SmartSource hires new VP of Sales

SmartSource is very pleased to announce that Michael J. Christin has joined the company as the new Vice President of Sales. In this position, Christin will draw from his vast experience in marketing and sales to help oversee a nationwide sales force of more than 60 team members. Additionally,  Christin will support the company’s growing national business, expand and develop new marketing opportunities and channels for the company’s computer and audio visual rental products and technology services, implement new strategies to expand and nurture existing clients as well as improve company profitability.

Christin is poised to continue this track record of success with SmartSource Rentals, and the company is confident that his contributions will play a factor in the continued growth, expansion and ongoing success as a trusted national leader in the technology rentals and services. A lot of things surrounding technology have changed in the 25 years since SmartSource Rentals started doing business, but one thing that hasn’t changed is the company’s commitment to providing customers outstanding service.

As a nationwide leader in computer, audio visual and trade show services and rentals, SmartSource is excited to welcome Christin to the company. He brings more than 20 years of high level sales and marketing experience surrounding strategic business development, new product launches, account management, and new market development. This skill set is great fit for SmartSource Rentals as it has rental locations across the United States and provides a wide range of products and services to a diverse group of business clients.

Most recently, Christin served as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Lodgenet Interactive Corporation where he achieved success on a number of levels, including major account contract negotiations, successful reorganization of the sales force into more productive regional teams and exceeding revenue targets for service and support. Prior to his position with Lodgenet, Christin served as VP of Sales, Global Accounts with Siemens AG as well as sales leadership roles with AT&T Corporation, The Disney Channel of The Walt Disney Company and IBM Corporation.

SmartSource has recently added some great new products and services that are being well received from both new and existing clients.  Most notably, our Digital Document Kiosk and Real Time Lead Retrieval solutions are starting to see increased demand in trade shows across the nation.

Read the SmartSource Rentals Press Release announcing Michael J. Christin

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ING New York City Marathon

The ING New York City Marathon is a worldwide event that captivates viewers from every background and culture. The 2010 marathon was no exception. Once again, SmartSource Rentals was proud to be a part of ING New York City Marathon, providing complex AV and IT technology services and support.

Producing a successful event of this magnitude is no easy task, and the fact that it winds through all 5 boroughs of New York City makes it even more challenging. The New York Road Runners do a tremendous job making this event happen each year and SmartSource was more than happy to continue our twelve year involvement with the event. In addition to the marathon itself, there were a huge amount of related events before, during and after the race. Some of SmartSource’s best people have been involved in this over the years - providing critical information technologies, Audio Visual equipment and logistical services. SmartSource’s management at this year’s event was divided into two teams - one to oversee the AV portion and one oversee the IT components. Both teams drew from direct past experience working with the ING New York City marathon and brought a welcomed combination of professionalism, reliability and familiarity to the various aspects of the event.

The IT and logistics team worked closely with the Marathon’s technical and event planning team to implement a technology plan across multiple locations. Laptops, Copiers, interactive Kiosks, Monitors and Flat Screens were just some of the equipment involved in the strategic planning, communications and data management surrounding race operations. Logistics and strategic technology solutions were applied to all race locations, from the start line to the finish line, the Javits Center, Tavern on the Green and the media center. The 2010 ING New York City Marathon also marked the first year that Twitter played a role keeping runners and fans updated on the status using #nytrun.

As it is each year, the AV portion of the event was extremely complex. Multiple sound stages and custom entertainment stages with sound systems for live music were located along the race route. One pavilion tent alone included four trusses with 48 lights, 18 LED light cans for up lighting, a line array sound system of 12 speaker boxes, four projectors and two 10-1/2’ x 14’ screens and 18 plasma TV’s placed around the perimeter, lounge and courtyard. SmartSource also provided 13 custom build sound stages, 22 separate sounds systems at the starting point and a whole list of other AV services and gear. It is a big challenge to make sure an event that is broadcast all over the world to more than 315 million TV viewers runs smoothly, and our technicians know how to deliver.

Year after year SmartSource Rentals has delivered in helping meet this challenge and we look forward to working on it again in the future. The ING New York City Marathon gets over 100,000 applications each year and draws a number of world-class athletes at all levels. Over 700,000 past participants have taken part in this globally recognized event.

For full details on the complex AV and IT technology services and solutions provided at this year’s event, view the full 2010 ING New York Marathon Press Release from SmartSource. If your company or business needs assistance in planning a large scale event that requires complex technology solutions, give us a call at 800-888-8686 or visit us online at www.smartsourcerentals.com

Related links:
ING New York City Marathon website
New York Road Runners

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SmartSource Official Service Provider for Expo! Expo! 2010

SmartSource Rentals has been named the official service provider for Computer Rentals this year at Expo! Expo! This year’s event will be held December 7-9 in New Orleans, LA. According to the International Association of Exhibitions and Events™ website,  Expo! Expo! is the single face-to-face meeting in the exhibition and events industry that offers a wealth of education sessions and networking opportunities. SmartSource is excited to be the official service provider at this year’s event and is looking forward to seeing so many of our friends and business partners in New Orleans at this year’s event.

