WEEK THIRTY-EIGHT: What Would You Do To Create The Best Possible BB.com Olympia Expo?

[the_fake_webmaster]

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TOPIC: What Would You Do To Create The Best Possible BB.com Olympia Expo Booth?

For the week of: Aug 18th - Aug 24th
(Wednesday @ Midnight Is The Final Cut).

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The Olympia is just around the corner, and you just got hired on as the man in charge of creating the Bodybuilding.com booth for the Olympia Expo. Your job is to make sure that as many people as possible visit your booth, enjoy their time while there, get a good impression of Bodybuilding.com as a company, and log on to the site later when they get home.

What are you going to do? Are you going to simply set up a backdrop, hand out supplement samples and have a pro sign autographs like many other booths? Or are you going to think of something more creative and fun (while keeping costs from going TOO high)? Bodybuilding.com hired you because of your great results in the past, let's see what you can do!

What would you want to see if you were a visitor? What do you think of the other booths that are usually there? What booths were the best to you in the past? What do you love and what do you hate about the Olympia/Arnold Classic/Bodybuilding show expos?

(CEO's note: Your ideas will be incorporated into our actual booth for tens of thousands of people to see if they are good enough!)

BONUS QUESTION: Who do you think will be crowned the 2005 Mr. Olympia?
Is Ronnie Coleman going to continue is reign and become an 8 time champion, tying Lee Haney? Or does anyone pose a threat to stealing the title?

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NOTE: We will be posting new topics every Thursday night, instead of Friday. We will still post the winners and finalized article Friday afternoon though. If you have any questions on the deadlines or anything in general e-mail Will at topic@bodybuilding.com.

Don't discuss any other topic in this section. ONLY discuss the question above.

The best response will get $75 in credit to use in our online store! The other good responses will be used in an article on the main Bodybuilding.com site, with the poster's forum name listed by it. Become famous!

Thanks,
Will
Webmaster
Bodybuilding.com

[sword chucks]

oh boy, this is a tough topic, well thanks for making the questions so guiding that should help

[DSM18]

Good choice of topic.

[Dallas68]

only problem for me is i never been dere but will check how booths are set up over the net cool topics

[Blap Blaow]

time to get creative! Would you accept a diagramatic model made from toilet roll, washing up liquid bottles and a couple of my old Action Men?!

[Dallas68]

time to get creative! Would you accept a diagramatic model made from toilet roll, washing up liquid bottles and a couple of my old Action Men?!


i ahve no clue what u mean but its definitely random yet still was funny so here goes haha ha haa haa haha ok time to write ppl!! put away ur action men plz

[cardioking]

I have been to the Arnold Classic every year for the past 4 years. I can tell you that most booths that are jam packed with people are the ones giving things away and the ones with a pro signing autographs and posing for pictures. I think the best booths have a variety of things for sale including clothing, supplements and accessories. Bodybuilding.com should advertise the weekly radio shows and the Fit shows that you feature. Possibly make and handout catalogs with all of bodybuilding.com's products in it. Instead of inviting them to get on a bodybuilding website the catalog might entice them into checking it out because they will see the low prices before logging on to the site. Free t-shirts would be great or atleast a little prize bag with the bb.com logo on it. In the bag you could put a shirt or hat, a few free supplement samples, a catalog or atleast featured products and prices on a paper, and possibly a shaker bottle, water bottle or towel.



Who will win the show? I want to say Jay Cutler because he has made some great improvements and I believe is truly the face of bodybuilding but honestly I think Ronnie will win it because he already has an after-Olympia tour scheduled and the show is hyping up his win tying with Lee Haney opportunity. Don't get me wrong... Ronnie is an animal.

[sword chucks]

lol ronnie already has a post-olympia tour ready? LMAO!

[Kill_yourself]

ronnie has practically already made a list of what he is going to do with the prize money of 1st place. Unless the incredible Hulk exist, no one is in the same league.. not even the same planet for crying out loud.

Fun topic... away from the usual fitness related ones.. i will definately try this one.


May inspiration be blessed upon everyone attempting to write this article!

[Dallas68]

hmmmm im on page 5 now typing hehe hopefully more will come to me plus i reckon dat its darn dere pretty good still need to do three more of the questions i have realised why i didnt get a placing in the one i wrote i went off the track and into the dirt haha ok anyway thats my little say good luck people this is a very fun article i must say!

EDIT: yeah its probably 4 squashed together so yeah i just let stuff come to me thats the best ive learnt to try flow more im expecting some hectic competition good luck one and all! haha that action man thing was very funny i must be honest..im trying to allow myself to search for more ideas since i have many already cast in stone got to think bro hahaha

[Blap Blaow]

page 5? Damn! I've got a couple of notes but not gonna think about writing it til maybe monday. I assume everyone's gonna wait til wednesday to post?!

EDIT: maybe Action Man can help...!

Good luck everyone!

[muscleboy333]

Just subscribing, looks like this week is gonna be fun. Good luck all!

[chewwy]

i ahve no clue what u mean but its definitely random yet still was funny so here goes haha ha haa haa haha ok time to write ppl!! put away ur action men plz
rofl

[chewwy]

EDIT: maybe Action Man can help...!

clearly action man is the key. maybe give out little toy bodybuilders with a bb.com logo on. that would be so cool, all these big guys walking around with dolls:D

[Blap Blaow]

HAHAHA! That was what my entire plan of 'Action' *groan* was based on! Hehehe... not really, but is is now...!

[Dallas68]

clearly action man is the key. maybe give out little toy bodybuilders with a bb.com logo on. that would be so cool, all these big guys walking around with dolls:D

damn now i cant use that idea!! my whole article is messed going to have to throw it away and start again! it was solely based around the action men dolls darn....bbuilders have the best humour....hmmmmmmmm......u guys are ridiculous in a good way hahaha

[ho_124]

I have no clue what goes on at an expo cuz i've never been to one. Can't do this article. GL to yall

[sword chucks]

come on guys dont back out of this one, just think of everyone else skipping this week, that means its easier to win lol ;p

[Dallas68]

hey thats alright bro man u take a trip ill take all the placings haha u should have some savvy of what happens i mean its not too difficult hell im writing **** loads and im not experienced in the Mr Olympia. Yet i ahve been to some in own country i think ill post a little earlier than wednesday because then everyone posts an they could criss cross between each persons

[ravadongon]

I have no clue what goes on at an expo cuz i've never been to one. Can't do this article. GL to yall

Same here + I have no idea about pro bodybuilding...

[Dallas68]

wow ho_124 and ravadagon seem apparently out of this totw yet i can see then main presence sword chicks is giving it a go thats lekka bro look forward to see if new ppl try write cheers ppl hope u all doing alright

edit:::EDIT:::thats crazy chewwy my compadre u out!!! jees ok thats odd how ppl r just falling out like flies on hormonal injections lol

sum fresh writers

[chewwy]

Same here + I have no idea about pro bodybuilding...
same.

shame, since this is an original question, and one that may actually alter the way bb.com runs...

...also, it's one that doesn't demand a huge quantity;)

[patfactorx]

more free stuff and more coupons.

I like the Bodybuilding.com shirts. You should either sell them or give a couple away.

[rockstarzusa]

Involved in marketing I would suggest the following...

Highlight the benefits of your site over other online sites... here is what stands out to me

You have a superfast ordering system-highlight this fact in a humorous way, maybe a mock UPS/FedEx guy bulging with muscles.. (if a 'live' model is used then he can talk about how quick and easy ordering with you really is. Break down the stigma some folks still have with online ordering-discuss their credit card info is safe with you etc....

You have over 10,000 USEFUL pages of resourses, make a stack of books equaling 10,000 pages and stack it up, with a sign stating this equals the amount of knowledge available on our website-FREE to access. Everyone loves something for free-tap into this! That will be good to advertise

You have a live show, done by chapman media-maybe record a live show of Bob C interviewing BB.com booth visitors and highlight that the following month... or perhaps interviewing a pro or two for broadcast like was done with Tom Prince.

Invite a knowledgable writer like Clayton South or big cat to be on hand to do a q&a session with enthusiasts at a set time.

Another idea could be to hold a giveaway at a set time where ppl have to show up to claim the prize-the prize being a vip ticket to the Olympia prejudging and finals. Most ppl will have a ticket of some sort, but to offer a vip ticket (with maybe a vip dinner or equivalent) afterwards could really add a lot of value in the mind of entrants. Perhaps winner could be chosen by a question competition on who knows the most about bb.com on the spot...

Very typical, but way more beneficial in your case than other companies, do a giveaway that requires entries to enter a valid email address, and winner will be notified by email. That way you can send a stack of email informing all that entered who actually won, but subconciously putting bb.com in their face post olympia expo...

If you draw ppl in via loss leaders like a giveaway or a pro signing the potential is there to have the event and NOT the booth stick in their mind. Ask ppl who met a particular star last year, they will no doubt remember the meeting, but they may not recall who actually held the meet and greet... get the idea? Ppl that walk away from your booth with the feeling they really gained something valuable for the future will more than likely revisit your site time and time again, and the more familiar they are with you post-Olympia they will more than likely warm to the idea of buying from bb.com, and that means potentiallly unlimited revenue once they spread the word to the 1000,s who WON'T be there to see your booth.

How will bb.com draw in the public? Well the booth size 20X20 will draw in enough just by it's size compared to the smaller booths at 10x10. Also ppl will come in purely because there is so much on offer, (as opposed to a booth retailing one product brand) and the online part will draw enthusiasts by name alone. I know I have put many ppl onto bb.com through my dealings and purchasing success with you, who would otherwise feel more 'safe' going to GNC, this is your competition!

In ending, to become extraordinary requires you only to be marginally different. Everyone attending will see the same stuff, at different booths. Good deals maybe a pro or two. Stand out from the crowd. Let the other companies spend colossul budgets getting this guy or that guy. Don't try and compete based on those rules. Don't try and SELL the public, invite them and work with them. Warm the public up with how BB.com can become their online authority for fitness/bb. Do this and your potential to be the hit of the show will surpass other companies who will no doubt spend their expo budget on a meet and greet-instead of spending the money on being unique and standing out.

I remember the classic case of beta vs. vhs. Everyone in the industry knew/know beta was the superior product, but better marketing saw vhs prevail (unfortunately) So the moral is sometimes he who has the best marketing will win-even if their product is seond rate, hmmm, some supplement companies really come to mind right now!! lol. Luckily for bb.com if you DO have the slickest marketing, then it will be the case of not only great marketing, but also the best online resourse out there too.

Who will win? Well I would say Ronnie, however, if the ifbb is advising or possibly 'warning' their athletes that they are desiring a more classic articulated bb look, rather than the distended beliies and pregnant look that seems to be prevailing more and more (gustavo badells recent addition to this club springs to mind...) 2005 could see a new winner, if they truly enforce this way of judging. If this was to be the case, maybe Dexter Jackson, who is very large, but has a well defined, almost classic look could see the 1st place podium. I like Jay and Ronnie, and they truly are out of this world, but to find a physique that really represents a body that has been fully built, with no lagging bodyparts in all aspects really should determine the winner. If a pro would really work on an outstanding routine, this could upset the balance too, as many pro's posing routines are very typical and predictable. The posing routines of the 1988 Mr O stand out as being some of the best ever. Phil Hill, Bob Paris Lee Labrada etc, all were incredible in their individual routines.

I will be attending the show and will be interested to see who stands out. I trust bb.com will do so. I work many conventions and specialize in creating unique booths for vendors in different industries, it will be good to see how the bb community works an expo like this from a professional viewpoint, and also from my own passion with bb and supplements!! bb.com has the best online presence in my mind, however slick marketing by another smaller company could upset that balance.

regards
-Fletch W.

'Look for progress-not perfection'

[Dallas68]

not bad bro some good ideas...

[Dallas68]

hey guys i think i have exhausted my mental capacity for this totw lol good luck oaks!!

EDIT plz i beg of you do not post i need to my topic thing thanks guys!!!!!

[Dallas68]

A TOTW word document done By DALLAS68 GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL WHO READ THIS!


OLYMPIA EXPO

What I would want to see as a visitor…

Well I see the booth looks quite good it has a fancy backdrop of some hot figure girl in some skimpy clothes yet well toned I must say, and some huge guy that looks as if he could crack a nut between his pectoralis muscles along with some happy smiling people lifting and enjoying life, then the large letters of Bodybuilding.com straight there you are mildly attracted but this is not what would necessarily attract me and a few ignorant fools, as well as if I was an idiot who was a bodybuilder and had no clue about bodybuilding.com a real fool.

I would need not only need visuals but auditory signals as well to be sent to my head to make a trip over to the booth. So what you do is get some high quality speakers rig them up to a microphone turn up the volume and in an interesting manner explain to the consumers why your booth is best… Plus send some of the booth ladies to do the rounds of handing out promotional gear or a page of certain things that will be at the booth to get me to come over to see if I can be the few to receive something of valued interest and appeal at the shop or for whatever you handing out.

“Come to bodybuilding.com we could beat any price anywhere in the world! Tired of being ripped off at your local GNC or pharmacy? Wondering if you can get more bang for your buck? Come down to the last place where you shall ever,
Purchase supplements and more do it at the discretion of your home! All this and tons more on our site come check us if you want to be smart!”

This will perk up a few people and grab attention who doesn’t want to save money?

You then should have the peoples attention next as I am here at your booth I would require to be able to immediately be given knowledge and information and to lastly be amazed at the booth since I was coaxed to come here through sounds.


So now you must have tons of pamphlets that don’t give me too much or too little info I need to understand what the company is doing. Plus the promises I have heard! “So really does your company actually beat the stores for price and your delivery is how much better?” with those questions I need a rep that doesn’t just want to get cash and pocket it while giving out useless and nonsensical advice to any gullible consumer, I need a concerned and intelligent person to converse to, who knows what he/she is talking about.

As I view the booth you should have perhaps not as loud but in the background a fairly large flat screen showing the web video shows from the site or that bodybuilder’s previous Olympia appearance with that pro who is signing autographs at the booth! That should light people’s fires as they will relate more to the potential of that particular person. You cannot not have a pro bodybuilder they are of course the main attraction to the shows you need a high profile perhaps controversial bbuilder that is to be competing and have a guy who is literally a peoples champion. The freakiness of these guys over the crowds will attract those in the know. Make sure he is a Freak that’s what people want.

