FAQ's

How did you come to choose the name of your company, Ahh Hah! Discovery Tools^sm?

So, what are your "Discovery Tools"?

What is Data Mining?

Does it require the purchase of new software?

Does it require technical support?

How do you customize data?

What advantage does Ahh Hah! Discovery Tools^sm offer over some of the larger outfits that also offer "data mining"?

Who is Holly?

How did you come to choose the name of your company, Ahh Hah! Discovery Tools^sm?

It came together one snowy day… Actually, the derivation of the name Ahh Hah! came from a need to satisfy several requirements:

1. A short marketable name.
2. A name that can operate as a web site domain name.
3. A name that no one else had copyrighted or trademarked.

Ahh Hah! Discovery Tools^sm satisfied all of these requirements and as a bonus, HAH are the initials of the company president. That always helps. The tag line, Discovery Tools for the Meetings Executive, helps to clarify our mission.

So, what are your "Discovery Tools"?

Ahh Hah! Discovery Tools^sm offers a data mining service for the Meetings Executive. We empower the Meetings Executive by proving data systems and analysis that can improve both the planning and negotiating position. Ahh Hah! Discovery Tools^sm creates easy-to-use systems that enable users to retrieve, manage and analyze historical data. Informed use of historical data provides a means to project future needs and places the Meetings Executive in a stronger negotiating position with service providers. With each new data point, a discovery is made as the personality of a meeting unfolds. The assembled systems that compile and analyze the data are the tools by which you will make these discoveries.

What is Data Mining?

Data mining can be defined as, the extraction of implicit, previously unknown and potentially useful information from data. Data mining differs from traditional data analysis in its ability to evaluate the relationships between many variables simultaneously. For example, you could compile data on your exhibit booth sales that shows week-by-week, as this year compared to last year. You could even analyze several years next to each other and uncover sales trends. The possibilities are endless!

Does it require the purchase of new software?

Ninety-nine percent of the time it does NOT require the purchase of new software. This is one of the best features of our service. We believe in simplicity and therefore we work with ubiquitous spreadsheet software, like Microsoft Excel. Because most professional offices already own a spreadsheet program, there is no additional software to purchase.

Does it require technical support?

NO - There might be some very minor training required, but at the end of the project the client is provided a data collection tool that can be easily used and updated.

How do you customize data?

We will work with each client to determine the type of data they would like collected and how they would like it presented. (Our reports can really help impress the boss or the board). For example, perhaps you are interested in seeing who has sponsored your events and by how much over the years, or perhaps you are interested in seeing your room pick up numbers each week before convention, starting 12 weeks from convention; all of these can be done and each is a customized reporting system.

What advantage does Ahh Hah! Discovery Tools^sm offer over some of the larger outfits that also offer "data mining"?

We are the only data miners who are also seasoned meetings professionals. We know from experience what data is valuable for the meetings professional and why. We have an extensive network of contacts that we can call on to help us research your data. We know your business. We speak your language. And finally, we are not as expensive as larger firms.

Who is Holly?

The President, Holly Hospel, is a veteran Meetings Executive. She has organized meetings ranging from 10 to 10,000 people. She is the former employee of the Greater Washington Society of Association Executives, where she organized their industry leading conference, Springtime in the Park^®. Most recently she worked as the Director of Convention and Conferences of the Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industries - International. She has also organized convention and meetings for the National Association of the Remodeling Industry and the Information Industry Association.