Jomo Kenyatta International Airport has  [...]]]> African Continent  has become one of the busiest in terms of Air Transport for Cargo and Passengers to and from.Due to this it is important to have updates on new developments on Aviation Industry in regard to expansion and introduction of new types of Aircrafts inline with the needs and wants.

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport has  become the Hub for  connection of Eastern,Central and  Southern Africa flights for both Private Charter Flights and Commercial Flights.Many Investors are  setting up their base in Kenya at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport like the ONEJETONE who are introducing  cheap flights on Nairobi-Mombasa route  and Nairobi-London route using A320S and A330S by Mid October 2009.This will make competition stiff on this routes thus reduction in fares and will put competitors on their toes to provide reliable,efficient and cost effective fares thus the beneficiary being the consumer.Delta Connection was to introduce their flights from July 2009 but they postponded the flights indefinitely having  forced A Kenyan registered company Delta Connection to re-brand to D-Connection after a court ruling for using their trademark.All cargo freighter operates out of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport carrying  textile,fresh produce,fish,fruits,flowers,meat, to various destinations in Middle East,Asia,United Kingdom,United States of America just to mention afew ranging from 1tonne to  6o tonnes flying in and out daily.Kenya has played an important role for Private Charter Flights to East Africa National Parks as a hub for both connecting and dismbarking .There are many Private Charter companies in Kenya operating from 3 seater to  70 seater for fixed wing,Helicopter and Jets .Jets ranges from 7 seater Citation to 70 seater CRJ and  Helicopter are scarce and the highest capacity is 5 and lowest 3 seater.Kenya links to Tanzania where we have the Serengeti,Mt Kilimanjaro,Ngorongoro Crater,Lake Manyara,Mafia Island,Pemba Island,Zanzibar where you can have a memorable holiday and Uganda with the Gorilla Gaming,Lake Albert  scenic safaris and the Ruwenzoris mountains,Kabalega falls,Karuma falls aerial survey & photography for tourists flights.From Either Jomo Kenyatta International or Wilson Airport you can connect  by a private executive jet,private charter flight,helicopter flight or commercial flights to Masai Mara,Amboseli,Tsavo East/West,Samburu,Lake Baringo,Lake Nakuru,Ukunda,Mombasa,Lamu,Kiwayu,Malindi,Kitale,Eldoret,Kisumu,Wasini Island,Funzi Island,Mfangano Island,Rusinga Island,Mt Kenya,Shaba,Shompole,Loisaba,Lake Nakuru,Lake Bogoria and many other destinations just to mention afew.

Airline News

Africa loses usd 600 million in airline revenue.With the International Air Transport Association (IATA)predicting a huge loss of usd 9 billion, Africa Airlines had so far lost usd 600 million,Europe usd 1 billion,while Asia with usd 1.7 billion are the hardest hit with a net loss of usd 2.7 billion.This was revealed  at a breakfast club of the Lagos Bussiness School in Victoria Island,Lagos,recently ,by Chief Executive Officer of Virgin Nigeria,Capt Dapo Olumide where he stated  that world aviation industry revenues are expected  to fall a further 12% this year,reflecting a rapid deterioration of global aviation economic conditions with an expected global passenger traffic falling further with 3%.He listed sharp decline in passenger and freight volume,unfavourable fuel prices and hedging,swine flu impact on travel in Latin and North America, and the global economic downturn as major reasons for the decline in air travel.While noting that Africa was still heavily regulated ,Capt Olumide explained that the open skies has increased capacity and competition which in turn had also lead to market saturation and consolidation of legacy carriers.

Emirates Opens Johannesburg ,OR  Tambo Airport Lounge At Long Last

Regular travellers using Emirates will know the airlines sharp First and Business Class lounges are a major attraction and reason for flying with Dubai carrier.The airlines business class lounges are also available to some frequent fliers.In  July 2009 the airline announced the imminent opening of its first South African lounge at Johannesburgs OR Tambo Airport.The facilities not only serve high quality food,they include a dedicated business section,showers and at Dubai International , a smoking area.Internet access is complimentary via a WiFi  installation and PCs are available for those without their own laptop.Emirates has previously made use of OR Tambos Premier Club lounge ,which is operated by ACSA.

