January 12th, 2012
Networking events allow people to meet others in their field, make new contacts and potentially land a job. These events usually involve a talk of some sort by an industry professional. This speaker will give a short talk while the audience is sitting down, chatting or eating. A rental projector keeps the speaker from being lost in the din of noise and keeps the audience’s interest. It also helps you add a bit of fun to a potentially humdrum event.
Create a Plan
If you are hosting or speaking at a networking event, always start off with a plan of action. If you are the host, then have everything in place before the event starts. Come at least one hour early to verify that the room is set up properly, you have enough places for the attendees to sit, and (if applicable) verify that food or catering has arrived.
Speakers and/or host should also find a spot where they can set up both the screen and the rental projector. The projector should be back far enough that the reflected image is large, and it should be positioned in a place where projector is not blocking anyone’s view. Position the chairs so that everyone can comfortably see the screen and not hinder anyone else’s view.
Advantages of Using a Projector
For a presenter, there’s no better way to engage your audience than with visuals. Studies have proven over and over again that people learn and absorb more information best when they are shown this information visually. Plus, when you are competing with other distractions, images can help keep your audience fixated on you.
Visual aids are also not only for the audience. Every public speaker has sometimes forgotten where they are in speech or what comes next. You may be doing the speech without any notes, or your cue cards may have gotten mixed up. A PowerPoint presentation projected right behind you will remind you where you are and will keep you from enduring any long, embarrassing pauses.
/>Events Without Speakers
Many events don’t have a speaker and are merely meet and greets types of networking events. In that case, you can use a rental projector to display photographs from past events, which are always a crowd-pleaser, or display the dates and times of upcoming activities. If your networking event has a theme, you can run related film clips or similar snippets on the screen throughout the night. Whatever the theme of your networking event, a projector will add both quality and perhaps a sense of fun to the night’s activities.
Cost-Effective Solution
Rental projectors are very inexpensive ways to spice up your networking event. Speakers will love the extra attention focused on them, and attendees will enjoy the variety of images on the screen.
Projector123.com makes it easy and affordable to rent a quality projector. Click here now to learn more.
January 10th, 2012
The SuperBowl is the event of the season for football fans. Hosting a Super Bowl party requires some planning, including preparing the food, decorating your home and making sure that you can comfortably accommodate all of your guests.
Inviting Everyone
Make a list of everyone that you want to come to your party. Then, send out invitations. Websites like Evite allow you to email all of your guests, and then your guests can immediately RSVP for the event.
Gathering Up Your Dishes
Food is a major part of any party, especially SuperBowl parties. Always have a diversity of snacks. Invest in the ever-popular chip and dip, and cheese, meat and vegetable trays. If you don’t want to be responsible for buying all of the food for the party, ask your guests to chip in with potluck dishes or beverages.
Create a shopping list of everything that you need, and try to purchase as many items ahead of time as possible. You may have to pick up a few food items the day of the party, but you don’t want to be running around right up to the time your guests arrive.
Have Enough Beverages
Beer is usually the drink of choice for any Super Bowl party. Some people, however, will also want something else to drink, and you’ll certainly want to include non-alcoholic beverages to accommodate your guests who don’t imbibe alcohol. If you want to avoid playing bartender all day, you can mix up a party punch ahead of time.
If you are unsure of what everyone likes, ask your guests to bring what they want to drink. Just provide a few mixers like lemonade, soda, orange juice, etc.
 Decorating Your Home
Before you start decorating your house, make sure it’s clean. You may want to do most of your cleaning a couple of days before, and leave vacuuming and cleaning up the kitchen until the day before the party.
Next, decorate your house with the colors of the two teams. You can decorate opposing sides of the room in different colors. If it’s the home team that’s playing, then go all out with team paraphernalia, jerseys, posters, etc.
Rent a Projector
Be sure to rent a projector, and clear some space on a large wall. Hang the screen on that wall, and set up the projector near the back of the room. Gather up as much seating as possible, and position them around the screen.
If you rent a projector and screen, you won’t have to worry about investing in a new television, but you’ll still have a large enough screen so that everyone can truly enjoy the game.
