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Site Information

We have strived to minimize text-only pages on this site, but we hope you will take a moment to read through this one.

  

If you have visited our site in the past, note that much of the functionality of the old site has been put into the new Exhibitor Tables.  This reflects our shift from strictly page advertising to an ever-expanding information resource.  For exhibitors who want more content, promotional webpages are still available and will appear in the Exhibitor Offers section. 

We are grateful to our sponsors for their assistance in making this new site possible.  They continue to have promotional pages which can be viewed by clicking on their logos on the home page. Please check them out.

  Our Goals:

1)  Provide pipe enthusiasts with access to a wealth of information about pipes and tobacco

2)  Offer a pipe club experience for those who do not have a local pipe club to join or want to be part of the growing online pipe community.

3)  Deliver an effective promotional vehicle for industry suppliers that will increase both their market awareness and their sales.  
  Our Concept:

To create an interactive environment where the pipe community can become involved in the process of building the content that appears on the site.  The result will be a vast resource that benefits everyone.      
  Our Techniques:

Leverage the use of software applications and database technology to create a very robust platform that is easy to use and easy to manage.      
 

Functionality:  

Exhibitor Tables:  This is a database-driven software application that utilizes graphic images and photos to navigate through categories of suppliers who want our target audience to know about their products or services.  Site visitors can see a product photo, read a short description of the business, and click on a link to the website.

Suppliers can easily submit the necessary material using an online form which puts the information into a database and sends our webmaster a notice of the submission. 
 

  

Exhibitor Offers:  Using the content management system that is built into this website, we can create unique pages on which a promotion is presented.  This can include subscriptions, samples, discounts, new products, catalogs, etc.  If the offer requires providing contact information, an online form is used to collect and store the data.   
 

Email Marketing:  Informational and promotional emails can be blasted to those who have entered a subscription or a request.  This keeps the community updated and helps the exhibitors to stay in front of their audience.   
 
 

Virtual Pipe Club:  The heart of this section is membership software that allows members to maintain their own profile and search the member directory to find other members. 

Though some information is available to anyone, the resource Library, the Favorites List, and Forums are available only to members.

A very significant value of membership is being able to participate in the growth of the site by submitting material to be included on the site.