General Articles

Hiring The Right Speaker For The Success Of Business Events

The meetings business is a multi-billion industry. Seasoned meeting professionals know that there are tons of things that must come together to ensure that a program comes off without a hitch, but those who attend conferences, trade shows, conventions, seminars, sales meetings, users conferences and other gatherings only see the surface.

A glitch in the sound system that is fixed before anyone enters the room goes un-noticed. The wrong font on the nametags is hardly an issue to the person wearing the tag. The behind the scene decisions matter, but they are invisible.

A blah tasting meal might underwhelm the audience’s taste buds, but a blah speaker will undermine their enthusiasm for being present. The speakers, especially the first speaker, sets the tone for the whole meeting. Yet often the kick-off keynote is some executive who gets up and drones on about the state of the business or industry. Few meetings give much thought to into who is best to get the meeting launched.

The answer is not always the status quo. Creativity is king.

If you are planning an event you should work with everyone who will take the stage to discuss how their presentation will impact the audience. While most meetings focus on the long-term “learning objectives”, they discredit the power of the short term “motivation objectives”. A speaker who cannot raise the level of excitement in an audience will not positively impact the meeting, regardless of the knowledge they share.

Just because someone is smart or has done something cool does NOT mean they belong on the stage.

Hiring the right speaker for the success of a business event is critical. The best meeting professionals spend a lot of time searching for the right speakers to headline their conferences. They are not as concerned with celebrity as they are with impact.

If your company or organization is having a meeting that will require outside speakers, it is best to start early in your search for those who can deliver powerful presentations. Understand that professional speakers charge money for their speaking. However, you usually get a better presentation from a professional than you do from a “free” industry speaker. This does not mean that there are not great “free” speakers out there, but they often are speaking to promote their main business. This can lead speakers who deliver a sales pitch to your audience. Of course you can have the same issues with paid professionals. The best thing to do is to talk with people who have seen the speaker (do not simply rely on videos) to understand what their message contains.

Be clear with everyone you consider hiring as to what you want from their presentation. Do not just let a speaker “wing it”. Long conversations when you hire them and then again the week before the presentation will help prevent them from getting off track from your goals for audience.…

Now Every Transaction is Protected With the PCI Compliance

The creation of Payment Card Industry compliance, better known as PCI compliance aims to protect personal information and to offer security when using payment cards. Because of its importance, there is the need for the whole payment card industry to comply with the standards in case they wish to accept credit cards. Failure to meet the standards may mean fines from banks and credit card companies, or even the loss of the ability to process credit cards.

Merchants are classified in four merchant levels depending on the Visa transaction volume in the span of 12 months. Transaction volume depends on the amount of Visa transactions from the merchant Doing Business As (or the “DBA”). For cases when a merchant corporation has more than a single DBA, the aggravate volume of the transaction stored, transmitted, and processed by the corporate entity must be considered by Visa acquirer to grasps the validation level. Just in case the data is not aggregated, special to those cases when a corporate entity does not process, store, or even transmit cardholder’s data in behalf of different DBAs, the acquirer will have to continue to take for consideration the individual transaction volume of DBA as to determine the validation level.

Below are the 4 PCI Compliance Merchant Levels classified by Visa:

1. Any merchant- apart from the acceptance channel- practices more than 6M visa transactions in a year.

2. Any merchant, no matter what their acceptance channel is, processed about 1M to 6M Visa transactions in a single year.

3. Any merchant that processes about 20, 000 up to 1M Visa e-commerce transaction in one year.

4. Any merchant that processes lesser than 20, 000 Visa e-commerce transaction in a given year, and other merchants despite of the acceptance channel would process about 1M Visa transaction in a year.

