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Tuesday
January 25, 2011 Orlando Attendance Soars 38% to New RecordFiled under: ASI Shows, Community, Education, Members, News About ASI The doors are closed and the results are in. The ASI Show Orlando posted record-breaking attendance of more than 6,110 distributors, up 38% from last year and up 5% from the prior record. What a show! It’s clear we’re charging into 2011 pumped up by big attendance numbers and a re-energized industry. It’s also clear that ASI Orlando has developed into the leading East Coast show in January, drawing from distributors across the country. And the number of suppliers exhibiting this year is up nearly 10%, which reflects their recognition of the power of ASI Shows across the board. Suppliers tell us Orlando was one of the busiest industry shows in recent memory. We think you’ll agree that pushing the dates a few weeks later in January made a world of difference, allowing everyone time to calm down after the excitement of the holiday season. Equally as important is the economic up tick we reported today in PromoGram. There’s no doubt the industry is finally in rebound. Throughout the show – from a record-breaking Education Day through the Counselor Distributor Choice Awards, the Gala Celebration and the Michael J. Fox keynote – the feedback we’ve received has been enormously satisfying. Jason Grindall, from Graphco Line (asi/57956) said, “We saw more distributors here at ASI Orlando during the first day alone than we did during the entire PPAI show. We’re leaving with quality leads and have spent time with many wonderful people.” Mary Ellen Nichols, from supplier Bodek & Rhodes (asi/40788), loved the incredible volume of distributors and quality attendees while David Regan, from The Vernon Group (asi/351700) called the show “a great way to start the year.” We had a blast last night along with 1,700 others who attended an exclusive networking Gala Celebration at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios. Les Kania, from Imprinted Specialty Products (asi/23070), put it perfectly: “This is the way to go to an amusement park. The bars are open, the lines are short and the food is good. It’s a terrific evening.” Click here for full video coverage of ASI Show Orlando. Click here for pics of our fashion show. And don’t forget to register today for the ASI Show in Dallas, Wednesday, February 16-Friday, February 18, and the ASI Show in New York, Tuesday, March 22-Wednesday, March 24, at www.asishow.com. Let me know your thoughts on Orlando by posting a comment or emailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Tuesday
January 25, 2011 Let the Rebound BeginFiled under: ASI Shows, News About ASI We announced some great news for the industry at our show in Orlando this week: According to an ASI study, the ad specialty industry began its recovery in earnest in 2010, increasing by 9.1% over 2009 to $17 billion. Click here for a Tim’s Take video with more details on this awesome news, which we broke first in PromoGram. In the video, I also discuss our record-breaking attendance on Education Day, which attracted over 2,000 people to more than 60 education sessions, sponsored by Fields Manufacturing (asi/54100). This year, 95% of ASI’s sessions are brand new. It’s been a terrific day in Orlando. We started off early this morning with a wonderful keynote by actor and activist Michael J. Fox, who addressed nearly 2,000 people. He was exactly as you’d expect – funny and forthright. “The script of your life is not written yet,” he said, stressing his fight with Parkinson’s disease has been an opportunity to help others. “Life is about choices and the only choice I don’t have is about Parkinson’s. Everything else is up to me.” As cheeky as he was playing Alex P. Keaton on “Family Ties,” Fox told the audience about moving to Hollywood to pursue his acting dreams and living in an apartment so small he washed dishes in the shower. His big break happened in 1982, when the producers of “Family Ties” called. “I didn’t have a phone, so I closed the deal on a pay phone outside a chicken joint,” Fox said. When he was 29, and starring in another hit sitcom, “Spin City,” he was broadsided. “One day there was a tremor in my pinky finger,” he said. “Later a doctor sat me down and told me I had Parkinson’s. I didn’t want to believe it.” Refusing to give up, Fox devoted himself to finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease, raising the hopes and quality of life of those who suffer from the disorder. To date, the Michael J. Fox Foundation has raised more than $225 million for Parkinson’s research. “Answers aren’t going to fall from the sky,” Fox told ASI’s audience. “We have to reach up for them.” Who’s inspired you? Let me know who and how by posting a comment or emailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Tuesday
January 25, 2011 Twisting for a Good CauseFiled under: ASI Shows, Community, Media Coverage, News About ASI I haven’t danced the twist in at least 30 years, but Monday night I happily joined nearly 2,000 other hearty souls in an attempt to break a Guinness World Record for twisting. The “Peppermint Twist-off” took place at our ASI Show in Orlando and it was a hoot. The twist-off was for a good cause – and made for great TV. The NBC affiliate in Orlando, WESH, ran a segment on our efforts and WKMG, the CBS affiliate, promoted it on their broadcast Monday morning. Joey Dee – nattily decked out in a brilliant red suit and shoes – led the crowd in twisting to his No. 1 hit, “Peppermint Twist.” Dressed adorably in classic ’60s “poodle” garb were Sydney and Mackenzie Cohn, the daughters of ASI Vice-Chairman Matthew Cohn. The girls, who were diagnosed with juvenile diabetes at age 7, co-chaired the twist-off to help raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International. So far, Sydney and Mackenzie, now 11 and 9, have raised over a million dollars for the foundation. Monday, they helped raised a few thousand more. It’s remarkable how much they’ve accomplished at such a young age, especially in the face of such a sobering disease. No one knows why their immune systems went haywire and started attacking their pancreases, keeping their bodies from making insulin. Now, they live each day trying to balance their blood sugars with small machines attached to their bodies, constant blood tests, counting carbs, and insulin injections or infusions, all while trying to be regular kids. Monday, they were exactly that. Click here to watch a video of the girls discussing the twist-off and if you can, please make a donation to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International. Click here to watch a video of the twist-off. We won’t know if we broke the record until Guinness officials get back to us. But that’s really not as important as the effort everyone made to come together for a good cause – while having an awful lot of crazy fun. If you were at the twist-off, please let me know how you did by posting a comment or emailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. |