“We are delighted to be working with these distinguished service providers as we plan Expo! Expo! this year,” comments IAEE President Steven Hacker, CAE.

This event is open to both members and non members with attendees gathering from around the world network with peers, increase their knowledge in the industry, and check out new products and services that are available. Event professionals of all levels are encouraged to attend and there are various educational sessions that have been planned accordingly.

If you are planning on attending Expo! Expo! this December in New Orleans and looking to rent computers for the event, give us a call or complete a rental quote online. SmartSource coincidentally opened a new Computer & AV rental branch in New Orleans earlier this year, and we and can’t wait for the upcoming event.

For more detailed information regarding the event please visit The International Association of Exhibitions and Events™ (IAEE) website to register, learn more and get all the details. There is a full schedule of events, information for first timers, hotel and travel info as well as fee information.

If you know you are going need computer or laptop rentals, give SmartSource Rentals a call at 800.888.8686 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              800.888.8686      end_of_the_skype_highlighting or visit our website and complete a computer rental quote online. Keep in mind that SmartSource Rentals rents computer and audio visual technology nationwide to more than 300 trade shows a year if you plan on attending any other events as well!

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2010 CASE/NAIS Independent Schools Conference

This past January, the 2010 CASE/NAIS Independent Schools Conference celebrated 40 years of bringing together independent schools professionals to meet, exchange ideas, review best practices and discuss advancements for the future. The keynote speaker was John Replogle, CEO and President of Burt’s Bees, Inc. who touched on sustainability and responsible leadership. This event was held at the New York Marriott Marquis January 24-26th, 2010.

SmartSource Rentals provided full service Audio Visual staging & scenic design for a general session of 1,100 people and AV support for nine different breakout rooms. SmartSource was excited to be chosen to provide the audio visual for this 40th Anniversary event and was able to deliver an amazing experience for all attendees.

Some of the technology featured at the event included:

• Christie Digital Projection
• Meyer Sound Reinforcement
• LED Color Blocks for projecting onto lycra “scenic sails”
• Over 35 Shure UHF Wireless Microphones

Since the New York Marriot Marquis Hotel is located in the heart of Times Square there was some extensive RF coordination and management involved. The lighting on the Lycra Sails provided a stunning dramatic backdrop for the general session, helping add to the overall success of the event.

You can visit the CASE website for more information on the Council for the Advancement & Support of Education as well as the New York Marriot Marquis website for more information on the venue.

Visit SmartSource Rentals online get a quote on Audio Visual, Staging & Lighting Services for your New York event.

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Volunteerism initiatives launched in Times Square

SmartSource was selected for a National Press Event in Times Square kicking off two major initiatives aimed at ushering in a new generation of volunteerism. EIF (Entertainment Industry Foundation) is tapping into the vast entertainment community to help engage millions of Americans to find ways to volunteer more regularly by launching a multi-year I PARTICIPATE Campaign. In addition, Mayor’s from all over the U.S. have come together to form a bi-partisan “Cities of Service” coalition comprised of big and small cities across the U.S. working to help make a difference in their communities. Each of these new movements was announced at a major press event in Times Square, NYC on September 10, 2009.

This event was attended by a wide variety of celebrities, public officials, companies and organizations all with the common goal of increasing volunteerism. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg served as the emcee for this event after meeting with host of other mayors around the country earlier that day regarding the “Cities of Service” initiative, including Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, Dublin, OH Mayor Marilee Chinnici-Zuercher, Jacksonville Mayor John Peyton, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, Newark Mayor Cory Booker, Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, Providence Mayor David Cicilline, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer, Vicksburg, MS Mayor Paul Winfield, Washington, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, and West Palm Beach Mayor Lois Frankel. Other celebrities in attendance included Ashton Kutcher, Tyler Perry, Randy Jackson, Christine Baranski, Fran Drescher, Sway Calloway, Kenneth Cole, Rocco DiSpirito, Kelley Menighan Hensley, Bernadette Peters, Cameron Mathison, Tim Daly, Lee Ann Womack, Constantine Maroulis, Jeff Francoeur, and Al Leiter.

Harnessing the power of social media, Mayor Bloomberg and Ashton Kutcher joined forces to reach out to more than 3.5 million followers on twitter and encourage volunteerism, which began to draw immediate responses across the internet.

For an event this large scale that was being hosted in a globally recognized location like Times Square, New York City, it was an easy decision to go with one of the most experienced NYC Sound, Staging & Lighting companies in all of New York City - SmartSource Rentals. SmartSource worked with EIF to provide sound, staging, LED Truck, internet access and other audio visual and technology support to make sure the event went smoothly. SmartSource was proud to be involved in helping two community driven initiatives be announced on a national stage in the heart of New York City.

Resources and Information relating to these initiatives:

Entertainment Industry Foundation
I PARTICIPATE
Cities of Service
Times Square Event Press Release

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