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Thursday
April 29, 2010 ESP Searches Jump After Virtual Trade ShowsFiled under: ASI Shows, Industry Initiatives, News About ASI We held our fourth virtual trade show this week and all distributor feedback to date can be summed up in one word: great. Only one thing can make the virtual experience better – and that’s even more suppliers. We know the all-day, online event is effective because exhibiting suppliers experience an average 24% increase in ESP searches the day after each show. And more searches mean more sales. On average, exhibitors at Wednesday’s virtual trade show – ASI’s fourth – spent 66 minutes in the virtual environment and exchanged 4,548 instant messaging chats. And distributors completed 5,404 supplier surveys. Wednesday’s show featured several top suppliers, including Tri-Mountain/Mountain Gear (asi/92125), Americanna Co. (asi/35730), Graphco Line (asi/57956) and The Magnet Group (asi/68507). Exhibitors showcased everything from bumper stickers, key tags and bottled water to apparel, phone accessories, food and gifts. If you missed this week’s show, you can access it on-demand at www.asicentral.com/vts through June 15. Everyone I’ve talked to says the virtual experience is a terrific way for distributors to chat one-on-one with suppliers providing interactive video at their booths – while drinking coffee from the comfort of their office. Virtual events certainly won’t replace our bricks-and-mortar shows (New York is next week!) , but definitely qualify as an added bonus. So we’ll host two more this year, on Wednesday, June 16, and Wednesday, September 22. Let me know how your virtual experience went by posting a comment or emailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Wednesday
April 7, 2010 Green is Good: The Green Catalog is HereFiled under: Community, Industry Initiatives, News About ASI “Going green” can mean a lot of different things, from buying organic produce at your local supermarket to overhauling your company so it’s as energy efficient as possible. “Green” is such a hot concept, 4 in 5 small to medium size businesses now offer some sort of green products or services. Here at ASI, during the month the world celebrates Earth Day, we’re issuing our 2010 edition of The Green Catalog, which consistently sells out, year after year. These days, environmentally-conscious buyers want green products that are useful – and clever – and this catalog really delivers. Inside, you’ll discover more than 120 eco-friendly items, ranging from seed packets to products made from fast-growing and renewable bamboo (it grows up to 4 feet a day!). Flip through and you’ll find pencils made from recycled tires, water-powered clocks, stapleless staplers and even watches powered by a mercury-free battery. Want to reach a music loving audience? Try the seeded music download cards. Download your tunes – then plant the card in the ground and watch it grow. A price index in the back of the catalog makes it easy to choose products to match any client budget. Products are also grouped by easy-to-use categories, including food and drink, outdoors, trade shows, bags and briefcases, clocks and watches, office, sports, travel, and home. The book ships free from now until April 15, and a free digital version comes with the print purchase. The front of each copy can be imprinted in full color with the distributor’s logo and contact information, and ASI offers this feature year-round. And in further response to the ever-growing demand for eco-friendly products, ASI now features a pavilion at our five super-regional trade shows dedicated to showcasing only green products. To order The Green Catalog online and to see sample pages, click here. The catalog – circulation 135,000 – has already sold over 100,000 copies, so don’t wait too long to order yours. And let me know what green products are working for you by posting a comment or emailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Monday
March 29, 2010 ASI Heads Back to VegasFiled under: ASI Shows, Industry Initiatives, News About ASI ASI is shaking up Las Vegas this September with a newly-announced Holiday Preview trade show at the Sands Expo Center. We tweaked a previous show in response to requests from suppliers and distributors who wanted a more intimate format. The show takes place Monday and Tuesday, September 13-14, and presents a terrific networking forum to learn what’s new for the holiday selling season. In addition, we’ll offer several educational and networking opportunities, including the acclaimed “New Distributor Success Track” for newbies, an “Exhibitor Presents” session for select exhibitors to present their hot new products for 2010, tabletop exhibits and a closing networking reception. The Vegas show is similar to our very successful Advantages Roadshow — our traveling tabletop show — and the format provides a platform for exhibitors to meet on a personal level with prospects and clients. Distributors may register now for the ASI Holiday Preview at asishow.com. Suppliers interested in exhibiting at the ASI Holiday Preview should contact Karen DiTomasso, vice president of sales, at 800-546-3300 or at kditomasso@asicentral.com. It’s never too soon to start thinking about the holiday selling season so let me know your thoughts by posting a comment or emailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Wednesday
March 24, 2010 Top 10 Giveaways for Earth DayFiled under: Industry Initiatives, Using Ad Specialties
Here at ASI, we’re getting in the spirit with our very first “Top 10 Eco-Friendly Earth Day Giveaways” list – out today. More companies than ever before are using eco-friendly giveaways to promote their commitment to the environment. Editors of Counselor magazine searched for creative giveaways in ESP (our exclusive promo products database) and found marketers snatching up everything from notebooks made of elephant poo to shower timers to paper embedded with wildflower seeds. Here’s the list: 1. Elephant-Poo Notebook – The ultimate recycled item, great for colleges and trade shows. You might think elephant-poo products are just a clever-sounding marketing gimmick. Think again. Since the paper uses no trees, it’s perfect for eco-conscious buyers. Such products continue to pick up steam, including dinnerware made from bamboo, which grows up to four feet a day and is 100% biodegradable! To see photos of the products and purchasing information for each, and to watch a video with the editor of Counselor magazine featuring the items, visit asicentral.com/earth. What does your company do to help the environment? Let me know by posting a comment or emailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Monday
