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    <title>Halloween Party Expo &#45; News</title>
    <link>http://www.halloweenpartyexp.com/news</link>
    <description>Halloween Party Expo News</description>
    <dc:language>en</dc:language>
    <dc:creator>Halloween Party Expo</dc:creator>
    <dc:rights>Copyright 2012</dc:rights>
    <dc:date>2012-05-14T21:49:49+00:00</dc:date>
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    <item>
      <title>Harris County is Nation&#8217;s Fastest&#45;Growing</title>
      <link>http://www.halloweenpartyexpo.com/news/entry/houston-in-fastest-growing-county/</link>
      <guid>http://www.halloweenpartyexpo.com/news/entry/houston-in-fastest-growing-county/</guid>
      <description>Houston&#39;s home county tops list as fastest&#45;growing in nation from 2010&#45;2011


Harris County, home to Houston and the Halloween &amp;amp; Party Expo, was the fastest&#45;growing county in the nation last year, according to recently released census information.
Between mid&#45;2010 and mid&#45;2011, Harris County accumulated more than 88,000 new residents, many of whom were drawn in by Houston&amp;rsquo;s ever&#45;strengthening economy. &amp;nbsp;
In addition to business booming in the city, Harris County also offers a wide variety of entertainment, culture and shopping, making it an ideal destination for visitors, as well as new residents. Read more about Harris County&amp;rsquo;s incredible growth here at the Houston Chronicle website.
Interested in attending the 2013 Halloween &amp;amp; Party Expo in Houston, Texas? Check out the links below for information on the various neighborhoods within close proximity to the home of the Expo, the George R. Brown Convention Center.
Houston OverviewDowntown &#45; The center of it allEaDo &#45; Houston&#39;s up&#45;and&#45;coming hotspotMidtown &#45; Luxury and style just a stone&#39;s throw awayWashington Avenue &#45; Houston&#39;s main thoroughfare for nightlife and partiesWestheimer &amp;amp; Montrose &#45; Eclecticism and funk meets sophistication and class</description>
      <dc:date>2012-05-14T21:49:49+00:00</dc:date>
    </item>

    <item>
      <title>Spending Trends Up: Mother&#8217;s Day</title>
      <link>http://www.halloweenpartyexpo.com/news/entry/spending-trends-up-mothers-day/</link>
      <guid>http://www.halloweenpartyexpo.com/news/entry/spending-trends-up-mothers-day/</guid>
      <description>Good news when it comes to celebratory&#45; and holiday&#45;related spending. Check out the press release below from the National Retail Federation on expected 2012 Mother&#39;s Day spending. Press Release from National Retail Federation Gas Prices No Match When it Comes to Mom, According to NRF Survey Riding the coattails of a spring where they spent freely on everything from garden supplies and home d&amp;eacute;cor to colorful fashions, consumers will stretch their dollars a little further this Mother&amp;rsquo;s Day to make sure mom has the perfect day. According to the National Retail Federation&#39;s (NRF) 2012 Mother&amp;rsquo;s Day consumer spending survey conducted by BIGinsight, the average person celebrating the holiday is expected to spend $152.52 on gifts, up from $140.73 last year. Total spending is expected to reach $18.6 billion.* &amp;ldquo;Despite grappling with high gas prices, Americans will look for sentimental and unique ways to shower mom with affection this year,&amp;rdquo; said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. &amp;ldquo;As one of the most important holidays of the year, consumers can expect to see a wide range of promotions from mom&amp;rsquo;s favorite retailers leading up to the big day, including savings on apparel and electronics and even special Mother&amp;rsquo;s Day menu options at restaurants.