Emirates Becomes Worlds Largest Operator Of Boeing 777 Aircraft.

On 30 July, 2009  Emirates became the worlds largest airline operator of Boeing 777 aircraft with arrival of its 78th Boeing 777.Emirates has another 28 Boeing 777s pending delivery,worth over usd 7 billion at list prices,and it is also the only airline to operate every model in the Boeing 777 family, -200s,-200ERs,-200LRs,-300s,-300ERs and freighters.The newest addition to Emirates fleet is a Boeing 777-300ER configured for long distance journeys.Tim Clark,President of Emirates Airline said ” The 777s form the backbone of our fleet ,and we have configured these aircraft to give us maximum flexibility in terms of route deployment .Emirates 777s today fly to six continents from our Dubai hub,operating routes within a two-hour distance to long -range journeys of 16 hours non-stop.Emirates recently completed an upgrading programme for its existing 777 fleet ,and now all of its 777 aircraft boast its popular ICE(information ,communication ,entertainment ) system ,which offers passengers in all cabin classes a choice of up to 1200 channels of the latest movies,TV programming.music and games on demand.

BUSSINESS NEWS

Beechcraft  King Air Now Even More Capable With Launch Of New C90GTx

On 27 July  Hawker Beechcraft  Corporation announced the launch of the new Beechcraft King Air C90GTx .The  New C90GTx features impressive enhancements to both payload and perfomance while remaining one of  the greenest andd most efficient aircraft available.The C90GTx marks  the eight major King Air upgrade the company has introduced since 2003.Key enhancements to the New King Air C90GTx includes an increase in gross weight and the addition of composite winglets,which improve climb perfomance and further increase fuel efficiency.The maximum ramp weight and maximum take-off weight of the C90GTx have been increased by 385 pounds to 10545 and 10485 pounds respectively.This increase in maximum weight provides the New C90GTx with a full-fuel payload capacity of more than 750 pounds-almost double that of the C90GTi .The ability to carry more fuel with higher payloads increases the four passengers range by more than 200nm.The durable King Air C90GTx is capable of operating from remote ,unimproved fields as easily as it flows into congested terminal airspace ,providing operators with the vesartility to utilize airports inaccessible to most jets.The fuel efficiency ot the C90GTx contributes to its low operating costs while providing increased perfomance and greater system redundancy than single-engine turbine competitors.The C90GTx  features a cabin 50 % larger than most very light jets. In addition to pilot, it seats up to seven passengers in its famed squared -oval  design,allowing greater passenger comfort. It includes an in-flight accessible ,heated and pressurized baggage storage area along with a private aft lavatory that is standard  on every King Air C90GTx .The C90GTx will be available begining in early 2010.

Through the internet information is readily available on any bussiness line be it Air Transport,Sea Transport,Road Transport,Rail Transport which you can access with easy.Information is updated when and where neccessary to make it current and acurate through  nespapers,Electronic and Print Media,Internet .

For any of the Aviation News,it is available ,be it on  scheduled flights  or non-scheduled flights,types of aircrafts, piston  single & twin engine,Turbo Prop single & twin engine,Jets,Helicopters(Choppers),National Parks in East Africa and Accomodation, all over the world.

A hugely popular destination when visiting Africa is Egypt. Egypt is the home to the only surviving wonder of the ancient world, the breath [...]]]> As well as the typical beach holidays and romantic getaways Africa and many other destinations have to offer, there are also several truly unique holiday experiences that Africa has to offer.

