This action-packed event has something for every business – just starting or growing fast – with workshops, a business building tradeshow and a keynote speaker at lunch.  Businesses looking to learn the hottest trends in social media, the latest strategies for finding and keeping customers and tips for increasing profits are invited.

Workshops include:

• Starting a Business: A Roadmap to Success
• Build a Better Blueprint: A Step-By-Step Guide To Writing a Great Business Plan
• Before You Buy: Is a Franchise the Right Business for You?
• Relationship Management: Tips to Find, Connect & Keep More Clients & Customers
• Come On Big Money: How To Sell Your Business & Get Top Dollar
• Re-Invent, Re-Invigorate, Re-Think: A Five-Year Strategic Action Plan for Faster Growth & Bigger Profits
• Resources, Opportunities, and Ideas for Women & Minority Business Owners
• Money, Money, Money: Who Has It & How To Get It
• Deduct It! 15 Money-Saving Secrets of Tax Savvy Entrepreneurs
• Next Generation Networking: How to Meet More Customers, Vendors, Partners & Friends Online & Offline
• The Competitive Edge: How to be a Marketing Rock Star
• The Social Savvy Entrepreneur: 15 Time-Saving Ideas to Build Business on Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn
• Watch This: The Marketing Power of Online Videos
• Clicks & Cash: What It Takes to Drive Website Traffic, Convert Visitors to Customers & Keep Them Coming Back

A special networking opportunity will be provided at lunch – many of the events speakers have volunteered to stay for lunch and host a table.  This is a chance for attendees to sit with the expert and pick their brain; get a few new ideas and network with others at the table as well.  There will be speakers who are discussing topics such as branding, finding money and social media.

The Entrepreneur’s Growth Conference begins at 8:00 a.m. with registration and networking and continues through 4:30 p.m. at Duquesne University.

Register at www.sbdc.duq.edu.

Use code Pitt13 and receive a $20 discount.  If your customer is small business, consider exhibiting.

We have also re-designed the email newsletter system to send out weekly email newsletters based on the location of the subscriber. The location information gathered is based on the IP and accuracy could vary widely because many people do not have a static IP address. We started sending out this week’s newsletter with the new system so if you have any input or feedback please let us know.

The credit can be used to purchase paid options for event post as well as the new Cost Per Click advertising.

Help us spread the word!!!

image source: http://chicagofree.info

Up till this point, we have been giving out gift cards for the top promoters but now we will implement an incentive system with the infamous “Cost Per Click” (CPC) model. Here is how it works.

1)      An event advertiser creates an event post and specify how much CPC he/she is willing to pay (minimum default value is $0.05)

2)      An event promoter grabs the unique short url associated with the event post and distributes it

3)      When someone clicks on the distributed link, the event promoter earns 50% of the CPC amount specified by the event advertiser

We will be implementing the new system in the next few days so the site will be out of service during this period. Please also be aware the new changes will eliminate all the social networking functions (forums, private messaging, uploading pictures on profile etc) as we mentioned in the February post.

We would like to thank you for your patience during our transition phase.  If you have any concerns or questions regarding these changes please do not hesitate to contact us.

Tony Hsieh, owner of Eventsburgh LLC and the man behind Ticketsburgh.com, issued a statement regarding the site’s launch.

“We are excited to provide organizers, venues and show producers an opportunity to reach out to more customers and help them sell more tickets,” says Tony.  “We at Ticketsburgh.com recognizes that these people produce and organize world-class shows, concerts and performances and the best way to thank them for their time and effort in putting together these events is to give them a full house.  We want to help them achieve that,” he followed.

The site has set aside a specific page wherein organizers, venues and show producers can get their businesses featured.  If you’re looking for ways to fill the house before show time, you can set up your organization profile at http://ticketsburgh.com/business/.

Before its launch, the site also created quite a stir among people in Pittsburgh and nearby cities.  This is because in essence, the site creates a win-win situation wherein guests get to enjoy discounted tickets for their favorite shows, concerts and performances.  The site aims to provide discounts from 30% off of the full ticket price!

“The whole world knows that our city plays host to world-class shows and performances and we’re just excited to provide people a good opportunity to enjoy them at discounted prices,” Tony said when asked about the opportunity to help people enjoy these events at discounted prices.  “Hopefully, people will support Ticketsburgh.com like how they supported Eventsburgh,” he followed.

