elove

Reed Exhibitions Cancels 2013 Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show

I have been listening to twitter chatter about Reed’s decision to cancel the show after the backlash they received about banning assault weapons.  Most of what I have seen has been negative reaction by those who feel this was the wrong thing to do.  Without taking a position on either side of the issue I feel compelled to comment on what I feel is a very difficult decision taken by Reed.

I have recently been introduced to the Conscious Capitalism movement lead by John Mackey, Whole Foods Cofounder and coauthor of a book by the same name.  I guess I mention that because the timing of learning of this work against what I feel was a gutsy, decision by Reed, is a bit uncanny.  Or perhaps it isn’t.  Perhaps we are seeing business leaders recognizing that the days of being able to hide from controversy to protect revenue are over.  

You may not think that business and politics mix.  And in many ways they dont. But the events in the business world over the last few years tell me that ethics and business must mix, every day.  Right wing, left wing, liberal, democrat, religious, non religious - it doesnt matter. What matters is that as an organization you have values and you are willing to defend them even if it means a loss of revenue.

I applaud you Reed Exhibitions - for being brave enough to (pardon the pun) stick to your guns.

It’s All in the Numbers

There are 84 million Boomers in the U.S., 46 million Gen X, and 87 million Millenials. Our amazing, brilliant VP Global Marketing reminded me of these numbers.  We were talking about our eCruit program (www.etouches.com/ecruit) which targets Millenials. And I, of course, am a Boomer.  In the middle, the etouches engine is stoked by Gen Xers.  

That got me thinking about how we at etouches are looking at the care and feeding of Millenials.  How to teach them to be global citizens, provide a work environment that attracts and keeps them, nurture what they bring and mentor them for what they don’t. But what about the Gen Xers?

On the one hand, youthful Boomers see you Xers as peers. We forget that you are a generation behind, with brilliant experience and capability. But still needing mentoring, appreciation, respect and guidance.  On the other hand, Millenials can see you as ‘know it all’ types, because they forget that you are one generation ahead. And you can offer them guidance, respect, appreciation and mentoring.   

So a shout out to you, Gen Xers.  You are the leaders of tomorrow.  And you are wired with the very characteristics we are struggling to find in many Millenials.  Ambitious, creative problem solvers with great attitude and aptitude.  Your generation rocks!

Like it or not Millenials, you are going to be working for we Boomers

By: Leonora Valvo, CEO, etouches

So just as we need to learn how to work with you —- you need to learn how to work with us!  And we, the very parents who raised you, are also the employers who value behavior and work ethic that we, perhaps, failed to teach you. 

Come closer and I will tell you a few secrets about how we really feel. 

• we love it when you get to work early and leave late
• we hate it when you think it is ok to miss ‘optional’ company events
• we love it when you seem to be tuned in to the bigger picture
• we hate it when you don’t take the time to double check you are spelling our names right
• we love it when you follow up an interview with a call or email … or both
• we hate it when you don’t use spell check

In short, we want you to pay attention to detail, understand that we worked really hard to get where we are, put your dishes in the dishwasher in the company kitchen, ask how you can help, show an interest in your future - and the company’s future. In short, make an effort.  If you do these things, you will go far. Because there won’t be many others like you. 

Working in the Cloud in the Clouds

By Leonora Valvo, CEO, etouches

Multi-tasking, not taking down time, type A.  All seem to be getting a bad rap these days. The ability to be connected, 24/7, is being questioned - is it bad for us (too much stress), does it make us less productive (no peaceful thinking time)?  So as I sit in my Virgin America seat to San Francisco, I find myself, as usual, bucking the trend. 

Cloud software and airborne Internet access have transformed my pre-flight time.  Before they were available, a flight at mid day on Sunday would have meant a stressful and total loss of my Saturday night/Sunday morning leisure weekend. Getting things done before I travel, making sure I have all of the files I need, putting final touches on my Monday morning presentation. 

With Docusign, Salesforce, Dropbox, etouches  and Virgin America, I was able to enjoy my wonderful family. See ‘The Avengers on Sat night, have a proper breakfast send off with my partner’s daughter going off to Culinary Institute for her first year of College, in short, make the weekend about ‘down time’.  I am a huge fan of ‘on demand’!

etouches Twitter Webinar

Contributed by: Donna Nocero, Client Experience Advocate at etouches

A recap of the etouches Twitter webinar Suzanne Carawan and I had this morning:

1. Don’t be afraid to start using Twitter to talk about your event

2. Pick the right handle @ and hashtag # - search to make sure no one else is using it and then start using it

3. Search for people/companies that tie into your company and/or event and follow them and see who they are following and follow them also (if they tie in with your requirements)

4.  Use tweetdeck.com or hootsuite.com to manage your tweets from multiple accounts.