The San Diego Business Showcase is an opportunity for businesses to showcase their products and services and network with people from all over San Diego.  Fifteen chambers and business organizations will be participating including: Oceanside Chamber, Carlsbad Chamber, Vista Chamber, Solana Beach Chamber, Encinitas Chamber, San Diego Coastal Chamber, San Diego North Chamber, Murrieta Chamber, Ramona Chamber, San Diego East Chamber, La Mesa Chamber, Hispanic Chamber, Jewish Chamber, the Asian Business Association, and the Japan Society of San Diego.

Here are some highlights to look forward at this multi-cultural business event:

• 250 Businesses exhibiting.
• Over a thousand attendees from all over San Diego County for awesome networking opportunities.
• Free drive-up Electronic Waste Recycle event.  Keep your electronics out of the landfill- we can even wipe your data off of your old computers for free.
• The “Green Scene” to highlight businesses that have “Green” products or services.
• Food samples from restaurants from 4-7 pm.
• A Tweet-Up at the event from 5:00 – 7:00 pm.
• Free parking at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.

Need more information?  Have questions?  Go to www.SDBusinessShowcase.com to check out all event information, register to attend, download a registration flier or hear what all participants are saying by going to the blog at www.SDBusinessShowcaseBlog.com.

Cost to attend is $10 and booths may still be available.  Join us for one of the premier business events for 2010!

Thank you to the following Sponsors:

Presenting Sponsors – Computer Circulation Center of Oceanside the San Diego Daily Transcript.  Event Sponsors: Tri-City Medical Center, San Diego Gas & Electric, Scripps Coastal Medical Center, Bank of America, Smarter Small Business, Jordan and Jordan Marketing, Angel Printing, Inc., Aerlinks, Get Smart Web, and Stalwart Communications.

As an encouragement to stop by the exhibit booth, The Free Marketeers are giving away one flashing signboard (shown) that is limited only by the imagination. Write a daily motivational message, announce contests, track sales goals for all to see, educate, alert, amuse or just change the message to promote your specials of the week. Rewritable and erasable, but most of all, fun, this giveaway is worth $250.00.

The Free Marketeers have arrived and are dedicated to your prosperity.

- Mixer to give companies insight on opportunities, strategies for March 11 event -

San Diego Business Showcase organizers are holding a mixer this Thursday from 5-7 p.m., at the Hilton Garden Inn in Carlsbad.

Its purpose is to give sponsors, exhibitors and interested companies a preview of the opportunities available at the organization’s upcoming March 11 exhibition at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.

“With 200 exhibitors as well as 2,000 executives and professionals in attendance, the San Diego Business Showcase will be one of the region’s best events to create local jobs and economic opportunity at a grass-roots level,” said David Nydegger, CEO of the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce, the organizer of the San Diego Business Showcase. “We want as many area companies as possible to participate for one common purpose – to get more business done in the greater San Diego area.”

The mixer is free to exhibitors and $20 for non-exhibitors, and will offer attendees the opportunity to:

• Meet, greet, and network with fellow exhibitors
• Connect with other business professionals
• Plan their showcase marketing and sales strategies
• Learn proven exhibiting strategies to maximize their results
• Share and hear exhibiting ideas from others
• Attract more qualified prospects into their booth
• How to make their booth stand out from the crowd
• Master follow-up techniques to turn their leads into profits

Companies that decide to become exhibitors at the mixer will have $20 deducted from their booth fee.

More than 14 nonprofit associations are banding together for this annual one-day event as well as presenting sponsors Computer Circulation Center and The Daily Transcript. Event sponsors include Tri-City Medical Center, Smarter Small Business, Jordan & Jordan Marketing, Bank of America, SDG&E and Scripps Coastal Medical Center.

Additional information is available at www.sdbusinessshowcase.com and every Thursday from 7-8 a.m. on KCEO AM 1000.

Companies of all shapes and sizes are demanding that their marketing budget be measurable as well as profitable, and generate adequate returns on the investment made. So why is it that many PR professionals and agencies still resist client efforts to align their fees to a business metric, opting instead to use the traditional – and largely academic – ad equivalency index?

Instead, entrepreneurs should demand that their PR firm embraces performance-based rate structures, as the ability to measure results is now much more cost-effective and readily accessible. This model aligns a majority of client fees to actual results, such as pinpoint article placement, speaking opportunities, industry award recognition and customer/partner/investor lead generation.