Contests, free stuff, competitions

ahhh who doesn’t want as much free stuff as possible?? You of course need to make money as well so what you have are some shirts that have the brand logo on but please not just normal shirts which have a little logo stitched on that falls off when ironed that will really aggravate many people, an idea is to have a few shirts or tank tops, sleeveless and long shirts that should be donned (put on) with an interesting graphic such as a cartoon figure maybe something that resembles the incredible hulk on steroids (damn scary I would think) lifting up an insane weight with the veins popping out everywhere and on the back a catch phrase “I visited bodybuilding.com for a few weeks and look at me now im bigger than Ronnie Coleman!!” or anything that really can associate with the graphic. This is definitely far more appealing and should leave a smile on those who purchase it. There would need to be a wide variety and hopefully the larges and XXL will sell out quickly.

HATS

Hats aren’t that favored as I have noted from various members and perhaps with not as many given away or sold then that leaves room for other goodies!

GLOVES

Gloves for lifting could be practical and unpractical to give away seen as many people equals many different hand sizes and I guess there would have to be a wide variety to suit those who get them if they are for purchase you would definitely get more stock with the logo on again.

BOTTLES

Shaker bottles are always very handy, but yet you should be careful to which bottles are handed out or sold as I have found the screw ons tend to leak more if not fastened correctly but the clip on ones with many latches seem to have a leak proof guarantee. Perhaps a main
Prize would be one of those electric mixers you can use anywhere those look very appealing.

STRAPS

Straps are used more by experienced lifters and no doubt some of them will be visiting, serious powerlifters as well so as an idea which would be very pleasing even for some to purchase would be to have a limited edition MR Olympia 2005 strap that is a heavy duty tough and is a guaranteed savoir to those intestines and whatever else that gets jolted around with heavy lifting this should also be a main prize as it is a limited amount due to how the price can climb for them or again for sale and have your logo on somewhere around there.

BAGS

Bags can become tiresome as you can see it in many booths and every other competition for anything but yet if it is appealing and can add value to a bodybuilder’s bodybuilding experience with the carrying of supplements and any other accessories and clothes in an easy to use package (bag) then this could be exciting. The key is to create something people need or demand greatly.

EXTRAS
Then you create Decals to put on cars and stickers to show the world who you are! And to promote the only place where to shop for all training and lifestyle living this could help many people even once they leave the expo and traveling home the decals and stickers can impact many more people looking even for general health.

[Dallas68]

CONTESTS

There is an interesting bench press contest that goes on at “THE CAGE” at the ANIMAL expo in which people receive free supplements if they do the most repetitions at a weight greater than their own. So instead of the Bench press, it could be an idea to do the Squat? Anything more challenging than having weight pounding your chest and surrounding muscles is the need to straddle tons of plates onto your back while you keep form (and save some face) while you sit your ass in the grass (all the way down) struggle on up and put it back in place. There is danger to this but the competitors who sign up for this event shall sign a form which clearly states that neither bodybuilding.com nor any other parts its affiliated to can be sued due to the individuals partaking in such an event. This frees up liability although they will have to wear some form of the right gear. The competitor shall be asked the 90% one rep max to insure a fraction of safety then shall do the necessary to accomplish the feat there will be spots to help In case of injury. The winner with the highest weight shall then receive a large discount to an order on the site which will make another satisfied consumer who will pass it on to his buddies or some supplements on promotion such as Higher Power? OR any of the six supplements featured at the moment on the shopping site.

COMPETITIONS
The first hundred people or so who sign up for a random pick lottery sort of idea will receive a mystery prize it is not said but it has a potential value of upwards to 50$ to anything like 250$ ?? This would definitely increase visitors and create tongues wagging, the minimum donation for entry is 4$ this can be arranged and changed. The biggest feeling to spark in the average person is the idea of excitement and that feeling of not only luck but a potentially very able winner. Unlike the actual bodybuilding competitions with the competitors receiving cash up to a certain amount of winners I still think that’s wrong, these competitions you could hold guarantee however small, but a gift just to insure some feeling of the person to still enjoy their experience and to not disregard the company as a total waste of time you don’t want that! So a gift as any token of appreciation is valued. People enjoy the sense of competing its even more uplifting when it’s something you have a love/hate relationship with especially the revered squat.

“THE BUILD UP!!”

What do I mean by that? Do you really want to know? Are you very sure? That’s tension to build up the idea something great is going to be at that place or that it’s an incredibly good idea to do that said thing. So what I am saying is to allow the visitors before they are near the booth even near the actual place where the venue is to be held they must have the name in their head so on the street and bridges should be strewn across them large posters with “Bodybuilding.com Come get free stuff and meet some extraordinary physiques at MR Olympia 2005 at X place and at X booth and X lot number this will help as the person is more able to recognize and is interested to ask further to find this place!

After they find it, it should as said before look astounding!


In summary to create an awesome booth you need:

 Auditory signals with quality
 Another idea is to have a large space and to be in a main crowded place of the arena or venue to allow many people to observe the going ons.
 Visuals once I get there and when im getting around to get in the venue I must have already seen advertisements for bodybuilding.com and where exactly I can find such a place.
 Good pamphlets
 Fantastic prizes
 Awesome competitions to bring the real serious guys and gals out.
 Very good backdrop with large TV and A themed video showing.
 The video on the flat TV with the pro who is busy signing at your booth
 Very good reps or bodybuilders who work with bb.com such as “Chick” or “Bob Cicherello” as far as I know is a promotional guy for them to allow questions to be spoken and carried out by them no matter what the consumer is right.

 Very good looking toned women to increase the men’s interest. Plus to hand out around the arena. Large well muscled men can do that to increase women’s interests.

 You need a legend of bodybuilding/powerlifting to advertise themselves and your company

 Keep it clean have a pure clean feeling, you don’t want boxes lying behind the tables now do you?

This is a good formula to look into to allow a much brighter and vivid experience for our budding BB novice or knowledgeable bodybuilder/powerlifter.

[Dallas68]

What I think of the usual booths…


Well sadly I have not personally attended any great event of this magnitude overseas in person although I do plan such an excursion in the future. I have seen a great deal of booths in my country, that have some bodybuilder which isn’t much of a crowd puller and an average looking backdrop with pretty good looking women, and an ill fitted rep who doesn’t look like he would be out of place at a chess tournament. Then some of the companies guys standing around not helping or sadly not even there, and some girls only looking pretty and doing nothing this can be annoying and many people who seem to work with that booth will be in apparently deep rooted conversations and ignore you I have actually seen this at other booths that I have been to in my country and it is the worst thing to do to the customer and thusly that person shall grow to neglect the company. “Those who look after their customers are those who will prosper!”

The booths are not all that bad, yet they lack that little bit more they go by that their “big shot” bodybuilder is going to pull in the people this sadly is not always the case nor is it that because people have read in a reputable magazine of the brands new 3 LGT GLX supplement that they will come rushing in so you need to really not expect but get out and then maybe get people in. Even those professional and competing guys/gals who are well noted in potential to sky rocket the industry and sport we all have a burning passion to pursue, they (the pros) have to be open to the people who ask for autographs and those who ask them questions they may be tired of as an employer you should make it clear not in a threatening manner but openly explain to them to become a mutual friend to that customer which may even boost the pros own standings in popularity polls he should be a people person and respond in great humor and be up for the millions of photographs. Just look how people enjoy Jay Cutlers presence he is definitely good to the people. Many “booths” don’t have a detailed plan and an instructed pro which can lead to destruction rather than a potential kick ass day of promotion.

AS I Said There are many new brands who set up a booth and just sit there expecting people to get interested, you have to get off your posteriors and get moving the people have paid their entry fees why should they have to come to you? You have to make an incredibly interesting experience!

Some booths have an interactive screening of the company that is alright but you need people, literally because real forms of communication are more appealing interesting and understandable to anyone.

Many booths Have their supplements stacked all on a long table and they are there literally sitting there in the lights and heat in the open there should be a reduced amount and then that could create an illusion that there is a large demand for this item and then people will herd in to check what that product is and to check how much is left even if they need to purchase it. While the other half are in a cool dry place ready for set up as the first batch is snatched up!

GOOD

• You need enthusiastic reps

• You need a people person bodybuilder

• More than average booth out of the ordinary

• Have a highly appealing idea for your booth highly visible as well

• Products to be displayed in an open manner, not the whole stock piled on to one large table!

BAD

• Don’t sit around!

• Don’t let your pro shunt out customers and photographers

• Don’t have only two people to respond to people more is better

• Don’t have reps who don’t look like they bodybuild at all you promote yourself as number one site and home to bodybuilders yet if that rep is a total lets say good at computers and doesn’t have a body one would put to a real bbuilder then people will think your scammers.

[Dallas68]

What booths were the best to you in the past?

There is never really a certain type of booth and that is good to create uniqueness and it makes it harder to create a very well set out booth yet some of these booths stood out to me some more than others.

THE CAGE for the ANIMAL
supplements booth looks and is damn awesome year after year outside you see a literal cold metal cage and old school lockers with the supplements on top then you got huge guys walking around inside like beasts with seminars, competitions and goodies this is one the most energetically packed place besides the actual reason why your at the MR Olympia!

GNC
Sad I may say since they rip offs compared to bb.com but from pictures I can note that GNC was a pretty good set up a counter with brightly clothed girls, a place for contests and that is a good overall. Not sure what else they were doing…

FLEX
had some good people and was a busy table flashy text backdrop but not high enough.

Bodybuilding.com
had high backdrops to allow people from far to see where they were. “Chick” and many ladies seemed to be the main BB.com people there and could add more skilled persons perhaps.

Muscletech
The infamous brand Muscletech had a good backdrop with their main athletes, and important meanings inscribed in large white letters, Determination and Passion. That’s what I say is good from them.


What I love/hate about Olympia/Arnold/bodybuilding expos?

How can I begin?

This is a big year for the Expo as it is the 40th anniversary of the MR. Olympia with “Arnie” making his presence as well.

These expos have the power to deliver our feared and perhaps taboo sport into the limelight, they certainly lay it out anything you could want, supplements, seminars on training, nutrition, the bodies intricate systems and other scientific marvels and breakthroughs, the greats, contests, free goodies, interviews, the freaks you just love to see cause they damn freaks!, the figure girls that still are well ladies physique wise, tons and tons of booths, interesting new brands coming through and the respected ones with the usual flurry of the usual fanatics, a hype and energetic feeling that really does let you believe that lifting them heavy ass weights is worth it.

Why I HATE it?

The same judges and no rotation could lead to a stale vote year after year and this could lead to a public outcry. Many people don’t like some of the preliminary rounds where one guy asks another to do a certain pose and calls him out. I find this to be alright as it can be more enjoyable. Yet the rounds still have a way to go the IFBB undercover guy has some ideas with that.

Bonus question who is to be crowned Mr. Olympia 2005?

Many people will take into account that Ronnie Coleman has dominated the greatest stage of all bodybuilders for seven straight years and going to potentially tie Lee Haney eight wins record which spanned from 1984 to 1991 with Dorian Yates winning the following year. Ronnie has won from 1998 and so far as up to 2004 this year has seen a large change in rules the most controversial is the ruling of no distended bellies and perhaps a more chiselled and refined feel to the physiques, something Ronnie has had for ages(growth hormone belly) due to the apparent side effects of HGH.


Politics may have more of a say to the next winner as some people want to see a new winner or to try get Ronnie to tie the standing record on the other side of it, He is out of this world massive and i mean freaky massive i have seen the guy when he came to my country for a tour and i have never seen any "man" or anything human look like him, but so are most of the competitors which I am certain under new enforcement of ruling will not be entirely out of chances.

i am not completely certain or sure who is competing and are in the running but there are potential guys such as Jay Cutler a very close adversary to Ronnie and has definitely being getting bigger over the years and has dominated the Arnold Classic for a while now, Gunter Schlierkamp, Markhus Ruhl and many others, who may place differently if for once the rules are applied properly.

Ronnie is still my favourite to win as he may tone down and try eliminating his belly and then the judges will see the rest of his freakiness and reward him with First once again. Jay Cutler could swoop in and shock many people, but will put a good spotlight on the judges decisions. POLITICS as i say is a big part in all this.

Thank you for taking your time to read any feedback would be appreciated and I may edit this further thanks and good luck…

[Dallas68]

You stole a few of my ideas :(


sorry but plz delete ur message so my topic is all together???? please bro!!!!

and couldnt have stolen ur ideas havent seen urs haha lol

[Blap Blaow]

dude, that's a monster of an article! Good luck to ya!

[Dallas68]

thanx looking forward to others ppls articles

[muscleboy333]

sorry but plz delete ur message so my topic is all together???? please bro!!!!

and couldnt have stolen ur ideas havent seen urs haha lol
Sorry about that, it's deleted now :D

Nice article, I'll be posting mine probably tomorrow.

[Dallas68]

thanks look forwards to yours as well.......

[TRICK D]

Introduction:

After being at the 2005 Arnold Classic expo, I was amazed and overwhelmed by the number of booths and the crazy things that was going on at them. The army had a pull-up challenge, Animal had power lifters lifting insane weights in a steel cage, Muscletech had many pros like Branch Warren, Jay Cutler, Johnnie Jackson, and others signing autographs, Twinlab was giving away samples, and the list went on. As I walked down the aisles with bags and bags worth of supplements I ventured to one of my favorite booths, Bodybuilding.com’s where I met Bob Cicherillo. Bob was totally nice and I was given a t-shirt and some supplement samples. The booth was awesome. (Here is a picture of Bob and I at the bodybuilding.com booth http://********.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=390)

The marketing plan:

To separate ourselves from the rest of the booths at the Olympia we need to think big but cheap. Right now bodybuilding.com has used Louis Dorman and Bob Cicherillo in the majority of advertisements. We really need to have them at the booth. What we should do is to have a life size cutout of what Louis Dorman did look like before the awesome transformation and have him sit down right beside it so that people can see living proof of the big changes that can be made using bodybuilding.com’s information and supplements. Also bodybuilding.com should have samples of all supplements Louis recommends to people looking to lose weight. Bob Cicherillo should be given his own table at the booth where he can sign autographs. To draw attention maybe we can get a cutout of him at the 2002 Night Of Champions where Bob had his best finish 2nd (his best conditioning to date in my opinion). This cutout can be a bit larger than life so it stands out in the crowd of booths. Also any models, fitness models, or athletes that bb.com endorses or has close ties too could pose or help with handouts and autographs at the booth.

