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Thursday
September 17, 2009 Holiday & Incentives Expo DeliversFiled under: ASI Shows, Community, News About ASI We just wrapped up a great show in Las Vegas and I’m happy to report the ASI Holiday & Incentives Expo attracted distributors and decorators from 48 states and 12 countries. Education Day drew more than 500 distributors during the first day of the show. We designed the expo to accomplish two key things: help you find the hottest products available to clinch those important fourth-quarter sales, and provide the crème de la crème of industry suppliers. Suppliers were qualified in advance, and had achieved four- or five-stars in the ASI Supplier Ratings System. From what you told me on the show floor, and at great networking events like Counselor magazine’s HOT party at Christian Audigier Nightclub and the Las Vegas Reception, we delivered.
Here are some supplier comments: “The traffic has almost been too heavy,” shared Karen Cohen, vice president, All-In-One (asi/34256). “We’ve been having a hard time keeping up with the amount of distributors stopping by. Distributors are asking questions and wanting to learn about the product – there’s very little ‘scan and go.’ ” “It has been great, it’s been action-packed,” said Bonni Sandy, executive vice president, Dard Products, (asi/48500). “The distributors are incredibly serious and know the fourth quarter is going to pick up. We’ve seen good quality distributors, including a lot of the Top 40.”
And here’s what some of the 1,500 distributors said: “The ASI Holiday & Incentives Expo has been terrific,” said Ross Silverstein, president and CEO, iPROMOTEu (asi/232119). “This time of year is perfect for a show of this sort. I’ve met with a number of suppliers that I don’t usually see and I definitely found many new products that I haven’t seen in the past.” “It’s been absolutely wonderful, some of the best vendors are here,” said Caren Mikesh, owner, Caren Mikesh & Associates Promos (asi/271129). “Having only suppliers with four or more stars in the ASI Supplier Ratings System is really great. These are the companies who have good, quality products with good names behind them.” I also got great feedback on our “Secrets from the Pros: Cash in on the $45 Billion Incentive Market” panel discussion and I hope many of you got to see the amazing musical, The Lion King, which we offered at a special discount price. You can read the press release here. I’d love to hear about your experiences in Vegas, so post a comment or email me here. I’m also on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Wednesday
September 16, 2009 We’re Launching a San Diego ShowFiled under: ASI Shows, Community, Industry Initiatives, News About ASI While we’re here at the ASI Holiday & Incentives Expo, I’m announcing some big show news: ASI is launching a new ASI Show this February in sunny San Diego. You voted and we listened, which is why we’re adding this great West Coast location. After months of strategic review, including analyses of distributor and supplier locations, show attendance trends, penetration levels of show attendance and consultation with the show advisory board, San Diego stood out as the clear choice. We also kept in mind two things: we wanted to avoid interfering with PPAI Expo in January, and the SAAC show in Long Beach in August. Here are some very compelling — and perhaps surprising — fast facts about our industry in the San Diego area: — California has the largest single concentration of distributors of any state. — Half the distributor firms in California don’t currently send a salesperson to a show. — California has the largest single concentration of suppliers of any state, and a bit more than half don’t exhibit at a trade show. — California has the strongest annualized growth of any state, in terms of distributors and suppliers, over the past five years. All indications point to the business climate rebounding faster there, versus many other regions. I’m of course very excited about the new ASI Show San Diego and what we believe it will do to serve West Coast promotional products businesses better. I look forward to seeing you there, from Wednesday, February 24, through Friday, February 26, 2010. Education Day will be on Wednesday. Perfectly timed to kick-off the first quarter in Southern California, this show is the ideal platform for suppliers to showcase new products and services to thousands of distributors. Further, it joins a full schedule of ASI Shows, including national events in Orlando, Dallas, Las Vegas, New York and Chicago. To read the press release, click here. I’d love to hear your thoughts about our new show, so post a comment now or email me here. I’m also on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Wednesday
September 9, 2009 Jay Ostrow Named Executive Director, Distributor ServicesFiled under: Community, Members, News About ASI
Jay will continue to be responsible for managing the distributor business for ASI Canada and will now also be responsible for new business development in ASI’s major account division. He has over 10 years of marketing and sales experience and joined ASI five years ago as an account manager. He’ll report to Heather DiPrato, vice president of distributor services, whom many of you know. He’s really done an impressive job expanding our relationships in the Canadian market and I look forward to having him join the major account division. Learn more about Jay in the press release: click here. Also serving clients in Canada are Fred and Leslie Oesen, vice presidents of ASI Canada, who are based in Toronto. Please join me in congratulating Jay and post a comment now.
