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Small Business Event Planning: What to Do First 1. Decide upon your target audience before anything else.  The first step — before you do anything else — should be to clearly define who your target audience is. From this all the other decisions will fall into place in terms of format, content, prices, location etc. This structured approach will also help you to stay focused on achieving specific goals and not allowing the scope to become too broad or watered down. 2. Make a list of details — everything including lighting and public transportation, to content and refreshments.  When you decide to have an event, everything matters. From program content and lighting to transportation and parking — everything counts. And your audience will attribute everything to you and…your brand.  Making a list will ensure you don’t overlook things. 3. Have a clear business purpose for holding the event.  Before you can begin planning a successful event, be clear on why you are doing it in the first place, because every decision after that should support your main goal. Is it lead generation? Is it to create awareness of your company or a particular product?  Is is to develop customer loyalty? Or do you simply want to make money (which is okay too)?  And make sure the team is aware of the purpose, so that you don’t have “scope creep.” 4. Watch out for other industry events when scheduling.  Check the calendar. Make sure you don’t schedule your event on or too close to holidays or popular vacation times. It’s just as important to check for other events that your target attendees might be going to. 5. Be flexible with changes in size, location and other details.  As you get into the event planning process, you may find that your event changes in size, location, and many other ways than you originally envisioned. This is natural and perfectly fine as long as you don’t lose sight of the reason you’re doing all this work in the first place.  Some flexibility is necessary. 6. Know your limitations. We all know the goal is to throw a great live event. To that end, we also have to be aware of what we can or cannot realistically do — be it budget … or time-wise. If you decide to throw a live event in a week’s time, plan for a more intimate affair. If it’s a big event, prepare several months ahead. If the budget is small, you may have to counterbalance with creativity and a lot of do-it-yourself work. 7. Create SMART goals. Always start with strategy. Just like building any business, great events start with a strong, thoughtful and measurable strategy. Live events are an amazing way to share your brand, connect with your target market, get feedback on your product (and more!), but you need to know what you are trying to achieve. Stick with SMART goals and outline what you are aiming for. Then make sure that you proceed in line with reaching these goals. Budget: How to Pay For Your Event 8. Develop a “financing plan” for your event, and estimate the numbers. Know how you are going to pay for the event. Most events are funded by sponsorships, ticket sales, internal marketing budgets — or a combination of all three. When you create your budget for the event, you’ll need to estimate how much money you can realistically raise from each area. Before you book your venue or sign any contracts, it’s a good idea to start signing sponsors first, or selling advance tickets to make sure there is enough interest in your idea to fund it. 9. Create an expense budget  – and save money through “in-kind” sponsor donations.  Events tend to cost more than the average small business owner thinks — primarily in regards to the venue and food and beverage. Remember to price out all the permits and licenses you will need as well. (This is where an event planner can help you avoid headaches.)  Make a comprehensive list of all the expenses and then highlight areas where you think sponsors can play a role to offer something “in kind.” The more you work with other brands and partners to host your events, the more you can save. 10. Consider crowdfunding as a new option to raise money for an event.  If this is your first time running events, use crowdfunding platforms to ease the risk. By publishing your events on these platforms attendees will need to pledge for tickets for the event to take place. If the minimum number of attendees required is not met the event does not take place. Marketing: Getting People to Attend 11. You’ll need a DETAILED marketing plan. Create a marketing plan for the event. The more organized you are, the more professional your event will be. 12. Be tireless in your efforts or your event will fail.  If you don’t want to be at your event alone … then market, market, market, market … and market some more. 13. Define good reason(s) for people to show up.  What’s the draw for attendees? You need to define WHAT you’re doing at the event that will bring those target attendees in the door. For a consumer product it might be a party with entertainment and product demos and freebies. For a business crowd it might be educational content or an exciting, well-known expert speaker. Whatever it is, don’t lose the connection with why you want this particular audience clamoring to get in. 14. Lay out in writing why your target market should attend – don’t assume the benefits are obvious. When promoting an event be sure to tell your target market what they will learn, who they will meet and why they should be there. Don’t assume your friends will tell their friends. If you are using speakers, give them advertising copy so that they can promote the event to their audiences. 15. Learn how to talk to the media. Journalists are very busy and always on deadline …

A two-way radio is a wireless communication device that is used to transmit and receive information effortlessly. Portable two-way radios are known as walkie-talkies. Although there are smartphones, cellular phones and tablets to help you get connected, nothing comes even remotely close to such devices owing to the benefits that are brought to the table by these. Let us take a look at some of the advantages of these wireless devices to get a better perspective: It is immensely easy to use a Motorola 2 way radio or any other brand of such radio for that matter. Even a 10-year old can be taught to use these without any hassle to communicate with his friends or classmates. This can be attributed to the fact that you only need to press the ‘push-to-talk’ button and start talking immediately. This means that you don’t have to spend time dialing the right number. Another obvious benefit of Motorola digital radios and others is the fact that you do not have to spend a considerable sum for availing data plans. Communication is free of cost on these devices and hence, when you use them in your workplace, you get to cut down on costs and yet, increase the efficiency of your workforce/staff. This is how these radios give you maximum returns on your investment. Various industries, institutions, businesses and organizations make use of these devices. For instance, you can see them being used by security personnel, supermarket and mall staff, taxi drivers and even by students for various purposes. The truth is, there are so many uses for this equipment there is not enough space to post it all here.  If you have ideas which are different or unique, let us know.