Last-Minute Preparations
Do any last-minute cleaning or cooking a couple of hours before the party. Buy a couple of bags of ice since you’ll probably run out of your freezer ice before the party is done. If you need to heat up any food items, stick them in the oven on low about 1 to 2 hours before your guests are supposed to arrive. Set up a buffet table, and put out all of your food and drink items.
Have you never used a rental projector before? Projector123.com gets the rental projector to you the day before the event, eliminating stress and worry. It’s quick and easy, and you can get started here.
November 15th, 2011
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Sure, there are plenty of ways to jazz up a birthday party or celebration, but none are as versatile and affordable as a rental projector. Read on for our best tips for enhancing any kind of birthday gathering with family or friends.
Celebrate a Milestone
Milestone birthdays should receive that added white-glove treatment, as a way of remembering any special occasion. Whether it’s age 13 (the dawn of the teen years), 18 (legal age of adulthood), 21, 30, 40 or higher, milestone birthdays deserve extra attention, and so does your guest of honor. Why not commemorate the occasion with a trip down memory lane, displayed in larger than life technology with a rental projector? A photo montage is a fun, special way to honor the birthday celebrant. Remember to include some baby pictures and try not to feature too many embarrassing moments!
Messages from Friends and Family
One of the best and most memorable ways to mark a special birthday is with personal video messages from family and friends. It doesn’t take a lot of technical know-how to put together a simple collection of well wishes from loved ones. Your birthday boy or girl will feel extra special when the messages are showcased with a rental projector at the party or gathering, plus a DVD makes an excellent keepsake for the event.
Cost-Effective Rental Projector
For about the same price of a clown or balloon animal maker for just an hour or two, you can enjoy a full weekend rental of an LCD projector to enhance your child’s birthday event. Show home movies, new releases, host a gaming competition, and include big-screen entertainment at the party with an affordable, easy to use rental projector.
Fun for All Ages
Whether you choose to display scenes from the previous year, or to highlight childhood photos and milestone memories, your guest of honor and your party guests are sure to appreciate all that a rental projector adds to the party. For littler ones, you can have a “name that movie” contest, or play “pin the tail on the donkey” in bright, vivid color. Teens and older children will enjoy gaming time projected onto a sheet or a large blank wall. Adults will appreciate a slide show montage, classic movies, and much more.
With a rental projector at your next birthday celebration, the possibilities are limited only by your imagination. Click here now to learn more about the November rental specials at Projector123.com.
October 28th, 2011
If you’re creating a slide show photo or video montage (or a combination of both), here’s a simple guide for choosing the best possible music. From weddings to birthdays to retirement parties, nothing says you care as much as a montage with thoughtfully selected images and music. Read on to learn more.
 A slide show or video montage provides that perfect finishing touch to any milestone celebration. From a significant birthday to an anniversary or retirement party, to a wedding or bar/bat mitvah, a montage is something all your guests can enjoy, and it helps guests to learn a bit more about the guest of honor in a beautiful and sentimental way. Choosing appropriate music is an excellent way to tie together your montage for a truly cohesive overall effect.
Consider the Occasion
Your music should be appropriate for the occasion and the people involved. Tasteful selections are always preferred. For weddings and nuptial celebrations, you could search the internet for most popular choices, or you might prefer to select something that has personal and sentimental meaning (for example, the first song you danced to, or a song from your first concert together or first date).
Meaning vs. Popularity
If nothing quite sums up your relationship like “Always and Forever” then go for it. Don’t worry about a song being dated or sappy – if it really conveys the meaning you wish to express, then use it. Popular songs come and go, and a song that you choose today may seem downright silly ten (or even five) years from now.
Fit the People
The songs should suit the guest of honor. This shows that you took the time to make the montage special and personalized, by choosing music that is appropriate for the guest(s) of honor. There’s nothing to say that you have to use a radio song with lyrics – royalty-free music without vocals can be just as effective at creating a certain mood or ambiance, or to pay tribute.
Keep It Simple
Don’t try to incorporate all the favorite songs of the guest of honor. A good slide show would be shorter than 10 minutes in length (ideally) and certainly no longer than about 12 minutes long. Any longer than that, and it becomes self-indulgent and can grow tiresome for other guests who are viewing. When it comes to creating a montage, less is more. Include no more than 5 song snippets for a 10-minute slide show presentation.
