Ideal gift giving for this Christmas

Holiday gift giving is now a difficult task. The past easier days of giving a scarf or mittens or a sled are over. Everyone would like technology gadgets. You can't give household things because people already have them or they are more fussy about kitchen, household, and particular items that they want specifically. The issue is that now with internet and huge stores and even much larger varieties of merchandise, we each can choose from a multitude and surplus of possibilities for each item. Plus many people go out and buy those items themselves. I am in a genuine problem of what to get people this year. Let me give you some examples. My mom wants a specific set of serving dishes and she already obtained it yesterday in an early Black Friday special. My nephews now have more electronic games than they can even play and my brother gets them the newest one immediately when it comes out. My sister wanted top quality luggage and told me yesterday at Thanksgiving dinner that she found one online and has already ordered it for herself. My dad was up early this morn to buy new power tools for us for Christmas and I just know that he got himself one of each too. The last few years I asked people at Thanksgiving for listings and that truly helped me. Yesterday at Thanksgiving meal no one was able to come up with a list of stuff. This has been a rising situation over the years. I don't have as much time to shop and I detest to fight the crowds. My wife and I decided to go to a theme holidays and buy everybody something by the motif of the year. One year while at a neighborhood book shop we started buying books and then went to a major box book store to pick up not only books but calendars and games and they even packaged a lot of them for us. It turned out to be quite pricey but it did work. The next year we had been so busy that we just went to the grocery store and bought gift cards for everyone. That was totally easy but it was pretty detached and we didn't have time or want to take the effort to wrap them, so we ended up appearing cheap when we handed people just an envelope. Plus it wasn't cheap in the long run and the thank you letters turned out that people got our gift cards and amounts mixed up with other people's gifts. They liked them and could use them but we noticed that we forgot to use our gift cards or lost them which was a absolute waste of money. In fact it was published that stores like gift cards because so many people never use them or find them way beyond the expiration date or lose them. The next year we customized it a bit more and bought food and restaurant coupons we thought each person would appreciate. It was okay. Yesterday my wife and I were complaining about the fact that gift giving has basically become a gift card exchange and lost its whole appeal and purpose. We lost for the past days of taking time to shake and open packages or people excited about something they have been wanting realized in a gift. Those days have simply vanished. People go online and just buy what they really want. A lot of her family members are restructuring and do not need more things. When they need or want something they go buy exactly what they want and our gifts are either regifted or go to Salvation Army. This year we want to make an impact. Quite honestly we are usually doing our shopping at the last minute. We went online last night and decided we are going to either order or go out and battle the crowds today and do our shopping. This year we want our gift to be the first one people get. So for the friends and colleagues and extended family we won't see, we found a website and nearby company right here in Denver called Baskets by Rita. There are all kinds of holiday baskets to send. We ordered online those baskets to be sent as soon as they can. Will they ever be stunned. Not only will ours be the first one there, but the packaged baskets are wrapped so nicely with holiday ribbons that will probably be put on exhibit in their house as a decoration. It was so easy. We are done and don't have to panic about those gifts. Then we talked about going to our relatives houses for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and we want to take the gifts ourselves so we didn't order baskets to be sent to their houses. Then we had a terrific idea. Why not order those gift baskets and have them sent to our house and then we will have them to take. We are thrilled because we can walk in with a gift that is WOW and that is not the usual mail order basket from the major companies. The baskets we are ordering today for family members are bundled with gourmet food items and that is just fine. Plus we decided that is one of the only things people don't buy for themselves. My mom just goes out and buys fresh flowers when she wants them. But none of us order a gift basket for ourselves. Perfect. We are placing the order today and guess what? We can now unwind. We will have sent and gotten the gift baskets even before December l. That buys us not only gifts but the whole freedom of not scrambling. The gift baskets to take Dec. 24 and Dec. 25 will be on display on the shelves in my home office ready to go. This year we will go to holiday parties and watch other people stress out while we are eating out, going to movies, holiday parties and relaxing. Not only is Baskets by Rita doing all the work of buying, wrapping, and sending the gifts, but it turned out to be cheaper than what we usually spend because we already paid for shipping, wrapping and bows and all the extra costs that creep up each year. Perfect. We are placing the order today and guess what? We can now relax. We will have sent and gotten the gift baskets even before December l. That buys us not only gifts but the whole freedom of not scrambling. The gift baskets to take Dec. 24 and Dec. 25 will be sitting on the shelves in my home office ready to go. This year we will go to holiday parties and watch other people stress out while we are eating out, going to movies, holiday parties and relaxing. Not only is Baskets by Rita doing all the work of buying, wrapping, and sending the gifts, but it turned out to be more affordable than what we usually spend because we already paid for shipping, wrapping and bows and all the extra costs that go up each year.

What should I give to my corporate employee this year?

