By now I am sure you have seen at least one ad or read one informational article or seen one video invitation about The Gathering 2010 to be held in Louisville, Ky., April 21-23. I am hoping that you have registered for that event and are finalizing your plans to come.

Most likely the first thing that crossed your mind after you registered was either where to stay or how to get there. Both need to be planned early—to get the least-expensive travel and be sure you get a room.

The next most important item would be planning how to buy. Many of us just show up at events, walk the aisles and hope for the best—and then find ourselves leaving without having seen all of the vendors or placed all of the orders we intended to.

With that in mind, let me pass on a tip with the help of The Groucho Marx Show, an early TV game show. At the beginning of each show, a silly stuffed chicken would drop out of the ceiling revealing the "secret word" for the show and a player would win extra money if they used the secret word during the show.

Well, our secret word for The Gathering 2010 is "PLAN."

Before you leave for Louisville, go to The Gathering 2010 Web site, https://www.christianretailing.com/index.php/the-gathering/ and click on the tab marked "exhibitors." Then find the vendors a) that you now do business with and b) that are new to you.

You may want to have a small notebook to carry onto the exhibit floor in which to place all of your information.

Run a report of backlist needs from vendors you are doing business with. When you get to the show, those vendors will present their frontlist to you, so by preparing in advance, you will be able to add to your backlist order and possibly get a higher discount or free freight.

After you have prepared your orders for the vendors that you normally do business with, be sure to put in your notebook the list of vendors you have never met before. One way to be sure your time is well-utilized and that you are able to see all of the vendors you would like to see is to call and make an appointment in advance.

In these critical economic times, one decision you should make before you leave your store is how much money you have in the budget for gifts.

If you are like most buyers, you like to see gifts in real life, touch them and determine if they will fit in your store. But it is so easy to get excited and buy more than you have space for or have budget dollars to cover.

If you determine before you leave how much you will spend on gifts, you will be less tempted to overspend.

As you shop for gifts, another important thing to remember is that your congregation is made up of a myriad of personalities. Not everyone is not going to like the same style you do. Don't be afraid to buy something that you might not hang on your own wall or set on your coffee table—it might be just the thing that Mrs. Smith would adore!

We have lined up many of the top vendors in the Christian retailing industry for The Gathering. They are anxious to show you items they have published or created that can be ministry tools in your church, so

I encourage you to plan ahead so that you do not miss one opportunity to see the great products that will be there.

Remember, the secret word is "PLAN."

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