Please Note: We receive e-mails from people who have signed up for the Tuesday Report, and then tell us they’re not receiving our weekly announcement. In most cases this is because they’re blocking unwanted e-mails.

To ensure that our weekly Tuesday Report e-mail announcement reaches your mail box, we suggest you add bmeyer@barternews.com to your address book or safe sender list.

If you are a frequent visitor to our site we suggest you hit the �refresh� button from time to time as we add information to our site several times a week.

European Barter Assembly To Make Historic Decisions

In addition to an ambitious agenda at the upcoming Paris Conference, where barter companies of Europe and Asia are meeting in May, the Assembly to decide whether to petition the European Commission to exempt trade clearinghouses from pending regulations of financial clearinghouses.

The draft regulations could be construed to cover trade companies by virtue of their use of trade credits, resulting in capital requirements that many trade companies would find difficult to meet. IRTA is also considering this matter.

The Assembly will also consider an action program to build strong relations with universities in Europe and Asia, concentrating on economics departments and business schools. It may additionally advance a cooperative program with business trade associations in each country. Thus to demonstrate the power and value of commercial exchanges for business in present economic conditions.

BarterNews will report on the outcome of these historic precedents in a future issue of the Tuesday Report.

Is Your Trade Exchange Missing Out On Valuable New Business?

If your barter company�s listing on BarterNews.com isn�t current, you are definitely missing out on new business. The web site BarterNews.com receives heavy traffic � with over 150,000 page-views every month. Entrepreneurs and corporate executives check the thousands of articles, the weekly �Tuesday Report,� and the �Contacts Section� of our site. They use the latter to find barter companies with which to do business.

Is your barter company�s listing up-to-date?

To keep your listing current is very easy. See the links below to (A) update any changes to your company�s listing, such as new location, phone number, web site or other information, and (B) if your company has not been listed.

Here�s how to get on board:

To make changes to your listing click here.

For new listings click here.

The Midas Exchange Enters Corporate Barter Arena

WPP (NASDAQ:WPPGY) has announced the formation of a new corporate trading division to help clients secure media credits in exchange for underperforming assets. Named The Midas Exchange, the new company will be powered by GroupM and will initially operate in the United States. Midas will be competing in the same arena with Active International, Omnicom�s ICON, Interpublic Group�s Orion and Aegis Group�s Carat.

Midas was formed at the request of clients who asked that WPP, in cooperation with GroupM, enter the corporate trading arena to complement current services, to deliver a media plan consistent with objectives, and be fully accountable for the total media product.

The new division will be headed by Kathy Kladopoulos, who has been named president. (Most recently Kladopoulos worked as EVP and managing director of Carat Trade, which she launched nine years ago.) Kladopoulos says that many WPP clients already engage in corporate trading with independent companies, but prefer that transactions be implemented by the same media agency network that handles their traditional media responsibilities.

Midas will purchase under-performing assets from a client at up to full book value for trade credits or sometimes cash. These assets could include discontinued product lines, excess inventory, real estate, capital equipment, transportation vehicles and any other assets that the client cannot liquidate at book value. The client will then use the trade credits as a partial payment substitution to purchase media or other goods and services.

�We plan to work directly with WPP through GroupM Entertainment to produce and/or license programming to television networks in exchange for inventory access to be used by The Midas Exchange,� Kladopoulos said. �This will provide much greater access to key inventory on the most desirable TV networks, which generally are less inclined to participate in corporate trade deals.�

While the new company will work for GroupM agency clients, it will remain an autonomous operation totally separate from the agencies and their buying teams. The execution of media activity using trade credits will be managed directly by personnel at Midas, not through the GroupM/agency trading groups who place traditional paid media.

For more information click here.

* * ANNOUNCEMENT * * 25 Years Of BarterNews Issues Now In Digital Format Welcome to the largest repository of barter contacts, strategies, and barter techniques in the world. All 64 issues of BarterNews now available in digital format at http://www.barternews-ezine.com.

�         International visitors look for BARTER CONTACTS in our Global Barter Section. If YOUR exchange isn�t listed see the forms on the lower left of the page. (Click here.)

�         Attention trade exchange owners...thousands of visitors every month visit our BARTER CONTACTS section on our web site where we have names & addresses of barter companies in the USA. If YOUR exchange isn�t listed, or the information is incorrect, you can correct the situation by using the forms to the lower left of the USA map. (Click here.) 

Click here www.barternewsblog.com.

Manufacturer Used Barter For Quick Turnaround

A glass manufacturing company located in the Southwest, although producing good products, was forced into a Chapter 11 bankruptcy due to severe management problems. But under a new management team full of enthusiasm, and with the help of a seasoned barter consultant, the company was turned around and �back on its feet� within two years.

How did such a quick turnaround happen? Certainly having a good product helped. But sales potential always existed, so that wasn�t the answer. It was due to a series of decisions by a hardworking 3-man team, whose dedicated overtime efforts boosted the company�s sales 50% within a 9 month period � to over $3,600,000.

One of their smartest moves was realizing that barter could hasten their recovery. They committed to utilizing up to 11% of their gross for bartering, as long as they felt the trade was well spent. Lacking experience in this area, they retained the services of a well-known barter consultant who was paid in trade dollars along with a promise of stock (an equity position) in the company.

Here�s what the consultant suggested to the new management team: �Work on the obvious needs first and get as much done on trade as possible.� In analyzing the situation he was aghast to find that this company had never produced any catalog materials or brochures to showcase their excellent products, even though their method of sales was primarily through distributors.

This meant that sales were only made to distributors within driving distance of the company�s plant. Because their products could easily be shipped across the nation, the first priority was to design professional four-color brochures.

Immediately moving on this project, they produced the desired materials by using the members within the exchange, i.e. a photographer, copywriter, typographer, color separator and printer. With these selected pieces in hand they then attended conventions, as well as instituted a direct mail campaign to a select group of potential distributors.

Next, the consultant worked on improving the company�s financial statement by boosting their assets through the acquisition of real estate and trust deeds, with a mix of trade dollars and the company�s products. His 30 years of experience as a real estate exchangor provided the company with an invaluable service in this area.

Deferred maintenance problems were also addressed, including plumbing, electrical work, and a new face lift for the administrative offices. As well, the mundane everyday expenses were dealt with in an expeditious manner ... using trade dollars whenever possible.

Such things as simple catering for their marathon management meetings, the handling of company travel expenses, and the use of perks in the form of gift certificates to select restaurants in the area for the hardworking staff were all obtained through barter.

With determination, effort and an assist from barter, the company made a remarkable turnaround from bankruptcy to the possibility of going public.