Celebrations 101: How to Plan for a child’s Birthday Party

Image source: kingsmillshotel.com

Planning a child’s party need not be stressful if parents know how to go about it. In fact, they may just find the whole experience enjoyable.

One of the very first things that parents should determine is their child’s current interest. Is he or she into dinosaurs? Or cars perhaps? How about the latest Disney movie? Parents can directly ask their child, or they can observe and plan a surprise birthday celebration.

The next step in party planning is setting a budget. How much budget is allocated to the party? Answering this question will help in determining other party essentials.

The following questions should be about party specifics and logistics. When is the party going to be held? Where is it going to be held? What time is the party? These questions will help parent answer another set of questions: How many people can the party venue accommodate? And how many invitees?

Next, parents will have to focus on party supplies. These include how many invitations should be printed out, how many balloons to order, how many tables and chairs should be rented (if necessary), and of course, the headcount for food.

Once all of these has been settled, the hunt for suppliers begins. Parents might want extra help with this part of the planning process since the quality and price of supplies vary from supplier to supplier. Choosing the right suppliers could save parents a fortune.

Image source: ibsrt.com

Club Luichi’s personal consultants help members save a fortune when looking for suppliers for party merchandise. For more about the company and its host of services, visit this LinkedIn page.

Rare Assets: The Nitty-Gritty Of Vintage Shopping

If you're looking to invest in rare pieces, then you must prepare yourself to splurge. It’s highly unlikely that you'll find true vintage gems in yard sales or thrift shops. Do your research first and educate yourself on points that make an item valuable and collectable. To be on safe, enlist the help of a reputable dealer and consider these major points: 

Vintage fashion

 

The thrill of the hunt ultimately lies in how well you know vintage clothing. Aside from quality, you have to focus on the historical or cultural significance and the timelessness of the design. Always remember that the older the piece, the higher the value, so you need to learn the details that make an item genuinely classic. Limited edition pieces from deceased designers like Alexander McQueen are also considered vintage staples with high currency that's likely to increase in the years to come. 

Image source: homesandantiques.com

Rare stamps and coins

 

Experts recommend investing in “key date” U.S. coins that are perennially favored by collectors such as the Morgan Dollar, the 1913 S Buffalo Nickel, and the St. Gaudens $20 Double Eagle (1907-33). If you're into rare stamps, you need to focus on rarity, condition, liquidity, price, and authenticity to ensure more bang for the buck. Stanley Gibbons rare-stamp indices—the GB30 and GB250—contain a list of stamps highly recommended for investment.

Art and antiques

 

These pieces are illiquid assets so you must be prepared for the long holding periods. What's good about these investments is that you get to enjoy them as accents to your walls just like antiques. The value of antique pieces can grow over time as specific crafts gain popularity. 

Image source: imperialcollectables.co.uk

Rare assets aren't something that you purchase on a whim. For some, vintage shopping is a more like a lifestyle, a mindset to be precise. Those who are well-versed in sifting through the vintage bin know that each piece is an investment that holds both monetary and historical value.

Club Luichi is a premier personal shopping and lifestyle network that offers exclusive access and discounts on a wide range of products and services. Click here to learn more about online concierge services and their benefits.

The Big Gadget Sale: Is It Safe To Buy Electronic Products Online?

Convenience and cheaper prices are some of the reasons most people are making the big online shopping switch. A lot of buyers purchase online their needs, including clothes, cosmetics, and even gadgets. But before making the big purchase, here are some tips for a successful online gadget shopping experience. 

Image source: 123rf.com

 

Compare prices

An important purchase demands quality and a bit of research. Make sure to look at various sites before settling on an item to take advantage of promotions and other sales.

Track price history

Impulse buying gets shoppers in trouble and increases the chances of missing out on discounts. Track a product’s price history and see if there’s a possibility of a price drop in the near future.

Be mindful of scammers

Online scammers are everywhere, and they are out to fool those who have the money to buy gadgets. Shop for gadgets at well-known sites, and look for reviews from previous buyers. 

Ask for insured shipping 

While online shopping is convenient, accidents and losses during shipping are common occurrences. Go for insured shipping and be informed of shipping policies. 

Image sources: getyourtips.com

Need tips about online gadget shopping? Club Luichi is an online community helping consumers make their best purchases. Subscribe to this Twitter page for more information and similar reads.

Event Planning: When to Seek help and When to do it Yourself

Other people opt to do the event planning themselves because they believe doing so saves them time and money. You may be organized, driven, optimistic, and brilliant, but ask yourself—can you handle the stress of event planning?

Image source: Moleskine

Do you have enough connections?

Professional event planners have secured relationships with vendors like photographers, musicians, decorators, and caterers. If you think you cannot handle dealing with a lot of vendors, have a professional do the talking for you.

Need manpower?

As the old saying goes, there is strength in numbers. Event planning requires a lot of people working together towards a goal. If you know a lot of people who can help with décor and logistics, do it yourself. Hire a party planner if you think you can’t pull off giving orders to other people.

