1.1   What do I need to setup a new event and get started?

After you've completed your order, log in to the Client site from the Client Login tab on Myshowguide.com, using the email address and password you created during the order process. When you first login to a new event, the system will ask you if you want to populate some of the fields with example Welcome/Thank you/email messages. The system will then take you to the Event section, where you will be able to edit the details of your event, such as dates, logo, intro message, etc.

1.2   Why are some of the event setup fields already filled in with data?

When you first login to a new event, the system will ask you if you want to populate some of the fields with example Welcome/Thank you/email messages. It helps new users to understand how the various functions and fields can be used, and everything is easily changed or deleted. Also, the sample messages have all been tested and work very well; with some minor editing you may find they will work for your event.

1.3   What file formats are acceptable for uploading the event logo?

GIF, JPEG, and PNG graphic files are supported. Note that if you elected to populate your event with sample messages, the system also placed a sample logo for your event. You will see this on the submission form if you click on the "link" for any exhibitor. You should replace this with your own event logo using the Browse and Upload functions on the Event Information page.

1.4   What is the Cutoff Date used for?

Using the Cutoff Date presumes that you will be publishing an Addendum of some kind, where last minute exhibitors or late submissions will be printed. If you won't be printing an Addendum, then leave the Cutoff Date blank, and the Close Date will be used by the system as the last date that any exhibitor can submit their information. The Cutoff Date is the last date by which an exhibitor can submit a "full" listing into the printed show guide. This date is determined by the production schedule of your show guide. Exhibitors that submit before this date will be able to submit a longer company description (this word limit is defined in the "Word Limit For Company Descriptions field" on the Event Information page), and will also be able to answer any questions that you might define. Exhibitors that submit after the Cutoff Date will be published in the Addendum, will use the shorter company description (usually 25 words), and will not be able to answer any questions. Basically, after the Cutoff Date, the submission form is shortened to eliminate the fields that won't be used in the Addendum. To see the difference, try changing the Cutoff Date to some date in the past, and click on an exhibitor update link to view the form.

1.5   What is the Close Date used for?

All exhibitor submissions will be closed as of the Close Date, effectively ending the information capture process. The Close Date is normally determined by the production schedule of the Show Guide or Addendum.

1.6   What email address should I use in the From: field?

We recommend that you set up a new address (perhaps as an alias under an existing account) for handling user questions related to each event. This way, you can filter any questions sent to this address into a separate email folder. We also recommend that you cc: all email messages sent to the exhibitors to this email account. See the question and answer under the Messages section below.

1.7   What is the Word Limit For Company Descriptions field?

The word limit that many show guides use for exhibitor descriptions (the Before Cutoff Date value) is 50 words. A good value for the word limit for after the cutoff date (which means the exhibitor description is going to be published in the Addendum only) is 25 words. However, you can use any word limit you would like.

1.8   What are the Instructions used for?

The Instructions tab is where you will enter a Welcome Message that will appear at the top of the submission form. You will also enter a Thank You message, which will display when an exhibitor successfully submits their information. If you are going to publish an Addendum that contains last minute exhibitor information (for people who submit after the cutoff date), then you should modify the Thank You message that people will see after the cutoff date; there are two fields for Thank You messages, just for this purpose.

1.9   What are the Product Categories used for?

Product Categories are optional. They are used in cases where the Show Guide will contain a directory lisiting of exhibitors sorted by category. By adding a new Product Category, a field will be automatically created on the submission form. Usually, a few main Product Categories are created, and numerous Product Sub-categories are created under each.

1.10   What are the Product Sub-Categories used for?

Within each main Product Category, multiple Sub-categories may be added. Exhibitors will be able to choose from these sub-categories when submitting their information. This information is exported separately from the main exhibitor database (see Export Categories on the Import/Export tab).

1.11   What are the Questions used for?

You may choose to ask your exhibitors a few questions about their participation in the event. Some of this information may be published in the show guide (such as new products being announced at the show), other data may be used for internal purposes only (such as demographic responses, pr release, etc.). Below are a couple of examples that past users have found useful for new products, marketing, audience alignment, etc.:

Question:	What are the attendee job functions your company would like to see at [event name]?
Question:	What are the attendee job titles your company would like to see at [event name]?
Question:	Please enter the name of a new product that you will be showing at [event name]:
Question:	Please enter a 50 word description of the new product:
Question:	Please indicate Yes or No if you grant permission for the new product listed above to be promoted as part of our pre-event press release to the media.

2.1   What are the different Message Types and how are they used?

There are three message types that you can create and use:

1. Message sent to ALL exhibitors (e.g., a sales or marketing message)
2. Message sent to ONLY those exhibitors who have NOT yet submitted their information (e.g., a reminder message)
3. Saved message to be sent to individual exhibitors from the Exhibitor menu.

The Saved Message type cannot be scheduled for a future broadcast date; this message type is only used for manually sending one email at a time to exhibitors.