With opposition for your business, it has become absolutely essential to give a thank you and appreciation present at holiday time. Like it or not the viewpoint of saving money worked for only a couple of those rough economic years. The accepted trend was austerity and we all assumed and privately hoped it might become tendency and a way of life. Most of us lessened on everything. We cut down the additional items like travel and vacations, Starbucks, newest fashion pieces, new cars, and entertainment. We also watched our pennies as we were conscious of multi-tasking duties to cut gas costs, paying attention to food costs and shopping the special offers, turning off lights and turning down heat, making gifts or regifting. It was interesting and some parts of it made us realize we do spend. However, we also realize how much we really like spending our time and money on things we take pleasure in. Take Jason from Denver, as an example. He missed not skiing, not going to Avalanche or Nuggets or Broncos games, not eating out and relishing a movie. He dived into the economic recession with endurance and mentally told himself he could cut personal and business expenses and that would be the best way for him to deal with both operations. He didn't like it but he was surprised at how much money he could save. He viewed games on television. He shopped at the supermarket instead of take-out food. He discontinue his gym membership and used the exercise equipment in his home. At first it was a novel experience and definitely eye-opening. In business he cut one of his workers and spent more time doing the work himself. He cut the usual treat Friday by not bringing in breakfast and his employees understood when he told them times were tough and to keep jobs it was regrettable but there would be no Christmas party or holiday gifts or the traditional birthday gift. It absolutely saved money. There were three significant complications. One was that cutting the extras in his personal life influenced Jason's mental and emotional health. He found himself missing something and becoming more short-tempered. Second was that cutting business extra perks greatly touched the morale and spirit in his business for the employees and for Jason himself. Before long efficiency went down and the setting of a positive place to work took a turn for the awful. The helpful teamwork turned to competitive survival as employees questioned who would be cut next and missed those small birthday and holiday perks. Jason himself found that he missed the constructive vibes he got at work which were now replaced with uncomfortable silences. The third major problem was that his main competitor had taken the entire opposite approach and as he and others cut costs and services the competitor decided to preserve and even raise the bar. That Denver based company hired a few additional workers and took a forceful approach to steal customers away from the competitors who were cutting everything. It even hired away one of Jason's most effective employees. It chose to take a gamble and go into debt to keep workers and keep giving gifts for birthdays and Christmas. Take the holiday gifts for example. The Denver company ordered their regular thank you and appreciation holiday baskets from Baskets By Rita and maintained their regular customers. Why? Because the customers had few other gifts, so when the holiday gift basket arrived it endured alone. The customers reacted with calls of gratitude and acceptance of using that company for the next year, since they seemed to be the strong one that would be there for them. The Denver company even put out more by ordering the Grand Gourmet basket to send to their competitors' strongest clients. For Jason it was a disaster because he lost two of his strongest. When he contacted them they said they were wondering if he still was in business and they knew the competitor seemed to be doing well. Jason decided it would be economical to make phone calls to his clients to keep contact. That worked for some, but he had lost some clients who would didn't come back. The next year he called Baskets by Rita in November to set up an order for baskets. He ordered a less expensive basket but had them sent in mid-December. It did help. He also ordered a huge basket filled with candy bars and individual treats for the staff workroom. It arrived on the scene with a big bow and he was astonished at the results of his $200 investment on morale. The next year he did the same thing but also called Baskets by Rita and ordered small baskets to give his employees at their annual pot-luck lunch before the holidays. They were moved and he felt he got so much more appreciation than just giving them cash or a gift card. It was a noticable Wow and a festive gift instead of a card. Also they didn't find out how much he had spent where they used to know their importance by the value of the gift card. This year Jason called Baskets by Rita the first of November and mentioned he needed a few grand baskets and gourmet baskets sent to competitors' clients. Jason jumped at the next option they gave. They suggested he send them out to be delivered right after Thanksgiving. Their motto is to be the 1st holiday gift received. The first gift gives more bang for the buck because they take time to read the card and it's around for a while. Some even hang the cards and the top one is yours for folks to read over and over again. Jason did remember there were clients before who had seemed to forget which company sent which gift because they all arrived at once. Baskets by Rita said to let yours be the first and rock star gift for a lasting impression. Jason is excited because his christmas teapot gift baskets will arrive early not a few days before December 25.

Don't delay sending out this year's Christmas gifts!