Handouts:

Bodybuilding.com should give out shirts and hats with their own logo on them. This way it is like a walking advertisement when someone wears the shirt around town. They should give small samples of supplements that are popular today and also give a business card with a discount code on it so that they can save 5% off their first purchase. This would encourage first-time buying. Also, bodybuilding.com should have a drawing every 2 hours or so for a big tub of protein, or another item. Bodybuilding.com will ask people their name, address, and email address, and they will submit it into the big box that will be drawled from. Bodybuilding.com should probably tell the people that if you give your email address, you would be sent a code to save 5% off your first purchase, to encourage giving bb.com email addresses. Then bb.com can email the customer periodically on giveaways and discounts going on at the site. This is a form of marketing that has helped businesses all over the Internet.

Contests:

Bodybuilding.com should sponsor some type of contest. This contest could be like show me your 6-pac contest where a group of celebrity judges (Bob Cicherillo, Louis Dorman, etc) will vote on who has the best 6-pac at the 2005 Olympia! Bodybuilding.com will take a digital camera picture of anyone who wants to register for the contest, and the winner will get a 100-dollar gift certificate to the online store. Although 100 dollars seems like a lot of money, it really isn’t 100 dollars to the company’s eyes. When doing gift certificates the company only has the loss of the wholesale price they get the products for. So if someone orders 100 dollars worth of supplements, the company doesn’t lose the full 100 dollars, only a portion of that ($100 - bodybuilding.com’s wholesale price for supplement= loss).

Bodybuilding.com could also have a bicep curl competition for woman and men and children. In this contest men would have to see how many times they could curl say 80 pounds in 1 minute. Women would use 40 pounds, and children 20 pounds. The winners would get a gift certificate to the online store.

My Personal Experience:

At the 2005 Arnold Classic there were things I loved and things I hated about some of the booths. My favorite booths at the 2005 Arnold Classic were the Bodybuilding.com booth (because of samples, t-shirts, and Bob), Animal booth (cool fence and powerlifters), Muscletech (the pros), Flex/Muscle and Fitness (free magazines and pros were there). My favorite booth was probably Muscletech because of how nice Branch Warren was. I had a nice talk to him and he answered all the questions he could for me he was a very nice man. Bodybuilding.com would come in a close second. There were a few great booths but there were many other ones that weren’t as good. VPX totally disgraced women with their booth at the 2005 Arnold Classic. They had about 40 girls in almost no clothes talking to all the guys. We brought several girls with us on the trip and they were disgusted by the way VPX was. Everyone has to remember that there are many women that come to these expos too, and they need to be represented. There were several small booths that irritated me because of the haggling they tried doing.

As a visitor I want to get good deals, meet pros, and get free supplements. I am pretty sure those three things are on the majority of all visitors’ minds. The expo is a great way to find out about new things and to get information to read about almost anything. Nothing feels better than to shake hands with a bodybuilding icon and get your picture taken with him. I was lucky enough to meet Dorian Yates at this years Arnold Classic. It was a thrill and I am glad I got to do it. http://www.********.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=389


BONUS QUESTION: Who will win the 2005 Olympia?

I have been known to be a pretty good predictor. If you check out the topic of the week for the 2005 Arnold Classic back in March you will see that I predicted the top 6 almost in exact order (I said Darrem Charles would be 5th and he was 6th I do believe). I also am the IFBB columnist for ********.com and have wrote a contender article on their Website. This year the champion will be Ronnie Coleman for the 8th time in the row. There isn’t a man that can match his size and conditioning. He has the best back and legs in the game, not to mention has no weaknesses except his stomach. No other man in the contest has his bodyparts. Jay will finish bride’s maid with Darrem Charles possibly landing at 3rd. I believe Darrem will take his momentum into the Olympia and will finish 3rd because of the new judging criteria. Ruhl will finish somewhere in the top 5 and will come in sharper than ever because of the year break he has taken.

[Dallas68]

DAMN i thought it was tuesday when i posted i honestly did didnt want the wednesday rush lol thats what holidays does to u well look forward to le sword chucky the grand meister of totw to post lol

EDIT" everyone seems to be holding back lol thats alright im the original allstar pranksta writer lol flip its quite unnerving because this subject was a learning experience for me its lekker spread ur mind and keep the mind fresh cool bros really looking forward to another persons article when posted!!

plus this article does not have like articles in the sense of copy and paste this time its completely all your work

[TRICK D]

Here is the dorian yates picture and the Bob chicerillo picture.


Thanks Will.

[sword chucks]

good effort so far everyone, I dont know if I can make a 5 post article on this dallas68, you might have me there ;)

[Kill_yourself]

What Would You Do To Create The Best Possible BB.com Olympia Expo Booth?

My experiences

In the past couple of years I have been attending the expos at major bodybuilding events. They would consist mainly of the Arnold classic, Mr Olympia and of course the GNC Show Of Strength.

They were all absolutely awesome. The intensity, the crowd and the best part would be getting to meet the pros in person and looking at their massive physique that just makes you want to head to the gym.

The perfect booth

There are practically hundreds of booths set up to entertain the crowd. So in order to attract the most attention, the bb.com booth has to surpass normal procedures and get creative.

Meeting the pros
As fellow bodybuilders we constantly see our IFBB Idols do battle on stage and we aspire to be just like them one of these days. So getting to see them in person couldn’t be any better. But the thing is that the bb.com has to bring in more pros. Bob c can only attract so much. I do understand that pros would usually be booked up by other companies so it is not easy to get more of them. But the more pros will only do good for the booth. Getting the Pros to sign things is a usual sight and should definitely not be forgotten.

Mud Wrestling
Let’s not forget about the pro fitness competitors. The expo is used to being filled with awesome bodied chicks, so whoever has the best chicks gets the most attention. What better way to make use of the chicks than to let them wrestle!. Having a mud wrestling event to spice things up a little will definitely draw a crowd for sure. So when crowd comes along, your booth will get the recognition.
(warning: It is imperative that the main booth is set up in a strategic location so that you wouldn’t have customers coming to see the girls wrestle without anyone noticing the booth at all and leaving after that.)

All this are just part of entertainment purposes. Just like the huge crowd that flex wheeler pulled in by having a fight demonstration.

The fit show

I have also been closely following the developments on the new show called “The Fit Show” powered by bb.com. I think the show is awesome and I will continue to support it. So how about making one episode in regards to the expo? If you want the fans to be drawn to the website, film the happenings on the expo, even film the fans themselves who were there. And be sure to tell them to check out the site after you have filmed them. The fans would be become excited to check out the site because they not only want to relive the memories at the expo, they would also want to see themselves in the episode.

Arm wrestling
Also as a form of entertainment for the fans, if pros can arm wrestle with each other based on a knockout format. It is sure to gain attention. Fans would want to see first hand if the big guns of bob C are pure muscle with brute strength or simply synthol. A good match would the lee priest vs. Markus Ruhl or Jay cutler vs. Ronnie Coleman.

As I mentioned earlier I understand that it might be very difficult to organize something like that especially because the top names in bodybuilding would be booked long ahead of time for a list to things to do on that day. So if the initial idea is not able to be carried out, no problem. You can start a contest. For anyone that spends more than a certain amount of money; say $200 can get a chance to refund their money. Here is how this will work. Those that spend more than $200 will write their names down and other information and they will wrestle with other people that also spend more than $200. And the final person that wins based on a knockout format, will get to wrestle Bob C. If bob C wins, bb.com will refund him half the amount he spend as a consulation prize for getting this far. If Bob C loses he will be refund all the amount he spent on his purchase on the bb.com booth. So in this way people will be drawn to the fact that they could buy supplements for free because all they need is to win an arm wrestling match.

(P.s. The $200 mark is a rough estimate for this example. The actual figure has to be high enough so that not everyone that purchases something will get a chance to enter.)

Celebrities

Celebrities are always a big hit. The last time Sylvester Stallone, it created quite a buzz. So getting celebrities that are also actively into fitness would be great. It doesn’t even have to be movie stars. Some examples would be hulk Hogan, Dave batista , John Sena, UFC fighters and K1 fighters. With these type of people there even the wrestling fans would show up to watch them and who knows they might even be hooked onto bodybuilding from there.

Music and Dance

Have fitness models do dances on an elevated platform with a pole to attract more customers. I am not talking about striptease dancing but sexual dancing with skin hugging attire would create a stir and while people are watching get the dancers to throw out samples of supplements that needs to be promoted. If you compare 2 situation;. On,; you receive a free sample from some dude standing there. Two, you received a free sample from a chick dancing on a platform. Which would you prefer? Sounds logical to have it from the chick right? The thing is by throwing out this free samples it will not actually get to reach everyone. So yeah, you have to have a hot stud and hot babe, standing there giving out samples also.

P.s. I am sad to announce this but looks and outer physique does have a impression on people and has the ability to alter their naturally state of mind. So bring on those hot models.

[Kill_yourself]

Lucky draws

Have lucky draws for everything. Maybe every purchase you will automatically be entered into a lucky draw. And to check the results you would have to visit the website and the prizes are in the form of store credit. So by letting the customers check the results for themselves online, then bb.com will get more recognition.

Appearance of booth

The look of the backdrop cannot be too complex. I have seen some booths that have a backdrop with a list of things written on it and I just disregard it because I did not want to spend time looking at that when I could be spending that time doing so much more at the expo. So simplicity is the key here. So not have a backdrop that is filled with words on what bb.com is about. Let the customers be mystified and explore the site for themselves. Maybe a good slogan could do the trick too. Something like “Every thing about bodybuilding in one place” Something like that would be cool.

Never let the staff be seen slacking around the booth. It doesn’t create a good impression. I know it would be hard staying fresh the whole day, so if the staff need to rest do it somewhere else, not within the booth area. Always have babes there and a little flirtatious behaviour from them to gain attention wouldn’t hurt. But be careful not to overdo it. We must bear in mind that it is bodybuilding expo not a playboy mansion.

Power lifting challenge

This is like any other type of power lifting meeting. Consisting of 3 categories contestants from the public will have to compete in squat, bench press and dead lift. The winner is the one with the highest combined lifts and he will get to fly to where is it that bob C trains and spend one training session with bob.

Food

Food is the most essential element in bodybuilding. Ignorant people think that we bodybuilders spend 20 hours in a gym and they forget that we eat as big as we train. So get a grill going. Show some ways on how to spice up that chicken with seasoning that is not harmful to our bodybuilding. You can even have to manufactures of these seasonings to come promote their brands. Teach people how to use these products to add taste and delight into their good old fashion chicken. After every demonstration on how to cook the food, get the fans to try some of it. The smell alone will help draw more customers.

Best Booth I have seen

It is undoubtedly the guys from the Cage. The hardcore animal theme really gets the blood flowing. Seeing those people bench a mountain of weights makes you feel so small that you want to start working out right away. I guess in a way people want to be associated with the “animal” to feel a sense of accomplishment by being hardcore.

Best things about the EXPOS

I absolutely love meeting the pros. It is a feeling I cannot describe. The people that I have seen on magazines, websites, videos were signing my shirt. It’s the best feeling in the world getting to meet your idols. For some people it is Britney spears or even Michael Jackson but for me it has to be meeting Markus Ruhl and Dorian Yates.

Things I hated

One thing I really hated was the confusion and the crowd. The Crowd was crazy. There were just so many people that that getting from place to place needed some struggling. I know it is what the Expo was for, to attract fans. But the most annoying thing is the lack of proper signals. I could so often see a bunch of people lining in a queue for something apparently very huge. But from the back, I don’t what it is. And there is not indication of what I might be. So instead of queuing up I opted to go check out the other things. And only to find out that long queue was the place to get Ronnie Coleman’s autograph. What a waste.

And other times when I do queue up, half an hour later I find out that it is a queue to buy something. So make sure that if the booth is expecting a queue in certain areas, put up huge indications of what the queues are for and also gates to guide the queue lines.

Bonus question

Many people think that Ronnie Coleman is going to be gunned down by jay cutler this year. They only say that because they have not seen Ronnie Coleman before. The guy is from another planet. His mass and muscle definition is outrageous. The only person that has his mass or possibly more mass and width is Markus Ruhl. But too bad for Markus he does not have a back like Ronnie which could easily be used as a table.

Since there will be stricter rules on outstanding guts this year, Ronnie might run in some problems here and there. But even then no one can take him down. He is unstoppable.

So I predict Ronnie Coleman to tie Lee Haney for the MR Olympia. To make predictions about next year will depend on how the contenders look this year first.

[Kill_yourself]

good effort so far everyone, I dont know if I can make a 5 post article on this dallas68, you might have me there ;)


Dude quantity is not everything.. have faith in your own work... its quality that counts.. and sword chucks i saw your article on the main bb.com site.. Did they pay you to write the 2 articles?

[Dallas68]

good effort so far everyone, I dont know if I can make a 5 post article on this dallas68, you might have me there ;)

thanks thats a huge compliment from u bro cool big ups...yeah as kill_yourself says u might have more to the point um points lol so im sure ull come with something very good well good article kill_yourself hectic name

i dont think sword_chucks needs any more encouragement he has won like this basically first,first,second,first blah blah i mean the guy could probably get stuff for two years and he does deserve it lol k anyway waiting for more topics....

[Blap Blaow]

Olympia 2005. Athletes train for years on end, pushing the boundaries of their mortal flesh further and further; redefining the limits of the human body. Supported by trainers, medical staff and supplements year upon year it becomes clearer that nothing is impossible.

However, Olympia is not only an opportunity for the athletes to display their hard work to the admiring crowds, but also an opportunity for the supporting groups of trainers, equipment suppliers and supplement companies to put on show some of the things which have helped those on stage get where they are. The sum of what makes a great bodybuilder is far greater than what ultimately ends up on stage.

Bodybuilding.com is at the core of this supporting cast. Its strengths lie in the fact that it combines massive amounts of knowledge and experience with the supply of a massive and diverse range of quality products. Bodybuilding.com is the complete package when it comes to bodybuilding and these are the unique strengths it should be looking to promote at its 2005 Olympia booth. While other companies look to rely on one off gimmicks to promote their products at their booths, I believe that Bodybuilding.com can look within itself for inspiration.