March 22, 2010 Let the Revolution Begin: ESP Web and ESP Orders DebutFiled under: Industry Initiatives, Member Benefits, News About ASI Tomorrow, one of the most ambitious efforts we’ve ever undertaken becomes reality when we start rolling out the new ESP Web and ESP Orders during our first virtual trade show of 2010. If you haven’t seen what ESP Web and ESP Orders will do to revolutionize how distributors and suppliers interact, watch the video here. The roll-out is the culmination of more than a year’s worth of work on the next generation of ESP and a new product, called ESP Orders. From the start, we put you – our members – front and center, and we reviewed thousands of your comments to develop revolutionary new services that satisfy your business needs. We also relied on a number of beta testers, like Bobby Lehew, director of operations for Robyn Promo (asi/309656), who took the new services out for a test drive and provided feedback. His conclusion? “ESP Web is simple sophistication at its best. I submitted a project to a client within minutes of using it for the first time. I have the freedom to access ESP Web from anywhere and it lets me concentrate on my clients and their needs.” This next generation of ESP is now browser-based, meaning it will run in Explorer, Firefox, Apple’s Safari and Google’s Chrome. ESP Orders, brand-new, will allow distributors to easily transfer information from ESP into a sales order and then into standard purchase orders that can be sent to suppliers with the click of one button. The data will be easily integrated into ASI Computer’s ProfitMaker, QuickBooks or your own enterprise financial system. No one has to rekey data, and this is a huge time-saver everyone will love. It sounds simple, but getting this right required an entirely new approach to ESP – figuring out how to provide a true web-based platform, preserve the functionality users depend on every day and reduce inefficiencies between distributors and suppliers. ESP Web and ESP Orders will start rolling out to segments of ESP users during the virtual trade show taking place live from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. EDT tomorrow, Tuesday, March 23. A graduated rollout will continue throughout the spring. Training videos covering major new features of the services will be available on the log-in screen of ESP Web. Demonstrations of ESP Web and ESP Orders will continue in the training room at the ASI booth and in select “power session” rooms at all upcoming super regional ASI Shows, including ASI New York and ASI Chicago. I’d love to know what you think so please, kick the tires and take it for a spin if you can. Then post a comment or email me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Thursday
March 18, 2010 Register Now for 2010’s First Virtual Trade ShowFiled under: ASI Shows, Industry Initiatives, News About ASI This Tuesday, we launch our first virtual trade show of 2010. It’s free for distributors – and there’s still time to register by clicking here. The show, taking place from 10 a.m-3 p.m. EST, features virtual show booths, multimedia demos, digital catalogs, online sample requests, a complete passport program and more than $17,000 in prizes. The event has already attracted more than 20 top suppliers, including the Magnet Group (asi/68507), PrimeLine (asi/79530) and Snugz USA (asi/88060). Enjoy online ASI Education sessions while networking and selling in real-time through interactive multimedia booths. During the show, we’ll also launch the much-anticipated, revolutionary new ESP Web and ESP Orders services. ESP Web and ESP Orders will start rolling out to segments of ESP users Tuesday and a graduated rollout will continue throughout April. We held two virtual trade shows in 2009, and based on feedback, both qualified as successes. The shows are an ideal way for distributors and suppliers to connect, learn and sell without even leaving the office. At a time when we all could use innovative methods to be more efficient, these shows are perfect for reaching new prospects, grabbing market share and getting educated. A virtual show doesn’t replace face-to-face meetings you get at national shows (ASI New York is around the corner in May), but for some sales staff who can’t travel, virtual shows present prime selling opportunities. Even if you can’t attend Tuesday’s show, you’ll be able to access it on demand once it’s posted online. In addition, ASI will host three additional virtual trade shows on April 28, June 16 and September 22. Let me know your experiences with virtual trade shows by posting a comment or emailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Thursday
March 11, 2010 Texas Here We Come: Advantages Roadshow Continues 2010 TourFiled under: ASI Shows, Industry Initiatives, News About ASI There’s no sweeter phrase in business than “We’re number one” and that distinction belongs to ASI’s Advantages Roadshow. The industry’s most successful traveling show is just 5 weeks into its 16-week tour and has already attracted more than 3,000 distributors. Next week, the 2010 tour hits Texas: Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and Houston. Last year, the Texas portion of the tour drew 617 distributors and 73 supplier companies, giving exhibitors the opportunity to spend time with many more clients and prospects than they could by making traditional sales calls. It’s free for distributors to attend! Texas – home to the second largest number of distributors – is a lucky state for ASI. In February, ASI Show Dallas attracted distributors from 1,383 firms, along with about 500 suppliers. The show – the largest industry event in the Southwest – returns to Dallas next February 16-18, 2011, so mark your calendars. Each year, the Advantages Roadshow visits more than 70 cities throughout North America, including Canada, providing suppliers with an intimate, one-on-one environment to introduce products and services to quality distributors and decorators. And, three times a year, the show co-locates with the Stitches Roadshow. The two-for-one shows provide decorators with opportunities to meet equipment, software, supply and service providers face-to-face, see new wearables vendors, enjoy valuable education and network with other decorators. Let me know how the Advantages Roadshows have worked for you by posting a comment or emailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. |