A hugely popular destination when visiting Africa is Egypt. Egypt is the home to the only surviving wonder of the ancient world, the breath taking Pyramids, which are so huge they take 40 minutes to walk around once! Children and adults both will marvel at the awesomeness of the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx, and can even take a tour inside, witnessing the ancient mumies and artefacts. Additionally many chose to go snorkelling to see the true beauty of the marine life in the Red Sea, allegedly the second best reef in the world surpassed only by the legendary Great Barrier Reef. Egypt really does have so much to offer, it is also particularly suited to families, as it can be as relaxing or as adventurous as one decides to make it.

An option which is often overlooked by many when choosing a holiday is a volunteering holiday. Africa boasts a fantastic range of volunteering holidays which not only allow you to see Africa in detail, but to also make a huge difference to peoples lives. There are many different options available when choosing a volunteering holiday, such as teaching, sports coaching and conservation work. Many offer free accommodation, discounted travel, and some even offer a small wage.

In more recent years, as game hunting has lost popularity, more and more tourists in Africa have turned to safari holidays. One of the unique aspects of going on a safari is that it allows you to see all of the animals in their natural habitats. Many tourists set themselves the goal of seeing the big five, that is, seeing an Elephant, Buffalo, Leopard, Lion and Rhino.

One of the key factors when deciding on your holiday is often money. Many volunteering holiday programs now include safaris as part of the package, so taking a safari holiday does not have to be as expensive as you might think. Whichever option you decide on, it is important to minimise the negative impact on the natural and socio-cultural environments, especially with a country such as Africa. So why not make your holiday an eco holiday, which will ensure many generations to come will also be able to enjoy Africa in all its magnificent glory.

Launching an online business can seem either simple or simply harrowing, depending on your perception of the internet. Depending on your internet savvy, launching your online business will be either easy or you will need more help and guidance.

There are basically 10 steps you need to follow to initiate, cultivate [...]]]> BASICS OF STARTING YOUR ONLINE BUSINESS

Launching an online business can seem either simple or simply harrowing, depending on your perception of the internet. Depending on your internet savvy, launching your online business will be either easy or you will need more help and guidance.

There are basically 10 steps you need to follow to initiate, cultivate and launch your internet business.

1. MOTIVATION AND GOAL SETTING

By reading this article we can assume that you have already thought about starting your online business and therefore the motivation exists. But, are you ready to invest the time and money needed to realize your vision?

You have to have the right mindset and a list of goals that you plan to accomplish, step-by-step.

First you have to gather the support of those who will be closely involved with you in your endeavour. In most cases the people most influenced by this decision of yours is your spouse and/or children when working solo from home.

Starting an online business is not for the faint hearted and a lot of work and dedication needs to be put in before you start to see results.

The problem we have in South Africa is that most Affiliate programs are designed for the overseas market and are difficult to employ in South Africa.

Therefore, I am not going to waste time on affiliate sites etc.

If you want to start an online business you must start something that will appeal to the South African market.

Therefore you need to do market research. Seeing as you are planning to start an online business, you need to do online market research.

The places where you can do this research is:

E-bay (Even though this is an American site, you will get valuable information about what people are looking for)

Google Trends (We either hate or love Google, but you need Google for any online business)

Amazon Movers and Shakers (A great way to establish popular products)

Keywords (These are the words that searchers use to find a product or service)

After you’ve done your market research you can start with your business plan. It doesn’t mean if you want to start an online business, you don’t need a business plan. This is usually where most people go wrong! Aspiring Online Entrepreneurs that an online business does not need the same attention to detail that a brick and mortar business needs. But the reality is that it might need more attention initially and will demand a lot of study and learning if this is a new avenue for you.

Your Online-Business Plan

The business plan is placed under the motivation part of this book, because it will keep you motivated when you feel down and want to pull your hair out and when you start wondering why you started this business in the first place.
Along with the plan you need goals to be set, but keep in mind not to bit of more than you can chew!

