With facilities located in Short Hills, Edgewater, and Princeton, ‘CAN DO Fitness Clubs’ is with you every lift, push, pull, step, stroke, and stretch of the way… and that’s why we are proud to feature CAN DO as our November 2011 Client of the Month!

“CAN DO Fitness Clubs help motivate you and prepare your body for life’s most important moments by creating the highest quality health & fitness experience,” explains owner, Stuart Polevoy.  “Our goal is to integrate purposeful health & wellness into your daily life.  And we always encourage you to enjoy your sessions.”

To help you achieve your goals, CAN DO Fitness is exceptionally selective with the equipment they choose, the personal trainers and instructors they hand-pick, the comprehensive programs they provide.  ‘Be the best you can be each day. Renew at CAN DO, where it’s all about you’ is their belief.

In addition to their fitness facilities, they offer Koi SpaSalon – located within their Edgewater and Princeton clubs.  At Koi SpaSalon, you can renew your mind, body, and spirit with exceptional treatments in the hands of their knowledgeable and caring staff.  The salon offers an extensive menu of hair, nail, and salon services.  Skilled stylists and technicians are prepared to customize any service to achieve your desired look.

“When the need arises to place our members and clients on hold,” states Polevoy, “Holdcom has enabled us to keep them entertained, while promoting our various services.  The professional-sounding voices and music compliment the upscale nature of our business.”

For more information regarding CAN DO Fitness Clubs and Koi SpaSalon, be sure to visit candofitness.com or koispa.com.  And congratulations once again to Stuart Polevoy and his team for being selected as our Client of the Month!

The Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals converged in Orlando, Florida on October 16-19^th for their annual Conference. With hotel bookings overflowing, the word is out on this special group of professionals who handle consumer affairs for thousands of brands we interact with on a daily basis.

Holdcom’s own Andy Begnoché attended and returned energized with new ideas on mobile, social media, and customer engagement. “Holdcom has been involved with this group since 2004 and we’ve seen tremendous grown in content and leadership.  So much has changed in the way companies interact with consumers over the past 7 years, it great to be involved with an organization that is leading the conversation and education to prepare professionals in this space with the tools to tackle their jobs” noted Andy Begnoche Vice Chair for the membership committee. “So many people volunteer their time and share so much information in this group, it’s really quite unique.  Our committee has been responsible for a lot of content that is part of the webinar series as well as the website for a brand new knowledge base called PING (Providing Information through Networked Groups).  I was initially concerned with the resources it was going to take to gather the information and load it into the system, but when we reached out to membership for assistance, they once again came back with armfuls of content.”

This year’s conference also featured Advanced Breakout Sessions with the goal of not just introducing or reviewing content, but really digging in and getting into specifics and making it a true learning experience.  “I attended the Muli-Generational Training Strategies session that was done by Ronna Caras of Caras Training and I was really impressed by the level of content that was covered. Many of the members who attended the session raved about the valuable material Ronna shared. “ Andy shared.

SOCAP not only leverages the expertise of it’s membership for show content, they also bring in thought leaders in trending topics within the consumer affairs space.  This year saw the likes of Mitch Joel President of Twist Image, Simon Mainwaring Author & Blogger, Tomi Ahonen Author and International Speaker on Mobile Industry, and Author and Poet Chris Abani.  “I always look forward to the keynotes.  SOCAP does a great job of combining experts and professionals who make you think and reflect professionally and personally.  The presentation for Tomi Ahonen was somewhat mind-blowing. The direction mobile is moving and the things that we will be doing with our mobile phones in the very near future was exciting and powerful.  There will definitely be a shift in how we live our lives.”

What’s up next for this group?  The annual Symposium will be held in Baltimore Maryland April 22-25^th and next year’s conference with be in San Diego, California.  “It’s a great group to get involved with, but you don’t have to wait for one of the big events, there are chapters all around the country.  The New York Metro Chapter is having their year-end meeting at the Madison Hotel in Morristown NJ on November 16^th” announced Andy.  Click here to register for the local event.

If you have a retail environment, hotel lobby, restaurant, waiting rooms, or a health club/spa and you’re not taking advantage of the power of overhead music, you’re missing out.  In a retail environment, the right music keeps people in the store, energizes them, and motivates buying.  In hotel lobbies and restaurants, music provides a relaxing and desirable soundtrack for conversation, it sets a mood, and it can also be a filter for less desirable extraneous noise.  In a health club or spa, it can energize or soothe the clientele, while providing a unique audio environment.  In a hospital or doctor’s waiting room, it can have a calming effect and also filter-out unwanted sounds and conversations.  And we’re just getting started.

In the right environment, music mixed with well-scripted, professional announcements can promote, inform, and brand.  Customized playlists can target your demographics in ways previously unheard of.  Uniquely branded “radio stations” can be crafted for your organization, which will reinforce your company’s image.

In the past, long-term contracts and sophisticated expensive equipment excluded many organizations from taking advantage of the power of environmental audio, but not anymore.  Holdcom, your audio marketing expert, now offers an affordable music solution without an equipment investment or long-term contract.  It’s easy to try, buy, and use.

Learn More About Holdcom’s Overhead Music Services

Overhead Music Sets the Tone

I was at the supermarket the other day and was feeling kind of uncomfortable. I couldn’t put my finger on why I had such an odd feeling, until an overhead announcement broke the silence. “That’s it!” I thought to myself, “It’s completely silent in this store.” Shopping in the ultra-quiet store was like waiting on hold and just hearing silence. What is it that makes music effective in a retail environment?

Background music might not be at the forefront of shoppers’ minds, but studies have shown that patronage is positively affected by music that shoppers are familiar with or like. It’s important to know your customers and structure your overhead music – as well as all of your marketing initiatives for that matter - around their taste. The wrong retail soundscape can send customers flying out the door — up to 68% of them, according to Julian Treasure. (Read More…)

Don’t worry, it’s almost time to reclaim the hour we lost last Spring. This year, Daylight Saving Time ends November 6, 2011.  Don’t forget to set your clocks back an hour before going to bed the night before!  Take the time to make sure the clocks in your office are up to date, especially on your phone system.  What can happen if you forget to update the time in your office?  Watch our video and find out: