ASHA Exhibitors: How to Party With The #SLPeeps!

It's On! Everything's a Go to Party With the #SLPeeps!

With just a few weeks left to prep for the national ASHA 2012 convention in Atlanta, we have made some great progress towards our Cross-Booth #SLPeeps Vendor promotions!

If you're an active member of the #SLPeeps Twitter community (or if you want to be prior to ASHA), and you have a booth at ASHA (even a non-profit booth or a Member Table), join us to make the most of your ASHA Exhibitor investment!

Who's In?

[UPDATED: Welcome MHS Inc. !]

So far, we've the following vendors who are also active #SLPeeps have agreed to participate (SO FAR):

• LessonPix Custom Learning Materials - @LessonPix (Me!)
• Pediastaff Pediatric and School-based Therapy Jobs -  @Pediastaff 
• Super Duper Publications - @AshleyLesleySD
• Activity Tailor Creative Ideas for Speech Therapy - @ActivityTailor
• Tactus Therapy Solutions - @TactusTherapy
• Reading With TLC - @ReadingWithTLC
• All4MyChild Collaborative and Technologies - @All4MyChild
• Let's Talk About Speech Therapy - @LetsTalkST
• Talking Tiles by Mozzazz - @TalkingTiles 
• National Student Speech Language Hearing Association  - @NSSLHA
• Mobile Education Store  - @MobileEdStore  
• Smarty Ears Apps - @SmartyEarsApps
• Autism Language Learning - @TammyBasel
• ProxTalker AAC Devices - @ProxTalker
• Plural Publishing - @PluralPub  
• MHS Inc. - @MHS_Inc (New)   

If you'd like to join us, or if I forgot anyone, please read on to see how to get involved.

What's the Plan?

A number of us had a conference call last week, and agreed on two promotions we could implement inexpensively that should greatly increase foot-traffic and increase engagement.

Both of these tactics center around Pediastaff Social Media Learning Center featuring the #SLPeeps.  This booth (#1823) has been generously reserved by Pediastaff to be a central gathering point and staging areas for the #SLPeeps community.  It will be staffed by community volunteers, and have training for SLPs who want to get involved.

Step 1: Identify Yourselves!

All vendors participating will display our rockin' "We Party With the #SLPeeps!" poster (shown above) in their booth at ASHA 2012.  This will identify your company as one that doesn't just advertise to SLPs, but is actively engaged in the #SLPeeps Twitter community.

As we've seen both on Twitter and here in our comments, there are already SLPs who are planning on looking for these colorful markers in the exhibit hall:

It would be fabulous to see more businesses involved in the #SLPeeps. I would love to see a sea of Party with the #SLPeeps" posters at ASHA12. Those booths are definitely where I would linger the most. - @mtmaryslp

We have taken the #SLPeeps mascot (w/Pediastaff's approval) and tweaked him a bit to show that as a vendor, we're proud to be a part of this community.  LessonPix will provide PDFs in all the standard page and poster sizes (8.5x11, 11x17, 18x24, 20x30, etc.) to all of the participants.  Each vendor will get their own posters printed and framed/mounted as they wish (please don't change any colors or design as we're trying to make this an identifying sign.)

Notice that there is no costs to participate in this part of the effort (other than your own printing costs).

The QRCode and the text will drive the visitor to the social media booth, as well as providing them with more details about who is participating.  Once they're at the social media booth, they can participate in our second promotion...

 Step 2: A Party Game - #SLPeeps Bingo!

To increase traffic and get people to actually stop and chat with each of the "#SLPeeps vendors", we're going to provide a Bingo game that they can play to win prizes drawn each day.  The drawings will be at the close of the day at the Pediastaff Social Media booth, and the #SLPeeps will help with the drawings and handing out the Bingo Cards.

Because LessonPix has a great Bingo Generator in our Material Wizard, we've offered to create 50 different cards and generate PDFs of them.

All the vendors who participate in this promotion will split the cost of printing the cards evenly (with no up-charge).  I have priced this at $150 for 1,000 cards (each 1/2 a 8.5x11 sheet including the cutting).  If any vendor can do this for less (and someone probably can), please let me know.

Here's how this promotion should work (none of this is set in stone --yet!).

1. Each participating vendor will provide a high-res square logo for the bingo cards, as well as some prize to be raffled off.  For now, I'd recommend something that is between $20-40 in value to the attendee (but that probably costs the vendor less than that).  For example, LessonPix will be offering an annual subscription (worth $36).
2. Attendees will pickup the cards at Booth #1823 (and perhaps at the vendors' booths -- we'll have to talk that through), visit each booth on their card (there are 9 squares) and then turn in the cards for the daily drawing.  
3. At the end of each day, 1/3 of the prizes will be raffled off at Booth #1823.  The cards have name/email/handle fields, so the attendees don't have to be present to win.  We will give the attendees certificates to take back to the donating vendor's booth to pickup their prize (so that vendors will have another chance to talk to them.)
4. All of the name/email/handle information will be provided to each of the participating vendors (and the attendees will be made aware of that on the card).

This should be a great way to get engagement from the community an I really think this should help us make the most of our ASHA investment and make sure we're actively bringing in attendees, not passively "manning the booth".

How do I Join?

Convinced?  Want to join us?  Great!  It's easy, but there's not much time!

1. Contact me on Twitter (or in the comments, but Twitter's easier).  I need names & good square logos THIS WEEK if we are to include you into the Bingo Game cards.
2. Figure out what prize you'll be offering.  Again, one per vendor please, and somewhere in the $20-40 (value, not cost) range.
3. Tell the other #SLPeeps vendors who we've not thought of - I've gotten input from many, but haven't reached some, and certainly there are others who will want to play.  Our only criteria is that they're active with the #SLPeeps on Twitter (and they can start that now if they try hard, right?)

I can't wait to move forward on this, and to Party with you all in Atlanta!

Bill