Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Using Social Media to maximize your Trade Show experience.


Trade shows and conferences are a great way to connect with buyers. You'll probably spend some time planning what you'll do there. If your company is exhibiting at a booth, you'll be thinking about what the most effective attractions or giveaways might be to draw visitors. One thing to keep in mind is that you can maximize your time and impact at an event by using social media. It can be essential to the success of your company's appearance at a highly competitive trade show or convention. You won't capture your desired audience if you don't create enough interest in advance and maintain it throughout the show.

One of the most popular forms of social media marketing is Facebook. This ubiquitous social media platform has more members than the population of the United States. By creating a Facebook page devoted to your company and announcing your appearance at upcoming trade shows, you can create immediate buzz. Networking with other, non-competitor companies that will also have a presence at the event is a great way to reach untapped buyers with your trade show marketing.

Blogs can immediately expand the reach of your convention marketing dollars at no additional cost to you. YouTube can also help you create interest if you'll be offering a new product or service. Create a demonstration video that can be used as a teaser to draw potential visitors to your booth to learn more.

During the show, keep in contact with interested buyers via Facebook, Twitter or Foursquare. Use Twitter updates to keep interest high throughout an event. Post audio or video clips from the trade show floor. If you're going to be doing specific product demonstrations throughout the day, tweet your followers to give them a heads up when something is about to happen so they won't miss a thing.

After the show is over, you can cement your new relationships by following up through social media. Send out a quick “nice to meet you” or "thanks for stopping by" message via Twitter or post an update on Facebook that mentions the success of the event. Remind your new contacts to visit your website for product news and updates. Buyers often make their purchasing decisions based on who they know and are comfortable with. Your social media connections will give you the edge over your more anonymous competitors.

Federal Buyers Guide is involved with trade shows, conferences and training sessions nationwide. Our publications are distributed at these events to help businesses reach government buyers even if they’re unable to physically attend themselves. Here are a few of the events that we're involved with:

4/4 - 4/6
Information Assurance and Security
Key stakeholders across the information security community will address the ability to secure government and military information effectively.

4/6
The 8th Annual Alliance South Small Business Procurement Fair
Buyers and contracting officers from major military bases and large companies can network and discuss business opportunities.

4/11 - 4/14
9th Annual Maritime Homeland Security Summit
Departmental policy makers, uniformed service leaders, law enforcement and industry partners will come together to exchange and share best practices and opportunities to improve the security of our nation’s maritime borders.

4/18 - 4/20
4th Annual Tactical Vehicles Summit
The nation’s foremost tactical vehicle event will address the strategy, procurement, challenges and opportunities with both an exhibition floor and summit for the tactical vehicle fleet.

4/26 - 4/29
UAV Summit
The summit will offer a comprehensive overview of the rapid technological advances of unmanned aerial vehicles and their expanding role on the future battlefield.

5/1 - 5/5
The 2011 Department of Defense Intelligence Information Systems (DoDIIS) Worldwide Conference
DoDIIS Worldwide provides a unique opportunity for defense intelligence community members and industry peers to come together for knowledge sharing, training and discussion of current and future information technology (IT) challenges and requirements.

5/23 - 5/25
2nd Annual Irregular Warfare Summit
Take a closer look at military strategies for irregular warfare, the latest advancements and requirements for the industry, and make acquisitions decisions.

5/23 - 5/25
2nd Annual Border Management Summit Southwest
Thought-leaders and key policy-makers will discuss current and future border security initiatives—a must-attend event for homeland security experts across all agencies and levels of government.

5/23 - 5/25
10th Annual DoD Architectures
Architectural challenges and strategies will be shared to understand the latest approaches to improving and using architecture to add value.

6/6 - 6/8
Army Aviation Exhibition & Conference
The leaders in Army aviation will gain the most relevant experience, intriguing ideas and feasible solutions to best support our nation’s warfighters.

6/6 - 6/9
ArmorCon
The premier forum for the military armor community to discuss new armor technologies, challenges, developments and recent research.

6/14
The 9th Annual Alliance Texas Small Business Procurement Fair
Buyers and contracting officers from major military bases and large companies can network and discuss business opportunities.

