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Thursday
January 26, 2012 Listen, Laugh, Heal And HopeFiled under: ASI Shows, News About ASI After listening to Michael J. Fox this week on ASI Radio, I’ve decided to adopt a new catch phrase to use in response to whiners or naysayers: “A lady had a baby in a tree. What do you got?” Let me explain. Fox told our listeners he draws inspiration from a reported story about a pregnant woman who not only survived floods in Africa by clinging to a tree, but did it while giving birth – alone. He said, “When anyone comes to me with a problem, my first reaction is, ‘A lady had a baby in a tree. What do you got?’ There’s nothing you can imagine that you can’t overcome. Look for a tree branch, fight the current … You have choices; you have options. You can climb that tree if you have to.” As always, Fox was compelling. Which is why we’ve invited him back as a keynote speaker. He’ll speak Wednesday, April 4, at 8:15 a.m. at ASI San Diego. Register now if you haven’t already – I can guarantee you’ll walk away inspired and armed with advice you can easily apply to your life and business. Like another upcoming keynoter, Biz Stone (who’s speaking at ASI Dallas next Friday), Fox says humor is critical. When asked what scares him, Fox said, “People who don’t have a sense of humor. They’re the most dangerous people in world. Humor is essential. Humor is a way of expressing humanity and maintaining humility and being able to laugh at yourself.” Fox told us he was shattered when diagnosed with Parkinson’s while still acting in the hit sitcom “Spin City,” but that becoming proactive about his health made a big difference in his life. “You kind of expect people smarter than us to tell us how to get better,” he said. “It doesn’t work that way. I realized patients have to be agents of change … Everything is up to me.” Fox established The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research to push for a cure. Check out his website, which is packed with valuable information – and inspiration. I spent 15 minutes listening to the guy on the radio this week and walked away feeling pumped about life’s possibilities – and about our industry. Fox told us his foundation often uses promotional products to promote its cause, saying, “Those keepsakes really, really mark a connection between a company and people and a charity. I think it’s important people express their involvement and companies express their connections … It’s really valuable and important.” I can’t think of a better endorsement. To listen to the entire interview, go to www.asicentral.com/radio. Let me know what you took away from the interview by posting a comment or e-mailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Wednesday
January 18, 2012 Orlando Knocks It Outta The ParkFiled under: ASI Shows, Members, News About ASI And we’re off! The 2012 show season kicked off in grand style in Orlando this week, posting record-breaking education, attendance and exhibitor levels, contributing to making it the fastest-growing show in the industry. In a standing-room-only keynote, 1,438 industry professionals watched Bill O’Reilly and James Carville face off on the nation’s hottest political and business issues. The event was co-sponsored by Pepco Poms (asi/77280) and Showdown Displays (asi/87188). Education participation set a record, with 2,410 distributors attending classes during ASI Orlando’s Education Conference on Monday, January 16. All sessions were eligible for credits toward BASI (Bachelor of Advertising Specialty Information) and MASI (Master of Advertising Specialty Information) certification. During a reception in their honor, 17 graduates of the ASI Certification Program were recognized in a pinning ceremony. To date, over 15,000 industry professionals have registered for classes necessary to obtain the industry certification. We got tons of great feedback throughout the show. Here’s a sampling: “ASI Orlando has been fantastic,” said Jason Emery of Logomark (asi/67866). “The attendance is phenomenal. We brought seven people to the show and could have used another two. There were times when we couldn’t even get into our own booth. Distributors are having open conversations about their annual strategic plans versus only looking at individual products.” Michael Leigh, of Calibre International (asi/43442), said: “This has just been an amazing show. We’ve spent a lot of time with quality distributors. This is not a ‘scan and go’ crowd. Everyone is interested in finding new products to help them do a great business in 2012.” Our new show VP and GM, Lorenz Hassenstein, got off to a great start. “ASI supplier members are reaping the benefits from this year’s Orlando event, and many already are planning to expand their presence at future 2012 ASI Shows, and certainly Orlando next year,” he said, adding that strong attendance was being viewed by exhibitors as a positive sign for the year. American Solutions for Business (asi/120075), Brown & Bigelow (asi/148500), Geiger (asi/202900) and AIA (asi/109480) were among the Top 40 Distributors that hosted large sales meetings at Orlando. Visit http://www.asicentral.com/ for full coverage of ASI Show Orlando. Upcoming 2012 ASI Shows are Dallas (February 1-3), 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. If you attended the show, please let me know what you thought by posting a comment or e-mailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Wednesday
