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World is KCA?
KCA travels worldwide for our clients. Each issue the KCA Connection will highlight a photo of team members in action. If you correctly guess where the team is located in the photo, you will be entered into a drawing for a $20 starbucks gift card. The winner will be announced in the next edition of the KCA Connection.
where DeAnn and Katie are located!
(All correct responses will be included in the drawing. Deadline to enter is one week from distribution.)
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KCA, Inc.
107 S. Southgate Dr.
Chandler, AZ 85226 USA
P: (480) 893-6110
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Welcome!
Welcome to the first edition of the KCA Connection. Staying in touch with you is one of our "high touch" goals. We are excited to send you this quarterly newsletter to provide information and insight on meeting, event planning and association management. While we want this newsletter to be informative, we also heard from our clients to incorporate some levity. Check out the "Where in the World is KCA" feature in the left column to win a gift card from us! |
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Reach Out and Touch Somebody
In good economic times or bad, the best way to cultivate your business is to reach out and touch someone... particularly your existing clients or customers. Nothing can replace the special "high touches" you can bring to your clients and customers to let them know they are appreciated and thought of by you and your team. Here are a few ways to let them know you care:
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Instead of focusing on giving client/customer gifts during the holidays distinguish yourself, pick a random holiday throughout the year to surprise your customer with a special gift or note. Why not send a dozen cupcakes from a specialty baker to your client/customer on 4th of July? Or a bottle of bubble to add levity?
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Remember something unique about your client. Did he/she mention their son played baseball or they liked to travel or was a gourmet cook? Take the time to drop off the latest kitchen gadget or send tickets to a baseball game when their favorite team is in town. With all the technology at our finger tips it is easy to quickly capture this type of information that randomly occurs during a conversation. Remembering a special aspect of your client's life may pay big dividends.
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Personal notes still rule! A handwritten note to not only say thank you, but to acknowledge a milestone or accomplishment is key in making anyone, especially your clients feel special. You could frame an article you may have seen about one of your clients and send it off with a personal congratulatory note or send a note to your client if you see they've landed a big piece of business or if your clients' business is rather new, send "another year stronger" note on their business anniversary date. |
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Employee Spotlight
Katie Elsberry is celebrating her 5-year anniversary with KCA. She joined KCA as an Arizona State University intern in 2003 and has risen to the position of Meeting Planner and Association Executive Director. Our clients value Katie's strengths in logistical and organizational management and she is fondly known at KCA as the "go-to-gal." She seems to know something about everything! We are proud of Katie's accomplishments and congratulate her on her 5 years with KCA.
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Passing It Forward...
What We Learned this Quarter
We participate in the leading meeting, special events and association management industry associations. Our staff attends many programs to gain knowledge and share information among our peers to grow professionally. Each issue we will pass along to you the top tips, trends and information we heard, learned or read about this month:
 Convening in the Kitchen - all the trends for 2009 point to people eating and cooking more at home. When times are bad, people batten down the hatches and nest at home. To follow in that trend Biz Bash reports events and activities centered on learning to cook. "Steak House" or "Cocktail Party" themes where groups learn to make blue cheese crusted steak or fancy cocktails and simple hors d'oeuvres not only promote team camaraderie but leave the attendee with a new skill to practice at home.
- Penny Pinching Event and Meeting Costs - 2009 will be the year of reducing costs on all fronts, meetings and events included. From this point Meeting Planners International (MPI) recently identified new "trendy terms" being used in 2009:
-BYO - Bring your own. It is often cheaper to prepare in advance and make copies, name badges, table cards, handouts in house vs. waiting to do it on-site at a venue. Also, consider renting a small speaker/sound system instead of patching into house sound if your program will last many days. The rental may be cheaper than cost of daily patch rates. The same goes for audio/visual equipment. Ask your client what equipment they can bring from their companies (laptops, easels, LCD projectors, etc).
-Backyard Savings. Instead of looking for keynotes or entertainment from around the country, look in your own "local backyard." The savings can be significant if you do not have to pay for travel, hotel and per diems.
-Back to School. Look at your local universities and trade schools. These facilities offer overlooked quality meeting rooms without the overvalued price tag. Culinary schools can provide professional service and catering for your events at a competitive cost, entertainment (think university student string quartets) and audio/visual crews (think trade schools or journalism departments at universities). |
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Hey, Did You Know?
How many glasses of wine can you get from one bottle?
Just over six servings, if you poured a suggested 4oz serving. A standard pour at a bar or restaurant is about 6oz, so figure 4-5 glasses.
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