Theme: “Strength in Numbers”

Bodybuilding.com has a huge fan base on the forums, a massive amount of product available in its Cyberstore and a diverse range of experienced writers with a wealth of knowledge to share. The amount of combined experience is insurmountable by any other bodybuilding body and the diversity of this knowledge is awesome. These 3 primary and unique assets should be at the core of any Bodybuilding.com promotional venture.

The Basics

Although done over and over and over again, do not underestimate the power of good looking reps and freebies to pull in the crowds! There is a reason that booths continue to use ‘the beautiful people’ to promote their products- in order to promote a lifestyle to potential customers and inspire others to go put the hard work in. Without being rude, in the past certain booths have used the most inappropriate staff at their booths to sell a vision of health when they appear to have no concept of the word themselves. Bodybuilding.com’s Arnold Classic booth this year was staffed by an awesome and well respected all-star cast (Bob Cicerello, Brenda Kelly, Laura Mak, Valentina Chepiga, and Louis "Pud to Stud" Dorman) and Bodybuilding.com should look to a similar crew to represent it come Olympia.

The freebies that we all know and love could be given a twist this year. Whereas in the past a freebie was just a small tester for a product, this year each one could be stamped or stickered with a promotional code. This code, when entered at the Cyberstore could give a discount- say 5 or 10% the next time that particular item was actually purchased at the Cyberstore. Not only will visitors be getting a free sample but the opportunity to purchase more at discounted prices by logging on!

How do you get people interested? A set of strategically displayed screens could display customer testimonials, advertise offers and competitions and generally provide more information to the public. Bodybuilding.com could even do an offer whereby prices on the main website are cut even further over the Olympia weekend. This could apply to all customers everywhere, or there could simply be a couple of terminals set up logged on to the Cyberstore where visitors to Olympia 2005 get the chance for exclusive discounts there and then. This would also provide a great opportunity to get people familiar with the website in general, and more likely to have a look when they get home. There could be an offer over the Olympia weekend whereby all Cyberstore shipping costs are free, so everyone can be part of the Bodybuilding.com Olympia 2005 experience, no matter where they are.

Although a strong foundation, ‘the beautiful people’ with hugely discounted products and audio-visual support cannot be relied upon alone to promote Bodybuilding.com. They may get people to the booth but we could do more to keep them interested and get them logging on when they get home.

The Look

… imagine the Bodybuilding.com logo set to a backdrop of the names of every one of the writers, staff and admin and forum members. A truly awesome sight, and a way of showing off to the world the popularity and combined knowledge available at Bodybuilding.com. This would be a simple and effective backdrop.

That’s just for starters. One of the most impressive things at any expo is a booth which simply puts in the effort for its customers. A slightly more expensive and effective approach to the backdrop idea would be an enormous feature sculpture of Atlas, the mythological Greek Titan, holding the world across his shoulders. The muscular figure could be in Bodybuilding.com’s colours and across the globe could be the Bodybuilding.com logo, behind which, again, would the names of the staff and forum members spanning the planet! A message to all visitors of what Bodybuilding.com is truly about.

[Blap Blaow]

Getting People onto the Website

Unlike many other organisations where products are available in stores, the challenge Bodybuilding.com faces is to get people onto the website in order to look around. The only time I have ever logged on to a website is when there has been a strong incentive too- simple advertising on boards and the side of bags never really made me want to bother- not even scantily clad women with web addresses across their thongs! Great to look at at the time, but you’re not taking any interest in a website address! Incentives come in all forms, but a time tested method is that of the competition.

The Bodybuilding.com ‘Transformation of a Lifetime’

Ok, a corny name I know! The concept of the ‘Transformation of a Lifetime’ is simple- a competition for both men and women to change their lives for the better through diet, exercise, time management and adopting a generally more positive attitude to health and life. We’ve all been inspired by Bodybuilding.com’s ‘Transformations of the Week’ and this would be an opportunity to transform someone with the support of Bodybuilding.com’s knowledge, experience and product availability in front of an audience of millions.

Done a million times before, right? Well, not like this. At the expo Bodybuilding.com could give out application forms for the challenge asking the basic questions but also why they would want to change the direction of their health and what they think they can gain from this. Next, an area could be set up (maybe in conjuction with a company like Accu-measure for example) where people’s bf% and weight are taken along with a photograph. Bodybuilding.com even has its very own transformation star- Louis Dorman, to promote the whole event.

Over the course of the next week or so Bodybuilding.com could select say, the 10 guys and 10 girls that could benefit most from a life altering experience and upload these onto the Bodybuilding.com website. Final step, get the users to vote!

The ‘Transformation of a Lifetime’ would provide an opportunity to change the lives of one man and one woman for the better. How? Every week, month or fortnight the pool of expert writers and trainers of Bodybuilding.com could provide personal advice on training, diet, supplementation, time management and general lifestyle strategies. The Cyberstore could provide supplements on a monthly basis (all of which could be displayed at the Bodybuilding.com booth at the 2005 Olympia) and maybe a years’ gym membership too. At the same time those chosen could provide weekly, fortnightly or monthly progress logs. This would truly be an inspiration to Bodybuilding.com users and allow people new to fitness to be able to chart their progress alongside the Challengee’s, and to see the same ups and downs in life and fitness that we all experience.

This would also show many people the diversity of Bodybuilding.com- a ‘one-stop shop’ for health and fitness, as well as demonstrating a long term commitment to potential customers. Who knows- the programme could breed the next Louis Dorman- and someone to attract the crowds at Bodybuilding.com’s Olympia 2006 booth!

‘Knowledge is Power’ Magazine

This is a simple concept again based around the vast amount of knowledge available through Bodybuilding.com. The expert writers of Bodybuilding.com could together produce a one-off magazine in which they introduce training ideas, nutritional advice and supplement information. Ideally, some of the pros could be asked to produce a short article- making the publication an opportunity to gain an insight into the lives of the pros. Maybe past pros could be asked to write a feature- with the amount of ex-professional bodybuilders bound to be walking around Olympia 2005 the magazine could double as an autograph book and an excellent advertising opportunity for Bodybuilding.com.

Alternatively, Bodybuilding.com could produce a one off publication containing the ‘Best Of’ from the last year or so. This could again be a compilation of interviews (for example the recent one from Ronnie Coleman) or other informative pieces stand out pieces from the plethora of those available on the website, making it known to visitors that Bodybuilding.com is a major player in all aspects of the game, and not just a supplement shop.

Lectures

Bodybuilding.com could capitalise on the power of the knowledge it has at its fingertips. Rather (or alongside) the magazine could be a series of lectures over the expo presented by some of Bodybuilding.com’s own experts. From supplementation and nutrition to workout plans and even yoga, a short but concise seminar would be a draw to the fans and allow for some expert advice in a question and answer time too. Milos Sarcev and his buddy and training partner Marcelo Caraveo could run their own live and exclusive version of the Fit Show with top training tips and an interactive question and answer session with the audience.

[Blap Blaow]

Fans Olympia 2005 Review

Topic of the Week is a popular but often under-competed area of Bodybuilding.com. Why? Because all of us are still learning but some may be confident in their knowledge than others. A topic can only be successfully written about with an adequate amount of research and some prior knowledge- a lot of the time potential writers to Topic of the Week may be intimidated by the knowledge that other may (or just may pretend to) have.

However, the opportunity to write a review of Olympia 2005 puts things on an even keel somewhat. It provides an opportunity for only people that attended the event to write a review of the whole thing- good bits, bad bits, highlights, funny stories etc and a means to advertise the rest of the site to potential future customers/ users. By uploading the best articles on the site us- the average fan unable to attend Olympia ourselves, get an opportunity to read about the event from a fans perspective. Again, either the BB.com staff could be called upon for judging or an online poll could be carried out. This would again get fans interested in the site for reasons other than the Cyberstore.

A Snapshot of Olympia

This provides another opportunity to get Olympia goers onto the Bodybuilding.com site. Quite simply, the fans would have the opportunity to submit photographs which they think best sums up the show- a candid picture of a pro, an interesting backstage moment, a well timed picture of the posedown etc. Maybe the winner could be again judged through a week- long online vote and the winner given $250 supplement voucher at the Cyberstore- (obviously depending on how much you would be willing to give away.) This would be another great opportunity to get people logged and looking around the Bodybuilding.com site. This would also be a great way for fans unable to attend to be able to gauge the atmosphere of the event and feel more like part of it.


Physical Challenges

Everyone loves to be able to take part in a physical challenge, particularly aspiring bodybuilders- just look at the success of the Animal bench press challenge. These are a couple of ideas I came up with in order to add a lot of excitement and action around the Bodybuilding.com booth. Ok, at the start I said nothing too gimmicky but these just sounded like too much fun in my head!


Lift Your Weight in Whey!

The concept is simple- see who can carry their own weight in whey protein across maybe a small obstacle course- or maybe just stacked on top of each other in a huge column (obviously crash helmets are a must!)- or how about in small 2lb bags from one spot to another in one go. The prize? Your weight in whey! If that’s too much, maybe a voucher for Bodybuilding.com or a customised t-shirt as described later.

The sight of people staggering around with mounds of protein powder is bound to create a fever around the Bodybuilding.com booth and draw the crowd’s interest in Bodybuilding.com as a whole.

The Bodybuilding.com Dip-Mobile!

One of the most talked about booths of recent years has been the Universal Nutrition Animal Cage with its bench press competition. What really made the Animal bench press competition work is rather than everyone lifting a set weight- say bench pressing 180lbs, it took into account the size of the competitor, so each person had to bench their own weight. This put this on an even keel for everyone and undoubtedly increased the popularity of the event. Something similar would be a dipping challenge- a contest to see which man and woman could perform the most un-weighted dips by the end of each day. A little too obvious huh? Well, in order to create a bit more excitement Bodybuilding.com could mount the parallel bars in the back of a pick-up truck, a 1954 Chevy for example! Give it a custom Bodybuilding.com paint job and the crowds will flock over to take part. This could even be used in promotions in the future.

Got a little more to spend? Fit it with a hydraulic system and let the Dip-Mobile get in on some dipping action itself. Even set up a set of decks in the back and get a DJ to mix while the whole thing is going on!

I understand this probably blows the budget slightly but it’s certainly a fun idea and one that I, as a visitor, would remember for a long while after the event.

Prizes/ Custom merchandise

At the 2004 Arnold Classic Animal (yes, them again) brought in a tattooist and offered free a free 100% real and permanent tattoo of the Animal ‘A’ logo to anyone interested. The queues were so long that a huge amount of people that had signed up simply couldn’t be fitted in over the weekend. I’m not suggesting that visitors to the 2005 Olympia expo should leave with a BB.bom logo tattooed on their arms (although this would be an awesome marketing tactic), it goes to show that people love to be part of the action and be a real part of the event.

I’ve noticed from pictures that some of the people staffing the Bodybuilding.com booth have been given snazzy and quality vests and t-shirts with the bb.com logo across them. Selling or giving away tops like this as prizes would be great for fans to get a piece of the action. What could make this really special is Bodybuilding.com hired staff and equipment to be able to emboss the tops with personalised names- like you do with basketball vests and football (soccer) shirts. Suddenly a top which may only be reserved for the gym becomes a fashion accessory, spreading the Bodybuilding.com name with them.

Bodybuilding.com could even commission a new range of limited edition clothing commemorating Olympia 2005. These could range from vests to hockey style shirts and could, again, be either given away as prizes or sold at the booth. The ability to customise these tops would make them even more special.

[Blap Blaow]

What do you think of the other booths that are usually there? What booths were the best to you in the past?

In all of the expos I’ve been to in the past (bodybuilding, cars or even house design!) the booths have pretty much always the same. Good looking women and average looking guys giving away teeny tiny little sample packets, mementoes and magazines and celebrities surrounded by their fans. The booths that have always stood out are the ones that are staffed by friendly (or even famous) characters combined with a slick and modern design. As much as I like the free stuff, when I get home the company that gave me a quarter packet of chewable creatine or an eighth of a protein bar is usually the last thing I remember. In contrast, the booths that I have disliked most are the ones in which the staff either can’t be bothered to do their job or have no staff present at all. Personally, I respect a company a lot more when I can see the effort and thought that has been put into their booth. Although lots may not like their products, Animal usually come up trumps in this regard.

What do you love and what do you hate about the Olympia/Arnold Classic/Bodybuilding show expos?

When it comes to any expo, I love the atmosphere and knowing you’re in the company of thousands of fans just like yourself. Walking past people that you admire and being able to talk to them is a fantastic experience.

Although this may sound contradictory to the first point, I hate the mammoth crowds! The buzz and excitement in the air is amazing but those pointy elbows are a lot less fun. Although I have already mentioned this, I also dislike booths which provide samples open so that you have no choice but to consume them there and then. Sometimes the last thing you want is a slice of half melted and pre-fingered protein bar.

BONUS QUESTION: Who do you think will be crowned the 2005 Mr. Olympia? Is Ronnie Coleman going to continue is reign and become an 8 time champion, tying Lee Haney? Or does anyone pose a threat to stealing the title?

This is a very difficult question for many reasons. Firstly, there’s the new IBBF judging criteria. Personally I would hope that unless Ronnie Coleman has done A LOT of work, particularly in regard to his belly, the competition will be flung wide open. That is only, of course, if the new criteria are strictly adhered to. However, in regard to shear size and physical presence, Ronnie should win- after all Dorian Yates’ reign ushered in a new era of mass monsters of which Ronnie is supreme. Then again, how about the fact that he is going for his 8th title when Jay Cutler has come so close in the past? Jay’s also made it clear on his website exactly what he thinks is going to happen come Olympia.

“On October 15th 2005 I will arrive at my destiny”
Jay Cutler Official Website

Remember, even Lee Haney retired his reign when Dorian Yates became a serious threat to his title and Jay has come oh so close in the past. But then there’s the mysterious politics that lurks in the shadows of the IBBF and Mr Olympia to take into account…

Looking at all angles, I feel that Ronnie will go on to win this year, although it will be tight. I think he has the will, determination and physique to go on for number nine too and then call it day- when he’s firmly on top…

… all hail old King Coleman!






one for the Coleman Family Album of the future...?

