Choosing a Company Name:

Is your company's name that important?

It's unlikely that the perfect name will just pop into your head. Start by thinking of different ideas, screen them, and then choose.

Tips for Great Names:

1. Shoot for a catchy name. Great names sound different. Sound different or spell different. Trick-out your name so it's less generic. Examples:

   • Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing? 3M.
   • Federal Express? FedEx.
   • Kentucky Fried Chicken? KFC.
   • International Business Machines? IBM.
2. Begin with letters early in the alphabet. (In an exhibitor's guide or the phone book, you'll be listed in the front of the guide.

3. Name should not be lengthy. Should not be more than three words. (Two words is better.)

4. Should still be good if you turn it into an acronym.

5. Avoid names starting with X and Z. They can be hard to pronounce.

6. Make it relevant, positive, memorable, reasonably short, and not too generic. You'll get more referrals with greater recall and positive associations with an easy-to-utter name.

7. Make sure your name doesn't mean something horrible in another language, and it doesn't infringe on any copyrights or trademarks.