This year I will plan to give corporate holiday gifts early. Horror story. Last season I thought there was no hurry and that I would get big deals by waiting until mid December to buy gifts for my clients. Client gifts of appreciation for their business is extremely important and if you fall short to send a holiday gift you have botched the regular gift that has come to be expected yearly. Don't forget how important and necessary these appreciation tokens are. Three years ago I decided to forego the gifts because of a budget crunch. Thinking it made very little or no difference I felt quite dapper about the amount of money and time and headache I would save for this extra frivolous expenditure. Was I ever incorrect. In fact many of us were wrong. The other firm people I meet with weekly all talked it over and were in agreement that one year couldn't make that much change and we were quite smug about our money saving tactics. In my business my principal competitor is someone who has tried to get my clients but I've always won their trust. Unfortunately for me he decided to take the risk and send out gifts early. The next year I found I was losing some of my clients because they had decided to take a look at other businesses that could deliver the same or equal service. As we asked new clientele many of them had already signed up with the competitor and my laid back and risk-free style that I would easily keep clients was slipping away. I had to work really hard to keep the clients I had and put in a lot of time and effort for the next few years to get some of my original companies loyalties back. Maybe it wasn't just the holiday gift, but the next year I took note. Listening and asking questions of buddies and relatives about what made them devoted and things that made a change I noted that follow up letters of thanks,telephone calls, and gifts aren't just tokens they are are reminders and stamps of confidence for the clients. So two years ago I made sure I had money for gifts at holiday time set aside. I started looking for gift ideas and sent them out the first of December. What I found out was that I immediately got cards and calls from clients. They loved them plus mine were the first gifts to arrive at their business office. My secretary and I were talking and she pointed out the gift we got at Thanksgiving one year with the note that here's your first holiday gift to delight in. Since it was the first and only gift at that time it did make a difference. Most gifts of food, gifts baskets, and cards come that last week before December 25 and although we appreciate them they sometimes get tossed in and mixed up and we can't remember exactly who gave what. Besides employees are bringing in treats and food for each other all week. So my secretary and I started talking and analyzing that the first gifts that come in are the most noted and appreciated and you normally remember them. That brings me to our approach for this year. We have already contacted a basket business to send out holiday gift baskets to be delivered no later than December l. Why? Because last year we thought we'd get them later and they were sold out of the one we really wanted. Since we have clients in 10 states we had failed to note that many would not arrive on time because of shipping days needed. We gave up after checking about sending flower arrangements or poinsettias which seemed useless for a few days in the office. As a last resort we scrambled to get gift cards for local restaurants or bakeries near each client. It took way too much time. We were able to find some gift cards in food market, but they were not the right denomination. We also felt uneasy that the exact amount we were spending was obvious, putting a dollar value on the client. But we got the cards sent out. It was fine and at least we sent a gift. However one of the more vocal and brazenly honest secretaries called to thank us and did say she preferred the gift baskets because she was the one who had to order and go to the bistro to bring back what was ordered with the gift card. She also made it clear that to feed everyone they had to add more money. Yikes, not a good strategy. This year I called Baskets by Rita the first of October and placed my order for gourmet gift baskets and Colorado gift baskets to be delivered just before Thanksgiving so they will arrive that first week of December. They explained to me that they have to order all holiday products in August and September to have enough stock to not run out in addition suppliers run out early. We're feeling really smug. Our clients will know these are gifts of appreciation, there are food items to be shared by all, they come packaged wonderfully giving that WOW factor and our card and gift will be the first one they get and will be hanging around the break room all holiday season. It won't get lost with all the other gifts. Since there is not a dollar amount attached you are not blatantly telling them what money amount they are worth. Plus my secretary is so happy because this is a slower time for us and she was able to make all preparations in a more relaxed way. We discovered another money-saving hint for giving holiday gifts. We will have baskets shipped to 9 other states, but the majority are in the Denver area. My secretary has arranged to save some of the shipping and delivery costs by going to pick up most of the baskets and deliver many herself. We've added a wine and cheese FAC the first Saturday in December in our office for clients and we'll give most of them out then. If not, it would be good for me to take them and give them myself and make the personal call. The moral of the story is do not underestimate the power of the holiday thankfulness gift and order early.

Long Term Investments in employees pays-off!

