I just wrote an article on 5 cheap ways to market, for the Women’s Leadership Exchange newsletter. If you don’t get their material, here’s a preview. Watch for my announcement of free teleseminar in May:

Expos are struggling. I know firsthand because I speak at so many.

Only the mega annual events that are central to each industry are still going strong and even there, it’s no picnic to get people to register. I believe that relationship marketing is key to getting people in the seats. So do call every one that might be interested or knows someone who might want to come. Do the obvious, reduce prices, give more mat erials, etc.

This is the time to get those old hand outs from storage and create takeaways.  If you could never sell that self-published novel, give it away to attendees.Use every style of viral marketing. Put up a template website with all info for the event. Contact EACH speaker and sponsor to contribute to a: BlogVideo for You TubeArticles for disseminationE-mail blast to their listsHave them put a button on their site to link to your event landing page. Use www.prweb.com, www.pitchrate, www.pr.com, www.prlog.com to send a press release each week before the event and two just before you need to complete, cancel or make an end run.

BEST AND BIGGEST IDEA:  Invite people for a free teleconference to get a taste of what they will learn. www.freeconference.com/reservationless.aspx. Helps you set it up for up to 150 people.This is all in addition to the Social Marketing on Linked In, Twitter, etc. that you might do.Reality check. It takes time to set up any of these campaigns. But once you do, you can apply them to many other marketing strategies, sale of products, branding etc.

That is the Critical Path Success philosophy. Get started on an immediate project, but structure your efforts to be able to put them into play for any occasion. Soon you will be a mega marketer.If you need very cost effective help on any of these suggestions check out www.CritcialPathSuccess.com for free audio, read a section, purchase the tutorial at a 100% money back guarantee.

If all you need is some random support for auto responders, article marketing, and more check out the www.GenerationBold.com  products suggestions. It took me over a year of testing to know what to recommend. First, click on products at the buttons on the top of the page, then see special resource list. Good luck on your event. 

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I just returned from the 3200 person attended National Council on Aging and American Association on Aging conference in Las Vegas. Over the next several months, you will hear from the many stars in the field of aging as I interview them on my blog talk radio show "Longevity Club." Find the archives at www.LongevityClubOnLine.com .

BUT, NO STAR COULD SHINE AS BRIGHTLY AS DID DEBBIE REYNOLDS, THE CLOSING ACT OF THE CONFERENCE.What a treasure she is.Debbie has always been my idol. I was Tammy.  I was a dark haired, chunky kid from inner city Brooklyn. But, when I watched Tammy, I was a petite, red haired country girl, with the naive outlook that Tammy put into song. I loved Debbie as Molly Brown. When I emerged from law school I had nothing but debt, and the moxie that many feminists of the late 60 and early 70's had. I could never describe my drive and my sure fire belief in my own destiny. But Debbie, as “The Unsinkable Molly Brown”, nailed it. "IF YOU COME FROM NOWHERE ON THE ROAD TO SOME WHERE, AND YOU MEET ANY ONE, YOU KNOW IT'S ME."

I hated Eddie Fisher, and so did my Aunt Rose. She was horrified that this lovely, sweet girl could be betrayed by  Fisher.  No exaggeration, you would have thought that Debbie was a relative.Poor Fisher, my Aunt Rose would have shot him in the middle of "Oh My Pa-Pa."

And now for Debbie came the other bad husbands, the crooks, the betrayals. And for me a few deaths in the family, a lousy real estate deal, and the aging that made my TV hosting career obsolete. So I took refuge in Debbie’s gutsy, funny, tuneful shows in Vegas. If she could have the rug cut out from under her, what did a few wrinkles on Tammy’s face really mean? We were still unsinkable.Then at age 76, the Unsinkable Debbie took center stage at the NCOA/ASA conference.I took in a deep breath. Yes, still beautiful in red and gold, yes she could still sing, yes she was funnier than ever.

YES, MAYBE I COULD LIVE FOREVER AND LEARN HOW TO FLY.

Then Debbie, in the midst of the an hilarious riff, a bitter comment, a film clip of her dancing impossible steps with O’Conner and Kelly in “Singing In The Rain” (IMAGINE AN 18 YEAR OLD THAT NEVER DANCED PAIRED WITH THOSE TWO GIANTS AND MEETING THE CHALLENGE), Debbie nearly fainted. Oh my god.A room filled with geriatric experts though she was stroking out. But, not our Debbie.A half glass of water, a chair, and a microphone brought her back to life, instantly.I love Debbie, and so did a crowd of thousands.Debbie looked at us and assured us that she was ok.

"You think this is the last time you are going to see me, but you are wrong." Debbie's main concern was that while she was seated, some of the audience would not be able to see the rest of her show. So, within minutes she was up and running again.There is nothing more to be said about a performer who is the metaphor for successful aging, kindness, and mirth. It doesn’t hurt that she has great legs and is a dazzler. But most of all, she wants you to like her, to be with her. She knows her stuff and has your number.