“The idea is simple: 20 images, 20 seconds, 200 cities, 2,000 presentations, 200,000 people” -GOOD Blog

Last Wednesday evening was my first experience at this spectacular event! The December PKN12 sold out in 50 minutes, and we did not get our tickets…Thankfully, my fiance was able to pull some strings and talk to some of the big guys to get us in the doors.

Pecha Kucha by definition is a Japanese word for the “sound of conversation,” and has become “a presentation methodology in which 20 slides are shown for 20 seconds each, usually seen in a multiple-speaker event called a Pecha Kucha Night” It is a way for our creative community to come together and share their ideas. These happen all over the world, but the Charleston PKN12 was extra special.

The room was filled with people from the production & film industry, photography industry, retail stores, web creation, architecture, marketing, and graphic design. There was a buzz in the room that was electric and contagious. It is no wonder that this event sold out in 50 minutes…the crowd was obviously happy to be there and happy to share in the creativity in Charleston.

Although every single speaker was truly inspiring, I have to give an extra special shout out to our friend and colleague, Jay Fletcher with J Fletcher Design. His presentation was the most down-to-earth and simple of the evening, but for everyone who knows Jay, and anyone who does not, it stood true to who he is, and what his work is all about. As one of his slides represented, Jay is a reputable rock in the Charleston Graphic Design Scene, and his work can be seen on store and restaurant windows, on stationary and invitations, in design books published nationally, and all over the world-wide-web.

As I stood there watching and listening, my creative AHA moment came from the live twitter feed on the projector up front. I was fascinated at the idea of live/immediate feedback, and waited anxiously for my tweet to show up on the screen. @GRANDIDEAS

Jay Fletcher Design

Closing out the evening

“Adornment is never anything except a reflection of the heart.” ~Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel

We are FAMOUS!

Check out the December Skirt Magazine! And shop local at Bits of Lace for all of your fine lingerie needs & wants!

http://www.bitsoflace.com/

 

In One’s Way: In a position to obstruct, hinder, or interfere with someone or something.

Someone told me yesterday that at times, we all get in our own way. After pondering this thought…how could I get in my own way?!?, I started to think about times when exactly this had happened. Sometimes, it is not a conscious thing, but rather a way of keeping ourselves in the comfort zone, while not realizing that what we really need is to get OUT of the comfort zone.

A recent example getting in one’s way: I emailed a new contact with the hopes of setting up a time to meet and introduce myself, and with the absolute understanding that I may never hear back. The response I got was: “Yes, I want to meet with you ASAP! I have been using the same promo company for years and am very dissatisfied with their services, but have not had the time or strength to look elsewhere.” If she had simply gotten out of her own way, and searched even just a little bit, she probably would have found Grand Ideas years ago.

Whether in your personal or professional life, I challenge you to get out of your own way. It may lead to a new sale, a new customer, a new idea, a new relationship, a new hobby, and the list goes on.

Prove This American Proverb Wrong: “Bad News Travels Fast.”

How fast does news travel? Apparently, as fast as twitter carries it….

Twitter, this monster of information out there that although is sometimes damaging to companies, individuals, relationships, and partnerships alike, can also be a useful resource for transferring media and news. We would all be cowards if we chose to ignore the fact that this singular forum for online messages is a powerful resource that we must embrace.

Although you will find many stories about how quickly news traveled across twitter about the recent split of Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries after a mere 72 days, you will hear less on the speed that the news traveled up the east coast warning of the earthquake headed that way. People were prepared for this natural disaster unlike ever before, all because of twitter.

Within our industry, twitter is a strong tool to use when pushing last-minute promotions, driving traffic to websites, featuring product types, showing trends, and staying in front of customers on a more regular basis ( even if from behind a computer screen). A study found that almost 90% of distributors in our industry use twitter to increase their number of contacts. The simple concept of the “Follow Me” icon that twitter made famous is a sure call-to-action, but steps need to be taken after that to ensure you keep that contact. Committing to twitter requires that you engage with those contacts, give them relevant material to read, and answer to their questions or comments.

Just another sign of times-a-changin’. Just think how much you may have missed while reading this blog post!

‘I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.’ -Wayne Gretzky

I was reading over the Bios for the 2011 PPAI Board of Directors nominees, and a common theme jumped out at me: How will our industry accept and adapt to the technology changes and the “ways” of the 20′s and 30′s somethings? Seems to me like an easy question to answer because I am one of those 20 somethings…but for the majority of our industry, it is a daunting question.

Whether it is in the Promotional Products industry, or any other industry, this same question will haunt all of us until it is given attention. In what ways are we all doing business differently than we used to, and what changes must we make to keep up?

Specifically in our industry, we have seen a huge shift to online ordering. A good and bad beast… that “world-wide web” is for most of us. We are required to be plugged in or we risk losing information, sales, and knowledge. As urban dictionary puts it, “Those caught on the outskirts enter a void of stupidity and insecurity.” However, it also means that our competitors are more out there than ever. We must maintain face-to-face contact with our clients for it is just as easy and cost-effective for them to place their orders online. With more choices than ever in front of their faces, our ideas must be GRAND and our contact must me frequent.

How do you plan to keep up with the changing technological aspects of your industry?

“Study: Steve Jobs Death Generates 2.5M Tweets in 13 Hours” -PC Magazine

It is not always the predictable ones that change the world!
Some character traits to be learned from the above image:

1.) Persistence

2.) Simplicity

3.) Imaginative

4.) Humble

5.) FUN!

Thirty days hath September, April, June, and November. All the rest have thirty-one excepting February alone. That has twenty-eight days clear, and twenty-nine in each leap year.

Has the age of calendars disappeared? Do we all keep our smart phone so close that we have no need for a master wall calendar on our desk or refrigerator at home?

You know, the video below got me thinking about these questions; Thinking about ‘Time’ and how or why we track it, and how it has changed over the course of ‘time’.

Many people will argue that they no longer need a printed calendar due to our ever changing and improving technology. Many would also argue that calendars require us to focus too much on the future when we should be most concerned with the present. (and I do agree, living primarily in the present is a good practice) However, I am one of those people that likes to see dates circled and starred with fireworks surrounding it-acting as a constant reminder of a date to look forward to.

To me, when the outlook calendar appointment reminder pops up on my screen, it really stresses me out; but when I can look at a printed calendar at my leisure, it seems less intrusive, and more inviting.

In the stone age, Lunar calendars were used until a written language was created, only about 5000 years ago. It would be interesting to know how many people were late for engagements in the stone age; I would bet that the number of scheduled events on their “calendar” differed greatly from today.

I guess we each have our own method of keeping track of time. Each to their own; But, I still prefer the printed calendar, and it seems that a lot of others out there do as well!

“We live in deeds, not years; in thoughts, not figures on a dial. We should count time by heart throbs. He most lives who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts the best.” -Aristotle