The PCI compliance recommends that each time when personal information regarding a cardholder is stored in a computer, the computer should use measures which will protect a network. Those business owners who wish to store the data and other information of cardholders are given the task to protect the data itself. “Protecting” means that not all can access the said information. For businesses that would store credit card numbers, they would normally store them in an encrypted data thus if someone was able to access the database, that person could never decode the information. Furthermore, a part of the PCI compliance would call for limited access to cardholder information by only those people that has the need to use it. Business owners too are given the obligation to assign a particular identification to each person who has access to it.

Basically, there are various other aspects that are governed by the PCI compliance but we can classify all of them as means that will protect customer’s information for a hassle-free and safe transaction.…

Snuko’s Anti-Theft Software Is the Perfect Solution to the Growing Problem of Health Data Theft

The United States Department of Health and Human reported this week that laptop theft is the number one cause of health data breaches. Last year alone, the United States reported 275,000 cases of health data infringement. Health data theft is a different breed of identity theft that can result in fraudulent acquirement of prescription drugs and medical equipment. Snuko, P.L.C., a leading British anti-theft software company has proactive answers for those in the medical community concerned about this kind of thievery.

Snuko’s anti-theft software can save potential victims of health data theft thousands of dollars. Snuko’s BlackBox software is designed to immediately block the hard drive of any laptop reported stolen, lost or missing. The ingenious design is also able to take a picture of the perpetrator with the digital camera installed above the screen. With an in-system GPS tracking device, the laptop and its invaluable data can be easily recovered. Reports have surfaced that the average cost to victims of health data theft is more than $12,000 greater than the average cost of general identity theft. Data theft has cost the American health care profession $12 billion over the past two years. Despite fervent efforts by state and federal legislatures, the cost to victims continues to rise. Snuko’s anti-theft solutions are a necessary response to this growing problem.

Similarly, installation of the Snuko anti-theft system can prevent the credit disaster associated with identity theft. In one instance, a fraudster was able to manipulate health data records to redirect her bills associated with childbirth to an unassuming victim thousands of miles away. Unbeknownst to this victim, the large medical bill in her name ended up in a collections bureau, taking her nearly ten years to correct the problem. The effects of laptop theft within the medical community can be quickly halted through the use of Snuko’s design, protecting thousands of unaware victims.

With the growing problem of medical data theft, thousands of patients are surprised to find their prescriptions suddenly depleted. Medical data thieves are eager to rob others of their prescriptions in order to obtain the drugs for resale. With dependence and street value of prescription drugs on the rise, many crooks are stealing opiate prescriptions, using every available refill and leaving the innocent pain-ridden patient without his necessary prescriptions. This is another problem easily prevented by implementing Snuko’s arsenal of laptop protections. By protecting health data, prescription theft will also be prevented, thus keeping invaluable drugs within the hands they belong.

Ultimately, the problem of health data theft will continue to infiltrate medical facilities unless users quickly install Snuko anti-theft protection. The growing problems of exorbitant costs, credit destruction and prescription theft must be addressed quickly in order to save the private and personal information found in medical data. Snuko’s BlackBox is the perfect product to combat such crimes and all those in the medical profession should be quick to install the software …

PCI Compliance Fee – Is Payment Card Industry DSS Compliance Worth The Cost?

When it comes to an online service company or a merchant that is using the credit card companies Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, or Japan Credit Bureau, to process their cashless purchasing transactions, the merchant’s agreement with the transaction processing bank is binding. This agreement ultimately determines what security procedures and requirements the merchant must meet to continue to use the card processing equipment and to continue with the cashless transactions.

However, the five credit card companies Visa, MC, AMEX, Discover, and JCB, have created a consortium, named Payment Card Industry Council (PCI Council) that puts forth requirements for merchants to set up Data Security Standard, DSS, and customer data security procedures in order to be PCI compliant.

Many times, the merchant’s agreement with the bank will include the need for the merchant or online service company for the PCI compliance, and the question of the PCI compliance fee comes up.

Before we determine whether PCI DSS compliance fee is worth it for your business, we must define what is PCI compliance and consider the pros and cons of PCI DSS compliance.