A owner of a corporation in the Colorado area provided an interview to a friend's son, a graduate business son planning his thesis. The young man asked questions about marketing, budgeting, and the most effective market strategies. The discussion and questions also including corporate risks and challenges, protecting assets and the problems and practices in increasing sales. The CEO confessed that managing a firm's long-term reserves had always been at the core of his energy and determining stakeholders was pivotal. Weighing possibilities in every aspect was his solution to the question about best decision-making practice. The 60 minute interview was almost over when the graduate asked his last question about what was the greatest liability and what was the biggest asset in the company. After bumbling through a list of financial jargon, the CEO stopped unexpectedly and thought carefully before saying that all of that was secondary because the employees could be the greatest asset or they could be the greatest liability. The individuals working for you can make or break the company. Simple as that. The CEO then took our friend's son out to lunch and they continued to talk. The conversation included examples from the CEO's experience when he worked at a restaurant through college and when he managed various establishments. He had many examples of how good workers actually made the company money and the managers and owners did not always know it or recognize it. At the same time, a rude or incompetent or an employee with a bad attitude could ruin not only the sale at the time, but later. They talked about the television show Undercover Bosses where CEOs pretend to be new employees on the ground level for a week to actually get some in field experience and insight. The CEO admitted that he had thought of doing that. The two of them throughout lunch talked about different episodes and came to the summation that employees do make or break a company. And usually what they want most even more than money or raises is to be treated respectfully and to have their efforts acknowledged. They want a thank you of some kind whether it be just a sincere thanks, a gift card, money, a promotion of a gift. The graduate shared that his mom who had been an administrative assistant had just resign her job the week before saying she had just had enough. Her boss not only did not see what she had accomplished but did not seem to care about rewarding anyone. When she suggested he give gift cards he said that was fine but she would have to give them and write the note and he put her on a small budget. After a year she suggested they give time off to employees but he refused saying. She realized morale was really low and he did agree and she was to come up with something. She told him to come into the next morning meeting, which employees hated, with food. He told her to get some cheap donuts from the supermarket. She started just standing up to him and said no, he needed to spend some bucks and get quality pastries or food and quality coffee boxes from the Panera Bread down the street. He delegated her to do it and to be sure it was there on time. It did the trick and employees liked it. She needed a different idea for the mid afternoon meetings. So when she saw the huge basket delivered next door with all kinds of treats for employees she was impressed and contacted the basket company, Baskets by Rita. For the same money they put together a big basket with goodies to put in the break room for everyone to enjoy. It was huge and they delivered it to her that day. The boss walked in with a corporate snack basket and there were cheers from the once tired employees. The student made an appointment the next day with his adviser to change his thesis topic to center on the importance of gratitude and acknowledgment for employees contending that they are the most valuable long term investment.

First Impressions are so very important!

Making a good first impression is at the heart of management and profession skill musts. Whether you are applying for a job or managing a project it is a strategy tool that ranks among the most important. You want to get off to a good start. One article suggests that within 3 seconds someone judges you by your appearance, your body language, you mannerisms, and the way you present yourself. We make impressions by our decisions, what we say and by what others say about us. To make a great impression you must know what was said about you or how you are viewed. If it is positive you come with a good reputation. If it was not you have a chance to change that impression. How you present yourself IS the impression. That first impression must be effective enough to show confidence to establish trust. However over-confidence can destroy trust. It is a fine line. Polite, attentive, on-time, positive, appropriateness and sincerity go a long ways. Fortunately you do not have to sign up for a seminar or school, but simply google making a nice impression to find numerous sites with free and valuable information. The difficulty lies in finding out what others have said about you and what information they already know. That means researching. So that takes care of the first impression. The key is keeping a excellent impression. Once that you have landed that deal or sold that house or secured that client your impression skills are not locked in. You must expand that impression that they made the right choice and that you truly understand them. You do that in your words and phrases with a letter or note or a phone call. You do it in your conduct with making face to face timely visits when possible. And you are sure to spend a few bucks to maintain that impression. It might be with food or gifts, and not just holiday expected gifts. When you first land the sale follow up with something. My neighbor is a real estate agent and used to send a restaurant gift card to her clients after the closing. He now walks into the closing with an impressive and festive gift basket from Baskets by Rita. He already knows the client, so whether it's a Colorado Gift Basket, wine gift basket, gourmet gift basket he pays the money for it to be a wow factor and make the tremendous impression as he walks through the door. He said the day he came into the room with a baby gift basket for the couple about to become parents they were so excited. Lasting impressions have perks and he says that the wow factor and the oohs and aahhhs he gets from them carry through. As they thank him as they are leaving, he mentions he would appreciate any referrals they would send his way. When they refer, he has another gift basket sent to their house. He claims this impression has definitely increased his client list. So good impressions are crucial.

Gift for Medical Student

Individuals who are aware of scholars who are either applying to medical school or preparing to take medical licensing exams realize of how stressful they are. Just because everyone is cheering on a student does not take off the very intense pressure they sense. Whether it is the medical students entrance exam or one of licensing exams they have a lot at risk and feel their whole future is resting on that specific test. Financially each assessment not passed brings on more financial burdens to them and they probably have already accumulated high loans. So whether a person is taking the MCAT the Medical College Admission Test as a med school entrance exam or the the USMLE the United States Medical Licensing Exam or FSMB Federation of State Medical Boards they all mean higher stress. No one can take the exam or go through it for them so all others can do is urge them to continue the degree programs, whether it be for a Bachelor/Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine or Doctor of Podiatric Medicine or even a masters of physician assistant program. Since so much is riding on the licensing in getting the medical degree phone calls of support are helpful but phone texts are even better since they can read them at their convenience. A med students program is heavy and free time and sleep are short. It is always good to let them know you are thinking of them and you know how tough these times are and that they have your backing. You can send a card. You can order a stress and anxiety relief gift to be delivered to help them through those long study hours. University of Colorado med students have enjoyed the Med Student Care Package and Board Exam Gift from Baskets by Rita of Aurora. Located just down the street Baskets by Rita does ship across the United States so care packages are not limited to the Denver area or just Colorado. They are pretty cute and come in a doctor RX box. They have also been used for doctors to send to particular patients or students they have mentored or as a thank you from a med student to thank a professor/doctor. Set up as the med student care package and board exam gift for support might have been the intent but they will customize it for a patient to send to thank a doctor or even for someone to send as a get well gift with a card saying just what the doctor ordered for you to get well. Minimizing pressure and showing emotional support are a definite positive impact on good mental health. Treats and good wishes are always welcome and relieve stress and show thanks, concern, care, best wishes.