&amp;rdquo; According to the survey, consumers will spoil mom with special meals and/or outings, clothing, electronics, flowers and more. Two&#45;thirds (66.4%) will buy flowers, spending a total of $2.2 billion, and nearly one&#45;third (32.8%) will treat mom to a new blouse or sweater, spending $1.6 billion on clothing and accessories. Those buying electronics (12.7%) will shell out a total of $1.6 billion on tablets, digital cameras and more, and over half (54.3%) of all celebrants will treat mom to a nice dinner or brunch, spending $3.4 billion. Additionally, consumers will shell out $1.8 billion on gift cards and $1.3 billion on personal services such as a trip to a day spa. Chart: Average consumer spending on Mother&#39;s DayDescription: Tags: Author: charts powered by iCharts When it comes to where people will shop, the survey found more than one&#45;third (35.6%) of gift buyers will shop at a department store, the most in the survey&amp;rsquo;s history. Adults ages 18&#45;24 also prefer to shop at department stores where more than half (55.7%) will look for the perfect gift for mom. Other shoppers will head to discount stores (30.2%), specialty stores including jewelers, florists and electronics stores (36.3%) and specialty clothing stores (8.2%). One&#45;quarter (25.6%) of shoppers will buy their gifts online, up from 21.5 percent last year. &amp;ldquo;While still very mindful of their finances, consumers will open their wallets a little more this year to ensure Mother&amp;rsquo;s Day is extra special for the women in their lives&amp;rdquo; said BIGinsight Executive Vice President Phil Rist. &amp;ldquo;Many will use the opportunity to comparison shop and research products to save a few bucks, utilizing their mobile and tablet devices at home and in stores as they look for gifts and other ways to celebrate.&amp;rdquo; &amp;nbsp;Mobile and tablet owners will keep a keen eye out for deals&#8230;</description>
      <dc:date>2012-05-11T21:29:14+00:00</dc:date>
    </item>

    <item>
      <title>Like Halloween, Lots of Easter Spending</title>
      <link>http://www.halloweenpartyexpo.com/news/entry/like-halloween-lots-of-easter-spending/</link>
      <guid>http://www.halloweenpartyexpo.com/news/entry/like-halloween-lots-of-easter-spending/</guid>
      <description>(NRF Press Release)
Spring Apparel, Candy to Send Easter Sales Past $16 BillionIt seems even high prices at the pump can&amp;rsquo;t keep the  Easter Bunny away this year.&amp;nbsp; According to NRF&amp;rsquo;s Easter spending survey,  conducted by BIGinsight, Americans will shell out an average of $145.28  on everything from apparel and candy to food and decorations this year,  up 11 percent from $131.04 last year. Total spending is expected to  reach $16.8 billion.*&amp;ldquo;Though the price of gas is on everyone&amp;rsquo;s  mind, Easter is one of the few holidays some consumers are willing to  stretch their budgets, especially because many children look forward to  treats and new outfits on Easter morning,&amp;rdquo; said NRF President and CEO  Matthew Shay. &amp;ldquo;Retailers will make sure to offer plenty of promotions on  candy, apparel, food and decorations in the coming weeks for eager  holiday shoppers.&amp;rdquo;



Chart: Average consumer spending on EasterDescription: Tags: Author: charts powered by iCharts

According to the survey, those celebrating Easter have a hefty appetite  for candy and new spring clothes. Nearly half (48.5%) will head to the  stores to take advantage of retailers&amp;rsquo; spring sales on colorful fashions  and accessories, with total spending on those items expected to reach  $3.0 billion. Most though, will head straight to the candy aisle  (89.3%), shelling out more than $2 billion on traditional favorites such  as chocolate eggs and jelly beans. The average person will spend more  on these items as well: $26.11 on apparel, up from $21.51 last year, and  $20.35 on candy, up from $18.55 last year. &amp;ldquo;Beautiful  weather conditions coupled with a slight lift in consumer confidence  will likely be a boon to the Easter holiday this year as consumers begin  to seek out new spring merchandise for their home or garden, and even  their wardrobe,&amp;rdquo; said BIGinsight Consumer Insights Director Pam  Goodfellow.
