Monthly Minutes – 2006 Archive
Meeting: 14th of September 2006
Present
- Ron Harrington; President
- Judy Stem; Vice President
- Lynn Karr; Director
- Alissa Harrington; Secretary
- Sharon DiTraini
- Tom Sullivan
- Dave Baxter
- Josh Kohn
- Tom Canon
- Isabel Defeo
- Bob Cage
- Doug Heck
- Denise Beaver
- Bryan Paul
- Ken Harris
- Stephen Williams
- Barb Schmidt
- Mark Pallock
- Tracy Rouchard
- Randy Soskil
- David Anderson
- Richard Lord
- Steven Paul Yerger
- Andrew Smith
- Mike Shelah
- Chris Nicoli
- Bob Keller
- Karen Delahanty
Speaker – Sharon DiTraini
Baltimore Examiner Account Executive
Topic: Understanding Print, Radio and Broadcast Media;
Which one will give you the best return on investment?
- Price must ultimately reflect value-return of investment
- When choosing print advertising, look at the geographical region of the publication.
- Effective radio advertising depends on frequency
- 3 to 4 messages a day will penetrate the audience
- Purchase multiple radio spots to be effective
- Know the format of the radio station to reach the clients you want to target. Truly understand the format and demographic of the station.
- Purchase into 2 or 3 stations.
- Create an appealing hook and keep it fresh. Most advertisements are 30 to 60 seconds in length.
- A phone number is difficult for the radio audience to remember-have your phone number spell something out or use repetition to be effective
- Television is not a controlled media.
- Most television ads are expensive, need to purchase a frequency of spots.
- Understand the demographics of the station and the time slot you are buying into
- Television advertising is sold by "day parts"-morning drive, afternoon, etc.
- Cable advertising limits your advertising to a limited viewing scale.
- Only 15 channels out of 101 are actually regularly viewed.
- Reps will use National statistics when selling you spots.
- The average "tune time" is only 14 minutes.
- Not all subscribers receive all stations.
- Dish ownership has grown 55% in the last 5 years-causing a decrease of cable subscribers
- DMA stands for Designated Market Area
- Baltimore DMA = 11 counties = 1 million tv viewers
- No single medium reaches the entire market place-you have to have a marketing mix to be effective.
- Word of mouth is not a form of advertising. It can actually have a negative impact on your business.
- Frequency = penetration = return on investment
General Announcements
- Video Contest
- Josh detailed the PSA contest, including the $500 Cash Prize. Throughout the evening of the Technically Speaking event on November 18th, the audience will view the submitted PSA's and vote for the winning entry through an electronic survey. Todd Burrier will be the MC for the event. Members are asked to promote the video contest event.
- Fallfest – September 23 and 24
- Tom Canon stated this is Carroll County's largest charity event; 20,000 attendees expected. The event includes local business and non-profit participation. The Carroll Tech Council will have a booth at the event, including robot demonstration, balloons and flyer distribution. Volunteers needed to greet at the booth: 2-4pm time slots available on Saturday and Sunday. Please contact Lynn if you can contribute 2 hours of your time.
- Working as One-A Technology Event
- Six CTC representatives attended the "Working As One" Event on Sept 7th at the Ten Oaks Ballroom. Those members include Denise Beaver, Lynn Karr, Dave Baxter, Judy Stem, Alissa Harrington and Ron Harrington. This event allowed the 8 tech councils in the state of MD to share ideas, network and open up lines of communication. Ron noted the success of the Anne Arundel Tech Council, which went from 50 to 200 members in a year and half. The key to their success was related to an active and involved Board of Directors.
- The most recognized CTC programs noted during the event were CompuKids and Technically Correct.
- Ron introduced Dave Baxter as our newest nominated Board Member
Event / Committee Reports
- Annual Event: Technically Speaking Dinner
- Lynn recognized Lighthouse Information Technology Inc., The Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development and Carroll County Economic Development for providing sponsorship to the Technically Speaking Dinner. Judy spoke about the sponsorship opportunities available for the dinner and encouraged all members to attend the event.
