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Tuesday
November 8, 2011 Counselor Names Power 50Filed under: ASI Shows, Community, Industry Initiatives, Members, News About ASI Timidity has no place in business. And if Polyconcept’s recent history has shown us anything, it’s exactly that. When Polyconcept’s Philippe Varnier, Yann Leca and David Nicholson purchased Trimark Sportswear, they changed the game by becoming the first major supplier to sell both hard goods and apparel. This big, bold move also helped propel them from No. 8 to No. 1 on this year’s Counselor Power 50 list. By definition, the business leaders on our annual list set the agenda for the market, provide successful examples for others to follow and, ultimately, dictate how business is done in the ad specialty industry. Last night we honored them for their outstanding business acumen at the fifth annual ASI Power Summit in Dana Point, California. Here’s the top of the 2011 Counselor Power 50 list:
For the complete Counselor Power 50 ranking, click here. For photos of the Power Summit and Monday’s awards ceremony, click here. It’s also worth noting the newcomers who hit the list for the first time, since they’re definitely among the ones to watch. They are:
For more info and details on why these leaders moved up – or down – read the upcoming December issue of Counselor and check it out online at http://www.counselormag.com/. Let me know what you think of this year’s ranking by posting a comment or e-mailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Tuesday
September 13, 2011 Get Your Avatar OnFiled under: ASI Shows, Community, News About ASI ASI’s next Virtual Trade Show kicks off Wednesday and there’s still time to register. The show features multimedia demos, free catalogs, tons of top new suppliers, 27 show booths with sales reps and 40 ASI Education and certification programs. Plus, you can win more than $17,000 in prizes. Click here to register for free for the 10 a.m.-3 p.m. ET show. Altogether, more than 1,500 visited our last virtual show, which generated 1,037 one-to-one chats. In addition, visitors viewed a total of 1,858 documents and 757 webcasts, staying at the show an average of 78.5 minutes – not bad for a free day with no expensive travel. The best part is no matter where you are – or how you’re dressed – you can log on and learn, network and sell. And if you miss this week’s virtual event, you can access it on-demand later here. We know the all-day, online events are effective because exhibiting suppliers experience an average 24% increase in ESP searches the day after each show. And, don’t forget – you can attend classes that are applied to your BASI or MASI certificate right from the virtual show floor. Let me know what you think of virtual events by posting a comment or e-mailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Tuesday
August 30, 2011 Move Over, Disney WorldFiled under: Community, Members, News About ASI If you enjoy lists, there’s one to fit every bill – from Best Films and Best Restaurants all the way to Best Lunchboxes and Best Blogs. But one of the most prestigious for our industry is Counselor‘s annual Best Places to Work, a compilation of the happiest, hippest workplaces. All told, Counselor honored 85 ad specialty companies, with Seaena, a Las Vegas-based supplier that creates laser crystal promotional products, scoring the No. 1 spot. How hip is Seaena (asi/47782)? When three Counselor editors hit Vegas during their cross-country tour of cool companies, they were greeted by a Seaena sales rep dressed in full showgirl regalia, blue-feather headdress and all, toting an Elvis costume and driving a convertible mini cooper down the Sunset Strip. There’s no doubt Seaena is a hoot-and-holler kind of place, To see videos, picture galleries and blogs from the 2011 Best Places to Work road trip, click here. To see all 85 companies on the list, click here. To read more about those companies, click here. And for a special Best Places to Work Facebook page, where each week a different company on the list is profiled, click here. Let me know what qualities you think make a good company great by posting a comment or e-mailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Monday
August 29, 2011 Hurricane Recovery UpdateFiled under: ASICentral, Community, News About ASI I hope all of you, and your family and friends, are safe and secure as we recover from this weekend’s hurricane on the East Coast. Like all of us at ASI (which was in Irene’s path), I know many distributors and suppliers are dealing with various stages of recovery – assessing water damage, trees down, travel issues and client and shipment concerns. Please let us know if there’s anything we can do to assist, or if some special accommodation is needed. We’ll do anything we can to help. We’ll post hurricane-related updates at http://www.asicentral.com/. If you have a business update for us to post about your situation, please email details to feedback@asicentral.com. Our information products and services, including ESP and LogoMall, have been up during the entire storm, with our backup generators being used during one relatively brief period. We have fully backed up technology and power in our main offices, as well as at an offsite location near Atlanta. In coming days and weeks, please let us know if any ASI materials (end-buyer catalogs, references, etc.) have been damaged at your homes or offices. We’ll replace them at no charge ASAP. Please also let us know if there’s anything we can do to help you or another colleague. My personal e-mail is tim.andrews@asicentral.com. I weathered the storm at my house in N.J. and came through relatively unscathed with a power outage and flooded basement. Luckily, I had a generator from an ice storm two years ago and a friend who came to help out – who then got stranded when the water rose. He’s since made it home to his family, which is what I hope for all of you. Let me know how you and your business fared by posting a comment or e-mailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Tuesday
