What do you get out of every trade show, conference, or unconference?

Information? Sure. New friends/contacts? Absolutely. But what do you get that is tangible and helps you get past the awkward moment of “hey, what’s your name?”

Of course - a conference name tag / lanyard!

Lanyard / nametags are something that every event organizer has to decide how to handle. I have seen them printed on-the-fly at E3, I have seen people who get a name tag and lanyard and fill out their own at PodCamp, I have seen the old sticky-back name tags (Hello My Name is…) Why do conferences encourage name tags? One, it helps identify to some extet who has registered and who has not. It can also determine access to certain events (in the case of color coded tags), but mainly it is to help the conference participants meet other people and help them get over the initial awkward stage of meeting someone.

Enter: Tweetup badges

For those who don’t know, a tweetup is an informal gathering of people in a general area radius who are on twitter. Here in central Iowa, the most notable is the group #dmtweetup which has had several “events” which range from get-togethers at a public library to enjoying drinks at Des Moines bars.

Sounds like a great place for name badges of some sort, eh? Enter Rich Drake, owner of VR ID Cards who came to the early tweetups with a stack of plastic, gold cards, emblazoned with every member’s twitter ID and first name.

Coincidentally or not, membership in #dmtweetup boomed.

Now Rich is offering his twitter / tweetup badges for sale to other groups. Keep an eye on tweetupbadges.com or go to VRID’s Tweetup badges page for more information on colors available and pricing.

I really can’t recommend them enough. If you organize an event and have pre-registration, or if you are another tweetup group, contact Rich today, you won’t be disappointed.

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Everybody in the tech sector has heard of “The Google Way” so here are 10 way to make your office as fun and productive as Google’s.

1. Use exercise balls as chairs.
   Pictures abound everywhere of colorful balls being used as chairs and playthings in almost every Google office across the country. Not only are they bright and colorful, they may help your back.
2. Mr. Gorbachev, Tear down This Wall!
   I understand having an office is not only a right-of-passage for many young executives on the career ladder, but some of the best environments are those in which you and your coworkers are all out together in an open area. Get out of the office and high-walled cubicles and create an open workspace
3. Get Up And Get Movin’
   If you don’t already, offer your employees a gym membership. Getting the blood pumping outside of work can help bring up the energy level at work. Plus it may cut down on the corporate health insurance rates.
4. Have a Quiet Place
   You don’t need your own company masseuse to give your workers a nice, quiet place to relax. Take one of the offices that are now vacated and turn it into a “quiet” room - complete with adjustable lighting, massage chair, and a good old-fashioned lava lamp. Throw in one of those gurgling fountains if you are really daring.
5. Brighten Things Up
   The old off-white colored walls are out, bright colors are in. Go crazy with pinks, reds, bright blues and more to create a striking and creative workplace. Think of the ultimate child’s playroom and you are closer than might think.
6. Water, Water Everywhere
   You don’t have to cater in three meals a day like some Google offices, but providing bottles of water in the company fridge is a nice gesture. Some companies even provide diet and regular soft drinks - in moderation. A well-hydrated employee is a productive one!
7. Air Your Dirty Laundry
   When working long hours for a company, sometimes the first thing to go is personal hygiene. Set up a washer/dryer in an area of the building to be used if employees just can’t find the time to clean their duds at home. Even better, arrange a discount at a local laundromat for the iron & fold help
8. Promote, Don’t Squash, After-Hours Play
   Don’t underestimate the need for employees to blow off some steam after hours, or even during the day. Nerf-gun battles, air hockey, ping pong, and other avenues of stress relief can help “detox” after a stressful day.
9. Provide Time For Personal Projects
   During the course of the day, everybody usually does what is expected of them, but there may be one certain project they really want to finish for the company. Allow a couple of hours a week for people to work on projects - for the company - that they really think could benefit the organization.
10. Simply The Best
    Always look to hire the best people, never settle on someone because they can do the minimum expected of a given job. Look for the superstars. If there aren’t any, don’t settle - keep looking. There are plenty of talented people out there, you may just need to wait a bit more.

Do you have other ways to decorate or motivate your employees “The Google Way?”   Let me know below.

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It can be called blogfading, podfading or just plain laziness - but sooner or later there may come a time when you just don’t have the enthusiasm for the blog or topic you once had? How do you recharge those batteries and get your creativity flowing again?

Find an Expert

Locate an expert in your niche or blog space and reach out and touch someone. Make a connection - comment on their blog. Ideally this should be someone that may have a little bit more exposure than you do so you can learn a few tricks from them. Just write them an email, you may be surprised what you hear back.

Case in point, a speaker I know tells his students/attendees at the end of the conference to try and get through to a celebrity to get a response to a question, an interview, etc. Most of his students, after hearing his speech go on and actually DO get through. Most people think celebrities are inaccessible - but determination, confidence and just trying can go a long way.

Once you establish a relationship, trade RSS feeds, twitter follow, etc. You have not only met a colleague, but maybe a friend and confidant. explore that, repeat that, gain new insights and ideas.

Go to a Meetup

Explore local meetups in your area for other people who might share your interest in technology, if not necessarily your niche.   There are bound to be meetups within an hour drive once a month that you can attend and meet other people that are active in the space.  These local connections are a great resource - since they are going through the same pains that you are in your local area.   Get involved!

Attend a Convention or Camp 

When I think of growing up and recharging my excitement for something, one of the best examples was going to Boy Scout Camp.   After camp you are rearing to go finish more merit badges, advance, do more service projects, etc.   The same kind of recharging can happen after attending a podcamp or blogging convention.

The people you meet at the larger conventions are TOP PICKINGS for getting to know.  These are people who, like you, are passionate about their space, want to grow, and are looking for advice and opportunities to enhance their own business and media offerings.

You HAVE to be proactive in obtaining contacts at these conventions, however.   It is easy - way easy - to sit back and watch all of the other attendees laugh it up and do “live” social networking - but you won’t get anywhere.   Jump into a conversation, the experience is what you make of it.

Hang Onto the Experience 

After attending or recharging your batteries, make sure you get something to remind you of what it was that got you more inspired.   Buy a t-shirt, keep your pass, obtain a transcript, buy the seminar DVD - whatever it is you need to do.  Then revisit that when you are feeling down.

Recharging your batteries is something that everybody needs to do…  recognize when you are starting to fade and get out there!

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