Contact Me
What I do
At Creative Display Solutions we provide our clients with innovative and seamless exhibit experiences through the design, production and management of their tradeshow displays. I believe that if you look great and feel amazing when exhibiting at a tradeshow or doing a live marketing event, that your project success...and people want to do business with successful people! We help companies get strategic with all aspects of their face to face experiential marketing plans, including setting up metrics to effectively analyze the return on investment from participating in shows. Now more than ever, it is critical to evaluate how your marketing efforts are paying off! To that extent, we have launched our new online asset management software which includes a whole section dedicated to show metrics. FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER: http://twitter.com/creativedisplay
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My Story
I started in the exhibit industry in sales and climbed the corporate ladder…ultimately running a multi-million dollar, multi-facility exhibit company as General Manager for one of the largest custom modular display manufacturers worldwide. I left in Dec 2000 and started Creative Display Solutions in early 2001. I left the corporate world for a few key reasons: 1) I wanted to take control of my own destiny. I was working very long hours, and had an excruciating commute that took anywhere from an hour and a half, to four hours each way (depending on NY Metro traffic!). I had no life, had tremendous responsibility, which I didn’t mind, but I also felt that I was not compensated appropriately for the value and results that I brought to the company. Ironically, I made less running the company than I did as a sales person! 2) I was in my early 30’s and knew in my heart that I wanted to start a family at some point in the near future; and that I didn’t want to leave at 5 am and get home at 8 pm and find out what the baby did that day from the Nanny. I wanted some options and flexibility. I knew that at the level that I was in my corporate life, the hours, the responsibility etc. didn’t match the vision of motherhood that I had in my heart and my head. I had to do what was right for me personally 3) I wanted to make a difference. I loved helping companies look their best when going to a trade show. So, I wanted to set up a company that was truly all about the customer and finding the right solution to accomplish their goals and objectives (*At the time, exclusive agreements to sell a single manufacturers product line was pretty standard in the tradeshow industry, you didn’t work with any other manufacturers regardless of whether or not they had something that better suited the customer). That bothered me, so I set up a company based on product diversification. I went to all of the “big boys” told them they wouldn’t have an exclusive, but that if their product was the right solution, I would recommend it to my clients. They agreed, and we now represent over 30 of the leading manufacturers in the exhibit industry and work with custom fabricators for the traditional exhibit fabrication projects. 4) I’m super independent and the thought of making the rules, not conforming was appealing to me! I get to set the tone, and the environment. It’s all about the experience, so we don’t have to work within rigid guidelines and criteria. Life is great – I get to work with awesome clients like JetBlue, CPX Interactive and American Express – Plus I work on things that are really important to me… like sustainable exhibits and eco-friendly products. As a mother of a 6 yr. old little boy, I think about the problems that our society and our children will continue to face if we don’t do something, anything, to slow down the process of global warming…I guess that’s a great subject for a blog!
- My passion:
- I LOVE creating amazing experiences for people; whether for a client going to a tradeshow or a thoughtful gift or note for a friend. It gives me great joy.
- Why I started my business:
- I started my business for several reasons: I wanted to have more control over my financial independence; I wanted to create a business that was all about solutions and options for my clients; I wanted to have scheduling flexibility to start a family.
- Why I joined the M3 RACE:
- To stay laser focused as I grow to the next level, and to connect to brilliant women growing their businesses as well.
- Best business advice:
- Know your financials! If you don't - get your accountant or someone to teach you what you need to know, and how to extract that info from your systems yourself.
- My biggest challenge:
- Recruiting, training and expanding my sales team, to allow me to do the things that I love and excel at while growing the vision of the company.
- What helps my business grow:
- Client referrals for a job well done and the time that I spend working on strategic planning with my business coach.
- How I balance work/life:
- Balance? Hmmm. Still working on that one, but yes, I can leave the office and it still functions and operates smoothly...where as three years ago, it was close to impossible. So yes, there is progress!
- Within five years, my business will:
- Be a $10 million operation, with continued global expansion.
- My professional affiliations:
- EDPA (Exhibit Designers and Producers Association), TSEA (Trade Show Exhibitors Association), NAWBO, WBENC, WLE/LEXCI, M4 ($Million Club)
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My Daily Blog
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Catching up
August 20, 2009
Vacation with my family and craziness at work have delayed my blog posts! In addition to working out this week, I’ve accepted a challenge to go meat-free for one week. It’s been very interesting or should I say weird for me, since minimally chicken is normally part of lunch or dinner! So I am learning and thinking about different ways to make great things that give me protein along with the carbs and other nutrients. I’m a little disproportionate with the carbs right now. J I haven’t noticed much of a difference in how I feel yet, but one of my instructors at Bikram yoga always speaks about how what you eat or drink the day before affect your performance in class… so tomorrow or Saturday might be the breakthrough performance day!