Atlantic City, in New Jersey, is currently undergoing a $100 million makeover in an effort to revitalize and spruce up the Boardwalk by focusing on entertainment attractions beyond gambling, according to The New York Times. The Atlantic City Alliance and the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority are partnering up on DO AC, touted as the biggest marketing campaign focused solely on tourism in the city’s history. The main target of the collaboration is to publicize and promote all the various reasons to visit Atlantic City beyond going to a casino. “Everybody recognizes that the real future of Atlantic City rests in making the pie bigger, not just in cutting up the pie,” Kevin DeSanctis, the chairman and chief executive of the Revel Hotel and Casino Resort, told the news source. “The only way to do that is to figure out a way to add more amenities and more nongaming amenities so this really evolves into a much broader regional destination.” Some of the planned upgrades and diversification projects include revamping the Steel Pier amusement park, improving the Atlantic City Historical Museum and the Atlantic City Arts Center, public art installations and general cleanup of the beach and boardwalk. Another possible reason for the decline in tourism to Atlantic City is safety issues related to the negative perception of casinos and gambling patrons. To combat this, hotel employees could increase their vigilance and help visitors feel safer by using Motorola two-way radios. Seeing hotel employees and security guards using Motorola CP200 radios will add a sense of security and reassurance to guests. Its compact design creates a professionalism that belies its powerful audio functions and range. An earpiece allows for convenient usage while further promoting a sense of authority.

Spring and summer are the busiest seasons for wedding planners. A wedding coordinator is responsible for consulting with the bride and groom, hiring caterers and other vendors and overall management of the event itself. On the day of the wedding, behind the scenes communication is central. A two way radio can simplify the day, allowing the planner to directly communicate with caterers, bartenders and venue staff to oversee that all guests, and particularly the bride and groom have all their needs met. The Motorola CP200 is a good option for wedding planners and event staff as it offers user friendly features and is available with UHF functions, which operates well indoors. There are 4 or 16 channel options, depending on the scale of events that planners tend to organize. It is an efficient model that will serve various needs associated with a wedding. A Motorolla temple transducer headset should be worn in order to keep walkie talkie noise out of the event. It also allows convenience in terms of hands-free operation, as wedding planners and other event staff are likely to need full use of their bodies throughout the day.