- CompuKids
- Lynn noted the success of CompuKids and the continuing need for assistance. Bob Keller announced that the committee recently gave away 9 computers, while 35 families continue to be on the waiting list. The committee has 80 machines donated from Montgomery County. Volunteers are needed to move the machines into the trailer for transport. The committee also received 20 laptops from the School Board, with wireless cards, which be used for our Technically Speaking Event for voting. Lynn reminded members of the continuing need for modems.
- The next CompuKids Work Day is this Saturday, Sept 16th, 9-noon
- LAN Gaming Marathon
- This is a first time event for the Tech Council, taking place on Oct 28th, 10am-10pm at Carroll Community College. Participants will need to bring their own PC and games, which must be locally installed. Bobby will provide the servers.
- 6-8 Xboxes will be networked as well. Staffing needs are to TBD. Recommended LAN games include: Call of Duty, CounterStrike, Battlefield 2.
- New Members
- Lynn welcomed the following new members:
- Andy Smith from the University of MD Baltimore County, working with Information Technology and Security - Andy was in attendance at meeting
- Esther Iglich of McDaniel College
- Kevin Smallwood of Smallwood Enterprises, who recently donated 20 computers to Compukids
- Wade Johanson with Couri Technology
- Technically Correct
- Tom Sullivan is now incorporating a bookshelf method that will allow for faster production. The next show will be released by late Fall. Tom is seeking more members to join this active committee.
- Website
- Isabel announced that details of all upcoming events are posted on the website. She has been working with Doug Heck and Stephen Williams to improve the functionality of the site. Specifically, she announced that soon members will be able to pay for their dues on line.
- Tech Advisory Committee
- Barb reminded members that the next meeting will be on October 17th.
- Westminster City Tech Advisory Board
- Tom Canon announced that Dr. Wack is seeking volunteers to update the media bulletin boards on Channel 23. Specifically, a volunteer is needed from the Sykesville area. The individual will need to commit approximately 1/2 hr once a week to maintain the station's bulletin board. Contact Tom if you can fill this need.
- Lynn announced that CTC member David Anderson will serve as a CTC representative on the ITT Tech Advisory Group.
Member Announcements
- Bob Cage, Brahma Technologies Inc.
- Brahma Technologies Inc., announced two new trademarks, DYCRAV®, acronym for Dynamic Challenge Response Authentication and Verification and DoktorWare™, medical management practice software.
- Mike Shelah, Teltek Systems, Inc.
- Mike Shelah invited all members to attend Teltek's Oct 4th Open House at their new location at E. Main Street. The event will include give-aways, networking and refreshments. Call 443-487-5410 to RSVP.
- Denise Beaver, Carroll County Dept. of Economic Development
- Denise Beaver urged members to become part of the MD Business Roundtable Speakers Bureau. Training will be held tomorrow at the Economic Development Office at 9 am. Another training will occur on Sept 26th. Please go to http://www.mbrt.org/speak and register to speak this fall and select a training session.
- Denise reminded members to utilize LOCATE. Not only to ensure your company is listed, but utilize the promotions to build your business. It's a valuable Tech Council Member Benefit!
- Tom Canon, Westminster Fallfest
- Tom Canon, reminded everyone of Fallfest next weekend, Sept. 23 & 24
Nomination Committee
The nominating committee consists of:
- Josh Kohn
- Isabel Defeo
- Bob Cage
Ron announced that currently there are 5 open board positions. The Board currently meets 4 times a year; however the commitment may increase as the council grows. The Tech council is seeking active and dedicated people to serve on the Board.
The October meeting will present an opportunity to select new Board members. Members may nominate any member in good standing, including self-nominating. Names of candidates need to be submitted to the nominating committee. The nominating committee will also be contacting members who show potential.
Once the candidates have been selected, the nominating committee will assemble the ballot to present to members at the October member meeting. Members will have one month to make their choice and voting will be conducted by the nominating committee at the November meeting.
The meeting was adjourned.