[Dallas68]

The Basics

Without being rude, in the past certain booths have used the most inappropriate staff at their booths to sell a vision of health when they appear to have no concept of the word themselves.

very very true bro on the pictures they have this guy like with this belly and slouching of all things!

good luck good article will read properly soon lol

EDIT yeah its disgusting actually im sure many chisseled people would gladly take up the job of selling and giving out a product to promote a lifestyle some ppl are just total um fools

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/big/2004olympia_expo20.jpg

this guy looks funny haha like that kenan and kel show haha lol

thanks bro hahaha

[Blap Blaow]

sounds like the kind of thing I was thinking about. Can't find the pics now but the one I was looking at was with 5 fat hairy guys trying to sell slimming bars at a booth! What the hell is that all about?!!!!! Lol

EDIT:

this guy looks funny haha like that kenan and kel show haha lol

HAHAHA- that's funny!

[Dallas68]

[b]

… all hail old King Coleman!
one for the Coleman Family Album of the future...?

thats cool and very true perhaps.. never looked first time lol its funny at his tour in my country some guy asked how his wife feels about bb i think and he says doesnt have wife right now he does have kids though and a sister who is his doctor honest...has five or six check ups a year not bad

an interesting story ronnie told us when he was gymming before bb when he was a policeman wouldnt that be scary chasing u down..he was squatting some huge weight and heard a crack in his lower back or leg mind is foggy and he went to doctor after a while and his doctor was a bb and put him on steroids so then ppl noticed and he was propelled into limelight
--ok children more stories of your daddy tomorrow finish ur protein and ur liver tabs and sleep well if u want to get like the freak ur father is!

sorry couldnt resist...

[sword chucks]

Representing Bodybuilding.com at the 2005 Olympia

The 2005 Olympia is going to be another huge event in the bodybuilding world. The Olympia is the biggest bodybuilding competition out of all of them- bodybuilders in the Olympia are the best bodybuilders in the entire world!

Since bodybuilding is becoming more of a mainstream activity, there should be more and more people there each time. Not only that, but this will be a huge event in bodybuilding and attract more bodybuilders than any other year for that reason! This is a perfect time to let people know about www.bodybuilding.com, a great source of bodybuilding information and bodybuilding-related products.

Because of this, bodybuilding.com is going to need to do something to bring extra attention to their booth. Something that no other booth will have thought of! This way, visitors to the Olympia will walk away with the name “Bodybuilding.com” fresh in their minds. So what can be done to make sure people will want to log on to bodybuilding.com the second they get home? Well, there are a few things that can be done, without spending ridiculous amounts of money.

This article is going to go into several ideas that will attract visitors to the bodybuilding.com expo and show them that bodybuilding.com is a quality store and website! There are a lot of things that can be done, like handing out sample items and shirts, having contests, having top bodybuilders show up, and more.

Handouts

There are a lot of things that people attending a bodybuilding show would appreciate as handouts. While a free scoop of protein might not save a bodybuilder tons of money, it will still be different from the usual, which is always a good thing. There are a few supplements out there that have immediate effects as well, and just one use can have a potent effect in improving a workout, so handing out samples of things like that is very helpful. For people that are from out-of-town, a place to work out will be a big help. These are a few ideas that I had in mind for handouts at the Bodybuilding.com expo booth.

Sample Supplements

When choosing supplements to give out samples of, there are a few things to keep in mind. The supplement should not be something that requires consistent use to kick in, because handing out a whole supply of something like creatine for each person would not only be expensive, but it would also be just silly! Here are some supplements that would make good handouts:

Stimulants

One category of supplements that has an immediate effect is the stimulant. Many stimulants have an extremely potent effect, especially for the first use or two. I would recommend handing out less popular stimulant products. SciViation Neurostim and ErgoPharm AMP might be some of the best stimulants out there, but there have already been tons of samples of those products sent around. When choosing gimmicks for the expo booth, you have to be unique!

Dymatize Liquid amp’d is a supplement with similar effects to ErgoPharm AMP. This supplement boosts energy for a whole 5 hours, and because it has different ingredients from other energy boosters, its effect on the first use will be more pronounced. Bodybuilding.com representatives can hand out sample packets of amp’d to other avid bodybuilders!

Supplements for a pump

Blood Transport Increasing Products that contain arginine are what cause those huge, vein-busting pumps that some people in the gym feel. Paying for a product that improves the pump might seem pointless to many people, but in the form of a free sample, these arginine products are definitely worth a try!

Samples of XYience NOX-CG3 would really pack a punch for the customer’s next workout. This product contains creatine, arginine AND glutamine, which means it should produce a huge burst of strength and a huge pump too. Sample packs of XYience NOX-CG3 would help out anybody attending bodybuilding.com’s booth.

Protein-Packed Meal Replacements

All bodybuilders know that having food every 2-3 hours is key to success, and I am sure that anybody visiting the Olympia will be worried about possibly missing a protein-packed meal by attending the show for too long. If they could get some simple meal replacements for their stay at the Olympia, they would be inclined to stick around for a longer time!

For maximum convenience, I recommend handing out free RTD (Ready-To-Drink) shakes. There are two that come to mind.

Musclemilk RTD shakes

CytoSport Musclemilk would be a nutritious meal replacement for any bodybuilder looking for a meal, but especially for those looking to pack on a bunch of weight. This doesn’t require the bodybuilder to bring around Tupperware, shaker bottles, or anything like that- just a disposable bottle- so it is very bodybuilder-friendly.

LeanBody RTD shakes

For people who can’t fit in the extra calories contained in Musclemilk, the Labrada Leanbody RTD shake is an effective alternative. I received one of these in with my order a few days ago, and it was really convenient for me, even though I just drank in at my house while watching television. It’s amazing how these things taste and look like those chocolate milk or juice boxes that I drank as a kid! This made my experience drinking the LeanBody RTD shake even better.

Therefore, handing out sample RTD shakes would big a big help for all of the bodybuilders visiting the show. Remember, though, one per customer!

Gym Passes for Nearby Gyms

Since the Olympia is in a small location, there will be a lot of people who show up from out-of-town. A lot of times, these people miss a few days of workouts for the Olympia. I think that bodybuilding.com should find a good fitness center or hardcore gym which is somewhere near the Olympia, and buy several one-day gym passes to hand out to visitors.

The passes could say something like, “Thanks for visiting our booth. from, bodybuilding.com” This would remind visitors about bodybuilding.com, and also be extremely helpful. Sometimes people miss out on the Olympia because they don’t want to miss workouts, so free gym passes would mean a lot to them.

Continued in next post

[sword chucks]

A Big Showing From Top Bodybuilders

Meeting top bodybuilders can be very inspiring, and there are a lot of people who attend these expos just to meet their favorite bodybuilders. It is unfortunate for bodybuilding.com that we can’t get Mr. Olympia himself for our booth, but we have some other fitness names to invite. Bob Chic is a professional bodybuilder who has always done bodybuilding good by being there at the expo. Louis Dorman has also done a great job of showing what bodybuilding can really do. Russ DeLuca made a good representative in the 2002 Olympia Expo too.

Other Inspiring Figures

I think that if we could get some of our other bodybuilders like Shane Geise and Layne Norton to show up for bodybuilding.com, they could provide more support.

Spice things up with some Fitness Competitors!

We also want to appeal to the female side of bodybuilding, so we should also have some fitness competitors to represent bodybuilding.com as well. Bodybuilding.com shouldn’t have much trouble finding some fitness chicks to show up.

These competitive bodybuilders and fitness competitors could do things like hand out samples and autograph pictures, which would show that bodybuilding.com is very generous and backed up by successful bodybuilders and fitness competitors.

Advice Table

The first thing most people want to ask a pro bodybuilder when they see one is probably either going to be “can I have an autograph?”, “How much do you weigh??” or “How do I get big like you?” While this might annoy a lot of professional bodybuilders from being constantly asked, causing them to give choppy answers, bodybuilding.com representatives could take a few minutes per person to give out real quality advice.

A small area to be used as an advice area would attract a whole bunch of customers because advice from someone successful always goes a long way. If someone wants advice on improving their physique, it would only be natural for them to go to somebody who has already succeeded in that.

A Raffle to be on The Fit Show and Work Out with Milos!

The Bodybuilding.com Fit Show has definitely improved their reputation. Holding a raffle is always exciting at an event like the Olympia Expo, so bodybuilding.com should hold one, making the prize one workout with Milos Sarcev on the Fit Show! Raffle tickets could be sold at an equal price to the gym passes too, so that it evens out and possibly makes some profit.

Make New Shirts

Everybody likes free clothes! Everybody has the past bodybuilding.com shirts with the little logo on them. I think that bodybuilding.com can make some more shirts with pictures on the back, or sayings. There could also be a special edition Olympia Bodybuilding.com shirt, with the Olympia logo on it and bodybuilding.com’s logo too.

Bodybuilding.com doesn’t need some gimmick, their quality speaks for itself

Overall, while bodybuilding.com could use lots of different gimmicks to draw people in, I think that bodybuilding.com’s quality speaks for itself, and they should use their quality of service and low prices to get people to be drawn in- not a ton of gimmicks. I think that a nice, simple backdrop with enough room for the bodybuilding.com representatives is all that we need, nothing out of the ordinary. We shouldn’t be using our expo as a jungle gym like other companies have done in the past, otherwise people will just think of bodybuilding.com as a big joke.

Problems With Past Bodybuilding Expos

Looking back at past bodybuilding expos, there are just a few things that I would make sure to completely avoid doing if I were in charge.

Hazardous Contests

First off, I would not do any type of competition that involves lifting weights as a contest. While this type of activity might be fine for a seasoned lifter looking to have fun, for a beginner or non-bodybuilder, a curling or bench pressing competition could be very hazardous. When doing a competition like this, it would be easy for people to cheat and use bad exercise execution, which defeats the purpose of the competition. If there is a contest like this, I would make it a repetition contest, for example to see who can bench press 150 pounds for the most reps.

Fitness Chicks Scaring Customers Away?

Second, I don’t think that the presence of female bodybuilders should be too overwhelming. While it might be logical that bodybuilders will want to flock over to a booth filled with fitness chicks or bikini contest chicks, in some cases it is the opposite- these things might actually scare people away! I know that I am a little shy, and I would be nervous approaching a booth like that.

Best Booths in the past

I haven’t attended any bodybuilding expos in the past, but here are a few that I read about that seemed like lot of fun and why:

universal booth

I saw a picture of this booth and at first I thought it was a joke, because of the creativity that they put into it. These huge guys were goofing off around the booth, which was a fenced in area that kind of reminds me of muscle beach! They had a power cage and some dumbbells and a few benches in there. They hosted a bench press contest, which I don’t think is all that safe, but still a lot of fun. I liked the creativity here a lot.

the DNP booth

I thought that this booth was really good because it was very organized, and they showed some quality supplements. Everybody was dressed alike and overall it sounded like a good, calm booth, compared to others like the Universal booth.

the ISS booth

This booth sounded pretty great because they handed out free protein powder samples, something that I thought would be a good idea before even reading about the bodybuilding expo. ISS makes some delicious flavors for protein, so showing this to visitors by giving out samples is a great way to increase business.

the Dorian Yates Approved booth

Dorian Yates Approved had a great booth because there were two top bodybuilders there. For one, Aaron Baker was signing pictures for people. Also, Dorian Yates himself made an appearance, and because he had been Mr. Olympia for several years, this would attract a lot of customers that want to meet him. While he isn’t as big as ever, he is still a friendly guy who can back up a product if he wants to!

the Bodybuilding.com booth

This booth was also another booth that looked great from the pictures I saw. It was nice and big, and looked good in both 2002 and 2003. I like how they put testimonials up in big font on their booth- this is a great way to show visitors that they are really a quality website and they deserve their positive feedback.

What I like best about the Bodybuilding Expos

The best part of the bodybuilding expos like the Arnold Classic and the Olympia has got to be the way you can meet other people with common interests and get motivated by them to work out harder. A lot of people on the message boards can meet other people and get in a workout together. A lot of times these workouts are really motivating and intense, some of the best workouts of the year. For example, one time Derek Charlebois was telling me how he set a personal best in the rack deadlift while he was working out at a Golds Gym with a few bodybuilding friends when they got together for the Olympia.

I also like how the place is surrounded by a healthy atmosphere, and everyone there is very upbeat, because that’s just how people who eat healthy and work out hard act!

What I don’t like about the Bodybuilding Expos

I can’t think of too many negative aspects to these bodybuilding expos. The only one that could be offensive is the one year when VPX had close to 40 fitness chicks in really inappropriate clothing. That would make me uncomfortable if I attended an expo that had people doing that.

I also would not like to be around some pros who have been known for being really snotty, like Lou Ferrigno, and doing things like charging kids money for autographs.

Continued in next post

[sword chucks]

It’s Going to be a Big Mr. Olympia Contest – Who Will Win?

This year is going to be a big year for the Olympia, because the current champ is going to try and get his eighth win in a row! This will give him more successful years in bodybuilding than Lee Haney had. It is pretty clear that Ronnie will win again this year. Even in the 2002 Olympia, when Ronnie came in 15lbs lighter than usual, he still stomped out competition. I am sure that he won’t be 15lbs behind this time, either. His muscle size combined with the impressive conditioning he usually has is what makes him the champ. The fact that he won even while in his worst conditioning in the 2002 Olympia shows that nobody can steal the title from him.

Hopeful Jay Cutler

Even though Ronnie has the most chance to win, I still think that if Jay Cutler won, that would make a really motivating underdog story. Jay has been training especially heavy this year and the last year. Last year in the movie “Battle for the Olympia 2004”, he said something like “If anyone can beat him, it’s me.” It also might be Jay’s last chance to defeat Ronnie in a bodybuilding competition, because Ronnie might be satisfied after his eighth win and retire, so that must make Jay work extra hard.

Some Dark Horses

Some other bodybuilders who should come out on top are Dexter Jackson, Melvin Anthony and Darrem Charles. Melvin Anthony is known for his incredible taper, which has a lot to do with his small waist. He always comes in with great conditioning. Darrem Charles also has an extremely aesthetic physique- a 27 inch waist and 22 inch arms isn’t something that is all that common! If Dexter Jackson competes, though, his conditioning will beat out those two. His back is also incredible. It’s just too bad his height takes away from his looks on stage. He might not be competing this year, though, because of something big that’s going on in the bodybuilding world.