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The Experience
July 17, 2009
GREAT session this morning, and I am 1/3 completed with my Bikram Yoga Challenge! I have to say, as tough as this form of yoga is, and the intensity of the 105 degree room, I LOVE IT! I had the most amazing instructor today. I had never worked with him before, and got the impression that he is a guest instructor. Chris was passionate, joyous and so informative…and he made sure that he reached out and touched each person by acknowledging them at least a couple of times during the 90 minutes. He engaged everyone in the room. Aside from learning a lot and having a great workout, I had a great experience. Since I am all about the experience (it’s the foundation of what we do at Creative Display Solutions) and frankly, just part of my fiber and why I love to do what I do every day…I really left yoga fully charged and ready to take on the day. Chris just validated for me once again, that I am right on the money with what we aim to achieve every single day without clients – a great experience…care factor…expertise. We all have the ability to go above and beyond, and to reach out and touch people and make a difference. I wonder if Chris knows that he has a gift, and that his impact is profound? I’m inspired. :) Happy Friday!
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Present
July 16, 2009
It was a gorgeous New York summer morning as I headed out to my Bikram yoga class at 5:45 AM… there’s something about being out and about before most people, particularly on a crisp, dry, cool summer morning… It’s funny how you learn something, and then it shows up again and again as if to say… ‘Hey you - you need to pay attention to this!’ My coach has been discussing being present, being in the moment… not in the past, not in old stories, not in what’s coming up next. Being the great multi-tasker that I am, I took great pride in the fact that I can do many things at once and be thinking about what’s next. Sounds like real talent doesn’t it? Well, what was happening, was that I was always stressed out…this constant state of tight shoulders, tight chest, insomnia and most recently, persisting migraines creeping back in to my world (which I had not dealt with since prior to leaving corporate America). So, I’ve been working on being present, particularly at the office. I have been playing with it, becoming more aware and trying to work on only one thing at a time…just totally focused on one project until I finish it…then I move on to the next. This “radical” concept has me getting through each thing much faster, because I’m only present to that particular item. I know right now you must be thinking, what the heck does this have to do with your yoga challenge Maureen? Hang in there, we’re coming full circle in a moment. So, I’m at yoga this morning, and my instructor starts talking about being in the moment, being 100% present to this hot yoga practice, focusing only on ourselves and how intensely we can focus on our breathing, and how far we can push ourselves in each pose (without hurting ourselves or doing harm of course!). She went on to talk about the “noise” that we create for ourselves that is totally distracting, that does not let us get the maximum benefit of the 90 minutes we dedicated to this yoga practice. As she talked, I smiled and laughed to myself, and thought of my coach and the lesson/muscle I’m trying to learn at work and home…and it showed up again - at yoga! If you are like me, I’d challenge you to play with this and give it a try…be present to the person you are speaking with, hear them; be present to your child, when you’re with them, put the iPhone or blackberry down; when you’re working on a big project, shut off your email for an hour, the world really will survive without us for an hour (I know, I was shocked too); and yes, when you workout or do yoga, focus on YOU and being in that moment. I’ve got to say that I always thought I was present, boy was I surprised to realize that I am rarely in the moment, I am usually all over the place. It’s been fun paying attention to being present, and yes, the reminder did help me have a great workout, sweating my butt off at Bikram this morning!
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Things begin to change...
July 14, 2009
“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at eventually begin to change.” ~ Wayne Dyer. I dreaded exercise and nutrition because I looked at it as if it were something that I “had to do” instead of something that I wanted to do. Because I shifted my mindset to looking at working out and challenging myself as something that I want to do - for myself, for my wonderful family, everything truly has started to change. Now, I am finding that I am cranky if I don’t work out; I have less energy, etc. I was doing the same thing regarding my business. I naturally seemed to rebel or resist “having” to do something… but the kicker was that I making that story up in my head. In reality, I never have had to do anything; it’s all a choice, isn’t it? So what do you resist doing? What do you “hate” doing? Do you really “have” to do it? Why is it important to you? Embrace why you do things, embrace the big picture and most likely, you too will realize that the over-arching reason (for getting healthy, being successful, running a strong profitable company, heck…even grocery shopping) is far more empowering than the story we tell ourselves around “having” to do something. Look at things differently for a day or two and see how they begin to change. Thanks Mr. Dyer. :)
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Back in the game
July 13, 2009
The knee is feeling better, although still hurting a bit, so the goal of yesterday's session was to make it through as much as I could, and stay in the room. Resting the knee today, and will attempt a full class tomorrow. I've been doubling up on my glucosamine to help it work out whatever is wrong. My instructor wanted me to focus on my knee in the mirror...and I thought "yeah right, so that I can watch it snap in two?"!! I understand the power of position energy and focus, but there has to be some mix of reality too... knee really hurting + standing on one leg trying to balance = safety issue. :) It feels good today. This week will be a great week, and I'm planning to make up one of last week's sessions and do six days, even if I have to sit through part of the poses. I am also working on not taking this all too serious, and having so fun with it. Same thing with my business, working on creating fun around big growth strategies. I am reminded that I am intense... and sometimes I have to shake it up and have some fun and lighten up. It's not easy, particularly when you have built a business from scratch and had to work really hard to get to this point...imagine what it would be like if the intensity was shifted from serious, rigid intensity to fun, relaxed, free intensity. That would be a really cool shift in energy - I'll keep you posted as I have fun with the business and getting healthy this week. The plan... work smart, not hard and focus on being present in the moment, relaxed, joyous, creative, free and full of energy. Happy Monday!
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