Setting your goals:

1. Make sure the goal you are working for is something you really want, not just something that sounds good.
2. A goal can not contradict any of your other goals.
3. Develop goals in the 6 areas of life:
Family and Home
Financial and Career
Spiritual and Ethical
Physical and Health
Social and Cultural
Mental and Educational
4. Write your goal in the positive instead of the negative.
5. Write your goal out in complete detail.
6. By all means, make sure your goal is high enough.
7. This is the most important, write down your goals.

On the internet, your growth rate can be much quicker than with a brick and mortar business because your audience is global and not restricted to your immediate area. Just make sure that you are equipped to service a global market. People using the internet are people who want instant gratification and are not usually willing to wait because you are unable to deliver.

2. IDEAS FOR INTERNET BUSINESSES

These are only ideas of what I’ve seen and have thought about starting. You can add any ideas. Internet is not discriminatory. You can sell/promote anything you wish.

2.1 Property – Yes there are a lot of property websites. But maybe you can offer something different than what they are offering. Have a look here:
http://www.sherlock-homes.co.za
2.2 Cars – You can start your own “selling cars” business without ever buying a care. You can get people who want to sell cars, to place them on your website and you can either charge and advertisement fee or a percentage of the selling price.
2.3 Careers – Start a career website. Get people to post CV’s on your site and even offer them video streaming as a preliminary interview. Income can be generated by getting people to advertise jobs on your site.
This site is for sale: http://www.careerexpress.co.za
2.4 Niche markets such as bridal, photography, sport, hobbies, crafts. Here is a site that is for sale http://www.bridescorner.co.za
2.5 You can start and run an online forum about certain interests. Your income here will be generated with banner advertising. (More about this later)
2.6 You can write content for business websites. There are a lot of businesses with websites out there that feel that the websites are a waste of time. And the only reason is that nobody visits the sites because there is never fresh content on the site. Fresh content is the most important ingredient for a successful website.
2.7 Auction site – you can offer an auction site for people that have white elephants lying around their house.
2.8 Online shop – this will be much the same as the auction site, with the difference that products will be sold at a set price. You can generate income by claiming a percentage of the selling price.
2.9 Sell second hand books. There is a vast market for second hand books out there! You can canvass for people who want to sell their second hand books and sell it for them here http://www.books-on-line.co.za
2.10 Online classifieds. The market is open for these types of sites. Gumtree is currently the biggest classifieds site in South Africa but it only caters for certain areas. You can have your own site by visiting here http://www.klerksdorphost.co.za
2.11 Selling ebooks. An ebook is a book that people can download and print or read on a pdf reader. These are very popular because they are usually concise and filled with a lot of interesting facts.

These are only a few ideas. I’m sure there are a lot of other ideas out there.

Let your imagination loose and think of something you might be interested in. Chances are that if you are interested, there are other people interested in the very same.

3. TIME MANAGEMENT

I cannot stress this too much!! When I started with the internet, I spent hours and hours on it, achieving absolutely nothing. I spent my time on forums, social sites etc and then one day I just decided that if I wanted to get somewhere, I should start somewhere.

Starting an online business is a big learning curve. And it is not so complicated as everyone would want you to believe.

You do not need to know HTML, Java, PhP or MySQL at all. You can make use of people who know these languages. I know you might think that it will be expensive, but it needn’t be like that! You can visit http://www.filing4africa.com and see what they have to offer.

Filing4africa.com is a South African Site made with South Africans in mind. Our packages are more than affordable and you can be sure of after sales service.

Hosting packages start from as little as R39.00 per month and the setup of a basic website as little as R1500.00

Why am I putting this at time management?

TIME IS MONEY!

You want to start an online business. You do not want to create the tools to start an online business. You can spend your time on doing further research and getting your content ready for your site.

Make use of the people out there who already have the expertise. Apply your expertise to your business.

You must make sure that by the time your website is launched, that you are familiar with how it works and that your backup plan is in place.