* Total spending is based on extrapolation of US population 18 +
Read the entire press release here at NRF&#39;s website: http://www.nrf.com</description>
      <dc:date>2012-04-05T21:49:15+00:00</dc:date>
    </item>

    <item>
      <title>2013 Show 80% Sold</title>
      <link>http://www.halloweenpartyexpo.com/news/entry/2013-show-80-sold/</link>
      <guid>http://www.halloweenpartyexpo.com/news/entry/2013-show-80-sold/</guid>
      <description>The 2013 Halloween &amp;amp; Party Expo is still 10 months away, but preparations are already well underway, and more than 80 percent of the show floor is currently under contract. &amp;ldquo;We had a substantial number of exhibitors report positive feedback, both in terms of overall experience and order volume,&amp;rdquo; said Jonathan Erwin of the Halloween &amp;amp; Party Expo. &amp;ldquo;And that makes sense, as our registration numbers increased over 2011. With the economic picture brightening, we are confident that we will continue to grow in 2013.&amp;rdquo; &amp;nbsp;&amp;ldquo;We&amp;rsquo;ve been swamped, and have run out of samples. It couldn&amp;rsquo;t be better. We&amp;rsquo;re absolutely thrilled,&amp;rdquo; said Treb Heining, with burton+BURTON, while on&#45;site at the 2012 show. Like burton+BURTON, a number of other exhibitors who had a strong 2012 show are eagerly anticipating the 2013 Expo and beyond. &amp;ldquo;We&amp;rsquo;re definitely coming back,&amp;rdquo; said Brad Swager, with Webb Candy, &amp;ldquo;we wouldn&amp;rsquo;t miss this show for anything in the world.&amp;rdquo; Exhibitors weren&amp;rsquo;t the only ones pleased with the Halloween &amp;amp; Party Expo. Numerous buyers remarked on the professionalism of the show, and the show&amp;rsquo;s important role in the industry. &amp;ldquo;This is the only show that I would go to,&amp;rdquo; said Joni Sorrels of J&amp;amp;M Seasonal, &amp;ldquo;This is the only way we write orders.&amp;rdquo; In addition to domestic buyers, the 2012 Halloween &amp;amp; Party Expo also welcomed more international traffic than ever before. &amp;ldquo;We&amp;rsquo;re very pleased to host the number of international attendees that we do,&amp;rdquo; said Erwin. &amp;ldquo;With our increasing number of buyers from outside the U.S., we really are the global show for this industry. Having the Expo in a central location like Houston makes travel easy for our international and domestic guests. We&amp;rsquo;re pleased to continue to call Houston home and to welcome our friends from around the globe.&amp;rdquo; The show did not disappoint these far&#45;travelling international guests: &amp;ldquo;You guys over here in America do retail very, very well,&amp;rdquo; said Peter Love of The Party Space in Australia. &amp;ldquo;We&amp;rsquo;re having a great time and seeing lots of new supplies.&amp;rdquo; While more than 80 percent of the Expo floor is already sold, yet&#45;to&#45;be&#45;committed previous exhibitors still have ample opportunity to take advantage of priority placing before new booth registration opens in full in the coming weeks. Exhibitors who have attended the Halloween &amp;amp; Party Expo at any point in the past have the option to submit their company contact information to Expo staff via an online form found on the Expo website, www.HalloweenPartyExpo.com. The list allows exhibitors an opportunity to discuss their booth preferences one&#45;on&#45;one with show staff as the floorplan begins to take shape. Check the Expo website for more details and to stay up&#45;to&#45;date during the countdown to 2013.&amp;nbsp; Additional Quotes on 2012 Halloween &amp;amp; Party Expo: &amp;ldquo;Of all the shows that we do, this show gives us the greatest bang for our buck.&amp;rdquo; &#45;Richie Marks, SKD Party &amp;ldquo;First impressions: Unbelievable. It&amp;rsquo;s been a dream come true.&amp;rdquo;&#45;Louie Simpson, Mullet on the Go &amp;ldquo;The Halloween &amp;amp; Party Expo has been tremendously successful and it&amp;rsquo;s a&#8230;</description>
      <dc:date>2012-03-28T19:04:20+00:00</dc:date>
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    <item>
      <title>Business in the Digital Age</title>
      <link>http://www.halloweenpartyexpo.com/news/entry/business-in-the-digital-age/</link>
      <guid>http://www.halloweenpartyexpo.com/news/entry/business-in-the-digital-age/</guid>
      <description>Expo Presenter Ken Koo Shared Tips on Building Relationships with Customers Onlineby Amy Francisco
If your company doesn&#39;t have a Facebook page, it should get one &amp;ndash; and quick. A presence on the highly interactive social media channel was at the top of the list of recommendations that presenter Ken Koo made to the attendees of his session, &amp;ldquo;Social Media &amp;ndash; It&#39;s About Relationships,&amp;rdquo; held Jan. 30 and 31 at the 2012 Halloween &amp;amp; Party Expo in Houston, Texas.
But not just any presence will do. Koo, the president of Dallas&#45;based digital services agency Imaginuity Interactive, said to build trust among prospective and current customers, companies must follow a few rules when using social media &amp;ndash; some technical and some behavioral.
&amp;ldquo;Your company should make its name on Facebook similar [if not the same as] the company name,&amp;rdquo; he said. In fact, even if you&#39;re not ready to use them yet, Koo said companies should reserve the vanity URLs featuring their names for Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and other social media channels they&#39;re interested in using &amp;ndash; before someone else does. &amp;ldquo;Consistent branding is important. [When they see your company&#39;s name] people know it&#39;s authentic and something they can trust.&amp;rdquo;&amp;nbsp;
And trust is crucial to establishing positive, ongoing relationships with customers, Koo said. &amp;ldquo;Digital and social media have the power to foster and develop the [customer] relationship beyond the transaction,&amp;rdquo; he said. &amp;ldquo;Once you start having conversations [with your customers], a lot of the challenges in business go away. You may be challenged with price fluctuations each year, for example, but that can be overcome once you start developing relationships and your customers know they can trust you to deliver. It&#39;s an enduring relationship in which they don&#39;t use you for just one transaction.&amp;rdquo;
Koo, who has more than 13 years of management and technology consulting experience, provided session attendees with some do&#39;s and don&#39;ts for using social media to its fullest relationship&#45;building potential. He stressed clear and transparent communication. &amp;ldquo;Let your customers communicate the challenges [and respond with] how you&#39;ll address the challenges,&amp;rdquo; he said. &amp;ldquo;Be sincere and don&#39;t filter, scrub or redact comments. Social media is meant as an open forum, so embrace it as such.&amp;rdquo;
He also reminded attendees that social media is not a project with a beginning and an end. &amp;ldquo;There&#39;s no finish line with social media. You have to foster it,&amp;rdquo; he said. &amp;ldquo;It becomes part of your business. It&#39;s another way to communicate, just as you would respond to client emails. Your social media presence needs constant care.&amp;rdquo;
For more information about Ken Koo and Imaginuity Interactive, visit imaginuity.com. To learn more about the Halloween &amp;amp; Party Expo and other sessions offered through its Education/Demo Center, visit&amp;nbsp; halloweenpartyexpo.com.</description>
      <dc:date>2012-02-14T22:32:31+00:00</dc:date>
    </item>

    <item>
      <title>Expo Celebrates Another Successful Year</title>
      <link>http://www.halloweenpartyexpo.com/news/entry/2012-expo-celebrates-another-successful-year/</link>
      <guid>http://www.halloweenpartyexpo.com/news/entry/2012-expo-celebrates-another-successful-year/</guid>
      <description>Halloween &amp;amp; Party Expo Delivers More in 2012 It went off with a BANG! Literally. With its pyrotechnic &amp;ldquo;fireworks,&amp;rdquo; the opening Halloween Costume Style Show at the 2012 Halloween &amp;amp; Party Expo set the tone for the four&#45;day event. The annual expo, held at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas, had a great deal of sparkling moments as it hosted thousands of industry professionals with one common goal: Buy, sell, meet, see and experience all things Halloween, costume and party. &amp;ldquo;The primary purpose of the Expo is to put buyers in contact with exhibitors and to facilitate order&#45;writing, but we also want the show to be educational and fun,&amp;rdquo; said Jonathan Erwin of the Halloween &amp;amp; Party Expo. &amp;ldquo;We&amp;rsquo;ve received great feedback from previous shows and crafted an experience in 2012 built around our known successes and some great new opportunities.&amp;rdquo; By day, the show floor was business as usual. Registration numbers exceeded those of 2011, with thousands of buyers visiting the 350+ exhibitors over 600,000 square feet. In between meetings and appointments, buyers had the opportunity to attend free sessions at the new Education/Demo Center in Hall E. Top industry professionals gave lectures and presentations covering a swath of topics from how to create fanciful balloon decorations, to ways to increase their ecommerce traffic and profits. Nearby, a number of attendees marveled at the 20&#45;foot&#45;plus balloon cake created by AeraDeco Video, which beckoned buyers towards the Culinary Art Displays Area. But in an industry dominated by people in the business of partying and celebrating, the nighttime events such as the Halloween Costume Style Show and Saturday Night After&#45;Party provided memories to last well past next year&amp;rsquo;s show. The Style Show exceeded expectations once again, with an immersive preshow skit involving video of a murderous chase which melded from screen to stage in real&#45;time. Over 100 of the newest and most anticipated costumes and licenses flooded the stage amid pyrotechnics, an aerial artist and even a live snake. Afterwards, hundreds of buyers and exhibitors convened at nearby pub, Little Woodrow&amp;rsquo;s, to meet, mingle, dance and network amidst the sights and sounds of a professional video DJ. Attendees enjoyed the free appetizers and body painting sessions offered by Liquid Latex, with one lucky party&#45;goer even being chosen at random for an Xbox 360 Kinect. Other special prizes given away throughout the week included hundreds of dollars in gift cards and exhibitor discounts at the Guessing Contest Area, a new car from Leg Avenue during their last style show, and a cruise vacation for two which was up for grabs by anyone who completed the Expo Scavenger Hunt. The hunt engaged active participants in a number of the special areas located throughout the show floor, such as the Boo&#45;hemian Lounge, Zen Den and Green &amp;ldquo;Scream&amp;rdquo; Photo area. The Halloween &amp;amp; Party Expo&amp;rsquo;s history of showcasing exciting celebrity appearances continued with the addition of Dina Manzo on Sunday, January 29. Manzo, a former member of The Real Housewives of New&#8230;</description>
      <dc:date>2012-02-10T21:49:50+00:00</dc:date>
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      <title>Blowing Up Balloon Sales</title>
      <link>http://www.halloweenpartyexpo.com/news/entry/blowing-up-balloon-sales/</link>
      <guid>http://www.halloweenpartyexpo.com/news/entry/blowing-up-balloon-sales/</guid>
      <description>Betallic&#39;s Jan Iiams Demonstrates Creative Cash&#45;and&#45;Carry Balloon Designs at Halloween &amp;amp; Party ExpoBy Amy Francisco Showcasing the latest products in the balloon industry &amp;ndash; from super shiny holographic films to latex LINK&#45;O&#45;LOONs that tie together for easier and faster arrangements &amp;ndash; Betallic&amp;rsquo;s education director Jan Iiams showed attendees at the Halloween &amp;amp; Party Expo how to merge creativity and time&#45;saving techniques to create easy balloon arrangements that are sure sellers. In &amp;ldquo;Clever Cash&#45;and&#45;Carry Balloon Designs,&amp;rdquo; held Jan. 29, 2012, at the Expo in Houston, Texas, Iiams demonstrated how to create quick&#45;turnaround balloon arrangements to have on hand for customers seeking last&#45;minute gifts. &amp;ldquo;People get irritated if they have to wait,&amp;rdquo; she said, but these designs &amp;ldquo;can, in a short time, be completed to enhance [a look] or even inflated from scratch on the spot.&amp;rdquo; Iiams, who got her start in the industry running her own successful balloon design d&amp;eacute;cor and delivery business, said that saving time with efficient techniques pays off with higher profits. In her session, she shared some tried&#45;and&#45;true shortcuts for balloon arranging, including how to tie a balloon and a ribbon at the same time to cut out an entire step, and the trick to keeping bouquet ribbons tangle&#45;free. She also provided insight on some technical issues such as how to make foil balloons float longer and how to avoid conductivity issues. Additionally, Expo attendees were among the first to see a brand&#45;new Betallic product, Mighty Bright!TM balloons. Iiams explained that they are nonmetallic so they don&#39;t conduct electricity, yet they still offer a brilliant finish and color. Plus, they&#39;re also more high&#45;altitude friendly. But the most