Overall, it is probably an accurate guess that Ronnie will be Mr. Olympia. He should definitely win. Jay Cutler should take second, and Darrem Charles is my prediction for third place. If the Olympia judging is similar at all to that of last year, then I think that these predictions will come true.

Conclusion

This article went into several ideas that will help bodybuilding.com win the hearts of visitors that come to the 2005 Olympia. There are a lot of ideas that always work, and my presentation of them should be a big help and make the bodybuilding.com expo more successful.

Because more and more people are showing up to these events each year, bodybuilding.com needs to do more and more for their booth too! Visitors to the Olympia should be walking away with the address to bodybuilding.com fresh in their minds so that as soon as they get home, they log on and get a taste of the great source of information and products that it is.

The Olympia is the most important bodybuilding competition worldwide, hosting only the best physiques in the world. This is why the 2005 Olympia is a great place to let people know a website where they can use the information and store to reach their goals- www.bodybuilding.com!

[muscleboy333]

Nice one SC! I guess I'll post my pitiful article now :( :D

[sword chucks]

good luck everyone! heres my word document.

[sword chucks]

Nice one SC! I guess I'll post my pitiful article now :( :D

Thanks bro, how bad could it be :D

I would ask u to delete your message but you already had to do that once so its ok :p (really u dont have to!)

[muscleboy333]

The Mr. Olympia Expo:

Intro:

Visit supplement company # 1’s booth. Pick up a free sample packet, and maybe try their newest protein shake. If you’re lucky, grab a few words with a pro or even an autograph. Walk around a bit. Repeat. Sound familiar? Now while this isn’t exactly my or anyone’s idea of a hard day, nevertheless it gets repetitive, even boring after a while.

However, not all booths have to be the same! I’ve thought of a few ideas that could spice up our booth, and attract lots of people. In this article, I’m going to discuss these ideas and how to make bodybuilding.com’s booth the place to be at this year’s Olympia expo.

I’ll talk about a few things that will make our booth more interesting and enjoyable. I’ll also discuss some of the other companies’ booths, and major bodybuilding expos in general.

I’ll even make a few predictions on the Mr. Olympia results!

Now, let’s get started with some ideas to set bodybuilding.com’s booth apart from the rest of the pack!

Our booth’s décor:

Almost all of the booths look pretty similar, making it harder to attract attention to your own. A boring sign with your company’s name on it isn’t anything special. Remember, flashy colors and pictures will attract attention more than a plain logo. You could even have bodybuilding clips and animations playing. An easy way to advertise the bodybuilding.com forums is to add the URL to a banner, and saying “Join the Community” or something to that effect. You don’t need to stop with banners, either. Hanging heavy barbells and simulating a hardcore gym environment can really define you as a serious company!

Get people hyped up for the night show!

One way to make people excited for the night show would be to have an animation playing, showing each of the past Olympia winners on a separate frame and the years that they won. After Ronnie Coleman’s picture, in big letters it would say “Who’s Next?”. The audience wants a tough competition, make it seem like there’s a good chance of another competitor beating Ronnie! The magazines do this a lot in the ads for the Olympia. They post captions and quotes from other competitors claiming they’ll destroy Ronnie this year. They want to see a fight, not an easy win!

Small Lifting Competitions:

Another idea is to have a small area with a bench, power rack and some weights. Every hour or so, there would be a casual, raw competition in one of the big three lifts. The top few people could win some free supplements! Also, it would attract plenty of people to watch and compete (example: Joe see’s that Jim is winning with a 225 bench, and he knows he can do 250. He goes over and gives it a shot.). It would be fun, but people would still have to sign a waiver, so if someone did get injured bodybuilding.com wouldn’t be liable. Crowds would gather to watch as well, and that would attract even more people.

Bodybuilding Trivia:

Here’s another fun idea. There would be some cards with questions about past Mr. Olympia contests, and bodybuilding in general. If someone wants to test their knowledge, they would go up to a table with another visitor. When a question is asked, the first one to ring the bell answers. If they answer correctly, points go to them. Whoever ends up with the most points wins some small prizes.

The More Obvious Stuff:

It’s no new idea to have pros signing autographs at your booth. However, it still can’t be overlooked that many people would love to meet IFBB pros! You can also kill two birds with one stone by having the pros offer the fans they meet a free supplement sample. People like free stuff, so small, inexpensive items like the following work great for giveaways:

-Supplement samples
This is pretty obvious, if visitors like the supplements they may buy more!

-Water bottles
Everyone needs a water bottle!

-Shaker bottles
These are really convenient for making shakes on the go.

-Bodybuilding.com t-shirts
We could all use more t-shirts, and they also can bring more customers to the site, when people see the bodybuilding.com logo on someone’s shirt.

-Wrist straps
If it’s not too expensive, it would be great to offer visitors free wrist straps! If not, offer a coupon with a discount number on it, so with their next order to the bodybuilding.com store, they’ll receive complimentary straps! Straps can be useful for certain heavy lifts.


What I Would Like to See in a Booth:

If I were a visitor, I would want to see a friendly, knowledgeable staff that has experience with the products they’re promoting. I would want to be able to ask questions, get detailed answers, and have each aspect of new supplements explained. If I ask “What’s the advantage of CEE over regular creatine monohydrate?” they should be able to answer properly rather than saying “You’ll gain 10 pounds of muscle in a week!”. If the representatives were armchair quarterbacks who only care about selling, it doesn’t say much about the company.

I’d like the staff to hand out quality advice that will actually help people’s gains. Nothing like a real, down to earth chat with some other serious bodybuilders.

The representatives should be living examples of what the company wants to promote. A hardcore company like Animal wouldn’t be well off having a Richard Simmons look-alike preaching the effects of their newest products. On the other hand, a health and wellness company that specializes in multi-vitamins for elderly people shouldn’t be represented by massive bodybuilders or powerlifters.

Also, you should definitely be able to sample the flavors for each supplement, so you know what to buy and what not to buy.

The design of the backdrop and booth should be visually appealing as well. People should be drawn to the booth, because of the awesome banners and backdrop.

Continued...

[muscleboy333]

Continued...

How I Feel About The Other Booths:

I feel that a good amount of the booths at the Olympia expo are practically the same, the only difference being different supplements and colors. I like how you get the chance to meet your idols, and usually the staff from the company. Some of them turn out to be pretty cool people, and also very knowledgeable. I don’t like how some of the pros are charging for pictures or autographs! They should be happy to meet a fan.

I think it’s good to be able to sample the supplements from different companies, because it gives you a good idea whether or not you want to buy something. It can save you some money if the product you were going to buy 10 lbs of turns out to taste like something from a nightmare!

The Winner For Best Booth Goes To…

Animal!

I think Animal’s booth has been the best in the past, because of the whole lifting environment there. Everything about it screams “hardcore!” Most of their representatives are experienced bodybuilders themselves. If I can choose between a company created by a businessman who’s never lifted a weight in his life, and a company created by massive bodybuilders I’m going to go with the second option.

They’re also quite generous with their free samples. You can try out all their supplements, and they’ll give you a free, expansive training manual if you want.

Of course, it’s also great to watch those insane amounts of iron get hoisted around like nothing in “The Cage”! The Cage is a hardcore gym style arena in which people basically lift massive weights. This is always exciting and attracts loads of people.

The Best and Worst Things About Bodybuilding Expos:

We’ll start off with the good stuff…

Best Things:

-Free stuff! Everyone likes free stuff, right?
-Meet the pros! Now you can get those pictures signed!
-Talk to knowledgeable people!
-Learn more about the different companies out there! Have that edge next time you’re shopping for supplements.
-Around other lifters! For once in your life, no one will comment on that protein shake you’re drinking!

Now the bad…

Worst Things:

-Gets old after a while. I think all the booth managers used the same template!
-Occasional overpriced stuff. Who wants to pay 50 bucks for 2 pounds of protein?
-Having to pay for autographs or pictures from the pros! This is pretty low…
-Company reps that only care about selling, and don’t know anything about bodybuilding.
-Grouchy representatives. Who wants to give their business to a bunch of jerks?

BONUS QUESTION: Who do you think will be crowned the 2005 Mr. Olympia?
Is Ronnie Coleman going to continue is reign and become an 8 time champion, tying Lee Haney? Or does anyone pose a threat to stealing the title?

There’s not much doubt in my mind that Ronnie will win again this year. He’s in a league by himself now. His mass, detail, symmetry and definition are unmatched.

I’m not sure how much the IFBB’s new “no gut” rule will come in to play yet however. It’s a big rule, but the stomach is only one body part. If the IFBB is dead serious about enforcing this new rule, Ronnie may have some trouble against some of the smaller, more aesthetically pleasing bodybuilders, but like I said, a bloated stomach is one thing; Ronnie is still king in many other body parts. He’s also not the only one with this problem. Markus Ruhl, Gunter Schlierkamp, Gustavo Badell and a few others are developing big guts as well.

As for Jay Cutler, there’s not much competition here. Jay Cutler has a great set of abs, which is very important, but it’s the whole package that counts. Some say his quads are better than Big Ron’s, but that’s not true. While they’re more aesthetic, they’re quite a bit smaller than the champs’. Questionably, he also holds the advantage for triceps, and calves, but I don’t think that will be enough to beat Big Ron. Ronnie still has better quads, hamstrings and glutes, as well as a far better back and traps. His biceps, delts and chest are better as well. Jay is a great bodybuilder, but still just 2nd place.

I think the results for the top 5 will look like:

1. Ronnie Coleman (!)
2. Jay Cutler
3. Gustavo Badell
4. Dennis James
5. Darrem Charles (this one’s up to how seriously the IFBB enforces their new rule)


As for breaking Lee Haney’s record, I think Ronnie can make it to 10 Sandows if he wants. It’s all up to whether he gets injured, or sick. If everything goes well for him, I think he can hold the title until he decides to retire, and he’s not showing any signs of slowing down!


Conclusion:

With luck, this year our booth will be the most interesting booth at the Mr. Olympia expo! Now that we’ve gone over all these ideas, hopefully Ryan can get something out of it!

If we have the friendliest staff, the coolest pros, the best giveaways, and awesome contests I’m sure we’ll get loads of visitors that will want to come back. Hopefully we have a good, controversy-free Olympia this year and the placings are all fair. There seems to be a few changes taking place, what with the IFBB’s new rules, a large increase in prize money and the revamped challenge round.

You may not agree with my predictions for the Mr. Olympia results, but I’m sure you’ll enjoy the show anyway.

Good luck everyone, and come October we’ll see what the Olympia has in store!

[muscleboy333]

And here's the word doc:

[Blap Blaow]

Good articles! Pretty close this week methink. Looks like I'm the only one not to have put ip my Word document and I kinda feel left out so here goes...

[Dallas68]

haha u feel left out lol jk

well done guys at least we all did this week definitely was done for bb.com and all that stuff which i think is rightfully so....

wonder what next week could be???
good luck going to read everyones now!
methinks we all done well
those who strive are rewarded greatly..
WHAT ME,WORRY?-MAD

[sword chucks]

lmao thanks dallas

[bubba g]

Creating the Ultimate Expo Booth

As the person in charge of the Bodybuilding.com Olympia expo booth, the first thing I would do is Make sure the booth is set up properly, and making sure that the things I feel are the most impotant are in check. Those things are.

Eye catching
The booth itself should catch peoples attention. People will be attracted to the booth by what they see. So the look of the booth is extreemly important. Several factors are involved here.
1. The backdrop should be well layed out and have an eye catching image on it, like a bodybuilder, or a fitness model.

2. The supplements should be displayed by setting them up in pyramids or walls or some other way that will attract attention.

3. TV screens should be set up displaying either videos with info about supps, or training, or diet advice, or maybe even vidio clips of the top bodybuilders of today and past. bodybuilders.

4. The booth should be staffed with great looking women, and men. The women attending the both should be wearing as little as possible, without beeing to trashy It's no secret that sex sells, and nothing is more efective at attrating testosterone filled bodybuilder to the both than scantaly clad beautiful females.

5. You must have an IFBB pro at the booth signing autographs, and taking pictures with fans. This is the highlight of the weekend for a lot of the people at the expo. getting some of the top names to spend some time at the booth is well worth it. To cover all bases it would be wise to have a top fitness model/ competitor, top female bodybuilder, top male IFBB, and a top natural bodybuilder.


Entertaining

Ok we got em there, Now what? We want people to have a great time when they are at the both, and have a good impression of Bodybuilding.com so it's our goal to make sure they have a plesant experience at the booth. A few things that can be done to make their time at the booth more entertaining are.

1. Handing out free samples. Everyone loves free samples, make sure the samples are of the latest, and greatest new supps. All the boths hand out free samples of their supps Bodybuilding.com has the advantage of handing out samples from a variety of different supplements from a lot of different companies.

2. It should contain a game with the opertunity to win free supps... an amusement park type game. would definatly attract people to the both, people love playing games, and getting free stuff, combine the two and you can't go wrong. The game can also have a bodybuilding theme. It could be as simple as throwing a ball through a hole in a board at a certain distance. Anyone to get the ball through the hole could chose from a variety of different prizes. with a simular value. A 5 lb tub of protein for example or 1000 grams of higher power CEE etc. You can chage a dollar a try. experiment with ball and hole sizes to make it pretty challenging. the board with the hole in it could have a design on it as well similar to the booth backdrop.

3. A trainer could give demonstrations on proper form for all of the important exercises.


Getting People to Visit the Site

Ok we got their attention now how do we get them to come back, and become a loyal customer. This is easy. get tehm to visit the site and you will have a loyal customer because bodybuilding.com has price watch, and the lowest supplement prices on the internet. There is a couple ways this can be done.
1. Have a sale on some of the more popular supplements, Then hand out flyers at the expo displaying these sale prices. this will get people to visit the online store, and supersite after they leave the expo.

2. Have a raffle where a winner is announced at the online store. This can be one prize where the winner gets free supps for a year.. with a limit of $100 a month.
or smaller prizes can be given out once a month for a few months.


Things I Liked or Disliked about Expo Booths

To be honest I have never had the privlege of attending any bodybuilding expos, so I am afraid I can not comment on this, But all of the things I have mentioned in this article are things I would like to see at an expo.


Who's Going to Win This Years Olympia?