If you are planning to do this part time, make sure that your online business is fully automatic. You don’t want to lose clients because of their impatience. Ask your web developer to set up auto responders on your website. People want feed back, and they want it yesterday.

Make sure that you check your e-mails every day and answer each one of them promptly.

I have found that in South Africa, companies who do have websites, don’t bother to answer online queries. And that is defeating the purpose of a website. Your website is the welcome mat to your business!!

If you are planning to do your online business on a full time basis, you need to set out time for research, upgrading your site and keeping abreast of new things in your niche market. Do not stay behind, because if you do, no one will visit your online business. And all your efforts will be wasted.

Having an online business gives you the freedom to work in your pj’s and in your bed. No matter where you work from, it is important that you reply, research and keep your customers happy!

4. SITE STRUCTURE

Think back and try to remember a store where you do not like to shop. The reason most probably was “the lack of structure”.

And so it will be with your site. Your site needs to have a logical structure. Your customers must find it easy to navigate your site.

The basics things your site needs are:

4.1 Homepage (landing page) – this page is the welcome mat of your site. Important information and ticklers should be placed here.
4.2 Services/Products pages – these are the pages where you tell your customers more about your service and/or products. It should be interactive, in other words, your customer must have the option to request more information.
4.3 About us page – this is where you place the information about your business structure, your mission, your vision and accomplishments.
4.4 Contact us – this is most probably the most important page of your site. Contact details should be clear and easy to find. Your customer must be able to contact you straight from that page.

It is better if you write the info of these pages yourself. You know your business way better than any one else. Your web developer can upload the info for you.

All graphics should be optimized for web use. Customers do not want to wait for a page to load. I have found that if I struggle to get a page to load, I do not return to that site.

Basic tips:

• Do not use too many colours and weird fonts. People do not take sites seriously when they are over decorated.
• Do not make use of large photo’s, graphics that slow down your site.
• You need to have your own domain name with e-mail addresses from that same domain. People don’t want to visit a site like www.yourdomainname.co.za and then receive emails from you@hotmail.com. It is not professional. You can grab a domain name here http://www.filing4africa.com. Please keep in mind that your domain name must be easy to remember and must not contain wild cards like *()%$#@!
• Test your website in firefox, IE and google chrome to make sure your site is not distorted on the different browsers.

Try not to make use of “free sites”. These sites are riddled with advertisements and are very irritating to your customer and more important, will distract their attention and lead them away from your site.

5. CONSTRUCTIVE CONTENT

Content is not just there to educate your customer. No, it must be used in such a way that your customer will be convinced to use your service or buy your product.

Put testimonials on your homepage. Many browsers like to see what a difference your service/product made in other peoples’ lives.

When you work on your content, work with the 5 W’s

Who: Who will benefit from the product/service. Who are you?
What: What the product/service is all about, bonus material etc
When: When does the offer expire?
Where: Where can your customer reach you if they need more information.
Why: Why do they need your product more than any other similar product on offer.

Your content will play an important role in your search engine placement. Therefore you will have to learn to write for search engines. This is where keywords become important for Search Engine Optimization. If you are making use of a web developer, you don’t need to worry about this.

Content is not just confined to your website! Email marketing is a very important part of your online business.

The content to your customers should be professional with a balanced blend of relationship building, soft sell and hard sell copy.

Off course you cannot send out emails if you do not have any emails to send to. That is why you need to have a “subscribe to our newsletter” opt in function on your site. No site should be without such a tool!

6. SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATION

The more know term for this is SEO. SEO is very important to you online business. In addition to previous tools mentioned, there are several other tools you can make use of.

Steps in SEO

6.1 Get the right keywords (You can help your web developer by brainstorming keywords for your online business here: http://adwords.googlecom/select/main?cmd=KeywordSandbox
6.2 Linking. Search for online businesses that would compliment your service/product and add their links to your website.
6.3 Fresh content on a weekly basis

So how will you do all this if you are not a web developer? You must make sure that your web developer gives you a step-by-step guide on how to add fresh content to your site.

