ODI nominated for CBC "Best Trade Show Company" award again! Can you please vote to help us win? http://ping.fm/xIwGz
Thanks guys!

Gonna be a paperwork kinda' evening me thinks...

alright, 3 days of eating better than I have in YEARS is working...feelin' damn fine right now!

Cranky baby + sleepless night + Snowzilla = work from home.

Turn off the TV, It's Time For Class...

We've all said it at some point or another, haven't we?

"I'd like to read more, but I just don't have the time!".

I know that I spent a few years under that unfortunate misconception. Hey, there are only so many hours in the day- and I already have a hard enough time getting things done as it is...how much more of my day am I supposed to give up? And WHICH part?

Revelation has a funny way of hitting you when you least expect it...and all too often with the force of a speeding freight train, or at least that's how my experience with it has been. In this case revelation came in the form of a simple quote that left me at once inspired, and embarrassed : "Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day".

Wow...what a blow! Was I saying that I had less time available to me than the President? Than Donald Trump? Than whoever the madman is that redesigns Facebook -seemingly - every two weeks? Was I saying that I was busier than them?

So, the next day, I shut off the ol' idiot box, and made a commitment that would change my entire life. I vowed to be as voracious with reading as I had been with salty snack foods during all of those "too busy" years that I had wasted on television.

Do you know what happened? I found that I didn't really know half of what I thought I knew about the world around me...and worse...the industry that I had tricked myself into believing I was an expert on. I've spent the time since then learning everything I can about how to become the professional that I had always imagined myself to be, and I did it the easiest, quickest, and most pain free way possible...I did it by reading.

So, let me pass on some of the books that have made a difference to me in the way that I approach all things trade show related. Some of them have obvious connections, and others are a bit more round about in how they will come to your aid as you prepare for or attend your next event, but all of them will provide you with invaluable tools to help you and your team succeed.

1.Buy*Ology (Martin Lindstrom) - Martin Lindstrom is one of the (if not THE) foremost experts on the art and science behind successful marketing and advertising. In Buy*Ology he uses neuroscience to show us the how's and why's behind why people buy...and sometimes, the answers will shock you!

2.The One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey (Ken Blanchard, Bill Oncken, Hal Burrows) - Though the best known book of this series is "The One Minute Manager", I honestly found much more to be gained from this lesser known cousin. The "Monkey" in this book refers to the monkey that nearly every manager finds on their back at some point as they rush to do the work of an entire team. All too often, the entire task of properly planning and implementing an event falls on one person...the wrong person. This book show's how that can have disastrous consequences, and then provides clues on how to give all the "monkeys" back to their correct owners.

3.Blink ( Malcolm Gladwell)- A best seller from the author of "The Tipping Point", Blink is all about those first two seconds of being exposed to an idea or thing, and how that quick "bite" controls our relationship with that idea/thing going forward. So much of what we do when we exhibit at an event is based on this concept, that it should be a must read for anyone and everyone who is responsible for the creative aspects of a company's exhibit, literature, staffing, or media.

4.Creating Magic (Lee Cockrell)- Cockrell is best known as the Vice president of Operations at Walt Disney World, though his distinguished career spans a handful of other top notch organizations who's fortunes have been built on customer service. Cockrell shares the experience he has gained-often the hard way- while creating a top notch customer service team that is always "on stage"...much the way your crew is at your events.

5.The Complete Idiot's Guide To Meetings and Events (Robin E Craven, Lynn Johnson Golabowski)- This great reference piece is a fun and easy way to learn about what goes on behind the scenes at all sorts of events. Why do you or your staff need to understand what goes into the day of an event planner? Because knowledge is power when dealing with other people...people like, oh...let's say...event planners!

6.Get Motivated (Tamara Lowe)- Tamara and her husband Peter have spent decades on the motivational speaking circuit working alongside some of the biggest name you can think of, from presidents to movie stars. In her book "Get Motivated" she offers a quiz that will help show you your (or your staff members) "Motivational DNA", a formula which will help you properly understand who will best succeed at which tasks, as well as what will properly motivate them. Some people should NOT represent your company at events. It doesn't mean they are bad people- just ill suited for the task. This book can help you learn who those people on your staff are...and more!

7.Strengths Finder 2.0 (Tom Rath)- In this updated follow up to his original "Now, Discover Your Strengths", Rath delves deep into the 34 "Themes" that make up a person. Using an included test, readers can discover which of the 34 themes they score highest in, and how to best use them to improve their productivity and happiness. This book is an excellent tool to help you build your team, on and off the trade show/event floor. The moral of this book? Everyone has their strengths, and the first step to using them properly is to know what they are.

8.Selling: The Proud Profession (Zig Ziglar): Very few people reading right now will be unfamiliar with Zig Ziglar. He is quite possibly the most successful and well known motivational speaker and author of the last 50 years. In this short book, Zig shows -through the power of his charming story telling- the nobility and necessity of the sales profession. For manager preparing a sales team to staff a booth, or just to make more sales in their daily routines, this is an excellent confidence builder for any sales person who might be feeling too hesitant.

9.ThinkerToys (Michael Michalco): Thinkertoys is an thought provoking look at...well...provoking thoughts! Set up almost like a text book, this text is all about twisting your brain into a lean, mean, imagination machine. You'll turn ideas inside out, backwards, and upside down as you increase your creativity. Put the power of your imagination under the microscope with Thinkertoys, and find out just how much potential you didn't know your brain really has, and then use this power to create the best event you can.

10.The Little Red Book Of Sales Answers (Jeffrey Gitomer): This is the one that started it all for me. This book is made up of small one-two page "essays" covering a large range of tools that must be in every sales tool box, including (but not limited to) the topics of successful networking, follow up, preparation, engagement, and of course, asking for the sale.

Snowizona. There, now you don't have to watch the news tonight.

Feeling pretty good today, though the graffiti on the wall outside my office window is making my eyes roll a bit. Poor "Noodles"....

Coffee down, news checked, baby sleeping...guess that just leaves the commute....sigh....