Make it easy for media. Post a "Media check in" sign at registration table. Assign one or more of your people to help media when they arrive. Pick up local papers and magazines. Add names and addresses of editors and reporters to your media database.

Create a newsworthy event. Plant a tree - plant 100 trees, offer free financial advice to unwed mothers, clean up a park, give a seminar for small business, give advice for unemployed. Do something in a public place that gets attention. Grant an honorary membership or award to some distinguished member of that community. Get all attendees to sign a gigantic thank you note and present it to mayor for being such a wonderful host. Think photo opportunity.

Give each of your attendees business cards to distribute that read - "Hello - I am a member of xxx Association attending our annual conference in your fine city. I gave you this card because your smile, service, attention, helped make my day."

Make local contact. Arrange for your president and executive director to meet mayor for lunch or breakfast. Arrange breakfast or lunch between some of your high profile members and prominent members of that community. Visit President or CEO of local companies who may have or should have members in your association.

After: Encourage your attendees to call three members who did not attend and tell them what they missed.

Summarize conference - highlights and best ideas. And why location was perfect. Send it to local media, your members and post on your web-site. Write letters to editors of local media. What you loved about location and people or what you disliked. Encourage your attendees to do same. Make copies of all media coverage for next year's media kit. Put in on your web-site. Log all media coverage you received and post on your web site.

Ask mayor to write a letter of introduction to mayor of next year's conference.

And you thought it would be a vacation. It is a marketing opportunity!

An Optometrist came to me years ago, desparte to create an image of speedy service, to combat one hour vision centers that were devouring market. When I asked him how long it took him to provide service, his reply was “one week, but I think I can get it down to three days”. Someone looking for glasses in one hour is not going to be thrilled with waiting three days. So I designed a campaign with a headline that read “We take time.” It went on to extoll vital role of vison in our lives and why it’s important to wait to make sure an eyeglass prescription is done right by a professional. The doctor felt I had completely missed his point, but he trusted my judgement and ran campaign. The phone began to ring and one lady said “I haven’t had my prescription filled because I was waiting to find someone who took more than one hour to ‘grind’ my glasses”. He has run ad for over 15 years and “taking time” has now become his position in market. His revenue, share and bottom line all increased when he became comfortable and congruent with who he was and what he did best- regardless of market.

Transforming a company or brand from mediocre to magnetic requires refocusing on passion that created it and aligning all else around it. Rather than chasing market, market will find you. And that makes work, and life in general, much more attractive.