Think and Act Strategically

When choosing a PR agency along these lines, companies must look to see if its principals – first and foremost – think less like a Marketing or PR person and more like business managers who thoroughly understand their client’s business and competitive landscape. Communication practitioners should be able to clearly comprehend how their client’s executive team and board of directors measure success. While sales will undoubtedly reign supreme, other aspects of the business will retain significant value, such as:

• Profit margins,
• Distribution and technology partner agreements,
• Investor (private or public) interest,
• Rate of customer acquisition,
• Strategic product roadmap,
• Average sale price per customer and so on.

Agencies will fail to realize true success if their evaluation differs from – or worst case, contradicts – the criteria of their client.

How Performance-Based PR Revenue Models Work

Under a performance-based model, a PR firm should charge a small amount of a client’s budget to a monthly program fee in return for offering that company unlimited hours of work. This eliminates the potential for agencies to be perceived as “nickel-ing and dime-ing” clients for time spent on non-valued items.  The remaining budget should then be structured in performance fees where clients pay only as results occur.  Some examples include:

• Articles placed, tiered by size, circulation and demographics,
• Speaking opportunities secured,
• Industry awards secured,
• Qualified customer, partner, investor leads brought into the pipeline,
• Web traffic increase and subsequent conversion rates,
• Unsolicited PR opportunities secured,
• Brand value/perception audit increases with targeted audiences

The benefits of performance-based revenue models are numerous and mutual for the PR agency and the client:

• Performance metrics/expectations are outlined and agreed upon in full between
  the agency and the client before an agreement is executed, since it will determine
  how and for what an agency gets paid.
• The business risk is shared between both parties. The agency doesn’t make its
  money unless it can produce.
• The ROI is embedded in the fee structure.
• Client satisfaction and understanding increases.
• Client retention increases.
• Client turnover/churn decreases.
• Client referral rate increases.

Performance-based PR fee models also apply to all aspects of public relations and marketing – and not just media relations as some would believe.  It’s all about setting measurable goals and aligning fees accordingly. Some examples include:

Crisis Communications

Agencies can tie their fee structure to their effectiveness in meeting those goals, such as where and when those key messages were portrayed in a broadcast or print story and how many resonated with key stakeholders. PR firms could also measure their effectiveness by how long the crisis lasted when compared to other similar events.

Internal Communications
An organization can most certainly look at internal communications for its value in improving employee retention and recruitment rates. The reduction in employee churn and increase in productivity are indeed quantifiable and mission-critical elements in any organization. PR agencies need to recognize this and align their fees accordingly.

Counsel to Execs
Oftentimes, PR professionals offer such counsel to ensure executives can either solidify key messages and/or effectively convey them to their stakeholders and media. PR agencies should create benchmarks as to the capabilities of an organization before and after such counsel and measure the improvements over a period of time. Firms may also find that this program’s benefits extend beyond corporate communications to the marketing product management, sales/customer service and investor relations departments.

More and more clients today are asking their PR firms to share the burden of generating results. As a result, this sharing model will drive performance-based revenue models to evolve as the industry standard for the next decade. The underlying question to all of this is whether one believes PR efforts can be measured and benchmarks can be set. To that, I answer with an overwhelming yes.

About the Author: David Oates, APR, is the President of Stalwart Communications Inc., a San Diego-based marketing and public relations firm. He also runs a social media site, PayonPerformance , to engage business leaders in discussion on this business model.  David can be reached at david@stalwartcom.com.

This morning, we decided to have some fun as a committee by getting together on the Smarter Radio Broadcast on KCEO AM 1000 radio. Colm Kelly, President of Smarter Small Business and a sponsor of the Showcase invited us to join him on his show this morning giving several committee members the opportunity to discuss the Showcase from their perspective.

Not only did we have a radio audience, but thanks to some great technology, the broadcast was available live and now archived on the internet. You can watch the broadcast now at…http://www.dobusinesssmarter.com/members/blog_view.asp?id=531841&post=90792.

We also had a couple of FLIP cameras in studio, so watch for more videos to show up in the Blog later. Until then, enjoy watching us on radio!

Network Before You Network
For starters, how many other San Diego Networking events do you know of with a “Pre-Event Mixer”? On February 11th, we’re inviting our exhibitors and others who are interested in the Showcase to get together for our Pre-Showcase Mixer at the Hilton Carlsbad Beach Hotel. This will be a great chance to network with other exhibitors and enjoy some food and beverages while learning some strategies that can help you maximize your investment in the Showcase.