Naturally, you’ll want to show off your creativity and hard work with a rental projector. Trust Projector123.com for all your rental projector needs. Click here now to reserve your LCD rental projector today.
September 21st, 2011
Have a nice trip? See you next fall! Now is the perfect time to share photos from your summer vacation. But instead of driving everyone out of your living room and into their cars, here are some tips for making the “vacation slide show” enjoyable for everyone.
Rent a Projector
When you rent a slide show projector, it just makes everything more fun. Share your best (and funniest) photos in larger than life color, projected onto a blank wall or a solid light-colored sheet. Renting a projector is more affordable than you may think, and you’ll find plenty of other uses for it during your rental period.
Keep It Short
The shorter the slide show, the better. Remember, some images are just funnier or more special because you were there – the guests watching your slide show were not. Choose only the best slides and keep your slide show short. Anything over 10-12 minutes will quickly bore your guests and could even make them regret coming over to see your pictures.
Focus on Quality
Do not include slide that were “nearly good.” Only include images that are in focus, easy to discern, and well-cropped. Avoid the obligatory “photo of the driver from inside the car” shots and stick to quality photos that everyone can enjoy.
Mix Entertainment with Education
Don’t be afraid to slip a bit of educational material into your slide show – for example, what exactly causes Old Faithful to erupt? Why is the Grand Canyon there? But mix in some entertainment and keep the teaching to bullet points only – your guests will appreciate the info without feeling like they’re back in school.
Skip the Embarrassing Stuff
This tip speaks for itself!
Click here now to rent a projector from Projector123.com today.
July 27th, 2011
If you’re planning to host a booth at an upcoming trade show event, remember to rent a projector from Projector123.com. We rent only high-grade, professional, versatile LCD rental projectors, sure to help you make a lasting impression at any trade show. Click here now to rent a projector.
Here is an excellent article we recently discovered – it will help you make the most of your trade show experience. The original article is available here. Enjoy!
 The Morning After The Day Before
Trade show success depends on well-planned and timely follow-up on leads your company generates at a show. By the time the event is over, company staff are exhausted and grateful they survived. While it’s tempting to take a week’s vacation to recuperate, or return to the office and idly browse through 500 email messages, your trade show performance isn’t yet finished. So brush the cobwebs off your desk and get serious about your trade show follow-up. Email and other distractions can wait.
Begin by organizing your trade show leads. Ideally, lead organization is completed while at the show, whereby lead contact information is entered in a contact management system or spreadsheet. Organize your leads in terms of product or service category, and/or by “temperature”: hot, warm and cool, depending on the degree of rapport you established at the show.
It’s imperative to have a creative and thoughtful marketing communications follow-up plan. Direct mail, phone calls with sample scripts, face-to-face meetings, product demonstrations, email messages, or e-newsletters are all effective communication methods. Whatever methods you choose, be certain to include your targeted message, company branding, contact information, and your call to action. Also give some thought to special pricing or value-added offers to encourage your prospects to take action.
For direct mail, refrain from sending duplicates of the literature you’ve already provided at the show. Instead, send your prospects a new, more robust information package, or piece such as a direct mail postcard, with additional information and selling points that appeal to your prospects’ needs. A package can include your business card, some company literature, ways your company can help the potential client, and samples or price lists that may quicken the sales cycle. Personalize the package whenever possible. Handwritten notes are excellent and always well-received.
Consider a customized e-newsletter. Based upon your lead list of current clients, prospects, and potential partners, you can create more than one e-newsletter template. This newsletter can be similar to your direct mail content, as well as including links to useful content on your website. An added benefit is that your prospects will be more receptive to phone calls after receiving and reading your e-newsletter.
Phone calls are perhaps the most powerful trade show marketing follow-up tool. Place your initial follow-up call no later than 48 hours after the trade show, then call again in a couple of weeks, and again after a month, to continue developing rapport with your leads. Keep in mind that hot leads might buy within 30 days, while warm leads take longer. Make your sales reps accountable for these prospects, and monitor their progress for at least 6 months. Persistence pays off when it is properly executed.