Advantages Of PCI DSS Compliance

PCI compliance checklist is made up of 12 rules of setting up electronic payment systems, maintaining their security, protecting customers data, and ongoing security monitoring.

The advantage for a merchant of being PCI compliant is that by doing so, the basics of the normal online business security will be covered to a large extent, since PCI DSS compliance rules are based on online security best practices. For instance, a positive outcome of a regular PCI compliance scan will assure that the payment system is protecting the system well against intruders.

Another advantage is that by maintaining PCI DSS compliance requirements, the merchant will avoid any possibly steep fees that a bank could impose on their business for the emergency upgrade of their payment systems in case of a security breach.

Disadvantages Of PCI DSS Compliance Audit

Some business owners argue that the 12 rules of PCI DSS compliance are actually over 200 rules, that are not clearly defined, and their fulfilment is therefore subject to interpretation. Because of the huge number of complicated and difficult to understand rules, the time, effort, and manpower it takes to maintain PCI DSS compliance and the necessary paperwork, in addition to the PCI compliance fee, is a huge burden on any business.

Another disadvantage is a false sense of security. Just blindly following PCI DSS compliance guide and becoming PCI compliant does not by any stretch mean that your data is completely secure.

Last but not least, PCI DSS compliance audit can be quite expensive.

Conclusion – Is PCI Compliance Fee Worth It?

In this case, companies have little choice. Visa, Mastercard, AMEX, Discover, and JCB probably process 99% or more of all card transactions world wide, so if a merchant wants to accept credit and debit cards, the compliance is a necessary evil. …

Laughing At a Magic Sponge

It is certainly true that any reference to magic

would likely raise my suspicion. But when I think of

the magic sponge I can only begin to chuckle and grin.

And whatever you might think of this exceptional topic,

it would be hard to dismiss the great utility of this compelling item.

There is of course, absolutely no doubt that it has been used to cleanse

the bodies of countless people across each of the four corners of the globe.

In fact, some people have said that it has graced the backs of Kings

and scrubbed the royal heinies of important Queens. One anonymous

British historian reported that Queen Edith of West Anglia was so enamored

with the object that it seemed to interfere with her ordinary marital duties.

And King Edmund the Elder was purportedly so enthralled with his collection

of royal sponges that he never ceased to keep them far from his bedside

whenever he slept alone at night.

But the illustrious sponge was hardly a commodity reserved for the upper crust.

Aficionados of natural history will point to the fact that it became widely used

by commoners several centuries ago. On the Greek Island of Crete, for example,

natural sponges have purportedly been widely available since antiquity. More recently,

in America the natural sponge industry has long been associated with Tarpon Springs, Florida.

This sleepy little town situated on the Gulf of Mexico has been noted for its effectiveness

in fishing for this unique little creature. Fisherman extracted the aquatic animal by two primary means.

They included both hooking and diving for sponge.

At the present time however, synthetic sponges have come to dominate the international market.

Popular forms of synthetic sponge are made from cellulose wood fibres or foamed plastic polymers.

Other categories of sponge include low density polyether, pva (very dense material with no pores)

and polyester. But in recent years, the sponge has taken a bad rap as individuals concerned

with the spread of bacteria and germs have noted that cellulose sponges are likely to provide a

comfortable environment for the growth of microbial toxins unless the sponge is treated between uses.

One form of sponge that has become immensely popular in recent decades is the “bug sponge”.

This sponge was invented by Harold Brown in the 3 M Laboratories situated in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The main feature of this synthetic sponge is a special hard compound that allows drivers

to remove squashed insects from the respective windshields of their very own automobiles.

(Please note: Historical references to Queen Edith of West Anglia and King Edmund the Elder are of questionable veracity. The content was included for mild amusement rather than absolute historical truth.)…

Start Your Own Fashion Business: 5 Little Known Facts That You Need To Know Before You Get Started!