Thursday
September 3, 2009 You’re Reading the Best – Counselor Magazine HonoredFiled under: News About ASI Simply put, the hallmark of ASI’s Counselor magazine is editorial excellence. Whether it’s a hard-driving investigative report or a quirky feature that perfectly captures the mood of the moment, Counselor delivers. So I’m delighted the American Society of Business Publication Editors has once again recognized the magazine as a winner. The ASBPE honored Counselor in the 31st Annual Azbee Awards of Excellence competition, which recognizes the best in editorial, design and online achievements. The award, in the category of best news analysis and investigative reporting, is for a series of online and print stories covering the fall of industry Top 40 distributor CorpLogoWare. To read a portion of the series using your ASICentral.com username and password, click here. Counselor editor Andy Cohen wrote the winning series, which also won a Neal Award from American Business Media earlier this year. I’d like to recognize the entire team, from publisher Rich Fairfield and editor-in-chief Melinda Ligos to everyone who contributes to the magazine’s success, for consistently delivering the very best in industry coverage to readers. It’s no wonder Counselor is routinely recognized among other nationally-recognized magazines, such as Fortune Small Business, BusinessWeek and Computerworld. They work at it every day, from the biggest headline-grabber to the briefest blurb. I’d love to know what you enjoy most about Counselor, or any of ASI’s six publications, so post a comment now or email me here.
Tuesday
September 1, 2009 New office products discount program for ASI CanadaFiled under: Industry Initiatives, Member Benefits, News About ASI We’re very proud of our commitment to our Canadian So I’m delighted to announce another new member benefit that gives ASI Canada members substantial discounts on over 250,000 items through office superstore Grand & Toy. Unless you’ve spent time in Canada, you may not have heard of Grand & Toy, but ASI is proudly partnering with the 127-year-old company to offer this exclusive discount program. Here’s what you get:
Jay Ostrow is our executive director of distributor services for ASI Canada and he’s most pleased with the testimony offered by Grand & Toy customers attesting to the company’s service, reliability and competitive pricing. As Jay puts it, “This program delivers first-class service and provides savings instantly. It’s another huge plus for our members in Canada.” The office products discount program joins other member savings programs for ASI Canada, including discounts on UPS® small package and freight shipping, UPS customs and brokerage services, email marketing tools, digital artwork services and credit card processing. I urge you take advantage of as many savings programs as you can – they really add up and save your business time and money. To read more in the press release, click here. I’d love to know what your experience has been with this and other member benefits so post a comment now or email me here.
Monday
August 31, 2009 ASI Promotes Industry on MSNBCFiled under: Community, Industry Initiatives, Media Coverage, Members, News About ASI ASI publisher Rich Fairfield made like a TV star last week during a lively appearance on MSNBC’s “Your Business.” The hot topic was the proven value of using ad specialties to market your business at trade shows. As Rich and host J.J. Ramberg Click here to watch the video. They also advised companies to decide what they want to spend and to choose an item that truly reflects their business. Here are the products in the segment:
If you’re a distributor, I urge you to email the video link to your clients, so they can get more ideas for products that can help their marketing campaigns. I’d love to know what must-see products made a difference in your marketing at your last trade show so post a comment now or email me here.
Tuesday
August 25, 2009 Favor – ESP FeedbackFiled under: Members, News About ASI We are working on the next version of ESP Online, and I’d like to ask your help. Post a comment or email me here and tell me, as briefly as possible since I’m reading all replies, what 3-4 things you’d like to make ESP Online better. If you happen to use another research tool, or have in the past, reply and tell me what you use and what annoys you most about that tool or what you like most. As thanks for your input, you can choose (a) $100 hotel reimbursement and a free ticket to the Lion King show at ASI Show Las Vegas 2009 or (b) guaranteed seat to see General Colin Powell (Ret.) at ASI Show Orlando 2010. If you choose the Lion King tickets, you must reply by this Friday, August 28. Thanks in advance for your thoughts. |