Football Beer Gift Tub for a frustrated fan!

So how is your favorite team doing this season? It is football season again and for those of us who enjoy football we live for this time of year. Not only is it gorgeous weather to go to games but we begrudge the fact it has been a long dry season in the sporting world since Superbowl time last year. Hopefully each of us is looking at the teams, playing fantasy football and making predictions. For guys it supplies a piece of dialogue for any place we find ourselves. There is also the unknown and best hopes for our favored football team to do well this season. Everybody seems to be talking about the replacement refs and how soon will normal football refs be back on the fields. It is way too convenient to get so upset about it that you find yourself ranting and raving. That is what has been happening at my house. I whine and moan and groan and am short tempered with my wife and she does not deserve that. She is such a smart football wife that to get mad is not the manner she handles things. She amazingly uses good will and humor. I am so fortunate. After this weekend and my awful mood I did not rightfully deserve to get anything for my birthday yesterday. I was in Denver and she had a Budweiser beer gift from Baskets by Rita delivered to my hotel. Since one of my favorite teams was the Denver Broncos the tub she ordered was a Bronco one and she wrote a terrific message using her awesome humor to help get me level-headed. It was wonderful. I called her and decided to have flowers sent the next day. I always do that. So since I'm gone for a week, I called the lady at baskets by Rita and she's sending a gourmet wine basket to my wife. Good move on my part because my wife will not expect it. Us guys are not very creative or good about gifts but I am fairly darn proud and pleased with myself. My pop is a diehard Green Bay Packers fan so I sent him a sympathy basket. He will appreciate it and really get a kick out of it. My mom was raised and is loyal to the Giants, have been raised in NYC, so I'm having a Congratulations basket sent to her arriving the same day. Can hardly wait to chat to my parents. They are always coming up with gifts and ways to help my wife and me so this would be great. This ref strike has certainly got everyone talking. The good news is that it gives co-workers something else to talk about besides politics. Our secretary really gets on all of us though and she says we should be feeling sorry for those poor replacement refs. Without them we couldn't watch any football at all. I guess that is true because) they don't have the training and we should probably be offering them some thanks. So since I have done my part I think people who know any replacement refs should give them some sympathy and probably send a good luck gift.

A cool birthday gift

All my pals know that they will get either beer, a bottle of wine or flowers I grabbed on the way to see them. It was successful for a while, but now it seems to be just too predictable. Looking for a completely different birthday gifts can take a lot of time. Today I went looking for my best close friend which should be easy. I know exactly what he will like so it should have been very easy. I ended up just going to a big box store and buying a gift card. They used to have small cool wooden crate type things to put the gift card in but not anymore. So that was alright but really dull. Last weekend my dear wife was out of town and asked me to run out and get products to put in a basket for her cousin who was bringing her daughter to Colorado to start college. My wife emailed me a list of all the wares to buy for the basket so I went to find it. She puts in mostly Colorado products like chocolates, chips, salsa, tortilla chips, peanuts, Colorado water, tea drink, coffee, beef jerky, cheese, crackers, and honey sticks. First I could not find a basket in the supermarket and only a few of the items. I finally threw in the towel because it was taking forever to look and be sure I had Colorado made foods. My neighbor was also shopping and I revealed my irritation when she suggested just going to our business district and going into the big kitchen specialty shop and having them help me. I did that and it was helpful but I was shocked at how much it expense, including the basket. They offered to help me put it all together in the basket and put on a nice big bow. It looked great and my wife was not shocked at the cost of buying the goods there. She goes to 7 or 8 different places to buy all the items and saves about twenty dollars. Now that is just way too much work. An simpler way is just to go online and find a gift basket shop that will do it and deliver it. My wife and I argued over the cost, so to show my point I found a number of baskets at Baskets by Rita which is a Colorado based company. They have a Colorado wooden crate that is cooler than typical baskets. Even after the delivery cost, it turned out it was less expensive than us doing it ourselves. So getting back to the birthday gift idea I saw the crate and decided to order one and have it delivered to my house so I could see how it looked. It came and was great. My wife and I agreed that they do a much more professional job of putting it together and it looks amazing. Plus it turned out to be less expensive than doing it ourselves. They have a great selection so that is my plan from now on when buying Birthday Snack Gift Basket. http://www.basketsbyrita.com

Are you hosting a Denver Convention?

