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Lunchtime Links: Don’t Let Time Tick Away at Tradeshows

How one company makes the most of its time at CES. Also: The Internet Association's video message to lawmakers paves the way for a discussion about internet protection laws.

Do you hear the ticking of the clock during tradeshows? Trying to plan things out so you’re not losing time or potential opportunities?

Some helpful tradeshow time management tips, and more, in today’s Lunchtime Links:

We believe the internet is the driver that will accelerate America’s innovative spirit, spur economic growth, and create jobs in all sectors.

Turning heads: In an article on Inc.com, OtterBox founder and CEO Curt Richardson shares his “3 Must-Have Goals at Tech Trade Show CES,” where he gives great tips on how to keep on track with your tradeshow schedule if you’re an exhibitor. He tells the story of how OtterBox grew out of a small 10×10 showcase spot and offers some advice for vendors who are in that spot now. One great tip: Give bystanders something they’ll remember. “Whether it was a flashy booth, innovative new product, or exciting campaign, we wanted to give people who were unfamiliar with us a reason to visit and those that were another experience to remember,” Richardson says.

When the package fits the message: The Internet Association has a message for Congress and found a fitting vehicle to deliver it: a mashup video titled “Paving the Way,” composed of viral YouTube videos. AdWeek’s article on the pitch gets at the root of the association’s strategy for generating discussion about a decentralized internet. Along with the video, the group published these words from president and CEO Michael Beckerman: “As we begin a new year, the Internet Association welcomes the new Congress and hopes that the 113th session continues to protect the fastest growing economic sector in America—the innovative, free, and decentralized internet. We believe the internet is the driver that will accelerate America’s innovative spirit, spur economic growth, and create jobs in all sectors.” The association is backed by dot-com giants like Google, Facebook, and Amazon. (Added bonus: A digestible history lesson on the interwebs.)

Strategize, strategize, strategize: Is now a time to rethink your strategy—or implement one in the first place? This article on the HBR Blog Network, “Strategy and the Uncertainty Excuse,” poses great food for thought for all business leaders developing (or not developing) business strategies. Overall takeaway: Lack of business strategy gives your competition opportunity to get ahead in your industry. “What I generally observe about companies that say that it is too uncertain to do strategy, is that they complain after the fact about having been blindsided by something unexpected. Their narrative tends to be that when it happened, it was just too late to do anything constructive about it,” writes  Roger Martin, Dean of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.

What cool stuff have you been reading today? Let us know in the comments.

(iStockphoto/Thinkstock)

Anita Ferrer

By Anita Ferrer

Anita Ferrer is a contributor to Associations Now. MORE

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