Did you remember to record some brief notes about each lead you spoke with at the show? These notes are very valuable – they spark your memory, allow you to personalize your follow-up strategies, and show your prospects that you were listening carefully to their needs. For instance, some leads wish to be contacted in a particular manner, or request specific information from you. Potential clients will be pleased to see that you mailed them a catalogue, or contacted them only by phone, as per their explicit instructions. Listening carefully to your qualified leads will help turn prospects into customers.
Time is of the essence. Don’t let a hot lead grow cold because too much time has passed. The longer you wait, the less likely you will be remembered, and your competition will beat you to the punch. Upon their return to the office, your sales staff should ignore emails and other distractions, and instead focus solely on implementing your trade show follow-up plan. Not next week, or next month, but the next day. Evaluate the success of your targeted follow-up plan by tracking the number of sales generated over a fixed length of time.
You will have to juggle volumes of contact information. Prospects must be efficiently sorted. And leads must be pursued swiftly and with perseverance. But by taking action the morning after the day before, you can greatly increase your company’s customer base and justify your trade show investment.
Want a more profitable trade show?
Take the first step to dramatically improved trade show results. Request a Trade Show Tune Up today.
July 25th, 2011
Welcome back to the final installment of our four-part series on convention planning. By now, we’ve covered what to do before, during and after your event when planning a successful convention. In this last segment, we’ll offer simple tips and tricks for making this event your organization’s most successful yet.
Early Does It
The earlier you begin planning your event, the easier your task will be. This includes early ordering of supplies, materials and equipment. The “save the date” card is absolutely essential in helping potential attendees to make travel arrangements, clear their calendar, secure approvals and funding from their company (if applicable) and help spread the word.
Swipe the Best Ideas
What have you seen or experienced at another conference or convention that impressed you most or caught (and held) your attention? Poll your committee with the same question, and swipe the best ideas to implement into your event.
Your Booth
When designing your own booth, be sure to create an open, inviting atmosphere. Keep clutter to a minimum and make use of clean lines and a streamlined presentation. Pictures and graphics should be vibrant, relevant, and eye-catching. If your budget has room, use a carpet underlay – not only does it warm the space visually and provide additional sound buffer within a noisy vendor area, but it also works wonders for your feet since you’ll be standing all day long.
 Staff Training
Prepare in advance, to ensure that your committee members and staff understand their role, know how to communicate with each other during the event itself, and have a clear plan for the speedy resolution of any issues that may arise. Test all videos, equipment, etc. to ensure full functionality and compatibility, and to ensure that the responsible parties know how to operate equipment and audiovisuals.
Branding and Identity
Your staff should have a coordinating and cohesive appearance – that might include custom golf shirts or button-down shirts and a uniform color (e.g., black pants and black shoes). Maintain the event’s branding by using the logo or graphics wherever possible.
Remember – for easy, convenient, affordable, hassle-free rental projectors, your go-to vendor is Projector123.com. Click here now to learn more and reserve your rental projectors today.
July 22nd, 2011
 We continue our four-part series on planning a successful convention with key tips to implement after your event.
1. Make Some Notes
Now that your convention has ended, you can relax, right? Well, not exactly. The smarter approach would be to make some notes to assist you (or the next lucky individual who will take this responsibility over from you) in planning your next convention. Make notes about what worked, what didn’t work, things you liked and didn’t like about the venue, and what recommendations you have for improving next year’s event. Have a debriefing meeting with your committee members – they will have additional input for you, as well as from conversations they had in the field during the event.
2. Analyze the Data
Review, summarize and analyze the responses from your participant surveys. Pay attention to what worked, what wasn’t as well received, and what suggestions were made by participants for improving the process and experience. Include this information with your notes from the previous step. Additionally, review your budget – did you meet it? What funds were spent that could be avoided or omitted going forward? Where would funds have been better spent (for example, your participant surveys may show that additional signage was needed to avoid confusion and manage traffic flow – knowing this, you can add funds to next year’s signage budget).
3. Data Entry (if applicable)
Hopefully, you were able to collect participant information electronically, which eliminates the need for data entry. If not, it pays to get forms entered sooner rather than later after your event – this way, you are building your contact list for next event’s “save the date” mailing.