1. Fashion is a Business!

I’m not trying to burst your bubble here, but it’s important for newcomers to the fashion industry to understand that starting a fashion business requires a balance between creativity and business. You can’t have one with out the other. While having amazing fashion designs or being known for taking great fashion photos will be key to launching you into the fashion industry, there are many other elements that are business related that you will need to be on top of to survive and succeed. You’ll need to know what it takes to maintain profit margins, how to be properly prepared to deal with legal issues (like contracts, insurance and creating a partnership or an LLC), and how to deliver products to your clients in a timely and cost-effective manner, among many other things. Taking time to plan for the business aspect of fashion will be critical to your success!

2. It Probably Takes More Money Than You Think To Get Started!

Like most things in life, starting a fashion business costs money! You’ll need to take the time to create realistic estimates on how much it will cost to start and maintain your business. Once you’ve started that process, it will also be important to start figuring out where the start-up capital is coming from (is the business being funded by your personal savings, investments from family, a bank loan, etc?). A word of advice is to multiply what you think it will cost to maintain your business by 10 for good measure, so you are prepared to be able to do whatever it takes financially to make it.

3. Most of Your Time Will Be Spent Doing Other Things!

When I was in college, I used to design jewelry and sold it to several boutiques to make ends meet. I can tell you, firsthand, that most of my time was not spent creating new jewelry designs. 70% of my time was spent on doing everything else that it takes to run a successful business. You have to be prepared to do everything yourself until you are able to hire employees. You will find that a lot of your time will be spent on paperwork, such as customer invoices and keeping track of your sales and expenses. You also have to be prepared to handle shipping, customer service, publicity/press kits and business development (building your client base).

4. You Are On Your Own! Are You Okay With That?

Starting a business means that there you don’t have a boss, which could be a good or bad thing depending on your personality and work ethic. You will need to make all the decisions that are critical to your company’s success. You will spend A LOT of time working (like hours and hours and more hours everyday) and you have to be okay with that because that is what …

What Does Wal-Mart’s New C-Stores Mean for the Industry?

It appears that Wal-Mart plans on setting up hundreds of C-Stores (convenience stores) in the near future, and many of these will be completed before 2012. Why is Wal-Mart getting into the C-Store business you wonder? Well, and many of their superstores also sell fuel, and since more and more patrons are using the Sam’s Club card, and Wal-Mart credit cards to buy fuel, they may as well have a C-Store out front for everybody. Can Wal-Mart compete in this venue?

Of course, they already have a captured audience which will only grow as the price of fuel goes up higher and higher and consumers are trying to squeeze a few more pennies out of each gallon. Also Walmart will be able to sell its products in its C-Store even cheaper than other convenience stores, as they have a big buying advantage with their vendors. Does this mean that other convenience stores will lose business to Sam’s Club and Walmart? Yes it could throw a loop in the industry, and it probably will not be too big of a deal since they are only planning a few hundred of these stores between 2011 and 2012.

In the future it could be more devastating to the industry, similarly when Walmart entered the oil change industry, and started selling tires, that hurt both tire stores and quick lubes. And Walmart is known for low-price, high-volume strategies. They do even better during difficult economies, or when the rest of the industry is either gouging their customers, or the price of those commodities go skyrocketing. And that’s what’s happening with the price of oil, that’s why the gasoline is so expensive.

Indeed this could change the entire dynamics of the industry, and Walmart may even put these minimart type stores in locations other than their own current properties.

Should the industry be alarmed?

Yes, I think so, and I think the carwash industry may be next, as I believe that Procter & Gamble which is already one of Walmart’s very big suppliers, and a company which has already entered the carwash industry could easily get together and put carwashes on all the Walmart parking lots. Any time a large company of this size attempts to enter a new sector the industry involved should take notice and be concerned. The dynamics of the C-Store sector will change. Please consider all this, and think on it, because things are going to change soon.…