If you enjoy the stress of planning and have the skills and resources needed for it, do it yourself. It can be a rewarding (and equally tiring) experience, and you might even consider doing it for a living. But if you’re just getting started and have limited skill with doing all the tasks required to pull off a successful event, go on and hire a professional event planner to do the job for you.

Image credit: Entrepreneur.com

Check out this Club Luichi blog for your personal concierge and event planning needs.

The Benefits of Community Marketing Through Social Media

Successful brick-and-mortar stores and e-commerce retailers know the value of building and engaging a community.

Community marketing is an advertising strategy that involves creating an attractive, relatable brand presence to engage existing customers. Starbucks Corporation, for example, incorporated community marketing in its social media strategy via its “My Starbucks Idea” program, through which their customers could make suggestions on everything from new products to loyalty programs.

Image source: sabusinessindex.co.za

Another type of community marketing is one that involves creating an audience first before building a brand. A recent example is Tribesports, a company which describes itself as a “global community of sportspeople.” After creating a large following of amateur and professional athletes through its fitness challenges and groups, the company asked members for suggestions and released a line of athletic clothing tailored to their needs.

Communities on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media websites give consumers a place to connect with like-minded people. They also serve as platforms where potential customers can air their needs. Online communities also give companies the opportunity to address customer requests and complaints to make their customers feel valued.

Apart from building and enhancing brand-customer relationships, community marketing through social media provides other benefits. Online communities allow companies to create a multi-directional, real-time conversation with their customers, helping companies build a strong brand identity through honest, engaging storytelling.

Instead of simply posting links to product websites or tweeting about a new promotion, companies can share content that informs, moves, and motivates. Authenticity matters a lot to modern consumers, who want to know that they're purchasing products or services from a company that cares about them and shares their values. The modern customer rewards companies that meet his or her needs with loyalty.

Image source: linkedin.com

Community marketing is also low-cost, compared to other more traditional forms of marketing, and has the added benefit of allowing companies to tap into a wealth of information and feedback to improve their products and services.

Club Luichi is an online shopping hub that provides its members access to exclusive discounts and deals on a wide range of products and services. For more discussions on community marketing, follow this Google+ account.

How e-commerce has revitalized trade and business communications

One of the more fundamental learnings in business development is understanding trends and how they can be translated into more revenue. Any businessperson would understand that there are many trends to look for and understand; but perhaps one of the most important considerations is e-commerce. This form of trade focuses on business relationships conducted electronically. This suggests the absence of a third party; meaning that both the consumer and retailer are directly communicating with one another.

This trend began with the rapid growth of technology and mobile apps. Entrepreneurs were no longer inclined to hire another company or person to get their message across. Smartphones created an avenue for people to communicate with each other in real-time. This was the catalyst for a new business model.

Image source: business2community.wordpress.com

Many factors changed. Marketing strategies now were more intimate. Consumers were asked to take a closer look at their desired product. Since there was no middleman, consumers operated solely on what they knew and how they reacted to a specific situation. Retailers, on the other hand, had to become more engaging with their customers; not only for sales but to better gauge their market. This drastically changed the way business models were made.

Economists believe that e-commerce dramatically changed trade. Perhaps it was influenced by earlier models of business communications, but it has evolved into its own platform.

Image source: business2community.wordpress.com

Club Luichi is an online platform that connects consumers to wholesalers in a safe and secure environment. Learn the benefits of becoming a member by visiting this LinkedIn page.

How to save on peak-season travel costs

Many travel articles espouse the cost benefits of traveling during the low season, but for those who have yet to embark on their summer vacation, all is not lost. There are ways for travelers to save money even though summer is already in full swing. Below are some tips.

Be flexible with travel dates

For those who don't have to travel on specific dates, being flexible when it comes to arrival and departure dates can mean huge savings on airfare. Booking a flight a day earlier or later can sometimes help travelers save hundreds of dollars. Try websites that allow flexible date searches for air travel, such as Travelocity.com, Google Flights, and Kayak.

Image source: rollingout.com

Book tickets on off-peak days

Experts recommend booking flights on Monday and Tuesday mornings when airlines have just finished meeting the demand for weekend flights. According to Independentraveler.com, airlines typically charge less for tickets from Monday noon to Thursday noon.

 Rent a house, not a hotel room

In some areas, finding residents willing to rent their house or apartment to you might be cheaper than booking a room at a hotel or resort. Most homeowners are willing to negotiate as well, and houses and apartments come with amenities (such as kitchens) that hotel rooms do not.

Image source: occidentalvacationclub.com

Airbnb and VacationHomeRentals.com are two websites that provide information on homes, apartments, and even rooms for rent across the country (and in Airbnb's case, all over the world.) To save even more money, travelers could consider renting out their homes while they're away.

 Club Luichi provides its customers with exclusive discounts on airfare and other travel costs. For more articles on saving money while traveling, subscribe to this blog.