Therefore it is better to make use of a content management system on your website than a normal HTML site. HTML sites have to be changes and reloaded every time you want to add something to your site.

With a content management system you will be able to post new news from the backend and it will be published in your frontend which is your actual website.

With a content management system, you can retain control over the content of your site. This is very important as you are in the end the one that has to market your online business.

7. ADVERTISING ISSUES

Without advertising your online business doesn’t stand a chance! And because it is an online business, it doesn’t mean you only have to do online marketing.

Successful marketing starts offline!!

The other day I met a wedding dress designer at a networking event. I asked him if he had a website for his business. He replied that he did, but never got any business from it.

By asking a few more questions I realized that he hasn’t marketed his website in any way. And he could not understand why he should!

Many people believe that the internet is some magic wand that creates customers for you! Do not be fooled! You cannot launch a website and then sit back and wait for customers to “accidentally” discover your online business!

You HAVE to put out the word that your website exists!

And this is how you do it:

7.1 Advertise in local media and make sure your website domain name is shown prominently.
7.2 Put your domain name on ALL printed material.
7.3 Use your dedicated e-mail address (ie admin@yourdomainname.co.za)
7.4 Create a signature for your e-mail with your domain name and make sure the domain name is on each and every e-mail you send out! Your signature should include:
• Your full name
• Your domain name
• Your e-mail address
• Your phone number
• Your fax number
• Your tag line or Slogan
• Your company name
7.5 Place an advertisement in publications from your industry.
7.6 Your domain name must be listed on each article you write and if it appears on a website, it should be linkable.
7.7 Networking. Yes I know, we South Africans see networking as a four letter word ? but what I mean is … everywhere you go, talk about your online business. Hand out your business cards with your domain name. Talk, talk, talk and yet again talk about your business!

Online marketing

Online marketing can be divided into two categories namely, free and paid.

If you have time and no money – go the free way.

If you have money and no time you can visit this link and have it done for you:

http://filing4africa.com/virtualbiz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=23&Itemid=46

The free way.

This method is very time consuming but definitely worth the trouble.

Here are some links where you can add your site for free!

http://www.klerksdorphost.co.za
http://www.sa-linx.co.za
http://www.business-directory.co.za
http://capetown.gumtree.co.za
http://www.vottle.com
http://www.netads24.com
http://www.theclassifieds.co.za
http://www.online-classifieds.co.za/classifieds/
8. CUSTOMER SERVICE

Off course it is easier to secure a client than actually keeping a customer. And usually we don’t keep a customer because our customer service is not up to scratch!

I had a surprising call yesterday. I stumbled upon a website in my search for a specific business I would like to start. And I filled in their contact form, not really expecting them to call me. Because I’ve done this numerous times on different sites and never even received a response until yesterday when I received a call from Barcelona. I nearly fell off my chair!

And this is exactly what you want. You want to shock your customers by giving them superieur service! Service they expect but don’t really believe they will receive!

You must be willing to listen to your customer. South African online business owners have this strange notion that they are invisible and therefore they never need to react. If you don’t react to customer complaints and enquiries, you will become invisible!

If your customer has a legitimate complaint you need to thank him first and foremost! Yes, I know it goes against our grain, but in the end, this customer has saved you a lot of embarrassment and future mistakes! And keep your customer updated on how you are fixing the problem.

Why is this important? One word – internet!

The internet has given the normal off the mill customer the opportunity to lodge complaints on public sites and smear your company. Just visit Facebook or Hellopeter to see what people are really capable of doing!

No matter what the situation, you must always be courteous and friendly when dealing with your customers.

The biggest ever complaint is “slow response”. Combat this by staying in touch!

9. KEEP ON MARKETING!

I know we all feel that one marketing campaign is enough. But is enough ever really enough?

You have to keep at it. Spend at lest an hour a day researching new and innovating ideas on how to market your online business. Keep on posting advertisements, and yes, on a daily basis.