Corporate meetings are not cheap. They can make a significant effect and comprehensive planning is vital. Not only are thesymposiums expensive for the host, but also for the attendees. Participants and companies are not easily separated with their money and they want to be guaranteed and reassured that they have vested their time and funds well. Post examinations show that tiny details make a significant difference. Throwing a conference or convention together without concentration to the smallest details can spell failure. So the steps to take as a promoter and host for the conference/convention are to find a great spot. Knowing your potential attendees is important whether you choose a location that is a limited distance for them to drive or choosing a great getaway for companies to experience and experience a new city. Check out the cost of the venue and ask for details. Do not decide on busy times of the year for holidays, family vacations or a busy time for the businesses focused. For example, as retailers do their buying for summer sports equipment, late spring and early summer or not the time to entice them. They are busy and they have already bought their items for the year. Next you must examine the schedule to be sure the timing is good. If you overbook they may not have extra time to enjoy themselves. If you do not offer adequate workshops or variable schedules of interest, they will not feel they gained anything from the conference or convention. Try to get a key speaker or two to draw a crowd. Promote early to get them to lock into your event first on their calendars. It even works to offer a discount inducement for early signup. Do assign an professional to offer all information the convention goer will need from airport transportation to hotel registration and maps. Of course your important concern will be the conference content itself. So plan to keep it going, keep it efficient, keep it exciting. It is better to have more short sessions with question/answer free time to chat and connect than to have participants leaving long sessions because they are tired or feel they are hearing repetitive information and facts. The first impact will make a huge difference. Efficiency and getting information to help airport/hotel/conference center logistics run effectively will set off the tone of the convention. It is also important that when they arrive there are plenty of welcome folks available to set that upbeat optimistic tone and answer questions. The registration table should include all the information they will need. And you always must be willing to put out the money for freebies. Our company attended a conference in a small city in a mid-western town. It was obvious they were trying to save money and got the conference center and food cheap. We paid a bundle for a rental car to drive the 2 hours to the locations and stay in a small 2 star hotel/motel conference center. The pretzels and vats of bad coffee set the tone for a long two days ahead. The next year we chose to go to the Denver Convention Center and what a big difference. Flying into DIA was so impressive with those beautiful mountains as a backdrop. Our hotel was attached to center and there were all kinds of restaurants, night life, shopping nearby. We found a cool Coffee Lovers Gift Basket from a local basket company in Aurora. It was a box with all sorts of Colorado snacks. That convention rocked and we will go again next year.

Great baby gift

Fantastic suggestion for giving a unique, cute, adorable and unusual baby gift is to order a baby girl or baby boy welcome wagon. The cute small red wagons hold lots of baby gift products that are practical for newly born children. Knowing that it is always exciting to send something unique for the new baby is a challenge. Usually people call the hospital gift shop for the same, monotonous gifts they have. They have the usual blue and pink flower arrangements which are fine but do not last and are hard to carry home. That form of baby gift is soon forgotten. They also have baby gift baskets but you may find that the parents have already received at least one or more from the hospital gift shop. Asking the gift shop worker does not assure you that visitors have popped into the gift shop and purchased the same gift. I was humiliated to stop in and purchase a cute basket and went up to her room to see two matching baskets from other people. That meant I had to go back down and switch it for something really common in the gift shop. The most horrible part was that it definitely took the excitement of my gift giving away. They were apologetic as was I apologetic and embarrassed. When the the gift shop individual just rolled her eyes about wanting to exchange it, I had just had it and informed her I wanted a refund. In the parking lot of the Denver hospital I met a gentleman and lady carrying in these adorable pink baby girl and blue baby boy gift red wagons. That is exactly what I had wanted to walk in with something that caused the couple to ooh and aah about. I just flat out halted them and asked where they got them. They had ordered them from a basket store near the Denver hospital called Baskets by Rita. Cut little welcome baby wagon that were the ideal birth gift. They were definitely unique baby gifts and useful and exciting. They told me Baskets by Rita also has a big brother/sister line of baskets that they gave one time. I got on my iphone and immediately called Baskets by Rita and ordered one of the little red wagon as a baby welcome gift for the newly born. It was effortless to arrange to have it delivered to their house when they got home from the hospital. When they got home with the new baby and got the baby welcome wagon, they immediately called me and said I just had to come over to see the new baby and the adorable wagon. So from now on the hospital gift shop will not be my first selection for sending gifts or flowers.