July 12, 2011 Get Your Motor Runnin’Filed under: ASICentral, Community, News About ASI Perhaps the greatest road trip book ever written is Jack Kerouac’s 1957 On the Road. And whether you’d vote for Thelma and Louise, Easy Rider or even The Wizard of Oz as greatest road trip movie of all time, I think you’d agree all these books and movies share a common love of the open road and a thirst for adventure. Those same themes will be thoroughly explored over the next week or so during Counselor’s 3,000 mile 2011 Summer Road Tour. Three Counselor editors are trucking cross-country on a mission to visit as many companies on the magazine’s upcoming Best Places to Work List as possible. You can follow every pit stop and diner drop by clicking here for tweets, blog posts, videos, photos and stories from the road. You can also follow Andy Cohen, Melinda Ligos and Joe Haley (the Tin Man, Lion and Scarecrow?) via a live map tracking their stops at more than a dozen industry companies across the country. Their mission is to discover why they’re great places to work, find out what makes a winning corporate culture and take part in whatever summer craziness comes their way. The road crew left this morning in a rented SUV packed with cold drinks, trip T-shirts and road tunes loaded on the iPod. Today’s stops: Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina. Let me know what you think of the trip as it unfolds – and what your all-time favorite road trip book or movie is – by posting a comment or e-mailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Wednesday
July 6, 2011 2012 Keynotes AnnouncedFiled under: ASI Shows, Community, News About ASI Can you imagine gaining exclusive access to some of the greatest business thinkers and social commentators of our time – for free? Look no further than ASI’s 2012 lineup of keynote speakers. We spent months surveying the industry and researching new programs to offer next year, and I have every confidence this unprecedented lineup will score, especially since it’s a unique balance of education, motivation, information and debate. The ASI team that plans our shows has really put together an incredibly powerful set of keynotes, activities and entertainment at shows in Orlando, Dallas, San Diego, New York and Chicago. Dan O’Halloran, our executive VP of distributor services, tells me several Top 40 distributors have already committed to bringing 700+ salespeople to ASI Orlando alone. Expect full details soon. The list of scheduled programs includes:
In addition to education and inspiration, The ASI Shows feature world-class entertainment for ASI members:
Online registration is now open for the five 2012 ASI Shows, including Orlando (Jan. 16-18), Dallas (Feb. 1-3), San Diego (April 2-4), New York (May 8-10) and Chicago (July 17-19). Visit www.asishow.com for complete details on The ASI Show and to make your hotel reservations. Discounted hotel rates are available through the official ASI Show housing bureau, Travel Planners. Each ASI Show features a three-day schedule, with a full day of ASI Education and two exhibit days. ASI distributor and decorator members receive free admission and qualify for a free hotel room. Call 877-ASI-SHOW with any questions. To learn more about exhibiting or sponsorship opportunities, please contact Karen DiTomasso, VP of sales, at kditomasso@asicentral.com. Let me know what you think of our line-up – and if you have any suggestions or comments post a comment or e-mail me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Wednesday
June 15, 2011 Keys to a Virtual KingdomFiled under: ASI Shows, Community, News About ASI When I was a kid we loved nothing better than watching the Ed Sullivan Show. When he promised “a really big show,” Ed delivered. I like to think ASI delivers every time we host a show, whether it’s bricks and mortar or virtual. This week, we earned a terrific confirmation from a participant at our latest virtual show, who commented: “My fingers are cramped from so much typing because we’ve been busy.” Whenever we can cramp some fingers, I know we’ve done good! In addition to great education and lots of show traffic, we gave away an Apple iPad and more than $17,000 in prizes. Throughout the all-day event, participants were treated to top suppliers, multimedia demos, digital catalogs and online sample requests. Altogether, more than 1,500 visited the show, which generated 1,037 one-to-one chats. In addition, visitors viewed a total of 1,858 documents and 757 webcasts, staying at the show an average of 78.5 minutes – not bad for a free day with no expensive travel. The best part is no matter where you are – or how you’re dressed – you can log on and learn, network and sell. And if you missed this week’s virtual event, you can access it on-demand here. Stay tuned for our next show, scheduled for September 14. We know the all-day, online events are effective because exhibiting suppliers experience an average 24% increase in ESP searches the day after each show. And, don’t forget – you can attend education classes that are applied to your BASI or MASI certificates right from the virtual show floor. While virtual events won’t replace in-person shows (Chicago is July 19-21), you can’t beat the ease and value. 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. |
but that fun never stands in the way of profits. The company has grown its revenues by double digits in the past year and attributes the company’s teamwork-oriented atmosphere to its recent success.