memorable aspect of the session for attendees was most likely the creative inspiration the award&#45;winning balloon artist brought to the classroom. While attendees watched (and a few helped), Iiams showed them step&#45;by&#45;step how to create balloon arrangements, including the Darling Damask LINK&#45;O&#45;LOON&amp;reg; Column, Miles of Smiles Gift Bouquet and the Star Shimmer Arch &amp;ndash; made without a frame! (See some photos from the presentation on Betallic&#39;s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/betallic.) Iiams she said she often draws inspiration for designs like these from the experiences she&#39;s had teaching classes in more than 20 countries around the world during her 20&#45;plus years as an educator in the industry. Creative color use, one of the points she stressed in her session, is one area in which her international experiences have influenced her. She said when she was teaching in Australia, she was surprised to find how much the people there love bright colors, even in their wedding d&amp;eacute;cor, and it inspired her to emphasize color a bit more. &amp;ldquo;I&#39;m not using key lime, but I might use a pastel key lime instead, and people go &#39;Wow, this is great,&#39;&amp;rdquo; she said. &amp;ldquo;So I do bring an element of international influence to the U.S. to create something that looks more modern and different but that people will embrace. Creative, beautiful and appropriate color use is something you&#39;ll see in any of my classes.&amp;rdquo; Those&#8230;</description>
      <dc:date>2012-02-08T15:38:55+00:00</dc:date>
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      <title>Increasing Customer Service</title>
      <link>http://www.halloweenpartyexpo.com/news/entry/increasing-customer-service/</link>
      <guid>http://www.halloweenpartyexpo.com/news/entry/increasing-customer-service/</guid>
      <description>Retail strategist Anne Obarski brings ideas to Halloween and party industryBy Amy Francisco How does increasing business by 30 to 40 percent sound? Anne Obarski, the founder of retail consultancy Merchandise Concepts and the author of five books on customer service, says Halloween and party stores can achieve that kind of sales success by doing &amp;ldquo;just a few extra things&amp;rdquo; as they prepare for 2012. She plans to offer retailers specific ideas during two informative sessions she&#39;ll lead at the Halloween &amp;amp; Party Expo, Jan. 28&#45;31, 2012, in Houston Texas. In &amp;ldquo;Make Your Customer Service Contagious!&amp;rdquo; on Jan. 29 (4 to 4:30 p.m.) Obarski will cover four areas retailers can focus on to develop a following of customers so happy that they&#39;ll share their satisfaction with everyone they know. Among her recommendations is creating a shopping experience that will motivate customers to talk about it &amp;ndash; and come back for more. &amp;ldquo;You have to look at what makes up the experience,&amp;rdquo; Obarski said. In addition to having great merchandise, she said, &amp;ldquo;It&#39;s usually having knowledgeable, fun, caring employees. People make the experience.&amp;rdquo; Obarski is also a proponent of special events that bring customers back week after week. For example, she suggests that a Halloween retailer invite someone from a local theater group to lead a class for customers on doing costume makeup &amp;ndash; using items found in the store. &amp;ldquo;Think about how can you get customers to come back three times in three months rather than wait till the last minute and rush in to pick up a wig and a whip,&amp;rdquo; Obarski said. &amp;ldquo;People are buying more than decorations, costumes and candy; they&#39;re buying an experience.&amp;rdquo; A big part of experience is how a store looks and feels, and Obarski&#39;s other Halloween &amp;amp; Party Expo session, &amp;ldquo;3 Critical Merchandising Mistakes Retailers Make&amp;rdquo; will cover that. In this session, to be held Jan. 30 (9:30 to 10 a.m.), she will identify actions retailers can take to correct problems with their store environments that are costing them sales. She&#39;ll also share ideas for enhancements that retailers can make. &amp;ldquo;I think [attendees] will be surprised how effectively they could start doing some displays that wouldn&#39;t be cost&#45;prohibitive,&amp;rdquo; she said. For example, mirrors are critical in a costume shop, she said. &amp;ldquo;[When we&#39;re shopping], my granddaughter says, &#39;Nana, we&#39;ve got to show it to the mirror.