Exhibiting at key industry trade shows can be a very effective marketing strategy.  However, trade shows require more than just a booth and booth space. Following are 12 considerations when planning and budgeting for trade shows. 1.

I had lots of heroes growing up. Edward R. Murrow was one of them.

I have been participating in a personal social media experiment this week to measure the networking value of LinkedIn.

Look at this guy; even he knows he is cool. This is the face of American entrepreneurialism at its very best. Ron Rezek is an industrial design rock star. Perhaps best known for his contemporary light fixtures and ceiling fans, the likes of which make you weak in the knees.  Like all great entrepreneurs – American and otherwise – Ron Rezek set no boundaries for himself.

Hello Diet Coke!  Goodbye Pepsi. Hello traditional media! See you later online marketing. According to the Wall Street  Journal: "PepsiCo made a big bet in 2010, when it didn't market its flagship cola on the Super Bowl or in other TV spots.

The Super Bowl ended about a month ago, and the Housewares Show  ended on Tuesday, but the sentiment for Made in America products continues to grow. Unfortunately, it appears to have nothing to do with protests against a communist government or a swell of nationalist pride or even a return to safer, higher quality products.

In one short day, Charlie "The Ma" Sheen has amassed more than 1 million followers on his Twitter account. That's a Guinness Book of World Records achievement. This is social media, providing a global platform for a man with nothing to say to a mass audience of people with nothing better to do.

"Good publicity is like free advertising..." These are the golden words of Jeff Haden, a renowned author who learned much of what he knows about management as he worked his way up the printing business from forklift driver to manager of a book plant.

I love the idea of what Rubbermaid is doing.  From a business perspective, the concept of generating a continuous revenue stream for a service (as a complement to all the products it sells) is noteworthy.  Unfortunately, it is a flat note.

Sometimes we learn through passive observation.  Sometimes we learn through active participation.  Sometimes we don't learn at all.