A two-way radio is basically a radio that is structured to transmit and receive. In general, most voice-wireless communications technology, counting cellular systems, are categorized by two-way radio definition. Usually, a two way radio refers to a radio system primarily utilized for group call communications. This two-way system is also called PAMR Public Access-Mobile Radio, PMR Private-Mobile Radio, LMR Land-Mobile Radio, and PMR Professional-Mobile Radio. Portable 2 way radios are frequently called “walkie-talkies” or “handie-talkies.” Not much different from “handie,” the term sometimes used to describe mobile phones. While we’re on the subject, it’s probably best to get something out in the open right now. People often interchange the terms two-way radio and walkie-talkie. However, walkie-talkie is chiefly a generic or slang-term for hand portable two way radios. Moreover, the term usually implies non-professional, license free, consumer type, or “toy” equipment. When referring to two-way radios, people are basically talking about professional licensed equipment. A walkie-talkie is generally a hand-held CB radio. A 2 way radio is of superior quality and utilizes much higher frequencies. Two-way radios can also be found in mobile and base-configurations in addition to using radio network-infrastructure. In addition, two-way radios are usually decked out with a PTT or “Push-to-Talk” key to trigger the transmitter. Users simply press the PTT key and quickly begin a conversation. The user lets go of the PTT key in order to hear others. A two-way radio user can talk immediately with other radio users or utilize radio network-infrastructure. A direct-talk amongst radios, normally referred to as direct more operation/talk-around mode, has restricted reach because of limited radio power. To defeat this restriction, a radio network-infrastructure can be used to expand the communication range. With numerous choices in wireless technology today and with 2 way radios being one of the first wireless devices, some wonder if this type of radio is still a useful gadget in the current world of technological communication. Well actually yes. There are two main features that differentiate two-way radios from other wireless gadgets: Two-way radios offer instant communication. Users can simply press the PTT or “Push-To-Talk” key and inside a fraction of a second, the user can instantly speak and convey their message. This is because of the quick-call setup time entrenched in the technology. This quick communication possibility is one of the main reasons why businesses and organizations prefer two-way radios for their operational or tactical communications. An additional unique feature of two way radios is its ability to facilitate “group-calls” or “one-to-many” communications very effectively. This means that one user can easily communicate with one, five, twenty, hundreds, or even thousands of other 2 way radio users simultaneously. In other words, there’s no need for users to repeat themselves time and again if they need to communicate with more than one user. Moreover, two way radios performs perfectly for group communication using a minimal amount of RF channel-resources. If every user were in the same vicinity the majority of the time, they would only need one-channel resources to speak to hundreds of other users. There is an abundance of wireless-technology today, and they all have their advantages and disadvantages. The choice of which technology is idea for one’s group or association will depend upon if the technology can satisfy the user’s requirements. For users who need to function in a group, communicate instantly, and remain mobile, a two-way radio is the best choice compared to the other wireless technology available on the market today. You may still wonder how this can be possible with smartphones, iPods, iPhones, tablets, mobile phones available. Here are the main reasons why these technological gadgets may NOT meet the above requirements: Consider this scenario. You are out hiking, run into an emergency situation, and must communicate quickly to confirm your dilemma. If you were using a mobile phone, for instance, you must dial a number, wait while the call is being setup and connected; that’s if you get a signal. The phone must then ring to the other person, and they finally answer, if their voicemail isn’t on! The whole procedure could take several seconds and within that valuable time, your situation could easily worsen. With a 2 way radio, you simply press the PTT key and yell “emergency” while the other users “immediately” pick-up your signal. This is assuming that RF-channel is accessible. However, there is a way that two-way radios features can surmount RF-channel blockage and give highest-priority to emergency calls, a feature not available to other wireless devices. Take this example. You need to let your staff know that there has been some changes for a planned meeting. If you have to contact them one at a time, it could become tedious. With a two-way radio, you can simply select your talk-group, press the PTT key, and begin your message to five, 10, 15, or however many staff members you need to communicate with simultaneously. Now, raise that number to 1000 workers and imagine the work involved if you had to go through cellular phone channels. Though some wireless systems permit group calls, it usually restricts the amount of group members that you can communicate with at one time. With a two way radio, you simply need to speak once and be heard by many. Two-way radios have been utilized for many years by numerous industries and associations. Because of the nature of their operational requirements, they use two way radios to broadcast their operational and communicational needs. Organizations and industries that may depend on two-way radio usage are: -Public Safety associations such as EMS emergency medical services, police, ambulance service, fire brigade, disaster-recovery agency -Security like intelligence agencies and military -Transportation industries like subway, railways, seaports, airports, subways -Oil and gas companies -Utility companies like cable TV, telephone, water, gas, electricity -Construction companies for road and bridges, residential, commercial -Transport service companies like trucks, limos, taxis -Hospitality industries like tourism, restaurant, resort, and hotel -Service industry such as towing and delivery companies -Government agencies like public works,