The site has an easy setup process that can help you check out available deals.  You can subscribe for email alerts at http://ticketsburgh.com/.  Updates will also be provided through the company’s Facebook Fan Page at http://www.facebook.com/ticketsburgh and through the company’s Twitter account at http://twitter.com/#!/ticketsburgh so follow them now!

About Ticketsburgh.com

Ticketsburgh.com (http://ticketsburgh.com/) is a company that makes available great discount ticket deals and last-minute ticket deals for shows, concerts and performances in the Pittsburgh area.  The company is a division of Eventsburgh.com – an event-listing company located in Pittsburgh.

What is a cash mob? A cash mob is a flash mob with a purpose.  Our purpose is to show our dedication and gratitude to the local Pittsburgh economy by putting our money where our heart is, and we are inviting you to do the same!

How will this cash mob work?   More than 100 people from the greater Pittsburgh region will visit Station Square on the same day to use their dollars to support the local community by making a purchase at Loova, a handmade bath and body product store, and dining or having a drink at Buckhead Saloon.  In appreciation of your support, these local businesses will donate a portion of their proceeds to the American Diabetes Association.

The amount of the donation depends on you!

Loova will donate 25% of all Cash Mob related sales to the American Diabetes Association.

From 6 p.m.-8 p.m., Buckhead Saloon is offering all Cash Mob participants the opportunity to donate $5 to the American Diabetes Association to receive:

• Free drink card redeemable for the drink of their choice, and
• 1/2 off all drinks 6 p.m.-8 p.m. , and
• 1/2 off appetizers 6 p.m.-8 p.m.

Cash Mobs provide local businesses with a much needed injection of cash as well as encourage  business owners to stay in the community.  A well-orchestrated Cash Mob says, “We support the businesses that support Pittsburgh.”  The success of Pittsburgh’s inaugural Cash Mob, and local economy, depends on YOU, so all are encouraged to come out and support Pittsburgh on March 30, 2012 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

About Forest City Enterprises

Forest City Enterprises, Inc is a NYSE-listed national real estate company based in Cleveland, Ohio.  They are the real-estate company responsible for the redevelopment of Station Square, the Westin Convention Center, and multiple apartment home buildings state-wide. Founded in 1920, Forest City’s diverse portfolio includes hundreds of premier properties located throughout the United States. For more information, visit www.forestcity.net

Mission Year is an organization that recognizes the fact that Christian service and discipleship should be a year-long program.  Anyone 18 years old and above has the unique experience to undergo this year-long program and take into heart Jesus’ teaching to “Love the Lord your God, and love your neighbor as yourself.”  Mission Year determines areas that are in need and their teams are assigned to these areas, helping people and creating communities along the way.  Check out this post for more information:

What is your organization’s name?

Mission Year

What is your name and what is your affiliation with the organization?

Nate Martin City Director Philadelphia

Please tell us a little bit about you.

I grew up in Indiana and ended up in Philadelphia to attend grad school.  Since then I have fallen in love with Philadelphia and desire to continue to help Philadelphia to continue to become a greater and more loving city.  My path to Philadelphia was because of Mission Year which I heard about through serving in Indiana as a college student at Purdue University.  After serving in the Lafayette, Indiana area for a few years my wife and I decided to sell our cars and move our lives to Atlanta in order to spend a year serving with Mission Year and learning about the joys and struggles you find in a city.  After Mission Year I attended Eastern University to earn an MBA in Urban Economic Development to help me to better serve others.  Now as a city director I am able to help others to learn and love the city.  I am also a part of a youth mentoring and youth flag football league called Timoteo located in West Kensington.

How / why did your organization start? (Background, History)

Our organization began in 1996 in Philadelphia and Oakland through a partnership with EAPE.  Mission Year began in order to offer opportunities for young adults to serve in marginalized communities and to learn from and serve the communities they live and volunteer in.  Through this year of volunteering and learning Mission Year hopes that people will better understand and live out the scripture of loving God and loving God’s people.  There is also a timeline on the website http://missionyear.org/history/

What is your organization’s objective? (What does it do?)

Mission Year is a year long urban ministry program focused on Christian service and discipleship. We take teams of people, place them in an area of need, and help them to serve people and create community. We are committed to the command of Jesus to “love God and love people,” by placing the needs of our neighbors first and developing committed disciples of Christ with a heart for the poor

How long has the organization been around?

We are entering our 20th year as a organization

What kind of events / activities does your organization do?

