Live Blogging: Reshaping the Marketplace

Reporting live, on location...

These  are words that once were spoken exclusively through traditional forms of media, typically by a news reporter covering an event as it was broadcasted live to the public at large. The audience tuned in by droves either hearing the message from their AM/FM radios or by gazing at large antiquated boxes stationed in living rooms also known as "television sets." “Reporting live from events” is not limited to the major broadcasting stations any longer. Businesses can now reap the benefits from this type of coverage without the reliance of a PR agency to convince and woo editors to cover specific subject matter expertise.

Although traditional forms of media continue to provide newsworthy information that captivate our attention and impact our lives, new technology has opened the doors to a world of options. Popular social media "channels" like Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and Facebook are being tuned in to and businesses can benefit from the professional service of live reporting on trade shows and other industry events. 

Live reporting from conferences is one of the many emerging trends reshaping the world of professional development as social media evolves and the PR industry searches for new service offerings that provide value to their clients. Now, when business leaders hop on the speaker circuit to promote their industry leading subject matter, they aren't confined to the individuals located in the four corners of the conference room. When businesses hire a professional event correspondent to report live from their keynote address or panel discussion, the real-time service can have a major impact on exposure and brand awareness that results in a significant return on investment.

See what people are saying about
The Midas Center's Event Correspondent services > 

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Benefits of TMC Cowork Space

Cowork Space provides flexible and affordable options for
businesses looking to conduct meetings and other office related
professional activities.

TMC Cowork Space is available in north central Indiana,
in historical Plymouth, Indiana, located centrally to Chicago and Indianapolis,
approximately 30 minutes from South Bend, Warsaw, Valparaiso
and 15 minutes from Culver, Indiana.

Daily and monthly passes are available for TMC Cowork members.
Follow us on Facebook, or email us for more information.

Benefits of a TMC Co Work Space...

• Networking

• Socialization

• Creative collaboration, springboard ideas, etc.

• Synergy from like minded professionals

• Professional, yet laid back environment

• High creative energy

• Save money on food and drink (no more having to buy a latte every hour or two just to be able to continue using the “free” wifi at the coffee shops)

• None of the background nonsense to distract you (again, that you get if you worked at a coffee shop or at home). Get constructive distractions instead! 

• Work along side fellow determined empire builders

• Incubator environment

• Green, eco-friendly space with shared conservation of materials and energy including lighting and more

• Several different industries and several different businesses all under one roof

• Growing, supportive community of cool people to hang out with/partner up with/ work beside

• Being a part of something innovative

• Focus on your business without a commitment, or burden of a commercial lease

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Agent Farewell: Nancy Tyree

Special agents (left to right) Nancy Tyree and Amanda Doty.

As many trade in their beach bags for book bags, seasons of life turn from summer to fall for all.

It seems like only yesterday we couldn't wait for summer time. At The Midas Center, we were especially excited for the opportunity to host young talent in our special agent program. Three agents were selected for special missions, if they chose to accept the internship mission. The special agents are Nancy Tyree, Amanda Doty and Justin Shenenberger. This week, we will be sharing a series titled, Agent Farewell to honor each of these special talented young professionals. Today's post will highlight our first intern to join our agency.

Our first special agent, Nancy Tyree started working for The Midas Center last December during her Christmas break from her studies at Indiana University in Bloomington. During her holiday break while staying at home, Nancy accepted the mission filled with research on the history of social media and its impact on modern society. She returned to finish her junior year at IU and shared with us that her internship experience encouraged her to start her own blog once back at school. She then came home for the summer and accepted another mission at The Midas Center: Community Manager of iHEARTplymouth. 

Nancy accepted the mission and bravely stepped out from her comfort zone while interfacing with people making a positive difference throughout the community. She captured stories and photos to share on www.iHEARTplymouth.com. She shared on her summer experience at The Midas Center as a special agent intern, "It gave me the opportunity to talk to business owners that I may have never reached out to." Her favorite interaction she told us was when she covered the new sky diving business in town. Check out her review on this local business, Free Falling Soars in Plymouth  >> 

Other noteworthy highlights of her mission include:

- Playful iSPYplymouth games 

Can you spot some of these photos taken in and around Plymouth? >>

- iHEART on the Spot

Nancy traveled throughout town to share some iHEART swag and interact with businesses. Check out some of the places where she may have been spotted >>

- Meet the people of Plymouth

Another special task of her mission included meeting and greeting special people in the community who are making a difference. Some of the people she highlighted included Jennifer Maddox, Barbara Winters, Mindy and Bill Langdon, and more. Also, she shared stories on a new downtown business owner Lisa Miller, Second Friday fun and Culver Lakefest. 

We encourage you to do a search for Nancy Tyree in the search bar of iHEARTplymouth and share your comments on her stories.

We are proud of Agent Nancy Tyree and we wish her the best as she continues on her professional development as a senior studying telecommunications as well as life's lessons she will experience along the way. 

