives, business owners & managers to optimize profits, people & performance. Author of several books including Blueprint for Success with Stephen R. Covey and Ken Blanchard. http://www.opendoorcoaching.com

[tags]business, management, coaching, employee motivation, empowement, influence, corporate, executive[/tags]

Are you finding your personal fuel tank is always running on empty because you are trying to do it all yourself? In your quest for success, there are things that you will not be able to accomplish by yourself alone or really should simply give to others. It is important that you seek the help of others. If you enlist the help of others, this will help you give back more because you have more time to do other things — things that you do best. This way, you will be a source of empowerment to others.

You have to be empowered first in order to empower others and give them some of the powers you have. You may impart the tools you have used in empowering your self in order for people to get things done. The people that are close to you would be the first in line to be empowered by you. You give much to them; also ask them to support you as well. They could be your family members or friends. In order to reach the top, you must seek the support of these people that you love. If you don’t have the support from these people, then it would be very hard for you to accomplish things by your self. Basically, you need to be empowered before empowering others.

The people next in line to benefit from your empowerment are your colleagues and associates at work. If you are a source of empowerment, people will look up to you and ask for direction and for your guidance. Sometimes, you may not even be aware of it but you have created an impact on the lives of other people around you. You may have helped them in more ways than one.

But you also have to be a source of inspiration so that you can empower others, and at the same time, you must also be inspired too. First, you have to identify your goals and be inspired to work on them. Your experience is the result of your every action. Once you have the experience and the maturity, you can now empower others around you effectively. A mentor is a good example of a person who empowers others while empowering himself. He will not be able to inspire others to be better persons if he himself is not a good example for them to follow.

We all need to fuel our own tank, to ask for what we need from those around us so that we can feel inspirited, empowered and be willing to support others as well.

Debora McLaughlin: Executive & Business Coach, Speaker, Consultant & Mentor, works with executives, business owners & managers to optimize profits, people & performance. Author of several books including Blueprint for Success with Stephen R. Covey and Ken Blanchard. http://www.opendoorcoaching.com

[tags]business, management, coaching, employee motivation, empowement, influence, corporate, executive[/tags]