• RELATIONSHIPS: Building deep relationships based on trust and respect with your neighbors, seeking practical ways to show Christian love.
• COMMUNITY LIVING: Sharing life in community with a supportive team of other Christians in an urban neighborhood.
• COMMUNITY SERVICE: Volunteering 25-30 hours a week at a social service agency that’s providing vital resources to the poor.
• DISCIPLESHIP: Drawing close to God by spending time deepening your own walk with Christ and developing spiritual disciplines.
• CHURCH PARTNERSHIP: Supporting God’s work in the city by partnering with a dynamic local church that’s engaging the community.
• SOCIAL JUSTICE: Seeking justice by learning to identify disparities in power and working creatively to bring resolution.
• SIMPLICITY: Living life without excess to better care for your neighbors and the environment around you.

How can people get in touch with your organization (or you)? (website,email, telephone etc)

Our website is missionyear.org and my email is nate@missionyear.org

Any messages to Philadelphia?

Let us continue to live out the name of our city and show love to one another.

Through out this period, we added features and gathered feedback on how they were utilized and came to realize that there wasn’t really a need for yet another social community. Therefore, we started to look for a new business model and now we are getting close to reveal what we have been working on. It is not ready yet, but we are getting close.

The new system will convert Eventsburgh into a marketplace for event promotion. The main function will focus solely on promoting events and spreading the word about upcoming events.

Because of this new system, many of the existing communication tools that allow users to communicate and make friends will disappear as many of our users find the social community components of the site confusing and not very useful.

If you have any questions concerning this change please feel free to contact us.

We appreciate your patience in this transition phase and look forward to more feedback on the features and services we provide.

The person who started Brownielocks said they did it as a fun way for older children to learn. Which means to me that listings on the site are actual days, that the illustrations are cute without being silly and the content is “G” rated.

For people like me who like to plan ahead the listings are for all months and not just one at a time. While the current month is the centerpiece, you can still access previous months or go click to choose future months. If a day or month as a link, they are also posted.

One caveat is that it doesn’t seem to work in Google Chrome. At least it didn’t work for me.

Brownielocks and the Three Bears is great site to spend some free time.

Mary Pam Kilgore, CMP, helps corporations and nonprofit organizations serve their target market with effective meetings and events. She is the owner of Kilgore Business Services, LLC, www.kilgorebusiness.com and teaches Event Planning As A Career at CCAC.  She may be reached by email at marypamkilgore@gmail.com

Each day, cities are presented with different challenges.  If only the community can be brought together in order to work on these urban challenges, it would have been easier to overcome these challenges.  This is something that the B. Someday Productions realized.  They also realized that theatre, literature and myth can make it easier to bring the community together with the help of artists.  Together, artists and the community can develop new strategies to work on these challenges.  Read on to know more.

What is your organization’s name?

B. Someday Productions at Walking Fish Theatre

What is your name and what is your affiliation with the organization?

Michelle Pauls, Managing Artistic Director

Please tell us a little bit about you.

I am an actor, director and theatre arts educator. I also manage and administer my own theatre company. I act both in my company and for other companies in the Philadelphia and New York City regions. I act in theatre productions, film and commercials. I also write and direct our Family Theatre Series every December. This past year I created and directed Un Viaje–A Christmas Journey, our first bi-lingual family show.

How / why did your organization start? (Background, History)

B. Someday started as a support and publication organization for poets and poetry. It evolved into a theatre production and presenting company, which now has a home at Walking Fish Theatre in Kensington on the Frankford Avenue Arts Corridor. We still incorporate love of literature and myth into whatever theatre production we undertake. We also try to connect with our community, offering outreach programs to high schoolers, as well as acting classes for young people and adults.

What is your organization’s objective? (What does it do?)

Our objective is to bring artists and the community together through the magic of live theatre.

How long has the organization been around?

B. Someday has been incorporated as a 501-3-c non-profit organization since 2002

What kind of events / activities does your organization do?

B. Someday produces three mainstage shows every season, including one family-friendly show for our Family Theatre Series. We also co-produce many other shows throughout the year including High Dramma Sketch Comedy, Walking Fish Burlesque, music events, workshops and classes.

How can people get in touch with your organization (or you)? (website,email, telephone etc)

www.walkingfishtheatre.com AND www.bsomeday.org

Telephone: 215-427-WALK (9255)

Email: info@bsomeday.org

Any messages to Philadelphia?

Theatre is for everyone! See you at the show!