WOW! If you have never attended a convention, you must plan to.  They are so fun, exciting, and busy.  This is the first chance I have had to blog in several days.  My days at the convention were filled with; attending sessions, vending, and most importantly, connecting with all my sweeping buddies.  (Plus, it took me two days to catch up upon my return.  So today’s blog post is about Day 2, Friday, July 3rd.)

Friday morning’s session began with Eric Freidberg. Eric owns CFA Promo (@cfapromo) and It’s Easy To Win (@itseasytowin). His talk was very interesting and interactive. As he spoke, we played his BINGO game LIVE. (To play online, click here.)

I will share the most important points he covered in the speech here:

1) Always opt-in to receive a sponsor’s information, newsletters, and samples.

Companies run sweepstakes to increase consumer interaction, brand awareness, customer loyalty, and SALES!  When you opt-in, you help the sponsor reach their goals.  You can always opt-out at any time.

MY TIP: The best reason to opt-in is, most companies let their subscribers know about new contests sweepstakes first.

2) Only enter for prizes you really want to win.

3) DO NOT brag about being a contestor or sweeper.

He told the story of an older gentleman that won a trip to the set of Sesame Street. Not only did he not have any children or grandchildren, but he also bragged about how he was a sweeper, how much he won, etc. (I could feel my stomach tighten as I imagined the horror of the sponsor after spending so much time, energy, and money running a promotion, only to have it end like that.)

4) Be grateful and support the sponsor.

Always send a thank you note. If it’s a small prize, an email will do.  If the prize is large, hand-write a letter to the President or Vice President of Marketing to the sponsoring company(s). Also buy their products or services because when they deem a promotion to be successful, they will run MORE.

When Eric was done, we had prize draws!

If you were not able to attend the convention, you can listen to my interview with Eric here, or check out all the It’s Easy To Win videos on You Tube.

After lunch and an optional Sweepstakes Workshop for Winners, Eric came back and answered all types of sweeps questions followed by prize draws!

That evening we had a 4th of July BBQ buffet (yes, it was the 3rd) followed by more prize draws!

What a great day, and there were still two more days to go!!

ENJOY, GOOD LUCK & HAVE FUN!!