Thank you agent on another mission accomplished.  

If you or someone you know would be interested in joining The Midas Center as a special agent intern,  please check out the details > 

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Say Thanks and Sleep More

Today's monthly WAG meeting will focus on a couple of quick TEDtalks. Just like the previous monthly meet ups of the Women Advisory Group's brown bag discussions that inspire, encourage and support like-minded business women from watching a TED talk, this month's video watching will cover two short segments. We could give it a title like, "Sleeping Our Way to the Top and Saying Thank You" but people may talk so we will be more clear on the two titles and share the actual clips from TED's web site below.



Arianna Huffington presents a short talk on a small idea that can awaken much bigger ones all in the name of a good night's sleep. Check out what she says about world transformation, leadership, ideas and discovery in Arianna Huffinton: How to succeed? Get more sleep




Next, we can't call it quits without the second video clip that we will be covering today.  This presentation by Dr. Laura Trice just begins to tells us more about the power of "Thank you." Check out the clip below.




More than watching the inspiring words presented by some of nationally recognized female leaders, the monthly brown bag lunch meetings are opportunities to share, connect, support and inspire one another. We hope you will attend today or next month's meeting!

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Woman Business Leader Inspired Professionals

Yesterday, the Young Professionals Network in St. Joseph County presented Karen Barnett, President and CEO of the local area business Valley Screen Process as part of the Executive Conversation series of roundtable discussions.

A successful mix of information combined with inspiration was shared with 15 professionals during a Q & A session. Karen shared an overview of her 30-year career path starting from her job at McDonalds to working for her father at the family owned printing business. Her  steps continued in her father's company as she proceeded to the lead role as a stakeholder and CEO, responsible to growing the family's company to over a business that attracts over $2 million annually.

The candid conversation continued as she shared her biggest challenge that she was faced with during 2009 when her company went from a thriving staff of 50 to a slender seven. She is happy to announce she has rehired most of her workforce back and now has factors in place that will help her to see the risks so she is better prepared for any future decline in the revenue.

How did this business owner turn the company from failing- into thriving mode in the midst of a declining economy where the RV industry is hit the hardest? By tightening up her shoestrings (by the way, this woman is a remarkable dresser too!), Karen led her company through the recent time of a dying economy by diversifying into new markets. As a second generation owner of a company that had provided decorative graphics for recreational vehicles for decades, Karen worked with her team to brainstorm on new ways to use the existing equipment and bravely launched two new divisions within her organization including vehicle wraps and residential decor graphics.

Fascinating questions were posed to Karen by the audience members during the afternoon's session such as:

Q: Do you have tips in how to succeed in a male-dominated industry?
Karen recommends that you assert yourself by serving on boards. There are so many opportunities for networking and growing your confidence by serving on boards. She recommended women to get involved on the Women Business Owners of Michiana. WBOM is a monthly networking group that meets over lunch while leaders share and present on topics of interest to women business owners.


Q: How is online social media changing face to face sales? 
Karen relies on each of the brands to provide the proper marketing and sales for the diverse product line. She shared an example on how she marketed her children's decor through the use of mommy bloggers. Most likely, she wouldn't reach out to mommy bloggers to sell vehicle graphics however.


Q: How do you manage your time?
She admits that she's still working on the juggle act of the volunteer work with her personal and professional time and tells the group that she's tried using the iPhone, iCal, iGoogle, etc. to manage her schedule and to-do lists but still relies on the good ol piece of paper.


Q: Of all the roles in your career, which one helped prepare you for a CEO role?
Karen has worn multiple hats from working in the plant, to managing traffic in the plant, to processing and admin, she claims the most helpful position was the training and experience in sales. Sales taught her that "no never means no. No means, not now." For sales, she recommends to maintain contact, top of mind and make the calls by playing the number game.

There were more suggestions shared that enlightened the up and coming leaders in the audience. The most remarkable were words that Karen no doubt lives by, "Take the initiative and network. Be genuine." 

Thank you for walking the talk and exemplifying success along the way Karen! Keep up the hard work and pure heart.

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Event Correspondent Services: What Industry Leaders Are Saying

To take the next step as a thought leader and hire an experienced, reputable correspondent to cover your next event, contact Andrea Cook at The Midas Center.

Event Correspondent Andrea Cook
provides turn key services to help
build your brand online as an
industry thought leader.  

See what other industry leaders are saying about this hot-off-the-press style of media management services provided by Andrea Cook and The Midas Center:

"Excellent coverage of Blogworld Expo NY has been posted by Andrea Cook."
by Neil Glassman WhizBangPowWow and Social Times on live tweeting coverage for Social Fresh

"Andrea has a real knack for knowing what social media tools and strategies will work best for which clients in a constantly evolving new media landscape. She has a good grasp of best practices and keeps up-to-date on her knowledge of tech."
by Angela Rupchock-Schafer, Social Media/Tech at Church World Service

"We were thrilled with the series of posts Andrea captured on our Facebook Marketing presentation in Chicago."
by Michele Warther, Webtrends Community Director on live blogging from Facebook Sessions, Chicago

Are you ready to take the speaker circuit express to success?
Schedule a live event correspondent today for your next event. Contact Andrea Cook at The Midas Center, (574) 936-7058.

