Digg it UP - Business

A Logo Isn't A Tattoo! Why Your Personal Tastes Have Nothing To Do With Your Logo
As a business owner, one of the most important business decisions you'll make is choosing the design of your logo. Whether you design the logo yourself or hire a designer, you'll have to make some decisions during the design process.But you want to make sure that the logo you decide on will work well. Many business owners make the mistake of basing their logo choices on their personal preferences. But your 'likes' should have very little to do with your logo design.Before I go into why this is the case, let me tell you a story of the most difficult logo designs that I ever did. This logo was for an entrepreneur who was running a ver

ning restaurant, you are perfectly within your rights to request a small sample tasting. Most facility managers should be happy to oblige.

Amenities & Special Features

Teaching The Big Boys To Think Small
Last week I told you about a recent report from The Conference Board that has a lot of big company CEOs concerned about competition from smaller, more innovative and entrepreneurially-minded companies. To refresh your memory, The Conference Board's CEO Challenge 2004 reported that 87% of the 540 global businesses surveyed cited innovation and enabling entrepreneurship as priorities for their companies, and 31% considered these issues of "greatest concern."These CEOs understand that their big company status no longer guarantees that they will win contracts and retain market share based solely on their size and track record. They understan

When a professional meeting, event or conference planner goes to evaluate the suitability of a venue for a client this is called a site inspection. There are three basic areas to be considered:

Appearance and accessibility of the location

Service and quality of catering

Amenities and special features.

Without a doubt, choosing a venue for your affair is the most significant aspect of the event planning process. No venue=no event. Choosing the proper setting for your organization is of paramount importance. If you find yourself in a position where you are unable to have a professional planner perform a venue inspection for you, the following checklists should get you started.

Appearance & Accessibility (Outside)

When you initially approach the building, is the fa?ade well maintained and pleasing to the eye? Is there someone available to greet you at the door and direct you where you need to go?

Is the location centered and roughly equidistant from the areas from which your guests will be traveling?

Is parking available for all of your guests? If not, is there a parking alternative outside the facility?

Appearance & Accessibility (Inside)

As you move inside, what is your impression of the inside of the facility? Wallpaper and paint well maintained? Carpets and floors clean?

Are there tables and chairs lying about from previous functions? At the very least, tables and chairs should stacked neatly and out of the way.

How far is the actual room where the event will be held from the entrance?

Will the room itself be spacious enough to accommodate all of your guests and still have room for at least ten more should your count unexpectantly increase?

Does the room have a built in sound system (if applicable)? Does the facility have in- house audiovisual equipment or will you need equipment from a rental agency?

Is the room clean and in good repair? Wallpaper and carpets well maintained? Any visible cracks, stains or tears?

Is the room well lit? If you need to darken the room for a presentation, make sure that the lights are adjustable.

Is there room for a registration or display table if applicable?

Service & Catering

What entrance do the waiters use to come in to set up the food? Make sure to stipulate that the catering tables be placed in a position where the waiters and guests will be able to have access, but also in a position where the wait staff will not have to pass in front of your speaker if they need to set-up during your program. (If you don’t have a speaker presentation, this, of course, is a moot point.) The facility manager can assist you in making a decision.

How receptive was the staff to your request to view the facility? Were they pleasant and courteous? Did the facility manager greet you with a handshake and a smile upon your arrival at the venue?

Sometimes catering or banquet halls have an adjoining restaurant. This is a perfect opportunity to sample the facility’s cuisine. Observe the attitude of the wait staff towards their customers. Do they seem pleasant and attentive? Are their uniforms neatly pressed? How often do they come back to check on your table? This is a fairly reliable indicator of the service that you will receive on the day of your event.

If the facility does not have an adjoining restaurant, you are perfectly within your rights to request a small sample tasting. Most facility managers should be happy to oblige.

Amenities & Special Features

Freighting Around the World
Freight denotes goods that are to be transported from one place to another by a commercial carrier. Carriers that deliver these goods are usually called freight forwarders.These freight forwarders specialize in moving large quantities of goods over large distances, and may use their own fleet of vehicles or hire service providers of transportation.In today’s busy world we often take for granted the fact that goods can pretty much be shipped to and from any part of the world with great efficiency and speed. It wasn’t too long ago when transporting cargo to other countries would normally take a couple of months before they reached the

sing to the eye? Is there someone available to greet you at the door and direct you where you need to go?