Agenda

Training for Real-estate Sales
Jan. 21: Springfield Technical Community College’s Workforce Development office will offer “Preparation for the Real Estate Exam,” a state-approved course for those interested in becoming licensed real-estate salespeople. This course is designed to acquaint the prospective real-estate salesperson, as well as the potential buyer or seller of a home or investment property, with the fundamentals of real-estate law and procedures in Massachusetts. The program begins on Jan. 21 and will convene on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings from 6 to 9 p.m. Space is limited. To register, visit www.stcc.edu/wd or call (413) 755-4502.

Nonprofit Marketing Roundtable
Jan. 28: Struggling to gain visibility with your target audience? Are your marketing materials producing tangible results? Are your best messaging ideas living only in your head? The Nonprofit Marketing Roundtable 2014 Workshop will be held from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce, 99 Pleasant St., Northampton. Three women business owners — Janice Beetle, Ruth Griggs, and Maureen Scanlon of the Creative, a marketing and communications collaboration in Northampton — will lead a nonprofit Flash marketing workshop. They will meet with business owners, listen to your marketing and communications concerns, and help you brainstorm practical, professional solutions on the spot. Learn more about how to strategize, advertise, brand, and promote your business; reach the media; and maximize your message in person, in print, and online. The workshop, presented by the Creative Marketing Group, is free, but pre-registration is required, and space is limited. To register, contact Jasmin Tomic at (413) 584-1900 or [email protected].

Ad Club Luncheon
Jan. 29: In the toughest of times, smart marketing is a must. Join John Chandler, chief marketing officer of MassMutual Financial Group, for the Advertising Club of Western Mass. Luncheon, starting at 11:45 a.m. at the Springfield Sheraton, 1 Monarch Place. Learn how this Fortune 100 financial-services company has used a straightforward, results-driven marketing strategy to help create six straight years of record sales results and expand into new markets, all during the worst economic downturn in more than a half-century. Chandler will share the company’s marketing principles and examples of its work that are driving marketplace success.
Registration begins at 11:45 a.m., and the program runs from noon to 1:30 p.m. Cost: $25 for members, $35 for non-members, and $15 for students. Parking is free in the Springfield Sheraton garage (bring your ticket or coin for validation). To reserve a seat, call (413) 736-2582 or e-mail [email protected] by Jan. 24.

Difference Makers 2014
March 20: The sixth annual Difference Makers award program, staged by BusinessWest, will be held at the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House. Details on the event will be published in upcoming issues of the magazine. Difference Makers is a program, launched in 2009, that recognizes groups and individuals that are, as the name suggests, making a difference in this region. The editors and publishers of BusinessWest have examined this year’s stack of nominations and have chosen the class of 2014, and the winners will be announced in the magazine’s Feb. 10 issue. For more information, call (413) 781-8600.