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Event Correspondent Services Now Available

You have cutting edge industry knowledge to share and you want to increase your position as a thought leader in your industry. As you ride the speaker circuit, are you making the most of your investment?

Typical Presenter Scenario
You are slated to be one of the speakers at the next big event. You prepare a mind-altering, world changing presentation that will show your super-hero powers to the world. You take time off from your billable hours, travel afar, see your name in big lights, your bio, logo in conference collateral. You get an hour to show off your brain and flair to the number of colleagues in the room. You rub elbows and network over a drink, hop back on the plane, get to the office and add another notch to your LinkedIn profile under speaking engagements. You rinse and repeat. Sound familiar?

You've made a lot of investment to build your brand in the speaker circuit. Are you relying on chance and slim grass root efforts to grow your reputation as a thought leader?

An event correspondent can help.

What is an Event Correspondent?
A professional who provides live coverage of your presentation or event, capturing and sharing a third party perspective through a variety of online social media channels. Providing online reporting with live updates to the public at-large offers value.

Check out the review on Webtrends Facebook Sessions, Chicago captured and posted by Andrea Cook

10 Benefits an Event Correspondent Provides

There are a variety of benefits a professional experienced event correspondent can offer to grow value for your business.  

Here are the top ten benefits an event correspondent can do for you:

1. Builds professional credibility.A third party perspective adds authenticity. Much like a journalist covering an important event or new product, an event correspondent isn't a paid affiliate. Whether the live updates are posted under your business brand or the event correspondent's media brands, your taken more seriously when someone validates your value.
2. Positions your brand with industry expertise.Just being a speaker isn't enough. Just being a blogger isn't enough. Don't get lost in the noise. An experienced correspondent can cut through the noise and deliver your message clearly.
3. Enlarges your audience to a critical mass.Why limit your voice to the individuals sitting within the four walls? This is the new frontier of market outreach and an event correspondent can push the physical boundaries of the conference venue, geographically speaking.
4. Grows your fan base.People follow the leader. Be today's social media leader in your communities. Digitally and socially on Twitter, Facebook, Google + and within your own industry and network, a professional correspondent can point others to your leadership.
5. Preserves the information as online content.When you speak, words go in one ear and out the other. An event correspondent can archive your moment, online.
6. Generates immediate traffic.While you are delivering your presentation, the professional correspondent is getting the buzz on for you. You can track the interest in real time, immediately after you present. You can access the audience, their feedback, questions, re-tweets and more.
7. Optimizes ongoing search results.Live content updates are captured and recapped for future search results allowing your content to be found on a variety of your own channels.
8. Provides more opportunity for speaking engagements.Get the traction and reputation as a speaker so that you can grow your business through future events in your industry.
9. Optimizes your investment resources.Are you getting a return on your efforts you put in as a speaker? An experienced event correspondent can help you recognize the opportunities and optimize your resources for your next speaking engagement.
10. Increases ongoing exposure.Just how long can your wisdom and great sage go on after an event has ended? An event correspondent can give your words wings through tweets and re-tweets and so much more.

Is an Event Correspondent Right For Me?
If you are seeking added-value to your next event and you are with a small or large company, a conference planner, an event sponsor, a publicist, an individual speaker - or anyone seeking to leverage the next event to grow your brand value in your industry, then yes! It is time for you to schedule an event correspondent for your next event.



What Others Are Saying
To take the next step as a thought leader and hire an experienced, reputable correspondent to cover your next event, contact Andrea Cook at The Midas Center. See what other industry leaders are saying about this hot-off-the-press style of media management services provided by Andrea Cook and The Midas Center:

"Excellent coverage of Blogworld Expo NY has been posted by Andrea Cook."
by Neil Glassman WhizBangPowWow and Social Times on live tweeting coverage for Social Fresh

"Andrea has a real knack for knowing what social media tools and strategies will work best for which clients in a constantly evolving new media landscape. She has a good grasp of best practices and keeps up-to-date on her knowledge of tech."
by Angela Rupchock-Schafer, Social Media/Tech at Church World Service

"We were thrilled with the series of posts Andrea captured on our Facebook Marketing presentation in Chicago."
by Michele Warther, Webtrends Community Director on live blogging from Facebook Sessions, Chicago

Are you ready to take the speaker circuit express to success?
Schedule a live event correspondent today for your next event. Contact Andrea Cook at The Midas Center, (574) 936-7058.

Event Correspondent Andrea Cook
provides turn key services to help
build your brand online as an
industry thought leader.  

Read more...