Presidential Election,

Uncertainity in economies here and abroad,

Mayan prophecy of the end of the world.

A busy and unpredictable 2012 is here.

Here’s a happy, healthy and hopeful New Year’s wish from Live Link Events!

- iMac & Macbook Pro remain USA’s top selling desktop & notebook

- Nearly 60 million Mac users worldwide (almost 1/4 of the global personal computer market)

- 16 billion songs downloaded to date on iTunes

- 300,000,000 iPods sold

- 18,000,000,000 (billion) iOS apps downloaded to date, netting developers nearly $3 billion

- Currently 250 million iOS devices have been sold

- Now 357 Apple retail stores in 11 countries

- “There are still 77 percent of people who are buying something else. We have an incredibly high ceiling here. We have a long way to go.”

- “Over 300 million iPods have been sold.  ”It took Sony 30 years to sell 220,000 Walkman cassette players”

Here are some of the survey’s top findings:

1. When asked to list the top three marketing elements for accelerating and deepening relationships, event marketing led at 64 percent, followed by social marketing at 55 percent and Web marketing at 54 percent.

2. Respondents report that of all marketing elements, they see the greatest ROI from Web marketing (40%), with event marketing coming in second at 22 percent.

3. The percentage of marketers who rank the future importance of events as increasing rose this year, from 29 percent to 36 percent.

4. 34 percent of respondents plan to move to an experience-driven portfolio within the next three to 12 months, while 31 percent say they have already done so.

5. A third (30%) of respondents said they saw the highest ROI from conferences and seminars, followed by trade shows at 24%.

6. When asked about their primary marketing concerns, reaching new customers (25%) was at the top of the list, followed by tracking ROI (15%) and growing market share (14%).

From the Event Marketing Institute

• Founded in 2005 & headquartered in Atlanta (national in scope)

• Our Mission:  deliver exceptional strategic, creative and measurable solutions at an affordable cost

Live Link Events 2011 Capabilities

Live Link Events is currently accepting resumes from qualified candidates for the non-paid position of Event Marketing Intern.  This position will be based in Atlanta and will offer the ideal candidate to event planning, event implementation, event management, staffing, operations and social media.

The Event Marketing Intern should be energetic, enthusiastic, organized and possess excellent verbal and written communication skills.  The ideal candidate for this position is able to work in a team environment as well as independently with minimal supervision. 

He/she will support the Events team with projects ranging from helping plan, organize, and execute events throughout metro Atlanta to standard administrative tasks such as data entry, scheduling and preparing communications/reports. 

The Event Marketing Intern will have the opportunity to aid in the planning and organization of the events which they will attend. This is a great learning opportunity for someone who is interested in the event marketing industry. 

 Responsibilities:  

• Assist with all general office procedures including data entry, scheduling appointments, maintaining meeting notes, etc….
• Assist in organizing events from inception to conception.
• Perform venue research and assist with site walk-throughs.  

Qualifications: 

• Interest or experience in public relations, marketing, journalism, communications, or other related fields is preferred but not required.
• Must be currently enrolled and attending an accredited college or university.
• Must live in Atlanta
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office Programs.
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team. 
• Positive attitude.

The product that you will be successfully selling is bundled internet, tv and phone.

To be considered, you must have:
- minimum of two years retail sales experience in telecommunications with verifiable income
- very outgoing personality
- team player mentality
- your own vehicle

This is a 100% commission position. Successful, enthusiastic and dedicated sales staff can easily earn up to $250/day for an 8 hour day. Commissions are paid out weekly.

To receive immediate consideration, please send your resume and mark the subject area of your email with “Atlanta Direct Sales” to jobs@livelinkevents.com

Reports have emerged of a fall launch of Apple’s third-generation iPad in order to match the touchscreen tablet’s release schedule with the company’s annual iPod releases and the holiday season.

John Gruber of Daring Fireball sparked the first rumors Wednesday when he mentioned that the HP TouchPad may “bump up against the release of the iPad 3″ in a post. HP unveiled the webOS-based tablet Wednesday, though the device will not become available until “later in the summer.”

After speculation arose that Gruber’s comments were based on inside information, he clarified his thoughts as mere guesswork in a subsequent post.

“My gut feeling is that Apple will move the iPad to a September release schedule, alongside the iPods,” he wrote. “But they wouldn’t want to wait over a year and a half from the announcement of the original iPad to announce the second one.”

Gruber guesses that Apple will release the second-generation iPad “fairly soon,” possibly in March with a shipping date in early April. The updated device would be faster, with “more RAM, maybe more storage, thinner and lighter, a front-facing camera.” He also believes iOS 5 would be announced in March and ship in June.

“iPad 3, shipping in September, announced at the annual iPod event. Running iOS 5.1, same as the next-generation iPod Touch,” predicted Gruber, adding that the release may be more like an iPad 2.5, iPad 2 HD or iPad 2 Pro–”a new higher-end model that sits atop the iPad product family, not a replacement for the iPad 2 models.”

Gruber’s conjectures were followed by a report from TechCrunch’s MG Siegler that lent credence to the speculation, though for different reasons. Siegler cited a “very good” anonymous source that claims Apple is planning a “big fall surprise” related to the iPad 3.

“We don’t have any more concrete information beyond that,” said Siegler. “But, as of right now, the plan is apparently to release one iteration of the iPad in the next few weeks. And then blow the doors open with another new version in the fall.”

He went on to surmise that a third-generation iPad could have “a retina-like display” or perhaps “another, slightly smaller form factor,” though Apple CEO Steve Jobs has downplayed the possibility.

While Apple has yet to formally announce the second-generation iPad, reports of the device have picked up steam as of late. On Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple has begun manufacturing the next-generation tablet. As reported by AppleInsider in January, the iPad 2 is expected to be thinner and lighter, with a faster processor, more memory, a FaceTime-ready camera and an upgraded graphics processor.