&#39; Even something like a witch&#39;s hat &amp;ndash; you have to see what it looks like.&amp;rdquo; Obarski says spooky displays incorporating mirrors are just one way stores can fulfill customer needs and show off more of their merchandise. &amp;ldquo;I&#39;m excited about sharing some things that I think can help [Halloween and party industry] businesses,&amp;rdquo; Obarski said of her presentations at the Expo. &amp;ldquo;I work with companies that want to be contagious on purpose. What can you do to make people share [their experience]? That&#39;s what will make people come back.&amp;rdquo; Learn more about Anne Obarksi and her presentations as well as other learning opportunities for attendees in the&#8230;</description>
      <dc:date>2012-01-30T14:00:47+00:00</dc:date>
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      <title>Washington: A Street that Never Sleeps</title>
      <link>http://www.halloweenpartyexpo.com/news/entry/washington-a-street-that-never-sleeps/</link>
      <guid>http://www.halloweenpartyexpo.com/news/entry/washington-a-street-that-never-sleeps/</guid>
      <description>Washington Avenue Known as Houston&#39;s Hotspot for Hotspots In recent years, the Washington Corridor, a 3&#45;mile strip running east&#45;west from the northern tip of downtown, has rapidly gained a reputation as Houston&amp;rsquo;s number one nightlife destination. Amidst decades&#45; (and even century&#45;)old Houston establishments speckled along Washington Avenue, visitors will find a cropping&#45;up of new, inventive and wholly entertaining bars and eateries. Listed below are some of the Halloween &amp;amp; Party Expo&amp;rsquo;s favorite Washington hangouts. For more information on these and other establishments within nearby Houston neighborhoods, visit the Houston Information page. Dining Dining options on the Washington Corridor vary widely, but one thing remains constant: a fabulous dining experience in an entertaining part of town. Brunch at Max&amp;rsquo;s Wine Dive is a wholly gratifying experience. The huge plates include a three&#45;fried&#45;egg sandwich drizzled with truffle oil and sea salt, and topped with apple&#45;wood smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato and Gruyere, plus a side of hand&#45;cut truffle chips. Need something to drink while you&amp;rsquo;re there? Try one of Max&amp;rsquo;s special grapefruit juice mimosas. Down the road at TQLA, you&amp;rsquo;ll find unique brunch options like the Blue Corn Pancakes and the Pumpkin Seed Crusted French Toast. But as the name implies, TQLA is much more than brunch; the tequila selection here is unrivaled, with over 170 different kinds, including eight on tap, plus hyper&#45;cooled tequilas served at 5 degrees Fahrenheit. Named the &amp;ldquo;Best Comfort Food&amp;rdquo; restaurant by Houston Press in 2010, Zelko Bistro on East 11th St. operates in a quaint, refurbished 1920s bungalow. Diners will delight in the down&#45;home creations of young chef Jamie Zelko, such as the ZB Meatloaf with Yukon Mashed Potatoes, the PB &amp;amp; J Beignet, and even classic carnival Funnel Cake. It wouldn&amp;rsquo;t be Texas without a little barbeque, and Hickory Hollow has been a Houston barbeque favorite for over 30 years. Their extensive menu boasts USDA Choice rib eyes and brisket, American Farm Raised catfish and never using bottled ketchup to avoid spoiling. Nightlife With the Washington Corridor being known as one of the supreme locations in Houston for nightlife, there is no shortage of locations well&#45;suited for those looking to let loose. Washington Avenue Drinkery, between Thompson and Jackson Hill streets, is open &amp;lsquo;til midnight or later every day of the week, while also offering unique drink specials each night. Stop by on Monday for $5 &amp;ldquo;Pint the Power&amp;rdquo; night &amp;ndash; you buy the beer and keep the glass. Another spot open late every day of the week is Pearl Bar, just across the street from Washington Avenue Drinkery. Pearl Bar features a daily happy hour until 8 p.m., as well as a ping pong table and hula hoops in addition to the other more traditional pub games. Visit Pearl Bar on the weekends and check out DJ Madsound as he spins dance music from the 80s, 90s and today. Visit Brixx just a few short blocks down the road, between Reinerman and Roy streets. Brixx is open until 2 a.m. every night but Mondays, and&#8230;</description>