Crazy Live Radio Party this Thursday Morning all about SDBS!
Listen to to what’s sure to be a crazy and fun radio show this Thursday morning at 7:00 AM when the SDBS committee invades the AM 1000KCEO radio studios and has their annual SDBS Radio party on the Smarter Small Business Radio show … learn about the event, hear from the sponsors, get your questions answered by calling the show live  (760) 720-5236.  Listen live on AM1000KCEO or online at www.kceoradio.com 7-8AM this Thursday morning!

Some of the Best Food in San Diego
From 4pm to 7pm, we’re going to set our restaurants and caterers loose on the San Diego Business Showcase to help you enjoy some of the best food in the county. We’re expecting 15-20 food booths to provide you with some great treats to consume as you walk around the Showcase exhibit hall looking for that next great business opportunity.

Social Media

If you enjoy social media, like I do,  the Showcase provides an abundance of fun and entertaining ways for your business to be promoted, before, during and after the Showcase. If you are an exhibitor, you have access to posting your business stories on our Blog. Just email your text and photos to jessica@oceansidechamber.com and we’ll take care of the rest. It’s fun to see your stories published, isn’t it?

We also have a facebook fan page and a twitter account to promote your blog posts and keep everyone up to date about the latest event new.

So don’ t just think of the San Diego Business Showcase as another networking event, but instead let it be the most fun you have doing business this year!

Be sure to tune into The Smarter Small Business Radio show this Thursday from 7-8AM for what’s sure to be a crazy morning of radio when the committee for the San Diego Business Showcase join me live in the studio to tell you all about the event!

Listen Live on AM 1000 KCEO or online at KCEORadio.com from 7-8AM

Call in & Join the madness, tell us why you are attending/exhibiting, you never know we might even let you promote your business on the air!: (760) 720-5236

Check out the showcase site: www.sdbusinessshowcase.com

Seriously, if you want to learn all about this event, we will be joined by most of the commitee to discuss the why’s, where’s, who’s, and so what’s of  The San Diego Business Showcase.

Get your booth now!… this will be a sold out event! … and be sure to RSVP for the pre-showcase mixer event on Feb 11th.

For updates about the show, follow me on twitter @smartersmallbiz

Or check out our radio blog here

Where's One When You Need One?

At this years San Diego Business Showcase there’s going to be a rush at one of the exhibitors’ booths. Who?

Don Reedy of Prudential California Realty

There are five good reasons you’ll want to stop by and see us this year.  Here they are:

• Reverse Mortgage information explained in plain English
• Are you a Senior Citizen?  More information than you’ve ever seen about getting the benefits you deserve in the real estate world
• No nonsense information about the last chance to take advantage of the $8000 Buyers Tax Credit
• You CAN list your home today.  It’s worth it, and better than waiting for the market to catch up
• Common sense advice on paying your mortgage in today’s low interest financial market.

Start Your Research Now

Head on over to my web site to set up a VIP Membership Account

Start looking at homes, sending me questions, and then come and meet with myself and other real estate experts at the showcase.

Motoring to the San Diego Biz Showcase

Go ahead, admit it. You read this article just because of the title, right? Or perhaps, you’re just about to stop reading if I don’t get give you some juicy information about how to marry that millionaire.

Well, if you want to find that millionaire hubby, you’ve got to get out, climb into that convertible of yours, and head on down the highway. And this year, thanks to our friends at the San Diego Business Showcase you’re going to have plenty of opportunities to meet and mingle with Mr. or Ms. Right…..or at least rub shoulders with some of the brightest and best business minds in all of San Diego County.

Want GREEN, for instance? Well, it’s here, and lots of it. All the latest innovations and companies that are keeping us healthier, happier and greener in all the aspects of our lives.

Want TECH, for instance? Well, again, rub shoulders with guys and gals that will steal your hearts away by being not only good looking, but bright enough to make you want to spend hours talking and learning about their products.

Want MARKETING, for instance? Hey, there’s not much in the way of “How To’s” that you can’t find here at the Business Showcase. These folks will show you how to make enough money that YOU’LL BE THE MILLIONAIRE, and this coming year you’ll have customers chasing after you and your business.

So, don’t wait. Put the top down. Step out into the best and biggest business mixer and showcase in all of San Diego County. And don’t miss us if you’re looking for information on how to be the most informed real estate person you can be. We’re hosting a booth that will be filled with interesting information on tax, community, loans and buying strategies for real estate in this coming year’s market.

Contact us by email at don@buyhalfahouse.com See you there!