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Friday
February 18, 2011 Laura Bush Inspires Dallas CrowdFiled under: ASI Shows, Members, News About ASI Former first lady Laura Bush wowed a standing room only crowd of nearly 600 at our keynote address in Dallas Friday morning. The audience laughed, cried – and gave her several standing ovations. Mrs. Bush described life in and out of the White House and spoke of finding her identity as First Lady through advocacy on issues near to her heart, such as improving education, literacy initiatives and enhancing the lives of women around the world through education and health awareness. “To sit here and hear her say that we’re women and we can do anything and this is a women’s world was moving,” said Norma Westphal of Proforma JETT Eagle Advertising. “She made me cry.” She got a huge laugh when she showed off her favorite promotional item – a Laura Bush bobblehead (pictured) her aides found in a Washington, D.C. gift shop shortly after the Bush presidency ended. The worst part? The bobblehead was already on the discount rack. Mrs. Bush also spoke of her first night in the White House. After a whirlwind of inaugural balls, she lay down with aching feet and felt only peace because her immediate family was safe and together. “How often do you have nearly everyone you love under one roof?” she asked. She spoke movingly of the turbulent times surrounding September 11, and recounted how a secret service agent first informed her of the attacks. She said she sat stricken with Senator Ted Kennedy in his office as the scope of the tragedy became clear and that night she and her husband hunkered in a subterranean bunker, fearing a direct attack on the White House. “We awoke on September 12 to a different life,” she said. In addition, she mentioned the personal pain her husband felt when he talked with families of military personnel killed in Iraq. Mrs. Bush also discussed her Texas roots and said she and her husband were glad to be living again in the place they’ve always thought of as home.” We’re living the afterlife in a state George calls the promised land,” said Mrs. Bush. She was a genuine crowd-pleaser. “I really liked her humor and all the tidbits about her life that she shared,” said Martha Smith of AIA/RC Sales. During an afternoon keynote, Mrs. Bush addressed attendees at ASI’s second annual Women’s Summit at the Adolphus Hotel. Highlights included her thoughts on how empowering women is the most effective way to improve a society’s quality of life. She also shared details of her initiatives as first lady, such as advocating for women’s rights in Afghanistan and promoting women’s health. If you were at the keynotes, let me know what you thought by posting a comment or emailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Friday
February 18, 2011 Lights, Camera, Action from DallasFiled under: ASI Shows, Industry Initiatives, Media Coverage, Members, News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties We’re enjoying a terrific show in Dallas this week and if you’re not there, ASI TV is a great way to keep in touch with all the excitement. First up, a recap of my Town Hall meeting. At each show, I open the floor up to questions so we can discuss the industry’s most pressing issues and look for solutions that serve all of us. In Dallas, we tackled the rising cost of cotton, the best use of video – and more. Click here to join the action. Next, I took a look at innovative pet products, which are virtually recession-proof, according to Counselor magazine. Check out:
Click here for a purr-fect video recap. Finally, if you missed the first segment WFAA-TV broadcast from the show floor Thursday morning, check out their second interview with Promo Man by clicking here. Last night, we celebrated at the Ultimate Texas Bash at Eddie Deen’s ranch. As you can see from the photos posted here, we were definitely livin’ large. For more pics, check out www.asicentral.com. Let me know your favorite part of the Dallas show by posting a comment or emailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Thursday
February 17, 2011 Promo Products Star in DallasFiled under: ASI Shows, Industry Initiatives, Media Coverage, Members, News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties Look! What’s that, up in the sky? A bird? A plane? No, wait, it’s Promo Man! And he’s flying straight to a television set near you. Promo Man – the new superhero of the promotional products industry – had his TV debut Thursday on a morning show broadcast by the ABC affiliate in Dallas. Direct from the ASI Show floor in the Dallas Convention Center, Promo Man showed off some of the hot products being showcased during this week’s Texas trade show. Promo Man’s TV appearance is all part of ASI’s on-going public relations efforts to educate end-buyers on the power of promotional products. To see the clip, click here. Reporter Wyatt Goolsby took his Instant Live 8 camera to the convention center at 4:30 a.m. to get ready for on-site cutaways throughout WFAA-TV’s 5-7 a.m. morning show. Promo Man demonstrated numerous products for the Dallas TV audience, including the ride-on beer cooler from Cruzin Cooler (asi/47747) and solar-powered briefcase from Golden Pacific (asi/55549). All in all, it was great publicity for the industry. WFAA serves the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, one of the top ten media markets in North America. I’ll keep you posted on other Promo Man appearances. For now, keep checking the skyline. If you’re at the show, let me know what you think so far by posting a comment or emailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Wednesday
February 16, 2011 A Hot Time in TexasFiled under: ASI Shows, Education, News About ASI The ASI show in Dallas opened Wednesday with a bustling Education Day featuring six dynamic new speakers and a slew of sessions – all of which qualify toward the Advertising Specialty Institute Certification Program. We’re hosting a “Build Your Industry Contacts” networking reception and Thursday we start two days of exhibiting – including nearly 120 suppliers that did not exhibit at Dallas last year. There are tons of wild and crazy new products – from the wacky and weird to the super cool and high-tech. I’ll showcase some of them in upcoming Tim’s Takes videos. Thursday night, we return to what’s always a hootin’ hollarin’ good time at the Ultimate Texas Bash at Eddie Deen’s Ranch. Friday, a sold-out crowd will enjoy a morning keynote by former first lady Laura Bush, who’s also addressing a lunchtime crowd at our second annual ASI Women’s Summit. I can’t wait to hear what she has to say about her days in the White House and especially her advocacy work on behalf of women’s rights in Afghanistan and women’s health. Stay tuned for updates all this week. On with the show! If you’re in Dallas, tell me about your experiences by posting a comment or emailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Friday
January 28, 2011 Showcasing Award-Winning OriginalityFiled under: ASI Shows, Members The ingenuity of product design never fails to amaze me, but I’m particularly impressed by the clever designs companies in our industry employ that really set them apart. From our show floor in Orlando, I sampled some of the products highlighted during the Counselor Distributor Choice Awards. Talk about creative! Click here to watch a Tim’s Take video featuring products from this year’s winning companies, including: Hit Promotional Products (asi/61125), Supplier of the Year:
iClick (asi/62124), winner of the USB Drives category:
Ariel Premium Supply (asi/36730), winner of the Stress Reliever category:
Leeds (asi/66887), a 7-category winner:
For the full list of most-valued ASI suppliers in 54 product categories (as determined by ASI Supplier Performance Ratings and distributor votes) and to view photos from the awards ceremony, click here. Did you see a really cool product in Orlando? Let me know by posting a comment or emailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
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. |