6/27 - 6/29
Cyber Warfare Summit
With a primary focus on cyber warfare and security, attendees can discuss and debate on the framework of collaborative efforts with leaders from the Military services, government agencies and leaders in industry and academia.

6/27 - 6/30
Military Logistics Summit 2011
This summit will help U.S. forces and their industry partners tackle the challenges involved in rapid transportation and product support through dangerous territories.

6/29 - 7/1
3rd Annual Command and Control Summit
This joint-service conference will provide warfighter needs assessments, mission command migration timelines and current development of C2 systems.

9/27 – 9/29
Modern Day Marine
The premier military equipment, systems, services and technology exposition.

11/2
The 6th Annual Alliance Baltimore Small Business Procurement Fair
Buyers and contracting officers from major military bases and large companies meet to discuss networking and business opportunities.

January 2012
Marine West
Get the latest technology and prototypes aimed at preparing the Marines for today’s opportunities and challenges.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

You'll find FBG at this year's DoDIIS Worldwide Conference!

Get your free copy of our 2011 Government Buyers Guide!

5/1 - 5/5
The 2011 Department of Defense Intelligence Information Systems (DoDIIS) Worldwide Conference
The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) announces the 2011 Department of Defense Intelligence Information Systems (DoDIIS) Worldwide Conference!

Hosted annually by the DIA Directorate for Information Management (DS) and Chief Information Officer, DoDIIS Worldwide provides a unique opportunity for defense intelligence community members and industry peers to come together for knowledge sharing, training and discussion of current and future information technology (IT) challenges and requirements.

The conference’s 2011 theme, Secure and Collaborative Intelligence in Defense of the Nation, highlights the DIA Chief Information Officer’s commitment to developing and maintaining secure and reliable networks for Department of Defense personnel, services and information technology customers. Through partnerships and collaboration, the intelligence community facilitates the secure collection, analysis and presentation of actionable intelligence to warfighters and decision makers in a timely, comprehensive manner.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Make a run for the border!

We're all aware that border security is a hot topic right now. We hope you'll be attending this year's Border Management Summit Southwest. While you're there, look for your free copy of our Government Buyers Guide!

5/23 - 5/25
2nd Annual Border Management Summit Southwest
The challenge to manage our nation’s borders can only be answered by advancing surveillance, biometrics, detection and information sharing technologies, as they are pushed forward by policies and mandates of government. With the suspension of SBINet, a recent uproar for immigration reform, and the constant violence along the US-Mexico and US-Canada borders, this year’s Summit is a must-attend event for homeland security experts across all agencies and levels of government.

In its 2nd year, IDGA’s Border Management Summit Southwest brings together thought leaders and key policy-makers across local, state and federal law enforcement, the DHS, and international government organizations, as a forum for the discussion of current and future border security initiatives. Click the link below for more information and to register!

Monday, March 21, 2011

You'll find FBG at Federal Facility Energy Management

We're happy to announce that our buyers guides will be available at another great event organized by Marcus Evans. This looks like a good one, so click on the link below for more information and to register!

6/8 - 6/10
Federal Facility Energy Management
The US Government owns more than 500,000 buildings across the nation, and in FY2008 spent more than $7 billion to operate those buildings. That same year the government was billed an astronomical $24.5 billion on energy use. In 2009, President Obama signed several executive orders tasking the federal government to reduce their energy consumption by 30% before 2015, and eradicate fossil fuel use in new and renovated buildings by 2030. They have also been tasked to include renewables in their energy portfolio.

More than one year later, many agencies are still struggling to implement these orders. As the nations single largest user of energy, the government is trying to lead by example to reduce energy consumption and improve environmental, energy and economic performance. This event will allow communication between the agencies to share best practices and lessons learned, while also getting the pertinent questions to achieving energy efficiency answered.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto...

The current crisis in Japan has got a lot of us thinking about emergency preparedness & response and the handling of hazardous and radioactive materials.