January 18, 2012 Flying High In OrlandoFiled under: ASI Shows, Community, News About ASI
All this – and much, much more – at ASI Orlando this week. If that weren’t enough, Tuesday night we saluted Hub Pen as Supplier of the Year at the annual Counselor Distributor Choice Awards, along with more than 250 of the industry’s top-performing suppliers. We’ve still got a full exhibition day left, but I think it’s safe to say Orlando’s been a great success on all counts. Hub Pen, of Massachusetts, secured the industry’s most-valued supplier status across 56 categories. In a Counselor story on the company, we cited all the reasons why Hub Pen is an award-winning company, lauding the nearly 60 years distributors have relied on the supplier for great pricing, unparalleled service and a sterling reputation for the personal touch. The company was founded in 1954 by Frank Fleming, who once tirelessly assembled pens by hand. Congratulations to everyone at Hub for this much-deserved recognition. For a complete list of winners and photos from the awards ceremony, click here. For all the show news, photos, tweets and more, go to www.asicentral.com. And if you’re at the show, let me know what you think by posting a comment or e-mailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Tuesday
January 17, 2012 ESP Mobile Is HereFiled under: ASI Shows, Industry Initiatives, Member Benefits, News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties Drumroll, please. You can now download the free iPhone app from the Apple App store, free with your ESP subscription. For a video with all the reasons why this should be your No. 1 app, click here. Any iPhone user can download the app today directly from iTunes here. ASI’s development team has automatically applied an ESP Mobile license to all members with a current license to ESP Web. These members simply download the app from the Apple App Store and enter the same log-in credentials as ESP Web. That’s all it takes. Users who only have a license to ESP Online will need to get set up through Product Support – in a process that takes about the same time it takes to fix yourself a cup of coffee. If you have any questions, please contact ASI Product Support at 800-546-1350 (press option #2). If you’re on site with us in Orlando and have any questions about ESP Mobile, come speak to our Product Support team at the ASI Booth. To download ESP Mobile from the App Store, follow these few simple steps: 1. Visit the Apple App Store on your mobile device. 2. Search for “ESP Mobile.” 3. Download the free app. 4. Once the download is complete, tap the app icon to start up the app. 5. Enter your credentials. 6. Kick back and enjoy everything this new app has to offer. Why get ESP Mobile? Check it out:
Suppliers interested in advertising in ESP Mobile should contact their ASI rep or contact Gene Rahill at grahill@asicentral.com and Suzanne Izzo at sizzo@asicentral.com. Try it and let me know what you think by posting a comment or e-mailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Monday
January 16, 2012 On With The ShowFiled under: ASI Shows, News About ASI The ASI Show Orlando is underway, and we are pumped up and ready to roll, starting with a full day of education. In addition to lots of hustle and bustle, we’re already getting great feedback on our new show look. Orlando, the ad specialty industry’s largest event on the East Coast, takes place through Wednesday at the Orange County Convention Center. ASI met early demand for more hotel rooms and more booths while showing off the brand-new Incentives and New Exhibitor pavilions. Tuesday, ASI honors more than 250 of the industry’s top-performing suppliers at the annual Counselor Distributor Choice Awards. Distributors across North America choose which companies to honor by voting for their most-valued ad specialty suppliers. Winners are selected based upon real votes and data from ASI’s Supplier Performance Ratings. Wednesday, Republican Bill O’Reilly and Democrat James Carville hit the stage running for the Live from the No-Spin Zone debate co-sponsored by Pepco Poms (asi/77280) and Showdown Displays (asi/87188). We’ll post updates of all the action, including pics and videos, throughout the week on ASI Central. Upcoming 2012 ASI Shows are Dallas (February 1-3), 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. If you’re here in Orlando with us, please say hello!
