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Friday
February 3, 2012 A Record-Breaking Show In DallasFiled under: ASI Shows, Members, News About ASI They make everything big in Dallas – hats, steaks, hair and especially trade shows. We just ended our three-day event in Texas and set a new all-time record for distributor companies with 1,556. Dallas had it all – 837 distributors enjoying classes Wednesday, including the industry’s biggest speed networking event, and a keynote Friday by Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, who shared humorous comparisons between Twitter’s beginnings and the networking relationships built between industry suppliers and distributors. Stone was as laid-back as a highly-successful tech dude could be. He spoke in a series of stories, about everything from the founding of his mega-successful company to a German film that helped fuel his reach-for-the-stars philosophy. In the end, everyone in the audience was left with inspiring advice they can apply to their own business to boost their success rate. “The only real way to succeed is to just jump off the cliff,” said Stone, pictured with me here at the meet and greet. “You really have to go for it; you can’t hedge.” The three-day show itself drew a ton of raves, including ones from Missy Herring, of South Texas Custom Printing, asi/529109, who called it “tremendous,” and another from Sergio Munoz, of Debco, asi/48885, who said: “ASI Dallas has been just great for us – amazing traffic and a great quality of attendees. Distributors are asking questions and coming prepared with projects they need help with. We’ve been getting great leads, and it’s been a very productive show.” Last night we let loose at our very first gala at the Dallas House of Blues, where they celebrate America’s best musical art form with a giant dose of good ole fun. We’ll definitely be back. If you missed us in Dallas, check out photos and videos on www.asicentral.com. If you were at the show, let me know what you thought by posting a comment or e-mailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. And don’t forget to register at www.asishow.com for upcoming ASI Shows in San Diego (April 2-4), New York (May 8-10) and Chicago (July 17-19). To learn more about exhibiting or sponsorship opportunities for 2012, contact Karen DiTomasso, vice president of sales, at kditomasso@asicentral.com.
Friday
February 3, 2012 Super Bowl Means Super SalesFiled under: ASI Shows, Member Benefits, Using Ad Specialties No matter which team scores the Super Bowl trophy, ASI member companies printing T-shirts, jackets and other sports-related memorabilia will be big winners this weekend. Hundreds of ad specialty companies are sure to work into the wee hours Sunday into Monday to get Super Bowl items to eager sports fans. We spoke to Jay Meyer, president of Blue Dolphin Screen Print & Embroidery (asi/141732) of New Hampshire, which is one of the companies working tons of OT this weekend to keep sports fans happy. If the New England Patriots win in the big game against the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI, Blue Dolphin expects to print at least 25,000 shirts overnight in the initial order. “The big sports stores start showing up around 3 a.m. because they want to have the apparel ready in the morning when they open,” Meyer told us. “If it’s really doing well, they’ll reorder, probably another 5,000. Last week after the AFC championship, we printed 7,000 shirts.” Over 40 employees will work on the initial order, starting by the game’s third quarter. Printing starts as soon as the game finishes. And even if the hometown team fails to take home the title, Meyer said Blue Dolphin still expects to print at least 9,000 Giants shirts. We’ll be back from the ASI Show in Dallas – where Twitter co-founder Biz Stone wowed the crowd this morning with business and social media tips – and I can’t wait to see the newest commercials along with Madonna’s half-time performance. And the game of course! Who’s your Super Bowl pick? Let me know by posting a comment or e-mailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedInand YouTube. |