I think if Ronnie Coleman comes in at 287 this year as he said he would he will blow away all of his competition. In all honesty nobody is even close to his combined size, and conditioning. His gut is distended but it looked better in the 04 Olympia than it did in the 03, and he came in even heavier at the 04, so I imagine if he comes in even lighter it will be even more in check. This win is really important to Ronnie cause it will tie him with the great Lee Haney for 8 Sandows so I think he will come into the contest with great conditioning.

[Dallas68]

very appealing to the eye just make sure you remember to type it all out correctly bro cool...not criticising just helping...

[bubba g]

very appealing to the eye just make sure you remember to type it all out correctly bro cool...not criticising just helping...


Who are you talking to?

Anyway great job guys, and good luck to everyone.. nice articles this week....

[Dallas68]

im talking to you because you made a few mistakes so i just wanted to tell you thats all ... cool

[DSM18]

Week Thirty Eight: What would you do to create the best possible bb.com olympia expo?

What do I think of the expo's I've seen at previous shows? I went to the Ifbb Australian Grand Prix. I had the opportunity to buy body building attire that is hard to find elsewhere, picked up several free ironman magazines, enjoyed looking at the different booths products on offer and the whole feel of it was pretty good. I found that the staff at the several booths I visited were exceptionally nice, which is definetly welcoming and good for sales. I’m not the type of person who likes to be bombarded with 4 people trying to sell me products, and I don’t remember going to a store/booth who were pushy in their sales effort. What I liked more than anything, as did a lot of people, including a group of guys that seats next to me, were all the free Ironman Magazines that were given away. This served as pre-match entertainment – I remember reading a whole lee priest interview before he came away and won the show! Also the stores with a lot of color, especially a range of brighter, viabrant colors, such as the muscletech booth if I remember correctly (orange/yellow) worked wonders at getting both getting my attention and developing a subconscious feeling about the product. But amongst these positives there wasn’t anything that I could really say “Geez, that was fu*kin awesome!”. By no means was it boring, but were about 10 stores that were all very similar, all with the same simple idea. They were all sampling protein drinks, while giving away product information with staff trying to sell protein etc. At bb.com booth you have set yourself apart from whats already been done at other shows, do something fresh, something new and unique – something that will smash the boundaries – to be bigger and better than what has come before – its time to be strong and take the Olympia expo to a new level of innovation!

Following are several ideas put forward in no particular order. They are original ideas that will guarantee your booth at bb.com is both fresh and entertaining. The result of most of these things is to first raise money which can be used on anything bb.com decides, and more importantly to promote the website which will result in promoting bodybuilding itself, and increasing sales from the store. Just a precaution: a lot of these ideas might sound radical, but I bet you they made you really eager to be there and part of the action. If so, there’s no reason they won’t make tens of thousands of other people feel the same way. Its time to bring the Olympia Expo to Life!

Create a Symmetry of real life Olympia. This might sound costly, but get lifesize models of famous IFBB pro’s such as Dexter and Ronnie ( you can buy these I think), with a simple, Mr. Olympia backdrop so it looks like a real Mr. O contest. Then people in the audience can get the opportunity to pose and take photos next to their favourite athletes. Then go home and see the amazed look on the faces of their family and friends, who’ll think they really competed at a pro show. They can put the photos on the desk at work, or keep them as remembrance of the event. A photo could be a good money raiser at $15 each.

So many ego’s at a body building, they need to be fulfilled somehow. People love showing off – here’s their opportunity. Create a “challenge round” where anyone is welcome to posedown and compete against 20 other fanatics in the crowd, and the winner is decided by the crowd reaction. This is really gonna get everyone over to the bb.com booth – without failure. It’s gonna be center stage. Each contest can have a weight class, 20 people involved, $20 each to enter, and a BB.com pack as the prize. This could include a $100 gift voucher for the BB.com store, a bb.com drinkbottle and a bb.com t-shirt.

Everyone loves watching the Mr. Olympia – this could be their chance to the be the voice of Mr. Olympia. Using a voice recorder, you can be the voice commentating your favourite past Mr. Olympia. You choose any ten minutes, say what you want, how you want, then you can buy the video from bb.com store for $35 (example price). People can keep the video for the rest of their life, and watch their favourite part with their own voiceover.


The most popular booths at body building shows are always those that are giving away free things. People are attracted to these stores, like a kid is to candy. At bb.com booth, you could consider giving away something – maybe some over stock from the bb.com store, or some older stock, or maybe some stuff that is good, but just isn’t selling well. Most of this stuff isn’t going to be of much use, so you may as well dispose of it smartly. Past body building magazines, protein bars that you accidently overstocked or last year bb.com t-shirts are examples.

There’s only one thing body building fans love more than weight training, and that’s hot chicks. Imagine the attention the bb.com will create if there are two hot, voluptuous fitness models in red bikinis on each side of the booth. You can even get female fitness pro’s. These girls can approach fans, even flirt a little, and lure them into the booth. Instead of keeping free “giveaways” on the desk, consider getting these girls to give away free things.

What better way to promote www.bodybuilding.com than to give fans acess the site itself. You can set up a computer (or a few) with acess to the bb.com site which can promote the forums, the site, and people can use the store to shop online. People can log onto the forums and discuss the Olympia with other fans around the world while the event is actually happening. People are also in the mood at a show to buy things. You just get that urge to purchase something, just to feel part of it all! You can’t fit everything into the limited space of a booth, but the online store has almost everything where people will find what they want!

Mid-show at the Australian Grand Prix, the Olympia expo was as alive as you can get – but to be honest, my brain was so hyped up from the show, that I just wanted more of it. You could position several TVs around the BB.com booth playing the highlights from previous Mr. Olypia contests. It will keep the feeling alive when otherwise the break can sometimes cause you to loose that energy the first part of the show gave you, just like maintaining the “pump” in a workout. This will give the booth a lively atmosphere, give it a lot of colour and noise which will attract people. People won’t even realize, but they will come over the store to see whats on TV, and end up staying for 10 minutes to watch the Olympia replay. Not everyone watched past Olympias because its hard to access them, so they’ll be all the more interested to see how it pans out. Then you could surround the TV with Mr. OLypimpia and other bodybuilding DVDs for sale. There would be no doubt that I would have bought one if they were sold at the Aus. Grand Prix.

You have to have a pro bodybuilder at your booth, but choose carefully. Try and get a pro who’s well liked by the fans, one who’s good on the mic, charismatic, interesting and entertaining. Then you could use the body builder to get crowd involvement – consider him, with another host with good mic skills, hosting a trivia contest with give aways for winners. Then you can allocate 10-15 minutes where he can answer people in the crowd questions. If people know that a profressional body builder or a highly recognized personality is going to speak at a particular time, people are going to wait around for it.

Also you could play mini games with prizes – instead of guessing the weight of the chicken which is often played at fairs, here you can guess the size of the body builers arm. The closest call will win the money – make it $5 to enter. Or, guess the body builder? Have a picture of a body builder projected onto a screen (just the body) and see who can guess who the pro is. Or play a game where you get 5, or more people to compete, each having to go into the crowd and find a particular item – winner is the first to search for 5 different protein bars, or the first to come back to the booth with 10 different memberships to different gyms or any other interesting piece of eqipment. To avoid a big brawl, all items should be returned to the owners :)


I know a lot of these ideas seem radical, but these can be the ones that end up working out the best. They will truly separate you from the rest – and will give body building fans something to remember www.bodybuilding.com and its store for. Hopefully you can incorporate some of my ideas, obviously not all, but what you believe will work for you. And if you do it safely, costs can be kept to a minimum, and money can even be made. Good luck and I wish I was able to come check out the booth – Mr. Olympia has to come down under!

Thank you.

BONUS QUESTION: Who do you think will be crowned the 2005 Mr. Olympia?

Ronnie Coleman has won for the past 7 years, and will win it again! There’s really nothing that makes this year any different to the past 7 that will give any of the others an edge, particularly without the supreme astehtics of Dexter Jackson in the mix. It begins to sound stale and repetitive, but that’s the way is, and always has been. If you look at the history of Olympia, there has only been 10 winners in around 40 years – including those I can remember, Sergio, Arnold, Franco, Zane, Samir, Dickerson, Hanley, Dorian and Ronnie – who with age is just getting bigger, harder, and says he will be in better conditioning than ever before. None the less I wish all the competitors all the best, and hopefully maybe next year if dexter adds some mass, he will come away a new winner.

Thanks for reading this, hopefully it gave you some ideas on how you improve the booth so you can maintain your reputation as the world’s best online body building resource and store.

[patfactorx]

I agree, Pro bodybuilders will definitely improve the quality of the booth and make it more memorable.

[bubba g]

im talking to you because you made a few mistakes so i just wanted to tell you thats all ... cool


Your right I did make a few... I don't think I can go back and correct them because the deadline has passed.... Thanks for pointing it out.....

[bubba g]

Week Thirty Eight: What would you do to create the best possible bb.com olympia expo?

What do I think of the expo's I've seen at previous shows? I went to the Ifbb Australian Grand Prix. I had the opportunity to buy body building attire that is hard to find elsewhere, picked up several free ironman magazines, enjoyed looking at the different booths products on offer and the whole feel of it was pretty good. I found that the staff at the several booths I visited were exceptionally nice, which is definetly welcoming and good for sales. I’m not the type of person who likes to be bombarded with 4 people trying to sell me products, and I don’t remember going to a store/booth who were pushy in their sales effort. What I liked more than anything, as did a lot of people, including a group of guys that seats next to me, were all the free Ironman Magazines that were given away. This served as pre-match entertainment – I remember reading a whole lee priest interview before he came away and won the show! Also the stores with a lot of color, especially a range of brighter, viabrant colors, such as the muscletech booth if I remember correctly (orange/yellow) worked wonders at getting both getting my attention and developing a subconscious feeling about the product. But amongst these positives there wasn’t anything that I could really say “Geez, that was fu*kin awesome!”. By no means was it boring, but were about 10 stores that were all very similar, all with the same simple idea. They were all sampling protein drinks, while giving away product information with staff trying to sell protein etc. At bb.com booth you have set yourself apart from whats already been done at other shows, do something fresh, something new and unique – something that will smash the boundaries – to be bigger and better than what has come before – its time to be strong and take the Olympia expo to a new level of innovation!

Following are several ideas put forward in no particular order. They are original ideas that will guarantee your booth at bb.com is both fresh and entertaining. The result of most of these things is to first raise money which can be used on anything bb.com decides, and more importantly to promote the website which will result in promoting bodybuilding itself, and increasing sales from the store. Just a precaution: a lot of these ideas might sound radical, but I bet you they made you really eager to be there and part of the action. If so, there’s no reason they won’t make tens of thousands of other people feel the same way. Its time to bring the Olympia Expo to Life!

Create a Symmetry of real life Olympia. This might sound costly, but get lifesize models of famous IFBB pro’s such as Dexter and Ronnie ( you can buy these I think), with a simple, Mr. Olympia backdrop so it looks like a real Mr. O contest. Then people in the audience can get the opportunity to pose and take photos next to their favourite athletes. Then go home and see the amazed look on the faces of their family and friends, who’ll think they really competed at a pro show. They can put the photos on the desk at work, or keep them as remembrance of the event. A photo could be a good money raiser at $15 each.

So many ego’s at a body building, they need to be fulfilled somehow. People love showing off – here’s their opportunity. Create a “challenge round” where anyone is welcome to posedown and compete against 20 other fanatics in the crowd, and the winner is decided by the crowd reaction. This is really gonna get everyone over to the bb.com booth – without failure. It’s gonna be center stage. Each contest can have a weight class, 20 people involved, $20 each to enter, and a BB.com pack as the prize. This could include a $100 gift voucher for the BB.com store, a bb.com drinkbottle and a bb.com t-shirt.

Everyone loves watching the Mr. Olympia – this could be their chance to the be the voice of Mr. Olympia. Using a voice recorder, you can be the voice commentating your favourite past Mr. Olympia. You choose any ten minutes, say what you want, how you want, then you can buy the video from bb.com store for $35 (example price). People can keep the video for the rest of their life, and watch their favourite part with their own voiceover.


The most popular booths at body building shows are always those that are giving away free things. People are attracted to these stores, like a kid is to candy. At bb.com booth, you could consider giving away something – maybe some over stock from the bb.com store, or some older stock, or maybe some stuff that is good, but just isn’t selling well. Most of this stuff isn’t going to be of much use, so you may as well dispose of it smartly. Past body building magazines, protein bars that you accidently overstocked or last year bb.com t-shirts are examples.

There’s only one thing body building fans love more than weight training, and that’s hot chicks. Imagine the attention the bb.com will create if there are two hot, voluptuous fitness models in red bikinis on each side of the booth. You can even get female fitness pro’s. These girls can approach fans, even flirt a little, and lure them into the booth. Instead of keeping free “giveaways” on the desk, consider getting these girls to give away free things.

What better way to promote www.bodybuilding.com than to give fans acess the site itself. You can set up a computer (or a few) with acess to the bb.com site which can promote the forums, the site, and people can use the store to shop online. People can log onto the forums and discuss the Olympia with other fans around the world while the event is actually happening. People are also in the mood at a show to buy things. You just get that urge to purchase something, just to feel part of it all! You can’t fit everything into the limited space of a booth, but the online store has almost everything where people will find what they want!

Mid-show at the Australian Grand Prix, the Olympia expo was as alive as you can get – but to be honest, my brain was so hyped up from the show, that I just wanted more of it. You could position several TVs around the BB.com booth playing the highlights from previous Mr. Olypia contests. It will keep the feeling alive when otherwise the break can sometimes cause you to loose that energy the first part of the show gave you, just like maintaining the “pump” in a workout. This will give the booth a lively atmosphere, give it a lot of colour and noise which will attract people. People won’t even realize, but they will come over the store to see whats on TV, and end up staying for 10 minutes to watch the Olympia replay. Not everyone watched past Olympias because its hard to access them, so they’ll be all the more interested to see how it pans out. Then you could surround the TV with Mr. OLypimpia and other bodybuilding DVDs for sale. There would be no doubt that I would have bought one if they were sold at the Aus. Grand Prix.

You have to have a pro bodybuilder at your booth, but choose carefully. Try and get a pro who’s well liked by the fans, one who’s good on the mic, charismatic, interesting and entertaining. Then you could use the body builder to get crowd involvement – consider him, with another host with good mic skills, hosting a trivia contest with give aways for winners. Then you can allocate 10-15 minutes where he can answer people in the crowd questions. If people know that a profressional body builder or a highly recognized personality is going to speak at a particular time, people are going to wait around for it.

