5 Tips to Make Your Best First Impression

Toronto’s business sector is a fast-paced, high energy world. In all probability one meets and greets hundreds of potential customers, business partners and clients over the course of a month. What makes a person stand out from the crowd? How does one make a lasting impression.. so that your name comes first to mind?

Follow these 5 Easy Steps to make your best first impression yet!

1. Dress Your Best – It is a fact that people respond positively to a sharply dressed individual.  You wouldn’t take someone with ripped jeans, a stain on their shirt and wrinkly clothing seriously in the world of business – don’t expect anything less of them.

2. Employ a Gentle yet FIRM Handshake – A firm handshake is a sign of confidence. Avoid sweaty and clammy palms – if your hands sweat when you are nervous carry a handkerchief.

3. Smile - The easiest way to make a person comfortable is by giving them your most genuine smile.

4. Make Eye Contact – Give your new friend your undivided attention – it’s rude to let your eyes wander as it gives the impression that you are not listening.

5. Repeat the Name and Ask Questions – The best way to remember a persons name is to repeat it back to them. You get bonus points for asking them a question about their business while using their name. ex. ” So Deb, tell me a little bit about what you do at CityEvents? ”

Looking for places to expand your business network and practice your new tricks?

Tomorrow night – Febraury 23, 2010- Join us @ Makeover Your Business with FastLane to make your best first impression ever!

Let FastLane help you make your best online first impression as well. Your online persona can be the first and may be the last that potential clients, employers and contacts will see.

Have your professional headshot taken for all of your online needs.YOUR PROFESSIONAL PHOTO HAS A VALUE OF OVER $150, come get yours included in your FastLane ticket tomorrow night.

Explore Your Inner Carmen @ Habanera with Operanation

Operanation 6, Habanera is getting all fired up! The hottest party of the winter season will sizzle on February 26, 2010 at the Four Seasons Center for the Performing Arts. This years Operanation includes entertainment with a distinct Latin flavor from performances to food and beverages.

Tickets to the VIP dinner are already sold out – Don’t miss out on the main event , get your tickets soon!

All Operanation buyers are eligible to buy two tickets to a Canadian Opera Company performance at 50% off.

Discover Your Passions at Canada Blooms Passions Preview Party

On Tuesday March 16, 2010 hundreds of green thumbs from across Ontario will gather to celebrate the opening night of Canada Blooms 2010 show. The party will take place in the Direct Energy Centre, the stage for Canada’s most eye catching and magnificent gardens. Showcasing gardens designed by Canada’s leading architects/landscapers providing the perfect environment for a memorable opening night bash!

The night will allow guests to enjoy the spectacular gardens at their best before it opens to the general public. Also included in the ticket is a complimentary signature Temptation cocktail and various tasting sessions.

The night will also feature an all night green thumb shopping pass to Blooms’ Marketplace and a special silent auction and cameo fashion show.

Dedicated to providing horticulture expertise, education and resources on an ongoing basis, Canada Blooms is a not-for-profit organization that gives back to the community throughout the year by funding community garden projects around Ontario. All proceeds of the Passions Preview Party go to support gardening and horticulture in Ontario.

Event Details

Location: Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place, Toronto, ON

Date: Tuesday, March 16, 2010. 7:00 – 10:00 pm

Tickets are $75 per person

Cash Bar

Create Buzz for Events in Toronto

Planning events in Toronto isn’t easy, type the words: Event Toronto into google and you are instantly bombarded with thousands of promotions and invitations. With the advent of Facebook just about anyone can arrange an invitation to an event. But how does one make their event stand out? How do you influence a crowd to attend and keep them coming back for more? You create buzz!

Last night young professionals from across the GTA gathered to learn valuable tips, simple tricks and advanced tactics for marketing their events in Toronto. Attendees heard from Deb Lewis, CEO of CityEvents and Rob Campbell, Prime Innovator of Smojoe about best practices used by professionals and a myriad of free social media resources to create buzz and build social capital at the same time.

The seminar covered a step-by-step process that guided participants on how they should market their events or fundraisers. Atendees learned how to ‘put it out there’ and develop a communications strategy and agenda to target and achieve event objectives. The experience came complete with a handy booklet titled “ How to Market an Event in Toronto” on which to notate revelations.

There are numerous ways to promote, market and get the word out for events. Here is a glimpse of what they learned:

To begin create a promotional tool kit with event descriptions, photos, event images, links, and other relevant information or visuals. You need to create excitement around your event, the more often people see and hear about it the more interested they become. This also increases the credibility of your event. Get your target market excited about your event so they rush to sign up or buy tickets.The basis of promoting and marketing events is mainly determined by the details you decide to share and disclose with the target market.

Things to think about:

Who is your potential audience?

What is the value of your event for the attendee?

How can you communicate this to your potential audience?

Details of your Event ?Event Information:

Who? What? When? Where?

Tips to Developing Content:

When creating compelling content, images, photos and event descriptions, think about the value of your event or the “hooks” that will compel people to attend. Attendees want to know their value for attending your event. This is more relevant when people are investing in a ticket. It is important to promote what will be included in the ticket price. Create a compelling Unique Selling Proposition. Ensure you inject excitement into your event descriptions, make it sound intriguing and exciting to your target market. Focus on your targets needs, wants and desires. ??When you are developing your event description or “event story” consider these hooks to entice your target market. Create a series of hooks you can utilize in multiple promotional channels. ??Why do people care about your event? ?What are their motivations? ?What’s a unique offer? ?Are their key celebrities attending?

These are some the basic strategies needed to be successful in the event marketing field.

Want to Know More ?

If you are looking for more information in this area you can purchase a more detailed booklet “How to Create Buzz around your event”

With some basic knowledge, innovation, creative thinking, and the right partnership, anybody and everybody can and will master the ins and outs to event marketing. The How to Market and Create Buzz for Events manual available online is a perfect guide and a definite help to anybody who is starting out in the event marketing field. Also to those who need a little guidance while promoting and implementing various marketing strategies for events. Determining an area for promoting your events and websites IS creating your own community feeling! For assistance in this area contact us at info@torontocityevents.ca