Sandra O’Loughlin

September is a month typically associated with Fashion Week and fall fashion magazines. This year however it also included Fashion’s Night Out an event held on Sept. 10 from 5 to 11 p.m. designed to boost the ailing fashion and design industries. More than 700 retailers across New York’s five boroughs from massive department stores like Macy’s

If there’s one word no one in event marketing wants to hear it’s “cancellation.” Yet with today’s struggling economy some marketers are faced with the reality of having to pull at least one already-booked event from the portfolio. If you’ve gotta do it here are some tips to help you avoid—or at least minimize—costly cancellation fees.

The biggest challenge Walmart faced in preparing for this year’s annual meeting wasn’t where to house the 16 000 store associates and shareholders descending on its headquarters in Bentonville AR for three days in June. And there was no shortage of headliners willing to come to town to entertain them. Indeed Walmart’s dilemma was how to celebrate its growing market share—it surpassed a hefty $400 billion in sales during the last fiscal year—at a time when most of the country is struggling through one of the worst recessions in history.

Managing a trade show exhibit with 70 percent less than last year’s budget is become a reality for some marketers. At a time when cfos are slashing marketing dollars like the tails off shrimp on a sizzling Hibachi grill one exhibitor—Chase—not only worked with the slashed budget; it achieved a two-to-one return on its trade show investment.

At a time when many brand marketers are struggling to keep their portfolios afloat Hispanic marketing programs are flourishing. Walmart this year unveiled a new concept store Supermercado de Walmart in Houston as part of a strategy to become more relevant to Hispanic customers. The Milk Mustache Mobile Tour is traveling to 10 cities to introduce Hispanic families to the benefits of drinking low-fat or fat-free milk. And Kellogg’s began adding a touch of honey to its Corn Flakes (and noting a “toque de miel” on the cereal boxes) to appeal to Hispanic taste buds.