2.2   What is the difference between Message Formats (HTML and Text)?

You have the option of sending an email in either HTML format or plain text. Sending HTML email messages allows you to format the text using the wysiwig (what you see is what you get) toolbar; basically it means you can make words bold, italic, underline, etc. Text messages do not permit any formatting. We recommend using the HTML format for most messages, but sending an occasional text message to circumvent any spam filters that are set to catch HTML messages. Also, some email clients are not configured to view HTML messages, so sending a couple text messages as part of your email campaign is a good idea.

2.3   How does the WYSIWYG editor work?

First, make sure you are viewing in HTML mode (not Text mode), by clicking the appropriate button next to "Message Format." Then simply type in some text, select the text, and click on a formatting button, just like Microsoft Word. The WYSIWYG editor will apply the style (bold, italic, etc.) to the text. Note: the wysiwig editor can not be seen on a Macintosh-based browser (either IE or Safari). You must be using a Windows OS-based browser to use the wysiwig editor.

2.4   How do I insert the "updatelink" field into a message?

Place the cursor where you would like to insert the [updatelink], and click on the formatting button that is on the far right side of the toolbar. If you mouse over this icon, it will say "Insert Some Text". By inserting the [updatelink] field in an email message, it will be appear to the recipient as a URL that is clickable. The URL goes to a unique web page for that exhibitor to update their information.

2.5   When are messages sent?

Messages are broadcast at the exact date and time specified in the Broadcast Date field.

2.6   What is the "CC: message" field used for?

All transmitted email messages will be copied to the email address entered in the CC: field. We recommend that you enter a valid address (it can be the same address used in the From: field under Event Information). This will send a copy of every message sent by the system to a designated person, who will then have a record of what was sent and when. This is useful when you need to confirm that a particular exhibitor was sent a message.

2.7   Are "Saved" message types ever sent automatically?

No. The Saved Message type cannot be scheduled for a future broadcast date; this message type is only used for manually sending one email at a time to exhibitors.

2.8   Why do I get an error when I try to send a preview email message?

If you receive the message "At least one of the From or Sender fields is required, and neither was found," then you have not entered an email address in the "From:" field for the event. Go to the Event tab, click on the edit icon for the event, and enter an email address in the From: field.

2.9   When I view the Preview for a message, why are all the exhibitors listed?

The Preview mode simply shows you what the message will look like--it is useful for previewing any HTML formatting. However, two things that show in Preview mode will not be seen by the actual recipient of the transmitted message: 1) Email messages are sent individually to each exhibitor; the (sometimes) long list of exhibitors that displays in the Preview mode To: field simply shows who is scheduled to receive that particular message. 2) The [updatelink] for the exhibitors does not display in Preview mode. When the message is actually sent, the [updatelink] reference that you see in Preview mode is replaced by the actual updatelink for each exhibitor.

2.10   What are some guidelines for creating a good email campaign?

Here are some tips for effective email message creation:

• Avoid all caps in the subject line to avoid spam filters
• Mix in an occasional text message (not HTML format) to make sure the text only email clients are reading the message.
• A broadcast time of 11:00am (the Myshowguide.com system uses an eastern time zone clock) means the emails will hit west coast inboxes at 8am, which is better than overnight broadcast times. Ideally, this will help the message appear at the top of the inbox, ahead of the overnight spam. There is always a compromise between the time zones.
• Email accuracy is VERY important. If you don't have the correct email address for an exhibitor, they will not get any reminders. Some event producers send an email request to each exhibitor (in advance of using myshowguide), requesting that they add the reply-to address to their spam filter's allowed list.
• The broadcast date and time that appears in the Broadcast Date field is very literal. If you go into an old message and click "save as new" and forget to change the broadcast date from the past, then the message will be transmitted immediately. Carefully check the message date before saving a new message to make sure it is in the future!
• The Myshowguide.com system does not maintain a database of undeliverable or bounced messages, so it is important that you verify the accuracy of every email address you enter for each exhibitor. There is no way to guarantee or confirm that a message was delivered.

2.11   How can I avoid having my messages caught in the user's spam filter?

Follow the tips listed above on how to create a good email campaign. Also, mix in an occasional text message (not HTML format) to make sure the text only email clients are reading the message.

2.12   Can I clone a prior message, edit it, and schedule it for the future?

Yes. Just edit a previously scheduled message (that has been sent), change the message as you wish, and click "save as new". IMPORTANT! Make sure you change the Broadcast Date field to a future date. If you leave the original message date in the Broadcast Date field, the message will be sent immediately after you save it.

2.13   What is a reasonable schedule for reminding exhibitors?

We recommend reminding exhibitors once a week until the last two weeks before the Cutoff Date, then either 2x/week or 3x/week maximum. Start sending reminders at least one month before the Cutoff Date (or Close Date, if you aren't doing an Addendum). As you add new exhibitors into the system, send them a Saved Message immediately (you can manually send an individual email from the Edit Exhibitor-->Messages tab). Use a Saved Message that has a less urgent message, and send that to every exhibitor first. Then, after they get the manual email, the system will start sending them automatic messages according to the schedule you've defined.