You'll find Federal Buyers Guide at the 3rd International Joint Topical Meeting on Emergency Preparedness & Response and Robotics & Remote Systems. This conference is a forum for the discussion of the social, regulatory, scientific, and technical aspects of emergency management and robotics for hazardous environment applications. Papers are expected to contain descriptions of new significant work relevant to the conference purpose. Authors will submit a 500 word (or less) abstract for selection for presentation and full-length paper publication. Criteria for selection to submit full-length papers include: originality of work, relevance of topic, validity of method, clarity and conciseness of communication. Travel assistance grants are available for student presenters. There will also be an award for the best student paper.

Click on the link below for more information and to register.
http://www.events4gov.com/event/701

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

FBG & Alliance Small Business Procurement Fairs

You'll find us at this year's Alliance Small Business Procurement Fairs. We're happy to be involved in these exciting B2G events.  

Alliance Small Business Procurement Fairs provide opportunities to meet buyers and contracting officers from major military bases, the surrounding states and large companies to discuss business opportunities. Educational sessions will provide Current information on emerging new standards and provide you with the tools to bid and contract successfully, gain valuable information and share success stories. This is your opportunity as a supplier to identify potential new contracting sources and network with buyers and other attendees. Click on the links below for more information.

4/6
The 8th Annual Alliance South Small Business Procurement Fair

http://www.events4gov.com/event/685

6/14
The 9th Annual Alliance Texas Small Business Procurement Fair

http://www.events4gov.com/event/686

11/2
The 6th Annual Alliance Baltimore Small Business Procurement Fair

http://www.events4gov.com/event/687

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

FBG has partnered with The Institute for Defense & Government Advancement

You'll find our buyers guide at many IDGA events this year! Call Rick Flores at (805) 963-7470 ext. 12 or email rick.flores@gov-world.com to find out how to we can distribute your marketing materials at these events.

3/21 - 3/23
7th Military Antennas
IDGA’s 7th Military Antennas is a unique forum for dialogue of ideas between individuals in the military communications and antennas communities. IDGA’s first Military Antennas event of the year is your opportunity to claim your place in the C4ISR community. You will be able to meet with key decision-makers and top-notch innovators to hear cutting-edge advancements that can enrich your own programs.

3/21 - 3/23
Retrograde, RESET and Redistribution Summit
IDGA’s Retrograde, RESET and Redistribution Summit offers relevant, unique sessions directly applicable to this dynamic world of military logistics. Session topics include:
Enhancing property accountability and visibility for military equipment
Pursuing equipment modernization and Warfighter protection initiatives
Providing equipment retrograde and redistribution forecasting
Continual assessment of advisory and assistance mission to identify non-essential items
New approaches in open communication to improve collaboration and provide efficient, trained, and ready forces.

3/21 - 3/23
2nd Annual Non-Traditional ISR Summit
Non-Traditional Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (NTISR) is still a relatively new concept in the military. Requirements, equipment concept, concepts of employment, and funding are all loosely defined all while the new NTISR solutions are needed today!

IDGA’s 2nd Annual Non-Traditional ISR Summit will provide the most up-to-date information on the latest NTISR advancements in technologies and the lessons learned from recent efforts and aircraft enhancements. This event will take a closer look at military strategies for integrating ISR capabilities into existing platforms as well as active operations in intelligence starved regions. Due to increasing challenges, acquisition decisions are currently being made, as well as new requirements for industry.

3/21 - 3/23
Full Motion Video for Defense
IDGA’s Full Motion Video for Defense summit will provide the venue to discuss the growing demand for full motion video in intelligence operations and will offer an understanding on how to overcome current challenges.

Full Motion Video for Defense will provide insight into:

The latest full motion video needs, strategies, applications and initiatives
Growing demand for full motion video to enhance counter-insurgency
Overcoming challenges in data storage and retrieval
Biometric recognition within video
Bandwidth constraints
Challenges in processing, exploitation and dissemination
Turning intelligence into actionable data

3/28 - 3/30
Offshore Patrol Vessels Summit
IDGA’s 2nd Offshore Patrol Vessels Summit will examine the key considerations and issues ensuring effective sea zone security and traditional offshore patrol responsibilities including search and rescue, maritime interdiction and fishery protection. IDGA’s OPV Summit will explore the requirements and plans of the current fleet and the updates necessary to keep it maintained and modernized. As the US faces the long-term struggle against radical extremism in a period of persistent conflict, those responsible for Maritime Security must be prepared to conduct operations across a broad spectrum of threats and hazards