There are five distinct advantages a well-planned two-way radio system has over a traditional cellphone in an emergency. Instant communication Network independence All, Group, and Individual Call functionality Interoperation Capabilities  Emergency features built in the device Flexibility Let’s set up some real scenarios for comparing these two devices in real world situations, before we go into more details on the 5 advantages. Managing a K-12 school In the United States public & private schools K-12 are required by state laws to drill on building lockdowns, fire drills, and student evacuations. They also have active shooter drills, managing students coming into the school in the morning and dismissal in the afternoon. All of these scenarios speed & clarity of communication is important, especially in an emergency. Managing a Manufacturing Plant or and type of industrial plant operation In the modern plant workplace worker safety is a serious issue; some plants are faced with managing volatile materials, operating dangerous equipment or in a dangerous environment, and have many fast moving parts between man and machine. Most plants run quarterly if not monthly safety drills on spills, fires, injured workers, security breaches, and evacuations. Managing a high rise building or large facility Today building managers have a lot of challenges on their palates, looking after security concerns inside and outside of the building, managing crews for maintenance and construction, weather events affecting their facilities, and making sure if something happens the people inside their facilities can get out safely. Instant communication to the right people No delays caused by dialing and waiting for someone to answer The first advantage a two-way radio has over a traditional cellphone is Instant Communication, once the user presses the radio push to talk button and speaks into the radios microphone the call is sent over the airwaves and to the radios that are tuned to that channel will hear the call. With a cellphone you need to find the number, even if the number being dial it a hot key or button, dial that number and hope the person on the other end answering the phone. The average wait time of initiating a cellphone call is 10 to 25 second. Then hoping that person you are calling doesn’t have the ringer turned off, have the device on vibrate, or are in a no coverage area. In emergency situations adrenaline is high and people can make mistakes like calling the wrong number or fumbling with the cellphone to find the right number. With a properly design two-way radio plan and training, all the user has to do in an emergency is press one button and instantly they are calling the right people in your organization for help. Network independence With a well-designed two-way radio system you are not dependent on the cellular networks. You essentially own your own network and have complete control of it. In any major disaster of late, large event like an earth quake, school shooting, and weather events the cellular networks go down and grind to a halt because they were never design to handle that type of traffic that follows these events. By having you own small network you are insulated from these issues the cellular networks present and your emergency calls to your staff will go through. After Super Storm Sandy one of our chemical plant customers had no electricity, no land line phones, and 3 feet of water in their plant, but they had two-way radio coverage and were able to secure the chemicals inside their plant and begin the recovery process. All, Group, and Individual Call functionality in two way radios Modern two way radio systems have the ability to give the radio user many options in making a radio call. They can call everyone on the system with an ALL CALL, they can make a GROUP CALL and call just the maintenance staff or security personal or the emergency response team at their facility, or they can make an INDIVIDUAL CALL to the plant manager or the school principal or head of security. These calling features give the radio user flexible tools to talk to many different departments at the touch of a button. Interoperation Capabilities Some facilities like chemical plants, schools, and other commercial industrial settings need to be able to communicate with Public Safety Organizations like Police, Fire and EMS during an emergency event. Two-Way radio systems can give you the ability to interoperate with these agencies if planned for ahead of time, and designing in the interoperation capabilities to the system. With a turn of the radio dial you could be communicating with the Public Safety organizations at the scene. We can even tie in a smartphone & computer devices to talk on your radio system too, in emergency situations. Emergency features built in two-way radios Some standard or optional features todays radio can offer are emergency alert button, man down alerts/switches, and lone worker. The emergency alert button is typically the big orange button you see on today’s higher grade two-way radios. This button is either on the top of the radio or and the side by the push to talk button. The radio dealer custom programs this button to activate an alert and audible alarm that goes out to a predetermined radio channel where it is heard by the staff responsible for responding to emergencies. The audible alarm can be programmed to continue sending this alarm for infinity or until the user that activated it turns it off. This feature is great if you have a hurt worker in a plant that becomes incapacitated and you need to find them. Just follow the audible alarm coming from the radio.  The alert that is heard by the listening users can also hear an alarm go off on their radio as well notifying them of the situation. This feature can also be programmed to have the microphone go live without pressing the push to talk button of the user who activates the alarm for hands free operation. We

Kyocera DuraCore and Kyocera Duramax is the first Direct Connect phones that allow you to use the beloved service on CDMA. We have experienced a few moments, when the push-to-talk has proved indispensable, as in the New York blackout in 2003, when Nextel subscribers talked freely with friends and relatives, in contrast to the rest of the mobile phone services, which mostly went DuraCore Kyocera Duramax Two PTT CDMA phones will appear in the last quarter of the year, and then a Motorola phone. Kyocera Kyocera Duramax DuraCore and both have color displays – 2 “internal and external -. How Bluetooth, full duplex speaker and 2.5 mm audio jack Kyocera Duramax supports up to 32 GB microSD card(1GB included), and also has 3, 2 MP camera. Both telephones are tough, with rubber Dura-Grip, and consistent with military standards for dust, shock and vibration. Kyocera adds Duramax waterproof body , which can withstand three immersion foot for 30 minutes. rugged Direct Connect phones will be appreciated by fans of PTT and international push-to-talk is in the next year, all the time wind down the Sprint iDEN network until it turns it off completely in 2013 source:. Sprint