Cheshire AV-ator
It's been a busy and exciting summer, with lots happening at Cheshire.

In this issue of the Cheshire AV-ator, you'll find my look back at how my father encouraged my career in AV, you'll meet George Ramirez, one of our newest team members, and you'll find tips on why and how to make your trade show presence more interactive. 

As always, we present useful hospitality industry tips. And mark your calendar to attend a fun event hosted by Visit Rochester on September 17 at the Dome, called "Explore Rochester Under the Dome." It's chaired by our newsletter Editor and Marketing Consultant, Carol White Llewellyn.

Additionally, don't miss our new case study that discusses the challenges, goals and successes of Wilmot Cancer Institute's Discovery Ball. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this new case study approach to sharing our work!

If you'd like to drop a line about it, or if we can assist with  an upcoming event, please contact me at (585) 325-4250, ext. 102, or email me at  Justin@CheshireAV.com. 
Justin Cheshire: Looking Back at the Launch of a Career

Justin was, as yet, undecided on a career path when Steve Cheshire entered his room at 5:50 am one morning. His dad had him put on his own used shirt and head to work at 7:30 am to sign up for the Eastman Kodak Company safety class. That move by his father launched Justin's start in AV, where he began working 20 to 30 hours a week, reporting directly to his father, while doing painting and making pizza on the side

"At first, I didn't think it would be my thing," Justin shared, "but eventually, while doing local jobs, I began to see it as a future. I went to my Father and said, 'Okay, what's the plan?

"Shortly thereafter, he brought me on full-time, and during the next year-and-a-half, he slowly gave me more responsibility."

Justin laughs about his first road trip to Orlando, where he was looking forward to learning "the ropes" from "the guys."

"After three days of 'grunt work' - getting coffee, grabbing cables, running to Kinkos -- I went to my Dad and complained, asking him to give me more responsibility.
CHESHIRE CASE STUDY: 2019 WILMOT DISCOVERY BALL
What to do when you have a 20th Anniversary Ball that you want to be remembered as a landmark event, you have a blank slate for a venue, and you need dynamic branding for the event to vibrantly convey new and unique funding priorities as well as the sleek and elegant style of the Co-Chairs?

You work with partners you trust!

Read our full case study on how URMC ' s Constituent Engagement Team, headed by  Scott Verrenti, partnered with Dixon Schwabl and Cheshire Audio Visual to create an event like no other, that raised over $800,000  at the 2019 Wilmot Cancer Institute Discovery Ball to underwrite cancer research at Wilmot Cancer Institute.
 
George Ramirez: AV is Music to His Ears

George Ramirez
Music practically thrummed through George Ramirez's veins growing up as a child in Puerto Rico, which inspired him to pick up an instrument. He started with an acoustic guitar then fell in love with the bass. In 1995, he became a radio disc jockey, and leveraged that experience to become a professional DJ, as well as to record commercial voiceovers.  During that time, he also played with several cover bands.

Once he moved to Florida in 2006, he began playing Christian music through his church, which he continues to this day. At the same time, he slowly got involved in AV. 

In 2014, he began transitioning his career from part-time to full-time, working in the world of AV Initially working at a Florida-based company as a technician, he then moved up to Management at several hotel properties.

"In 2016, my daughter moved to upstate New York with my wife's help, and she then decided to move here! It took me almost three additional years to get up the nerve to follow her," he laughs.

Events at Rochester Brainery: A One-Stop Event Planning Experience

Many people rightfully associate
Rochester Brainery  with a wide variety of fascinating classes, from business to lifestyle, and from media to the arts.
 
But Rochester Brainery Owner and Operator Danielle Raymo is making a series of enhancements that will make the space even more conducive to holding special events onsite, such as meetings, team building events, bridal and baby showers, birthday parties, small weddings, and just about any other type of event you can imagine.
 
"We're looking forward to hosting more events," said Danielle, "especially after the installation of a window in our Gallery Room is completed. We've also recently upgraded our speaker system and the projector in our Green Room."
 
Click here to learn more about the Rochester Brainery.
10 Tips to Make Your Trade Show Presence Interactive

Anyone who has ever worked on or walked a trade show floor knows how important it is to engage and interact with attendees. It's the very rare product or service that sells itself.

With heightened competition for attendee attention at a trade show, it's important to stand out. In addition to being friendly and open, one of the best ways to do that is to make your booth interactive. By using interactive elements, you get a longer opportunity to talk to and engage with the prospect, and to find out whether or not your product or service may be of interest, and a good fit for the needs of your visitor. Candy, brochures and swag are great giveaways, but the real value is in the exchange of information, not what they're carrying away with them, even if it does have your logo.

Click the link below for 10 ideas you can use to attract attendees to your booth, so the conversation can begin. And even if the person you're chatting with might not be interested, or might not be the decision maker within his or her company for your product, the extra minutes chatting might lead to a great referral.


Images courtesy of Archer Communications from last year's Explore Rochester Under the Dome.
Explore Rochester Under the Dome

Looking for a fun event at which to network! At Explore Rochester Under the Dome, you can be a tourist in your own town!

Chaired by our Marketing Consultant, Carol White Llewellyn, Visit Rochester and more than 70 of its members offer you the opportunity to explore all there is to see, do, and experience in Rochester and the Finger Lakes. Discover the treasures in your own backyard! 

You'll enjoy:
* Food and wine tastings
* Interactive experiences such as rock climbing, virtual reality and more
* Live entertainment
* Chance to win 75+ raffle prizes
* Vote for "Best Booth"
* Networking
* Concessions available for purchase

Reservations are not required but are recommended so that exhibitors will have sufficient supplies on hand for samples and tastings.

Click here to register for this FREE event at the Dome Center located at  2695 E Henrietta Rd, Henrietta, NY  from 4:30 to 6:30 pm on Tuesday, September 17th!

P.S. The photos in the "10 Tips" article above are from last year's event.
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS


10 Cool Ice Breakers Attendees Will Love 

Often, it's very useful to get attendees talking and engaging with each other right away at meetings and conferences, but that's not always the simplest thing.

Here is an article on Pathable.com by Lindsay Martin-Bilbrey   with 10 great icebreakers  that will help get your meeting off on the right track, and we bet none of them is groan-worthy!
How to Integrate Social Media into Conferences and Events


These days, everyone is incorporating social media into events, but are you doing it well, and can you justify the rationale for it if management asks?

Check out this great article from MarketingNutz that includes 24 Tips on increasing ROI by integrating social media into your conferences and events.
15 Painless Cost-Saving Ideas for Your Next Conference

It is the rare conference where meeting planners are not looking to save money on staging a conference. 

Attendees at a Financial and Insurance Conference Professionals' Annual Conference brainstormed ideas that were written up in this helpful article on cost-saving solutions
.

In Case You Missed the Last Issue...

If you missed our last issue, discover the many things we've been up to and get ideas for your next event by clicking this link.