4. Say “Thank You”
After your event, send out your thank you notes or letters to those who assisted in some key way. This would include committee members, volunteers, staff, sponsors, speakers, vendors who donated funds or items (flowers, decorations, beverages, publicity, etc.) to the event. Never underestimate the power of a thank you – when you take the time to express sincere gratitude, these same individuals and vendors will be even more receptive when you approach them for assistance next year.
5. Make Decisions for Next Time
You can begin making some key decisions about the next event (venue, location, speakers, even the date and duration) based on the feedback received and the overall experience of this event.
After your event has ended, it’s easy to return the rental projectors to Projector123.com. Simply place it back into the padded shipping carton (which doubles as a carrying case), affix the prepaid FedEx postage label, and drop into the nearest FedEx drop box, or call FedEx for convenient pickup. Click here now to learn more.
July 20th, 2011
Welcome back to part two of four of our series on planning a successful convention. In this installment, we’ll look at key points to remember during your event.
1. Stay Hydrated
It may sound like a simple thing, but conventions require long hours and lot of time on the go – make sure you and your staff stay hydrated and fed, so that you have the energy and stamina to keep going all day (and then wake up to do it all again tomorrow). Make sure your staff gets breaks to eat, sit down, and leisurely browse through the vendor areas.
2. Communicate
You can’t put out all the fires and handle everything on your own. Stay in constant communication with your staff, solicit help, make sure everyone is on task and ask for assistance as the need arises. The stronger your communication skills during your event, the smoother the outcome.
3. Collect Information
In addition to registrations, you’ll want to collect suggestions for improvement, contact information for representatives who may wish to sponsor or present at your next convention, and participant feedback surveys. This information is essential in helping you improve your event each time, so be sure to take time after the event to analyze the data. Don’t worry about reviewing feedback right now, it’s too late to make changes for the current event, and you’ve got far too many other details to worry about right now.
 4. Put on Your Game Face
Smile, be cordial and welcoming, and remind your staff to do the same. When it comes to using your staff effectively, play to everyone’s strengths. Put your most outgoing, knowledgeable staff and committee members out on the floor to help direct traffic and answer questions. Friendly, organized folks would be ideal at the registration desk and check-in. Hard-working individuals who are more on the shy side would best serve as runners and back-of-the-house personnel.
Have you reserved your rental projector yet? Audiovisuals are essential for any successful professional gathering, and whether you need a rental projector for the main stage or breakout sessions, trust Projector123.com to deliver what you need, when and where you need it. Click here now to reserve a PowerPoint rental projector.
July 18th, 2011
If you’ve been charged with planning a convention or national or regional conference for your company or industry, here are our best tips for a successful meeting. Because there’s so much to cover, we’ve broken it out into four installments, and this segment will focus on steps to take before the meeting.
Before the Meeting
1. Size matters
Depending on the nature of your convention, you may or may not be able to fully control the size of your convention. However, it will be essential to estimate some numbers, as you will need to book arrangements based on estimated attendance.
2. Book the venue
This may be the single most important decision you make regarding the planning of your convention. Choose a location that suits your estimated group size, with clean, well-appointed facilities, and the ability to provide food service to your group in a fresh and timely manner. Consider whether or not your participants will want to come early or stay late, which may mean you’ll want to assess nearby attractions.
 3. Plan it in writing
With so much to do and so many details to manage, it’s far too easy for important steps to fall through the cracks. Plan your work and work your plan. This will also help you keep track of delegating and maintain timely follow ups.
4. Create a budget
This step will need to be completed rather early, in order to ascertain sponsorship needs and set a ticket price for attendees.
5. Save the Date
Once the venue is booked, it’s never too early to encourage potential attendees to save the date – even if it’s a year in advance.
6. Create a committee
Nobody said you had to plan the entire convention on your own, did they? Enlist help, create a committee, and surround yourself with helpful, hardworking, committed enthusiasts. Plus, it pays to run key ideas across a small focus group, to avoid any major oversights.
7. Book your audiovisuals early
Audiovisual support is one of those things that most people won’t notice unless it’s missing or malfunctioning. Effective audiovisual support should be seamlessly integrated with the main stage.
Need a slide show projector for your booth or speaker presentation? Click here now to rent a projector from Projector123.com.
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