December 23, 2008 by Chris Harrower, CTIS.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…even though, to be totally honest, I think I’m more excited about ABA in 16 days than I am about Christmas this year!  I guess the old saying is true…Christmas is for children.

But I have two gifts for you this year…one from me, and one from my friends at ABA.  Let’s start with that one first:

Disclaimer:  I’m a geek. I know that revelation will shock some of you, but it’s sadly true. I love gadgets, gizmos, and the latest electronica.  That’s why I’m so excited about ABA’s announcement yesterday about the MingleStick being available at Marketplace this year.  Even a non-techie can get behind this one (even if the name is kinda silly!).

What is it?  It’s a small device that will easily fit in your pocket, purse, or even in the pocket on the back of your namebadge.  If you meet someone that you’d like to keep in touch with, you point your device at theirs, and you both push your buttons.  When the little green light comes on, you have successfully “mingled”.

When the show is over, you return it to ABA, and they send you a link to a special web page.  On that page will be complete information on every person you have “mingled” with.  No more fumbling with business cards; no more giving out someone else’s card, since you put it in the same pocket with your cards; no more trying to remember who that was you talked to at dinner, after they gave out their last business card 5 minutes earlier.

ABA is going to give every Operator a MingleStick, and suppliers can get one for the week for around $20.00.  That’s a steal, and I’ve already reserved mine.  To be able to get information on everyone I talk to is amazing to me.  And don’t forget…you can “mingle” with other suppliers, too!  The technology will let you export contacts as a VCard, then import them into anything that supports that format (Outlook, ACT, etc).

There will be a limited quantity this year, as they’re trying to determine how successful this program will be.  But I fully expect this to become a standard at all the big shows over the next year.  Sure, it’s something else to remember and learn, but I think that, after one day, it will become second nature!

And the other Christmas gift? It’s a guilty pleasure I just found, and have already emailed it to every theatre person I know.  But I think even non-theatre people will enjoy it.  It’s an online TV Show called “High Drama: Against All Oz”.  It’s the story of an amazingly sophisticated production of “The Wizard Of Oz” at Barnstable High School in Massachusetts.  It starts with the auditions, and ends with the final production, following both the actors and the production people. Maybe I’m biased, but I found it fascinating, and I watched the entire series last night.  Of course, each episode is only about 5 minutes, so it’s easy to do that.

You can find it two places…it’s on iTunes ($1.99 for the entire set of shows), or you can watch it for free online at:

http://www.thewb.com/shows/high-drama

Enjoy…and to everyone who bothers to read my ramblings, my very best wishes for an absolutely delightful Christmas, and here’s to a blessed and prosperous New Year for us all!

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December 10, 2008 by Chris Harrower, CTIS.

If you didn’t see it, ABA has posted another “guest blog” by yours truly.   Yes, I am a homer, to use the sports fan phrase, for ABA.  But I meant every word I posted:

“I’ve been reading (and enjoying) Sara Hamlin’s blog posts here. I’m so excited that “one of us” is chairing the Marketplace this year. It’s the first time that a Supplier has been ABA Marketplace chair, and we couldn’t have picked a better person!

So, are you going? Are you getting excited? I am! The ABA Marketplace is the one event that I look forward to all year. As soon as it’s over, I start making plans for the next one. No other trade show, convention, marketplace, conference or gathing during the year commands that kind of excitement for me, and for a lot of my friends in the biz.

Why? Because of the possibilities. ABA’s Marketplace is seven days of limitless possibilities! Sure, the Appointments are the focus, but the networking, volunteering and, yes, the parties, is where the “real work” gets done. I create more relationships and business opportunities in the evening events than I ever could at the Appointments.

It’s simple math…66 appointments vs. 560+ Tour Operators attending. I will only get appointments with about 12% of the tour buyers in Charlotte. But I’ll see, touch, and make contact with plenty more than that by going to everything I am permitted to attend. I go to all the meals, the social functions, the sightseeing tours, and even the “extra-curricular activities”, like the bowling tournament.

I’ve heard the “nay-sayers”. “Bowling? What does that have to do with increasing my business?” But I was the first person to sign up a team for the bowling tournament…and two of my team members are Tour Operators. It’s another opportunity to meet people, and a chance for us to give back to Charlotte and the community, after all they’re giving to us.

Or the sightseeing tours…I’ve heard so many people say it’s a waste of time that could be spent with more appointments. But look at from the other side of the table. Tour Buyers will have over 200 appointments in five days! Don’t you think they need a break, or do you prefer that “glassy look” after they’ve heard too many presentations, and can’t absorb any more? Besides, I went on a sightseeing tour last year with a Tour Operator that had not come to our theatre in years. We built a solid relationship traveling together those few hours, and now they are booking nearly every show we’re doing!

Do you volunteer? Why not? Working in Orientation last year, I met a bunch of Tour Operators that I had never met before, and three of them came to my Theatre this year! Sign up and help somewhere…the needs are limitless, and can fit your unique talents like a glove. Orientation, Education, Resource Central, Registration, and more…there is a place for you!

Come join us in the “Queen City”…Charlotte is rolling out the red carpet, and the week will be nothing short of phenomenal. And, when it’s all over on Monday night, you’ll come up and thank me for encouraging you to be there. As the logo says, the ABA Marketplace really is “money in the bank”!”

So, why do I “suck up” to ABA so much? To use my favorite phrase, ABA “gets it”.  Everyone, from Pete Pantuso right down the line, understands what we need, and does everything he (they) can to help us get what we need.  Whether you’re a supplier, Operator, associate, or general hanger-on, ABA has everything you need to build and expand your business in the Group marketplace.

And a new announcement will be made soon of something new ABA is cooking up for Charlotte.  I can’t say any more right now, but once it’s announced, I’m going to be a huge cheerleader for this new concept/tool/marketing idea.  I’ve looked into it, and I am really excited by what this little addition to the Marketplace can do for us all.  Stay tuned, kids, and see what you think when it’s announced!

See you in Charlotte, True Believers!

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