|
Thursday
May 10, 2012 Bright Lights, Big City, Great ShowFiled under: ASI Shows, Members, News About ASI The ASI Show in New York City is a wrap. And after hearing from scores of the 2,300 distributors and 310 exhibitors who attended, I’m happy to report it was a definite success all around. The stats are impressive: The three-day show at the Javits attracted distributors from more than 1,150 firms from 38 states and 11 different countries, making the show as cosmopolitan as the Big Apple itself. There was non-stop action, from a packed show floor and all-day education to continuous demos of the upcoming ESP Websites and the incredible Counselor Awards. A definite highlight was a captivating keynote by Facebook marketing executive Randi Zuckerberg (pictured with me, at right), who offered a slate of practical business tips on how to use social media to increase brand recognition and expand market share. In addition to sharing her Top 10 social media trends, she advised distributors to engage as much as possible with anyone who connects with their company through networking sites because, as she put it, “Haters are an inch from loving you. They just want to be heard. Listen to them and they could become your most loyal customers.” Here’s what some participants had to say about the show: Peter Zeiger, from Geiger (asi/202900): “Having access to the newest products for the later part of the year is so important for our team. They have been able to talk with leading suppliers and find new ways to make more money.” Tommy Lee, from Logomark (asi/67866): “The traffic at ASI New York has been great. In fact, I’m wishing I brought some more people to work the booth.” Michael Leone, from Hit Promotional Products (asi/61125): “ASI New York has been terrific. We have been so busy. There are so many great distributors at this show.” Be sure to check out ASI’s home page at www.asicentral.com for all the highlights from New York, including news, videos and photos. Before we start getting ready for ASI Chicago, taking place July 17-19 and featuring a full day of education with leadership and negotiation guru Tony Robbins and an inspirational keynote by former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, there’s already some news on New York 2013. Next year’s show will be held in the bigger, brighter North Pavilion of the Javits Center and feature an expanded education program, fashion runway show and keynote by Buddy Valastro, star of TLC’s hit show “The Cake Boss.” To learn more about exhibiting or sponsorship opportunities, contact Karen DiTomasso, vice president of sales, at kditomasso@asicentral.com. If you were at the show, please let me know what you thought by emailing me or posting a comment. I’m always interested in your feedback.
Thursday
May 10, 2012 Honoring The 2012 Counselor Award WinnersFiled under: ASI Shows, Members, News About ASI If you Kevin Lyons-Tarr, president of 4imprint (asi/197045), was honored as Counselor magazine’s Person of the Year for, among many other things, growing his company 18% last year and more than 30% over the past four years. At a black-tie gala at Cipriani restaurant in Manhattan, we also unveiled this year’s Counselor’s Top 40. On the supplier side, Broder Bros. (asi/42090) takes over the top spot on the list, after an increase of more than 30% in sales last year. Click here to view the supplier Top 40 list. And, for distributors, Staples Promotional Products (asi/120601) remains the largest company in the industry, with BDA (asi/137616) and Proforma (asi/300094) rounding out the top three spots on the list. Click here to see the complete 2012 Top 40 distributor rankings. In addition, we also honored Ash City’s (asi/37143) Garry Hurvitz for International Person of the Year, Activate’s (asi/141964) Fred Parker for Distributor Entrepreneur of the Year, BamBams’ (asi/38228) Dan Taylor for Supplier Entrepreneur of the Year, Overture’s (asi/288473) Heather Sanderson for Distributor Woman of Distinction and Leed’s (asi/66887) Sharon Willochell for Supplier Woman of Distinction. Go to www.CounselorMag.com for pictures and videos from the Counselor Awards ceremony, and for more information on all of the award winners. Last night we also marked another very special occasion: the 50th anniversary of the Cohn family’s leadership of ASI. In addition to Norman Cohn, our amazing chairman of the board, and his lovely wife Suzanne, we were joined by the family members pictured with me at right. All in all, it was an incredible night. |
