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Join me this July 15-16 in Lexington, KY
Many people think I’m the kids pastor at some gigantic super-cool-mega-churchopolis.
They couldn’t be more wrong.
In reality, I serve a small church in a largely rural county. My budget affords very few opportunities for continuing education and no money to attend the big kids ministry conferences. For me, I’ve had to network through the Internet. That’s one reason I started this website back in 2007.
So, I was excited when I hear about the Children’s Ministry Expo. Quite simply, it was an even exactly made for people like me.
- Lexington is only 90 minutes from my town.
- It is only $25 to attend
- The Thursday-Friday schedule means I won’t miss church.
Just when I was getting ready to sign-up. One of the event’s organizers contacted me about advertising on our site. Since the event is basically a non-profit they had almost no money to sponsor our site. That’s when we worked out a sweet trade, I gave them free ad space and they set me up as an exhibitor.
Weird But True
Yes, I may be the only exhibitor that shows up to promote a 100% free website. But I thought it would be fun to have a ‘home-base’ where I can hang out with online friends and chat about blogging. Plus I’ll be presenting a few mini-workshops at the booth.
I want to make the most of this event, and have some fun in the process. Here is what I have in mind so far. I would love to hear your ideas too. Just leave a comment below.
- I’ll get a banner printed with our “Ministry-To-Children.com” header and maybe some business cards.
- I’m thinking of printing off the entire blog (yes all 700+ pages) and having it bound as something like a gag display.
- I’m going to make videos like crazy.
- I’m going to bring some books & stuff to give-away (not sure what or how).
- I’m doing two mini-workshops, one on social media networking and the other on serving in a shrinking church.
The drawing is now closed, thanks to all who entered.
Here’s how you can help me and qualify to win two tickets. Just leave a comment below with your creative ideas for my unusual exhibitors booth. I will randomly draw one winner on Saturday 15 May 2010. You’ll still be on your own dime to get to the event, but these tickets will get you in the door. As a bonus, I’ll let you work my both while I go buy coffee.
The word on the street is that Wayne Stocks will also be making the drive.
Here is a one of their videos explaining how the CM EXPO is different than a traditional Children’s Ministry Conference.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8eB-Vek8xU
Related posts:
- This Week in Children’s Ministry for 5/5/2010
- This Week in Children’s Ministry for 2/09/2010
- This Week in Children’s Ministry for 1/6/2010
- This Week in Children’s Ministry for 2/24/2010
- This Week in Children’s Ministry for 4/28/2010
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Indeed there will be two exhibitors there promoting a 100% free website! Ha! Yes, I’m coming to promote the Inclusive Church Blog. I am leading one miniworkshop on special needs/children’s ministry related issues. I haven’t worked out the details re: my booth but I may station myself with the K! Magazine/Kidzmatter team since I write for them. In the meantime, see you in Lexington and can’t wait to meet you in person Tony!
Sounds great! Another reason for people to come out to the EXPO.
Glad to hear you will be there! I hope we get a chance to meet. I’ll make sure to stop by your booth.
The random.org winner was cmoment #2 “Commander Bill”
If you can go, I can get the tickets for you!
Thanks to all who left their comments. It should be a fun time.
Try incorporating some of the lessons that we teach every week in to the expo. That way we understnad what the kids see and feel.
Break it down in to groups just like at church, for example preschool in one section, elementary in another, and teens in another, and we can walk through each area.
Because there are some who have all ages in one area, they are the ones who have the most trouble understnading how to teach the kids.
You should also have a section that is dedicated to having all ages in one class.
I would love to go, and bring my co-teacher.
Trying to make plans to go.
Have some sort of sign up contest where people guess how many pieces of candy are in a jar. (which you could use later for your church’s VBS) Get their name & email address with the closest guess without going over to receive a gift card to an online christian bookstore. You could notify the winner by email with the gift card code, and then add all of those that signed up to your monthly email newsletter.
Ask Chick-Fil-A for icecream coupons to pass out, attached to your business card or bookmark advertising your website. ;)
Sorry, left out one of my favorite marketing tools from my post: printed plastic bags. Check local and web pricing for 9″ X 12″ bags emblazoned with your website and its features. Everyone at the convention will be picking up freebies/papers. The BAG holding the freebies is the item which will get the most visibility! Remember — the brighter the color of your bag, the more attention it will get. Think neon!
Invite/partner up with a Lexington-area magician to perform at your booth and bill it as “Magic in the MINISTRY-TO-CHILDREN.com” There are great magic-related object lessons — such as the Holy Trinity, done with 3 colored scarves, etc. It would create interest and extend your booth viewing time of convention attendees.
-you can get an inexpensive banner made by Vista print
-my husband had his booth banners made by Outreach—they are those kind that stand up–3 in a row and they make a nice backdrop
-give away a page of “Top 10 games” “Top Object Lessons” with your website on the bottom of any giveaway
-have good candy
-give away Samaritan fundraising cards (sorry, shameful promo)
-have sample resources for people to look at of books, items that have helped you the most in your ministry
-have a box or something for people to put suggestions of items/products that they use for their ministry and then post them when you get back or put on a poster board while there.
Love your site. Thanks for your help! Hope to see you there.
Well, it’s about a 9 hour drive for me, but I’m intrigued to go. I’ll have to see what I can do…
Take your laptop (or borrow one) and have a flat screen monitor. With the laptop output to the monitor, have the web site viewable for people that stop by so they can browse the site and see all of the resources available, and then a bookmark or some kind of freebie that they can take home to remind them of the web site.
Bill,
If you end up deciding to go, let me know. I would love to touch base with you to put a face with the name. That way I can replace the image of the guy with the yellow shirt in my head every time I post from you. :)
I already have my ticket to the Expo (as well as tickets to the USA and later to Lexington as I’m from Jakarta, Indonesia) so I wouldn’t be needing the giveaway, but here are some ideas:
- have a book for comments beside your printed out blog and have people who visit the booth sign it or write whatever they want (CM related, of course)
- provide some free resources print out for people to take home, a coloring page or a free lesson, but only one of each kind so people will come to visit your blog for more. So it will be sort of a sample of what people can get here.