The Summit will allow the Coast Guard, Navy, ship builders, ship designers, and industry related professionals to gain a greater understanding of:

Maritime Security Evolution and Increased Importance of OPVs
Ship Structural Integrity and Mission-Readiness Advancements
OPV Concept Solutions for Emerging Asymmetric Threats

4/11 - 4/14
9th Annual Maritime Homeland Security Summit
As the Maritime Community defines priorities, builds partnerships, and modernizes capabilities, it is vital to disseminate these advances to all stakeholders. IDGA’s Maritime Homeland Security Summit brings together departmental policy makers, uniformed service leaders, law enforcement, and industry partners to exchange and share best practices and opportunities to improve the security of our Nation's maritime borders.

At IDGA’s 2011 Maritime Homeland Security Summit you will hear:

Coast Guard Leadership Vision for the 21st Century
DHS Release of the Implementation Plan for the Small Vessel Security Strategy
Best Practices for Coordinated Maritime Security Integration and Partnerships
Latest Capabilities and Technology for Maritime Surveillance, Safety, and Security
Intelligence Fusion in Support of MDA

4/18 - 4/20
4th Annual Tactical Vehicles Summit
IDGA’s Tactical Vehicles Summit is proud to announce its fourth installment as the nation’s foremost tactical vehicle event addressing the strategy, procurement, challenges, and opportunities with both an exhibition floor and summit.
This year’s event will focus on the challenges ahead for the MRAP, M-ATV, and FMTVs in Afghanistan, including what will be done in the coming year to address the RESET of vehicles as overseas contingency operation shift focus.
As the Afghanistan battlefield continues to evolve, and the theater faces an assortment of threats in terrain and mission, this summit highlights and addresses the future outlook and requirements for the tactical vehicle fleet.
This year’s pre-summit focus day addresses the most important issue that touches on every member of the tactical vehicle community - Weight! Above all, vehicles need to be lighter and continually increase survivability. Monday’s in-depth and interactive Focus Day will examine the latest technologies and best practices that support the continuous development of new weight reduction! From composites to communications these advancements will show you how to create lighter and stronger co components to the overall vehicle design.

4/26 - 4/29
UAV Summit
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) provide the intelligence, armament and sensors for very long periods of time which could dramatically decrease the number of casualties. The role of UAVs is expanding, and their unlimited role on the future battlefield is inevitable. Rapid technological advances promise to radically alter the art of the possible for unmanned aerial warfare and next-generation models. There is a need to discuss developments in propulsion, Artificial Intelligence, multi-spectral sensors, and energy use.

IDGA’s 2010 UAV Summit will deliver a comprehensive overview of these focus areas, requirements, emerging policies, programs, methods and technologies that are accurate and responsive to mission managers’ and commanders’ needs.

5/23 - 5/25
2nd Annual Irregular Warfare Summit
IDGA’s 2nd Annual Irregular Warfare Summit will present latest advancements for concepts, capabilities, requirements and the lessons learned from recent Irregular Warfare efforts. This event will take a closer look at military strategies for irregular warfare including special forces and counter insurgency operations. Due to increasing challenges, acquisition decisions are currently being made, as well as new requirements for industry.

5/23 - 5/25
2nd Annual Border Management Summit Southwest
The challenge to manage our nation’s borders can only be answered by advancing surveillance, biometrics, detection and information sharing technologies, as they are pushed forward by policies and mandates of government. With the suspension of SBINet, a recent uproar for immigration reform, and the constant violence along the US-Mexico and US-Canada borders, this year’s Summit is a must-attend event for homeland security experts across all agencies and levels of government.

In its 2nd year, IDGA’s Border Management Summit Southwest brings together thought leaders and key policy-makers across local, state and federal law enforcement, the DHS, and international government organizations, as a forum for the discussion of current and future border security initiatives.

5/23 - 5/25
10th Annual DoD Architectures
IDGA’s DoD and Government Architecture Forum is designed to provide a candid space to discuss these challenges, share lessons learned, and walk away with strategies to solve the most difficult problems, as well as silence the architecture critics once and for all.