Back to School

Impossible to believe that school is almost beginning since August has already came. Summer goes quick. Children are back in classes and for me it is hardest to say goodbye to the kids who are my family who are going back to college. It was so fun to see them all summer and now some are packing up getting ready to go to college. Most of the kids I know go to Colorado State University in Fort Collins or Colorado University in Boulder. Two are going to Colorado College in Colorado Springs. Actually there are two of my cousins kids who are coming to schools in Colorado. My next-door neighbor is making up little gift bags for each kid with cookies and goodies from the grocery store to help get them stocked up for dorm life. She has bought chips, dip, candy, nuts, and snacks and put them into a bucket. They turned out quite cute. When I asked her how much it cost she said she had no idea. I had a tough time finding a bucket and filling it with stuff to look good. It just did not look like enough. Then I started adding up the cost because I knew I needed to go purchase more stuff to make it look good. I just that wow factor for college students when they get to school. I know they may be a bit homesick and this is the best thing I can do for them and probably more for their parents. Shoving the products in the bucket is alright and it gets the work done. After making two of the buckets my next door neighbor suggested I look at College Care Gift Baskets. She shared with me this after she was amazed at how much I had spent on each gift. Her company uses Baskets by Rita for all the gift baskets they send to visiting clients. There are neat wooden crates with mountains and the word Colorado on them stuffed with products from Colorado. After checking out the website of Baskets by Rita I do not dare tell my husband that I actually might have sent a Colorado crate for the same price or even less expensive than I spent on my own. http://www.basketsbyrita.com

Thank you!

It is difficult to come across unusual and sincere and distinctive ways of saying thank you to someone you treasure or endorse. To pay honor to their knowledge and work by commending them for assistance. You want them to be aware of your thankfulness what they have accomplished for you or for others or for the business. To recognize that is the first step. To let the individual understand you sincerely and truly appreciate them and acknowledge them is essential. Offering thanks is not just for Thanksgiving anymore. You must acclaim and endorse the behaviors you want to see continue. So the first phase is to be aware of showing appreciation and acknowledging it. That does not mean going overboard all the time and having to give lots of gifts or money for every little thing. Research have found that people respond to acknowledgements of even the minimum kind such as a nod or look of approval or an genuine pat on the back. Even a smile and a look of facial gratitute might be ways of endorsing self esteem and showing you want and recognize what has been done or said. These phrases of appreciation and acknowledgment reveal tribute to the person and show that you value them. Saying thank you works. Now if you overdo it for every little thing it thanks and appreciation lose their value. It has to fit your personal way and must be real. Sincere gratitude and the word here is sincere is enormous. For a business commendation of any kind is good but eventually and periodically you need to put your money where your mouth is and give something as appreciation of service and recognition of gratitute. That token of appreciation could be money such as a raise or cash with a thank you note. And you have to mix it up a little bit too. If you know the person shops at a particular store or enjoys a particular coffee house or bistro you could give gift certificates. They are always appreciated. This works if you also do not want to make a big issue or applaud out loud for everyone to see or hear. Sometimes you do and you want others to step up so they too will get those monetary awards. So the looks, the thank you words, the notes and the occasional gift cards work. If you feel you want something with more of a wow factor then consider an genuine gift that wows. The problem with money or gift cards is that they are definitely appreciated but have an exact value and the amount given one employee can be perceived by others as a rating scale by what they get. My firm has small gift cards that are consistent for certain things then we started going to get plaques engraved and people displayed them for a while but are now gone and seem to be old hat to most people. The secretaries said it is taking too much time to go out and shop for these prizes and that employees compare how much we spend on one compared to another. One of our secretaries found an Aurora based gift basket company that she now calls and has a gift basket or pail made up and delivered to us. It is so effortless. Sometimes she just orders one of the baskets online from Baskets by Rita and tells them what to put on the card. More often recently she has been writing a note on the order or even calling and asking that the basket be original. She just gives the price we want to pay and they put together a different gift basket crate box or pail every time. That way employees have no idea what amount we spent and theirs is unique. It is fantastic way to say, "Thank You!- A Thank You Gift Basket." http://www.basketsbyrita.com

Don't Forget the people of Aurora!

 After the shooting tragedy in Aurora Colorado we are at a great loss for what to do or how to help. Aurora is a suburb of Denver. We are all feeling such sorrow and send our sympathy and best wishes and best hope for recovery to that whole community. The shooting drew national news and what a devastating tragedy. I am so sorry and want to do something to help. The Aurora police department must be amazing with what they are dealing with. They made it to the scene in 90 seconds. People and businesses in Aurora must be comforted to know the department responds so quickly. Plus what must those heroes from the police department and all the medical facilities in Aurora Colorado feel now as they work to save lives and keep people protected. You cannot put a price tag on that kind of support. A group of friends yesterday had a talk and we all decided to do something. Some are sending cards and others of us would like to do something far more personal to support our own sense of healing the emotional wounds. My cousin is going to send some kind of food coupons and my neighbor is sending flowers with a message. My brother is a small business owner and suggested we find nearby Aurora Colorado businesses to support since they must really feel the impact. So we are going online to find coffee shops, pizza places, florists, etc. I was going to place an online order to an Aurora company Baskets by Rita to send a Sympathy Basket to be shared by everyone. http://www.basketsbyrita.com

Men's Birthday Baskets

Guys are SO difficult to buy gift items for. Last year I totally felt like a dummy and was panicky when I went into a hardware store. It seemed like a great birthday gift idea for him, but I ended up spending lots more than I'd planned. Most of the stuff is on the garage worktable unopened. Don't know why I didn't think of a beer basket sooner--it will be used, that's for sure. Plus having it delivered to his office will let everybody know it's his birthday. When I found this website that had name extended_description it had a great assortment of gifts that really targeted my guy. Solved all my problems--why didn't I think of this before? 

