Bright Ideas Built with Corporate Event Creativity

1991 – Year 4 of 24

Going into 1991 I felt good. I had successfully produced a large scale complicated event for Microsoft and had confidence galore! Now I needed to get the word out about Bright Ideas. I needed more customers.

Bright Ideas Events at a Special Event Trade Show

It was serendipitous. I found out that there was a Special Event Trade Show coming up soon and I knew I just had to be a part of it. I had this “Bright Idea” that if I took a huge trade show booth (20’ x 20’) and divided it up to include all of my favourite event suppliers, I could most likely get my booth space for free. I contacted all of the event suppliers I knew and asked them if they would like to share some trade show space. I was able to sell them on the benefits of being the largest exhibit booth in the trade show. My idea was to create such a huge attraction that everyone would stop by and see us. And they did.

I asked Salmon Rental’s to provide me with a tent to cover the booth space and then I got to work dividing up the space. Bill and Joan Salmon were such big supporters to me back in the old days when I got started. I can’t thank them enough. I also secured a balloon company, a cake distributor, a gift basket company, an artistic chocolate company (Chocolate Arts) and various roving entertainers. I had produced all sorts of Bright Ideas promotional items such as banners, stand up signs, and chloroplast signs especially for the trade show. My teal and fuchsia logo was now larger than life!

Bright Ideas booth at a Special Event Trade Show in 1991

Our tented booth was a HUGE HIT! I think back and realize that I was super creative way back then. I had fortune cookies printed with all sorts of marketing messages inside. I know that today fortune cookies are very common, but in 1991, this was a big deal!

The most creative thing I did this year was start to work with chocolate sculptures. I thought that it would be so neat if the guests at the event could admire the chocolate sculpture on the dessert buffet, and then enjoy it as part of the dessert buffet. I was suggesting this concept to all of my upcoming clients and they loved it. Below is my logo created in white, milk and dark chocolate. Doesn’t it look amazing?! Yummy!

Entertainer at the Bright Ideas Events booth

I also hired my first ever employee, Nina Ferentinos. Fabulous and just what I needed, she was attractive, personable, creative, flexible, and loved events. We had a lot of fun and put Bright Ideas on the map!

I learnt the importance of networking this year and ended up doing a good job of promoting Bright Ideas. I also learnt the most important business lesson which I value today. That lesson is that relationships are golden. My business relationships are still the foundation of my success 24 years later.

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