There are so many places to place online advertisements that even if you do it on a daily basis, you can never deplete the supply of online advertising sites.

Thank you customer for using your service or buying your product by sending him/her a special thank you e-mail and follow that up within a week with a newsletter stipulating other product that they might be interested in.

This is where your auto responder comes in handy. It sends out an automatic reply to your customer, promptly and on time. What more could you ask for?

Send your customers interesting titbits about your service/product by alerting them about articles you’ve come upon. Customers always appreciate this and they will know that you are on the ball and up to date in your industry.

This is also a great way of getting fresh content on your website. The e-mails you send about your industry can be placed on your website thus keeping it fresh and up to date at all times.

SUMMARY

I sincerely hope that you have learnt something about how to start and manage your online business.

You can visit http://www.filing4africa.com for more information on various subjects and also our blog at http://www.klerksdorponline.com where you can find other interesting articles about online business.

A popular way of using maps online is to use them as interactive site plan maps, which maps out the different parts [...]]]> Digital Maps in the Internet age come in different types. Many maps are static, 2D, geometrically showing lines defining countries, states or territories visually. While others are dynamic or interactive, even three-dimensional (3d maps).

A popular way of using maps online is to use them as interactive site plan maps, which maps out the different parts of a site or building, and helps people find their way about.

Site plan are used most often in exhibition, trade shows, convention centers, resort, or as floor plan for shopping mall and offices.

Many real estate, hotel and property finder websites are also seen adapting to the latest online technology, and are using interactive site maps as a part of their online presence.

For example, by embedding a clickable interactive map on your exhibition or trade show website, visitors can quickly click an area on the map to find out where the booths and stands are located.

You can also use mouseover image or tooltips to display additional information about each both as necessary. The phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words” holds even more true in the Internet age. Your potential visitors can better relate to your information and stay on your website when they’re able to view an illustrative map.

The interactive site map can offer trade show participants a truly insightful experience that help them to decide where (be it a stand or booth) to visit, or which booth to reserve, clarifies about the entry and exit points, and gives a real view of the building prior to their arrival.

Not only interactive floor plan or site maps can help visitors to navigate, you can also show additional information to indicate where the restaurants, hotel, washrooms, meeting rooms, business center are.

Google Map is very well known for creating interactive world maps. Google Map is a very powerful mapping tool, and it is free for embed to your HTML web page. You can use Google Map to generate web maps with street level details, zoom in and out easily. You can also add ‘bubbles’ anywhere on the Google earth map to pinpoint a location, and search locations by simply type in a postal address.

However, while you can use Google map to easily locate geographical locations, Google Map might be too detail or overshot for using on your company website as a navigation tool for sales offices, exhibitions or trade shows.

For instance, you might need

- a simple United State Map, generalize all states or regions for users to use as a state selector

- a single state map (e.g. California) within the USA, showing counties border lines.

- a world map, set colors of each continent or country, use as a country selector

- import your own map (e.g. an exhibition floor plan), adding points and interactive functions

These tasks cannot be done easily in Google map — because Google Map needs to load the entire globe map every time and is co-ordinate based using longitude and latitudes. You can not set a mouse over function for a region (continent, country, state or county) without dig deep into the Google Map APIs.

For these type of usage, you can use an interactive map software, which is usually a Windows based map making program which you can install on your desktop. Most map making software come with a set of ready-to-use map templates, including World, Europe, USA, China, Asia, Africa, North and South America, Australia and other maps.

Most importantly, you can import your own graphic or illustrations instead of country map templates, so to convert any ordinary floor plan or exhibition ground image into a interactive, clickable map.

You can then also export the created interactive map to JPG image format for using in other applications, such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Publisher, freehand, PowerPoint, etc. The map can then be displayed in your exhibition or trade show promotional brochures, newsletters, magazines, bulletins, prospectuses, etc