Wednesday
January 4, 2012 A Winning Attitude for 2012Filed under: ASI Shows, News About ASI I’m fanatical about setting New Year’s resolutions. And although it’s estimated a mere 2% of us ever realize our yearly goals, I’ve got a pretty good track record. In 2010, I vowed to spend more time with fewer people and successfully jettisoned acquaintances or Debbie Downers, increasing the time I had to spend with people who really mean something to me. In 2011, my No. 1 goal was to spend more time in fewer places. Instead of all those hours wasted at the airport and in the air, I stayed closer to my home in Princeton and nearby New York City and Philadelphia, which allowed for more time with loved ones – and less time enduring airport security. For 2012, my resolution is to convert anything and everything to digital, both personally and professionally. I feel more efficient already! I kicked off the New Year in Chicago, where I met two inspiring people: Ernie Halvorsen and his fiancée Cindy Chiang, who recently won “The Amazing Race,” a CBS reality show that pits couples against each other in a worldwide competition. Ernie and Cindy, pictured with me at right in a photo taken by Elvin Montero, raced nearly 40,000 miles across four continents and 20 cities to win $1 million for being the first to cross the finish line in Atlanta. They plan to use their winnings to start a business to help educate children in developing countries. They’re also interested in helping fight childhood obesity. Their winning attitude should serve as an inspiration to us all. January is of course not only the start of a new year, but the start of a new show season. We’re kicking off the action at ASI Orlando, the ad specialty industry’s largest event on the East Coast, January 16-18 at the Orange County Convention Center. Click here for registration and information on a full slate of education, the new gala at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the Counselor Distributor Choice awards and an electrifying election-year keynote with political pundits Bill O’Reilly and James Carville. The sparks are surely going to fly when those two go head to head. And don’t forget to visit ASI booths in Orlando for a live demonstration of ESP Mobile and to activate your free ESP Mobile license. An enhanced version of ESP Mobile will be available as an iPad app in March. From Orlando, we’re off to Dallas (February 1-3), San Diego (April 2-4), New York (May 8-10) and Chicago (July 17-19). If you have any questions about exhibiting or sponsorship opportunities for 2012, contact Karen DiTomasso, vice president of sales, at kditomasso@asicentral.com. And let me know what resolutions you made this year. There’s still time!
Tuesday
December 6, 2011 The Future is MobileFiled under: ASI Shows, News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties Digital power player Randi Zuckerberg shared a ton of business-building advice with us on ASI Radio this week, but since we’re about to launch ESP Mobile, I was most excited by her enthusiasm for the future of mobile. “More and more companies are creating beautiful experiences on mobile devices, on tablets,” Zuckerberg, former director of market development for Facebook, told our listening audience in advance of her upcoming keynote at the ASI show in New York City. “They’re bridging all those experiences – watching content on TV and having incredible mobile experiences simultaneously,” she said. “We’re on the tip of the iceberg with mobile, and I’m really excited to see where we go.” Zuckerberg, who’s launching R to Z Media to help companies take advantage of social media, said she advises people to “provide a product so useful people want to use it around the clock, like e-mail. Focus on building a brand, rather than on being hip or cool.” What great advice! Somehow I didn’t expect someone cool enough to sing in a cover band called Feedbomb to be so grounded. With her 7-month-old babbling happily in the background, Zuckerberg joked to the radio crew about her son making his very first appearance on ASI Radio – all the while dishing out advice on branding and connecting with clients in cyberspace. Zuckerberg will share a lot more of that advice May 10 during her keynote on Social Change Through Social Media: How the Web is Changing the Way We Live, Vote, Organize and Work. To register for the show and hear her speech, click here. On creating a ubiquitous brand, Zuckerberg advised our audience to avoid getting caught in a bubble. “Anyone developing a global brand needs to really get out there and talk to people who are using your products,” she said. Social media is a great way to catch the attention of a potential client or business partner. Open a dialogue by posting or tweeting articles about them or their campaigns and encourage friends and followers to re-circulate. “People are really suckers for flattery, and social media is great in that regard,” she said. “When you’re on social media, be sure to really respond to people and have a conversation – don’t make it a one-way communication.” Zuckerberg, who’s responsible for the successful launch of Facebook’s U.S. election and international politics strategy and Facebook Live’s streaming coverage of the presidential inauguration, gives a lot of credit to her “rock-star” teams. “It’s really important to have a culture where people truly believe great ideas can come from anywhere,” she said. “You’ll be much more effective at creating something truly groundbreaking if you can empower people on the team to be experts. And to come up with really interesting challenges and solutions.” To listen to the interview in its entirety, click here. I’d love to know what you liked best about the interview, so post a comment or e-mail me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. |
Bill O’Reilly and James Carville tearing it up onstage during one of our most exciting SRO keynotes ever. A male ballerina in glorious pink flying across the stage during the Sell It Now keynote. Tons of fun at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Record-breaking education. 