      <dc:date>2012-01-30T13:40:27+00:00</dc:date>
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      <title>The Wealth of Westheimer &amp;amp; Montrose</title>
      <link>http://www.halloweenpartyexpo.com/news/entry/the-wealth-of-westheimer-montrose/</link>
      <guid>http://www.halloweenpartyexpo.com/news/entry/the-wealth-of-westheimer-montrose/</guid>
      <description>&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Arguably one of the most unique, eclectic and varied areas in Houston is the Montrose neighborhood. Established 100 years ago, and boasting a thriving arts scene, Montrose was listed in 2009 as &amp;ldquo;one of the ten great United States neighborhoods&amp;rdquo; by the American Planning Association. The nearby location and nearly limitless variety and character make Montrose a fantastic destination for dining and nightlife during the Halloween &amp;amp; Party Expo. Additionally, a number of popular locations with primarily LGBT patrons are located in Montrose. Dining In the northern section of Montrose, attendees will find two great casual dining options in Barnaby&amp;rsquo;s Caf&amp;eacute; and Mockingbird Bistro. Barnaby&amp;rsquo;s Caf&amp;eacute; features tons of natural light through its gigantic windows, and offers over 25 unique sandwiches among its extensive menu.&amp;nbsp; The unique fare offered at Mockingbird Bistro can be gleaned by its clever name: a French bistro paired with the Texas State Bird. This French/Texan&#45;infused hotspot, celebrating its 10th anniversary during the Halloween &amp;amp; Party Expo, offers such enticements as wild boar sausage and a Kobe beef bleu cheese burger. Further south, below the popular Westheimer thoroughfare, guests will enjoy Oceans, known for their impressive variety of ceviche. Try their Oriental ceviche with ingredients like ginger and soy sauce, or opt for fish&#45;free vegetarian ceviche. If seafood isn&amp;rsquo;t your thing, try some of their other special offerings, like the prime filet mignon tacos served with onions and cilantro on corn tortillas. Canopy, on Montrose Boulevard, offers a light and airy atmosphere and features such menu items as Shiner Bock braised Black Hill Ranch pork belly and four&#45;mushroom pot pie with zucchini, squash and broccolini. One of Westheimer&amp;rsquo;s most popular restaurants is Mark&amp;rsquo;s American Cuisine. Built in a renovated church, the intimate atmosphere and high&#45;quality menu selections at Mark&amp;rsquo;s make for a one&#45;of&#45;a&#45;kind fine&#45;dining experience. Head Chef and owner Mark Cox still leads the kitchen daily to create what are, essentially, delectable works of art. Nightlife Noted by the New York Times as one of the top &amp;ldquo;must visit&amp;rdquo; spots in Houston, AvantGarden is known as a social patio. With various events, all open to the public, occurring on any given night, AvantGarden is a place for Houstonians and visitors to come together for the unified enjoyment of celebration. Anvil Bar &amp;amp; Refuge, just down Westheimer from AvantGarden, harkens back to a time when cocktails were hand&#45;crafted by artisans with years of skill&#45;building expertise. Drinks are supremely unique and favor homemade and local ingredients, served in vintage glassware procured from local antique shops. Anvil also features hard&#45;to&#45;find beer selections, including a cask beer. Just north of Westheimer, on the corner of Grant and Pacific, JR&amp;rsquo;s Bar &amp;amp; Grill and South Beach are two widely popular weekend hangouts with a large LGBT crowd. JR&amp;rsquo;s showcases a number of elaborate drag performances throughout the week as well as a number of nightly specials. South Beach is the place to be for those who love to dance and often features popular DJs, as well as stars from&#8230;</description>
      <dc:date>2012-01-30T13:35:47+00:00</dc:date>
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