Also you could play mini games with prizes – instead of guessing the weight of the chicken which is often played at fairs, here you can guess the size of the body builers arm. The closest call will win the money – make it $5 to enter. Or, guess the body builder? Have a picture of a body builder projected onto a screen (just the body) and see who can guess who the pro is. Or play a game where you get 5, or more people to compete, each having to go into the crowd and find a particular item – winner is the first to search for 5 different protein bars, or the first to come back to the booth with 10 different memberships to different gyms or any other interesting piece of eqipment. To avoid a big brawl, all items should be returned to the owners :)


I know a lot of these ideas seem radical, but these can be the ones that end up working out the best. They will truly separate you from the rest – and will give body building fans something to remember www.bodybuilding.com and its store for. Hopefully you can incorporate some of my ideas, obviously not all, but what you believe will work for you. And if you do it safely, costs can be kept to a minimum, and money can even be made. Good luck and I wish I was able to come check out the booth – Mr. Olympia has to come down under!

Thank you.

BONUS QUESTION: Who do you think will be crowned the 2005 Mr. Olympia?


Thanks for reading this, hopefully it gave you some ideas on how you improve the booth so you can maintain your reputation as the world’s best online body building resource and store.


Either you sent your article in earlier and posted this to display it in the thread, or your a day late bro....

[Dallas68]

Your right I did make a few... I don't think I can go back and correct them because the deadline has passed.... Thanks for pointing it out.....

cant you edit it at all? ....

[muscleboy333]

cant you edit it at all? ....
No...I got disqualified a few weeks ago for that :(

Looks like it's gonna be close this week...good luck guys.

[Dallas68]

im glad i know that now that could mess up a very time consuming article yeah good luck guys let the best win and then we can move on lol

[DSM18]

Either you sent your article in earlier and posted this to display it in the thread, or your a day late bro....

NO, every week I have always posted mine in at the exact same time on a Thursday night (here in Australia)

[Blap Blaow]

NO, every week I have always posted mine in at the exact same time on a Thursday night (here in Australia)


I think the rules may have changed- above the title of the topic it now says dealines are Wedneday midnight, although I did notice you were placed last week so it's probably not too strict...maybe...?

[DSM18]

I think the rules may have changed- above the title of the topic it now says dealines are Wedneday midnight, although I did notice you were placed last week so it's probably not too strict...maybe...?

I've been placed last 3 weeks.

Theres a 22 hour time difference

[bubba g]

NO, every week I have always posted mine in at the exact same time on a Thursday night (here in Australia)


Dosn't that give you an unfair advantage?
There is no delay of 22 hours for you to recieve the topic... yet you are getting 2 hours shy of an extra day to write your article.

This could be remidied by having the deadline be in a certain time zone so everyone has the same amount of time.

I don't want to see this weeks article of yours disqualified, but I think Will should maybe consider what I am saying and amend the rules so it is fair for everyone from now on.

[Blap Blaow]

I don't agree. I'm in the UK and 6 or 7 hours ahead of you guys in the States, and according to the time log here last weeks TOTW was posted at about 6am UK time- that's lunchtime you you in the US. So realisitically, even though I have the topic 6 hours ahead, there's no chance I'll be reading it at 6am and I have to submit 6 hours before you. In a real world situation I think it all pretty much even itself out- after all, you can't bend the rules of time!

[bubba g]

Thanks for the neg rep DSM18

I said in my post "I don't want to see this weeks article of yours disqualified" and I sincerly meant that.

I am not in favor of changing the rules in the middle of the game. If you were allowed to post late the last 3 weeks because of your time zone then I don't think it should change this week without any notice to you.

I do however back up my statement that you get the topic at the same time as everyone else, and that you are gettin an unfair advantage. And I hope starting next week something is put in place to make it fair for everyone.

Do you agree that it is an unfair advantage to you?

[bubba g]

I don't agree. I'm in the UK and 6 or 7 hours ahead of you guys in the States, and according to the time log here last weeks TOTW was posted at about 6am UK time- that's lunchtime you you in the US. So realisitically, even though I have the topic 6 hours ahead, there's no chance I'll be reading it at 6am and I have to submit 6 hours before you. In a real world situation I think it all pretty much even itself out- after all, you can't bend the rules of time!

We get it here in the states at 1 in the AM.. most people are not ready to jump on the article at that time....

I think the only way to make it fair is if there is a deadline set to a paticular time zone.

I don't think it takes most of us the full week to write out our articles anyway.

[Blap Blaow]

There is no delay of 22 hours for you to recieve the topic... yet you are getting 2 hours shy of an extra day to write your article.

If you think about it, everyone gets the same amount of time, in actual hours, for the topic- last week EVERYONE got 156 hours, no matter where they are.

[bubba g]

If you think about it, everyone gets the same amount of time, in actual hours, for the topic- last week EVERYONE got 156 hours, no matter where they are.

No because he recieves it at the very same time, yet has more time to turn it in

[Blap Blaow]

hmmm... I wouldn't say he recieves it at the same time- but he does recieve it at the same moment (if that makes sense). I don't know! Time zones confuse me! Anyway, as far as I'm concerned, like you said, no-one should be taking the whole week over it, so a few hours here and there shouldn't matter. Suppose we have to agree to disagree- up to Will now!

[bubba g]

hmmm... I wouldn't say he recieves it at the same time- but he does recieve it at the same moment (if that makes sense). I don't know! Time zones confuse me! Anyway, as far as I'm concerned, like you said, no-one should be taking the whole week over it, so a few hours here and there shouldn't matter. Suppose we have to agree to disagree- up to Will now!

your right the same moment not time because of the different time zones.

I am not looking to screw anyone here. Just want the field to be level for everyone.

[muscleboy333]

I got DQ'd in the week about warming up, and I was only a day late.

[Blap Blaow]

I am not looking to screw anyone here. Just want the field to be level for everyone.

I totally get where you're coming from. What exactly are the rules then? Do submissions have to be in Wednesday midnight local time or US time?

[Dallas68]

i aint following billy g bob and his cousin negging each other here(im kidding im just being humourous bare with me) so im going haul my big dallas texas shotgun and shoot ye all u hear meee... then the prob is gone no more then i can get back to my chores of cleaning my pigs going to make them shine for the farmers contest this week u hear?

lol sorry guys anyway seriously when are winners announced thats all i care about i got a perfect stack in my head right bout now u hear? lol

[Blap Blaow]

lol sorry guys anyway serioulsy when are winners announced thats all i care about i got a perfect stack in my head right bout now u hear? lol

that's the attitude!

[Dallas68]

i know im going for a cutting cycle basically i wanna get my lower gut to vanish lol dont worry i know how and have done it before anyway i have just been on the shopping thing and forums for past 3 hours...<---its holidays here :) so i am contemplating many things haha want white blood but then cant get that thing and aargh its frustrating still need the results though for this totw im like dying here haha lol

hmmm i think that the whole time zone thing wont be resolved but the webmaster or whoever checks the articles will know now that some ppl apparently have more time and adjust fairness accordingly(i can still spell!)

remember in the spur of the moment is genius um um i have forgotten well just dont be like homer simpson mmmk?

[bubba g]

i aint following billy g bob and his cousin negging each other here(im kidding im just being humourous bare with me) so im going haul my big dallas texas shotgun and shoot ye all u hear meee... then the prob is gone no more then i can get back to my chores of cleaning my pigs going to make them shine for the farmers contest this week u hear?

lol sorry guys anyway seriously when are winners announced thats all i care about i got a perfect stack in my head right bout now u hear? lol

I didn't neg rep anyone. And my real name is Brian, I live right smack in the middle of two cities with tall buildings and everything, and I'd have to drive about 30 miles to see a cow. So I ain't gonna be shinin up no pigs any time soon bro....lol

I do not want any rules to be changed for this week. I just think it should be looked at as a possibility for now on. If it is not changed I will not lose any sleep. It is without a doubt an unfair advantage though.

Again good luck to everyone.

[Dallas68]

I didn't neg rep anyone. And my real name is Brian, I live right smack in the middle of two cities with tall buildings and everything, and I'd have to drive about 30 miles to see a cow. So I ain't gonna be shinin up no pigs any time soon bro....lol

I do not want any rules to be changed for this week. I just think it should be looked at as a possibility for now on. If it is not changed I will not lose any sleep. It is without a doubt an unfair advantage though.

Again good luck to everyone.

yea well i wasnt following so i honestly dont know what the last however many posts said so anyway well hope u happy where you are!...i like shining pigs arses i didnt say you did lol im joking dont take any of this in anyway seriously right now im bored and incredibly anxious to see the results for this topic im sweating madly not actually...lol

i know everything in life holds its challenges and unfair rulings ronnie coleman is freaky big i have seen him up close but he has a gh belly and will probably stil lwin this year even with v taper rulings its unfair but just make sure your content is more up to scratch i just need good placings it doesnt matter to me personally and perhaps ignorantly that i dont care how much time another person has i know im smarter more intelligent and far more articulate than anyone else if you beleive that then you should be on your way!!

[Blap Blaow]

Dallas68, you are the strangest person (in a good way!).

Good luck with TOTW 38, going to bed soon- hopefuly the results will be up in the morning. By the way, where are you from? And how the hell did you get back into the green? Last time I looked you were negged into the ground!!!

[muscleboy333]

And how the hell did you get back into the green? Last time I looked you were negged into the ground!!!
*Cough* ;) :D

Yeah, I can do that sometimes.

[Dallas68]

Dallas68, you are the strangest person (in a good way!).

Good luck with TOTW 38, going to bed soon- hopefuly the results will be up in the morning. By the way, where are you from? And how the hell did you get back into the green? Last time I looked you were negged into the ground!!!

thanks that why my gf likes me anyway...yea good luck to all....goodnight.....

im from South Africa and no we dont have animals roaming in our backyards...

um well lets say that when a mommy and a daddy get together the two little rep points join up and a little green rep pops out!! lol

no actually some very cool ppl ^^ ^^ cough**muscleboy**cough have insane reps and due to my article being pretty good i was put into green reps by this person and i thank him profusely and if i were rich would buy him supps lol i cant say who put me in neg reps cause he is too powerful for his own good but lets just say he is the *new* CL rep on this forum... yeah i know i actually nearly had a heart attack when i saw i had green reps again i wanted to go insane plus im a beacon of knowlege hahaha so yeah im happy...

[Blap Blaow]

um well lets say that when a mommy and a daddy get together the two little rep points join up and a little green rep pops out!! lol


HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Anyways, welcome back to the green side!

[DSM18]

I think bubba blew this whole thing out of proportion. I never made this into an issue, I was just upset that you had to quote my WHOLE post. When you quote a whole post it means you are obviously trying to bring to the attention of everyone.

Im in Australia here... 22 hours ahead of US. If you guys have til wednesday night, that means I have til almost the same time Thursday night, and rightly so because you get to start yours at 1 am Thursday night (or whenever the topic is posted), where I start mine almost the same time but a day later.

You are trying to make me look bad. Firstly, I was someone who positive repped Dallas because of his kind, fun nature, and all effort his putting into his TOTW. Second, you didnt have to post the neg rep, i think u negged repped me along time ago too. And by the way I negged repped BEFORE i saw your comment on not wanting me disqualified, and u know thats the way it was, but think other people wouldnt realise.

Anyway, on a final note, good luck to those who won.

[bubba g]

I think bubba blew this whole thing out of proportion. I never made this into an issue, I was just upset that you had to quote my WHOLE post. When you quote a whole post it means you are obviously trying to bring to the attention of everyone.

Im in Australia here... 22 hours ahead of US. If you guys have til wednesday night, that means I have til almost the same time Thursday night, and rightly so because you get to start yours at 1 am Thursday night (or whenever the topic is posted), where I start mine almost the same time but a day later.

You are trying to make me look bad. Firstly, I was someone who positive repped Dallas because of his kind, fun nature, and all effort his putting into his TOTW. Second, you didnt have to post the neg rep, i think u negged repped me along time ago too. And by the way I negged repped BEFORE i saw your comment on not wanting me disqualified, and u know thats the way it was, but think other people wouldnt realise.

Anyway, on a final note, good luck to those who won.

Sydney is 14 hours ahead of the US EST (estern standard time). http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/

So for that last few weeks you have had 133 hrs and everyone else has had 119 hrs...

Your right I blew this thing way out of proportion. :rolleyes: I simply said that from now on we should look at going by midight in a certain time zone, it is the only way that it can be made fair. You can't control when people look at the new topic, but you can control when the deadline is so that all have the same amount of time.

I think you are a little paranoid with all of your "trying to make me look bad" talk.

In reguards to me posting the neg rep you gave me.... next time PM me and ask me to edit my post.. which I would have been more than happy to do for you instaed of neg repping me. If I negged you in the past I will guarantee it was for a very good reason because I rarely neg rep anyone. Also basicly you negged me for drawing attention to you. Why would you care unless you knew you were doing something wrong?

[DSM18]

Sydney is 14 hours ahead of the US EST (estern standard time). http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/

So for that last few weeks you have had 133 hrs and everyone else has had 119 hrs...

?

Firstly I dont live in Sydney, Secondly, regardless of the time difference, everyone has the same amount of time to complete the article. Thirdly, i pointed out that you wanted to bring attention to me so i would be eliminated, and I was right.

[Dallas68]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Anyways, welcome back to the green side!

well i feel good now cause then ppl think hey he knows something lol ...which i do!

thanks bro one day ill be in the high ranks!!

[bubba g]

Firstly I dont live in Sydney, Secondly, regardless of the time difference, everyone has the same amount of time to complete the article. Thirdly, i pointed out that you wanted to bring attention to me so i would be eliminated, and I was right.

The time zone is the same for Sydney, Melborne, Brisbane, Hobart, Tasmania etc. and the perth is a -2 hour difference from them. You without any question were taking more time than anyone else.

Like I said, you couldn't be more wrong.. that was not my intention what so ever. When I first posted reguarding your article. I thought you had sent in your article already within the deadline or were late. In my mind if you were late my saying anything wasn't going to change a thing. Will would know you were late without my saying a thing. Ask chewwy he was disqualified just for editing a post after the deadline.

Anyway no hard feelings on my side, and good luck to you on your future articles...