2.14   How can an artificially early cutoff date be used to improve response?

An artificially early cutoff date will definitely improve response. We recommend using an artificial cutoff date, which can be done using the following method:

1. pick an artificial cutoff date that is 2-3 weeks before your real Cutoff Date
2. schedule a series of email messages leading up to that date
3. refer to the artificial cutoff date in all these email messages
4. on the artificial cutoff date, go into the Exhibitors-->Lock/Unlock tab and Lock all completed exhibitors (this will prevent them from editing their information).
5. From the Exhibitors-->Import/Export tab, export the exhibitors and product categories if you want to do some early formatting for the show guide
6. now start another schedule of email reminders using the real Cutoff Date, following the above process, but referring to the real Cutoff Date in all messages
7. on the real Cutoff Date, export all completed exhibitors, then Lock all completed exhibitors.
8. now begin a third email reminder campaign to get everyone who did not make it into the show guide, into the Addendum.

3.1   When entering a new exhibitor manually, what fields are required?

The bold fields must all be filled in: Contact Email, First Name, Last Name, Company, Phone, Booth Number.

3.2   What is the difference between the "Contact Information" and "Published Information" fields?

In the Edit Exhibitor page, The Contact Information (in the green section) is not to be published in the show guide; it is private data that is used for sending the email reminders and contacting the exhibitor by phone. The Published Information fields are intended to be used in the printed show guide, or exported to the event web site for publication online. However, depending on what information the event captures (such as new products, categories, demographic questions, etc.), this information may or may not be published. For example, you would not normally publish exhibitor responses to demographic questions.

3.3   After I enter a new exhibitor manually, what do I do?

We suggest that you immediately send the exhibitor a Saved Message (go to the Edit Exhibitor-->Message tab), asking them to enter their information for the show guide. Then, if they do not respond, they will automatically start to receive any scheduled email reminders that are defined to go to "exhibitors who have not yet responded".

3.4   What is the "updatelink"?

The [updatelink] is like a field in a mail-merge document--it is a reference to a database that is replaced by the contents of a database field. If the [updatelink] is inserted into the body of an email message (when the message is being created, you must insert this field using one of the formatting tools), it will appear to the recipient as a URL that is clickable. The URL goes to a unique web page for that exhibitor to update their information. The [updatelink] is a complex, system-generated URL that is non-obvious, unpublished and not indexed anywhere on the internet.

3.5   How do I upload a CSV or Excel file of exhibitors?

On the Exhibitors-->Import/Export page, click on the Import Exhibitors command. You must have prepared a CSV file (which is a format that Excel will save to) that includes the following field names as the first line of the file. The order of the fields is not important, however the first line of the CSV file must contain these exact headings: Contact Email, First Name, Last Name, Company, Booth Number, Phone.

3.6   How do I export the exhibitor info in a CSV file?

On the Exhibitors-->Import/Export page, click on the Export Exhibitors command. You must first choose the records you want to export, and then specify a name and location for the saved file. This will take from 10 to 60 seconds depending on the number of exhibitors. The exported file will contain all exhibitor information (that has been submitted) in a CSV file.

3.7   How do I export the Category information in a text file?

Exporting the Category information is a separate function from exporting the exhibitor information. On the Import/Export page, choose Export Categories. This will take from 10 to 30 seconds to process, and will then display in a browser window the text of all product categories/sub-categories and exhibitors, sorted alphabetically, and including booth number. The company name and booth number are separated by several spaces, so you can globally replace the spaces with a tab character for easy formatting.

3.8   How do I manually lock or unlock an exhibitor record for editing?

On the Exhibitors-->Exhibitor Tools page, you can globally Lock exhibitors who have submitted their information ("completed" exhibitors), or Lock all exhibitors. On any Edit Exhibitor page, you can manually lock or unlock individual exhibitors using the Lock icon in the upper right corner of the Exhibitor Information page.

3.9   Should I enter copy changes for an exhibitor whose record is locked?

Be careful about doing this! If an exhibitor record is locked, it usually means it has been exported (and possibly formatted in the show guide). If an exhibitor requests a change to their information after it has been locked, be sure you know where the information has been used, and change it in all places (show guide, web site, etc.).

3.10   How do I permit exhibitors to upload a logo?

This may be done either manually for a few selected exhibitors, or globally for all exhibitors. Manual method: Go to the Edit Exhibitor page for any exhibitor. Checking the "Allow Logo Upload" box for any exhibitor will automatically insert a new section on their update page, giving the exhibitor a way to upload a logo. Global method: On the Exhibitors-->Exhibitor Tools page, click the button "Allow Logo Uploads". The global function is usually only used if your show guide will be publishing a logo for ALL exhibitors. If you will only publish a logo for sponsors or selected exhibitors, then you should use the manual method.