I have a lot of friends in the Albuquerque businessscene because I’ve always been very active in community organizations after Ifounded EXHIB-IT!^® in February of 2000. My trade show marketingcompany is well known because itcontinually earns national awards and remains on a steady growth plan despiteups and downs in the economy — especially when a marketing budget is usuallythe first to go.

 Most recently Enterprising Woman Magazine named me as2008 Enterprising Woman of the Year, an award given to the nation’s top 20woman Entrepreneurs. Enterprising Women Magazine, a publication for womenbusiness owners, presents the award each year. In fact, I will be accepting the award at an awards banquet on February29^th at Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

Winning this most recent award has caused more of myfriends and business associates to ask me how my business keeps growing,especially through all the fluctuations in the economy. This is practically all we talk about atnetworking organization meetings while we share lunch and presentation time.

I try to explain to my business associates that weare in the business of making sure that our clients stay innovative, unique andcreative in their tradeshow marketing presentation. These qualities are important for achieving long lasting successin the marketplace, even when marketing budgets are tight. I explain to everyone who doesn’t know that tradeshows statistically bring a higher rate of return than any other marketingtools combined, which counts for a lot when people don’t have much to spend onmarketing.

Our services become more important if you’re tryingto use trade shows as a way to get more bang for your buck because it’s crucialthat you show up prepared to set yourself apart. What I usually tell my clients is that I have successfully turneda lemon (a small marketing budget) into lemonade (a sale that is lucrative onboth ends).

Here’s my theory on how the process works-

I’ve always carried with me an entrepreneurialspirit. I’m not afraid to takecalculated risks. When clients sit downwith me or my staff, I believe they begin to feel this spirit and begin to tapinto their own entrepreneurial mind. They go ahead and take a calculated risk and then we make sure theysucceed.

At EXHIB-IT!^®, we are always putting ourentrepreneurial drive into looking for new ways to help our clients shine. Our company thrives on our ability toprovide clients with new ways of presenting their message that sets their companyapart and drives traffic to their booth when they exhibit at a show. We carry that drive with us on every projectand we simply won’t let them fail.  One way we make sure they don’t fail iswe send our clients through our Education Station^TM which is adivision completely dedicated to teaching trade show goers and exhibitors howto get the highest return on their tradeshow investment. This has produced anumber of trade show experts after our own heart.

Winning the Enterprising Woman Award certainly put usin the national spotlight recognizing what we do best. I might have won the award based on the wayI grew my business. But my business continues to be successful because otherpeople’s businesses grew, once they began a relationship with EXHIB-IT! That, to me, is the ultimate reward.

DJ Heckes
Owner, EXHIB-IT!^®