This is your place to:

Learn about architecture success stories and how you can apply them to your work
Hear from customers how architectures are working out in practice
Find out what IT acquisition reform means for architects
Overcome stumbling blocks in the transition to DoDAF 2.0
Discuss quality standards and metrics for good architectures
Understand the latest approaches to improving and using architecture to add value

6/6 - 6/9
ArmorCon
IDGA’s ArmorCon is the premier forum for the military armor community to exchange ideas on new armor technologies, challenges and developments in protective equipment for vehicles and personnel, and recent research on armor systems and materials.
This is the only annual event that focuses exclusively on military armor solutions for both vehicle and individual body armor while catering to both engineers and business development managers by addressing the many different uses of armor, including Warfighter protection, vehicle, chemical protection, fire protection, and structural armor.

6/6 - 6/8
Army Aviation Exhibition & Conference
IDGA’s Army Aviation Exhibition & Conference is the premier forum for bringing together the leaders in Army aviation with the most relevant experience, intriguing ideas, and feasible solutions to best support the warfighters at risk in theater. With the all-new conference and exhibit hall format, we can join more people together than ever before – from PMs to Commanders, from OEMs to small companies that have something to offer but don’t know how to bring it in front of the military – and help facilitate the creation of new partnerships.

The conference will give you access to:
Latest updates, developments, research, and solutions for CBM, MUM-Ts, JMR, Common Avionics Enablers, CICMs, Improved C2 and Situational Awareness, ATC Programs and Platforms, MEDEVAC needs, and Advanced Weaponry among others
Program updates and reviews of Army Aviation PMs: UAS, Attack Scout, Apache, Cargo, Utility, Fixed-Wing
Cutting-edge solutions to the biggest capabilities challenges in Army aviation

6/27 - 6/30
Military Logistics Summit 2011
U.S. forces and their industry partners are facing unprecedented challenges transporting the materiel supporting Operation Enduring Freedom; representing the most substantial logistics undertaking in the modern era. The Military Logistics Summit 2011 will address the transportation and product support challenges involved in making this enormous undertaking a success.
The complexity of logistics operations on land, in the air, and by sea has never been more challenging. Commanders are relying on the expertise of the logistics community to ensure the rapid and safe transportation of supplies, troops, and weapons through dangerous territories. Join us again this June as the Military Logistics Summit tackles the most critical and difficult themes from RESET to TAV!

6/27 - 6/29
Cyber Warfare Summit
Defending against and defeating cyber attacks requires combined efforts by both public and private sectors, working to develop new technologies and approaches for maintaining real-time protection of their individual networks. To this end, IDGA’s Cyber Warfare Summit is designed to primarily focus on the topic of cyber warfare and cyber security. Attendees will be able to partake in discussions and debates on the framework for collaborative efforts with leaders from the Military Services, Government Agencies, the Administration, and leaders in Industry and Academia.

IDGA’s Cyber Warfare Summit will present discussions on mission critical subjects:
Emerging DoD-wide cyber warfare doctrine and policies: Appropriate roles and responsibilities
Distinct perspectives from all Services’ efforts towards investigating ways to build and support offensive and defensive information warfare systems at tactical, operational, and strategic levels
Operationalizing cyber warfare doctrine
Coalition involvement in cyber operations
Cyber security: Improving warning, defense, and response to the challenges of tomorrow's cyber environment
Cooperative efforts and emerging technologies for securing critical national, government, and private infrastructure
Training and testing: Preparing for tomorrow’s fight today

6/29 - 7/1
3rd Annual Command and Control Summit
IDGA’s Third Annual Command and Control Summit will address the policy, doctrine, requirements, and materiel development for Command and Control systems. This joint service conference will provide you with warfighter needs assessments, mission command migration timelines, and current development of C2 systems.

The goal of the Command and Control Summit is to further the development of essential command and control capabilities in support of the battlefield commander.

Major issues to be discussed include:

Materiel Development for Command and Control Systems
Capability Development Requirements
Army plans and policy for the Future Tactical Communication Network
Net-centric C2 systems for the Joint and Coalition Operator