Baskets By Rita, a Colorado Gift Basket Company, Celebrates its 20th Anniversary

Ten years after being laid off from Agilent Technologies, Marge Van Woerkom and her business, Baskets By Rita, are still going strong. As a previous Reporter Herald article outlined, Van Woerkom was one of many Loveland residents who found themselves unemployed in 2002 when HP and Agilent downsized. After 19 years of working for HP and Agilent, Van Woerkom refused to be a victim of her situation. She pulled herself together after the lay off and bought an existing business in Aurora, Colorado. She chose not to change the company's existing name, Baskets By Rita, which already had a strong reputation in the Denver metro area and this choice has served her well. "We've built our business on the philosophy that the customer come first" says Van Woerkom.

Since Van Woerkom took ownership of the company, she has managed to grow sales despite the economic recession of the past few years. In addition, she has grown the company's clientele and web presence year over year with the help of her staff and dedicated members of her family. As a sign of its ongoing growth, Baskets By Rita began plans several months ago to create a sister company, Gift Agent. Gift Agent will offer customers a slightly more specialized product line packaged in specialty boxes which will allow the company to be more eco-friendly and create more of a recognized brand identity. The hope is that receiving a gift from Gift Agent will be comparable in recipients' minds to receiving a box of Godiva chocolates.  While Gift Agent gives cause for much excitement at Baskets By Rita, that is not the only exciting news for the company.

This year, Baskets By Rita is celebrating it's 20th year of business. While many other gift basket companies have gone out of business, Van Woerkom and her staff have managed to maintain steady growth despite the public's growing need to economize. To show their gratitude for the continued support of their customers and celebrate their 20 years of success, Baskets By Rita has planned a series of sales promotions for each month of the year. These promotions include deals such as 15% off when you spend $50 or more and a gift of a free basket for the winner of a video commercial contest. For every dollar saved by their customers through these ongoing promotions, Baskets By Rita will donate a dollar to a local charity. Each month, the company will choose two local charities to support and they will match the savings of their customers to determine the donation amount. The best part of this campaign is that customers are encouraged to vote for their favorite charities so that everyone can be involved. As a local business, Baskets By Rita does its best to support local programs and Van Woerkom is excited to have an excuse to give back even more than her usual holiday charitable donations. Like us on Facebook and vote for your local charity. When doing so we will send you a coupon code for 20% off your next purchase.

What do bunnies have to do with Easter?

Have you ever questioned where the story of the Easter Bunny comes from? I mean really, do the Easter Bunny and eggs really have anything to do with Jesus' resurrection? The response is no. The tradition of the Easter Bunny goes back to the 13th century and came from pre-Christian Germany. The pagan people of that time idolized a variety of gods and goddesses. The goddess of spring and fertility was known as Eostra, which is where the name Easter comes from. As you may know, spring is the season of new birth. As a result of this, Eostra's representation was the rabbit. The rabbit indicates new life since rabbits are well recognized for their elevated rate of breeding. Over time, this image of Eostra brought about other legends and in the 1500s, the first tale of the Easter Bunny was recorded. Now since you know where the bunny originates from you are possibly wondering about the origin of the eggs. Eggs have been a symbolic representation of fertility for generations and were likely integrated in early pagan celebrations of spring. As Christianity became more popular in Europe and in Germany, old pagan ceremonies began to mesh with new Christian celebrations. Today, we know that Easter eggs represent Jesus' resurrection. Over the years the Easter Bunny myth developed still further and grew to become what we know it as today. Similar to the myth of Santa Clause, German families would say to their little ones that if they were good the Easter Bunny would appear and bring eggs that they could trade for candy and various treats. The tradition developed of making nests for the eggs and these nests at some point morphed into the splendid colorful Easter baskets that we have today. The legend of the Easter Bunny first found its way to the United States in the 1700s when German immigrants settled in Pennsylvania. These days, this Easter custom is a prevalent element of our traditions as are heaps of other norms which come from the roots of our immigrant forefathers. If you would like to play at the Easter Bunny this year, order a gift such as our Chocolate Easter Basket for people you love. Baskets By Rita offers quite a few Easter baskets to consider and is offering 10% off all Easter gift baskets for the entire month of March. This Chocolate Easter basket is oh so cute and affordable. It's simply ducky! The Easter box is filled with a chocolate Easter bunny, chocolate eggs, a stuffed yellow ducky, Peeps, white chocolate chip cookies, plastic egg filled with chocolates, Hershey milk chocolate bar, Godiva white chocolate bar, chocolate pecan Turtles, and single chocolate truffles. http://www.basketsbyrita.com