PPAMidwest Messenger - September 2021 Edition

September 2021

JOIN OR RENEW YOUR PPAM MEMBERSHIP HERE!

September 14, 2021 Tuesday Learing Lab:

“Building Creative Campaigns from Inception, Launch & Beyond"

Being a disruptor, doing things, different raises the bar and pushes out the weak competition. Creativity is a major disruptor, and what better way to create a difference than to take the products we have at our disposal and blend them with packaging, print, merchandise/product, unique theme, and a dynamic delivery channel. Cliff will reveal how he went about developing many of his over 40, award-winning marketing campaigns. Brace yourself, this presentation will open your eyes and mind wide open in helping you understand the dynamics of building a creative campaign from the ground up.

Attendees will learn:

What the steps are to develop a creative campaign
Where to find, archive and utilize these assets to your advantage
How to think creatively to blaze new sales
The importance of building marketing metrics into every campaign
How all these concepts translate into additional sales from your clients

Read more and register

PPAMidwest is proud to bring you and your clients multiple opportunities to attend trade shows throughout our region. The Fall Holiday Showcase is a great opportunity to connect with vendors and discuss projects. Also, PPAMidwest Distributor members are encouraged to invite clients to attend as exclusive guests.

For event details, click here

Exhibitor registration

Distributor registration

^{PPAMidwest News}

American Solutions for Business Hosts Sales Summit in Park City, Utah

Glenwood, MN – American Solutions for Business hosted 180 attendees at their American Summit, hosted at the Westgate Resort in Park City, Utah. The format invited top sales associates and 30 vendor partner presenters to come together for strategic one-on-one small group suite meetings.

“It was amazing to see everyone in person again after so much time apart,” said Justin Zavadil, ASB President. “We’re grateful to our salespeople for weathering the storm (at times, literally) to be here and to our vendors for stepping up to sponsor and present at this event. This partnership means everything to us.”

Prior to the Summit, ASB hosted the American Mountain Classic, an opt-in golf event, (headline sponsor, S&S Activewear) including 89 golfers over 18 sponsored holes.

The Summit welcome reception (sponsored by Augusta Sportswear) included a charity event in which attendees raised $3,300 and packed 300 snack bags to benefit the Christian Center of Park City.

Each evening included a social and dinner in a different location. Attendees got to enjoy Olympic Park where a select group was presented with a bobsledding experience (sponsored by Spectrum Uniforms) and all attendees enjoyed watching young Olympians at the ski show (sponsored by Bag Makers). The following evening was hosted at High Star Ranch and featured a live concert by American Idol’s Wyatt Pike (sponsored by SanMar & Ennis). The closing evening, guests had a tasting experience sponsored by Maple Ridge Farms, pairing their food gifts with local High West Distillery whiskey.

“I couldn’t be prouder of our team and everyone who came together to make this such a successful, impactful event,” expressed Dana Zezzo, ASB’s VP of Marketing, Vendor Relations & Events. “We can’t wait to deliver an even bigger experience to our salespeople and vendors at our upcoming sales conference this February in Orlando.”

Simply click on the above image for more information

on this program and how to have your points

credited so that you can join in on the fun.

JournalBooks Celebrates 50th Anniversary

Pittsburgh, PA – PCNA has expanded its line of housewares with the addition of new categories, including candles, plants and more. This move strengthens the supplier’s position as an industry leader in identifying and adopting global trends.

“We couldn’t be more excited to expand our collection of housewares,” says Liz Haesler, Chief Merchandising Officer for PCNA. “The home improvement movement isn’t new, but its popularity has grown wildly over the last 18 months, and we see a lot of potential for this to be a hit within the promotional products industry as well. People are spending more time at home, and lots of companies are letting employees continue to work remotely, so gifts that spruce up the home are in high demand,” Haesler continues. “Our product development experts pay close attention to trends, making sure we’re providing the most sought-after items. When you look at all our products for the home, you’ll see a curated assortment based on the research we’ve done. It’s not just about what’s new here – it’s about expanding on a category with which we’re already seeing great success. It’s always our goal at PCNA to offer the industry’s best product selection.”

New brands like EKOBO, Good & Well Supply Co. and Sprigbox are already gaining popularity on PCNA.com, and the supplier will continue to add to its housewares collection with future product launches. “We’re never satisfied. We’re always looking for room to grow, and this is just the next step forward for PCNA,” added Haesler. In addition to candles, grow kits and eco-friendly kitchenware, PCNA offers wine and cheese sets, insulated drinkware, blankets and more.

Click here for details on this and other PPAMidwest Member benefits

^{Industry News}

PPB's 2021 Rising Stars

PPAI Media - PPB Magazine

Twelve unstoppable young leaders who are lighting up the industry

It’s human nature to look back at how things have been done in the past. But the future is about looking ahead, and these 12 PPB Rising Stars are among those who will light the way forward for the promo industry.

Since 2010, PPB has been spotlighting exceptional up-and-coming leaders with the help of nominations from across the industry.

Fearless, innovative and inspiring, this year’s class of Rising Stars brings originality and unstoppable enthusiasm for what the industry can and should be.

Read on as they share their optimism and concerns for the industry, what most inspires them and their best advice for others who are just starting their careers.

The Most Successful People in the World Ask Questions Constantly. Here's How to Master the Art of Asking Questions

Aytekin Tank • Entrepreneur Leadership Network VIP • JotForm

"The art of proposing a question must be held of higher value than solving it.” — Georg Cantor

We ask questions all the time. When is the presentation? Did you get my notes from the meeting? These are straightforward, fact-finding questions, and they get straight-forward, fact-based answers. (It’s at 3. Yes.) It shouldn’t be surprising that my company, JotForm, sees more than two million user questions per hour.

But a thoughtful, well-posed question has tremendous power; opening the doors to innovation, building cohesion among team members and shining light on the dark corners of misunderstanding.

Even so, many of us still shy away from asking questions, despite how invaluable they can be. Experts offer several explanations for why this is: Some people are egocentric and more interested in sharing their own points of view. Others are overconfident, assuming they already know the answers. Then there’s the other end of the spectrum: Those who worry that they’ll ask the wrong question and be perceived as incompetent. Read More

PPAI 2021 Board Election

Voting Ends September 28, 2021

PPAI's 2021 Board Election is Underway.......Vote Now

PPAI’s 2021 board election opened on September 7 and runs through September 28. The nominees for the board class of 2026 are Chris Anderson, CEO of Braintree, Massachusetts-based supplier HPG, and Denise Taschereau, co-founder and CEO of Vancouver, British Columbia-based distributor Fairware Promotional Products. Election results will be available in early October.

In 2019, the Association launched a new approach to its board election with the transition from a ballot vote to a selection process by presenting one distributor and one supplier to the membership for an approval vote. Nominees for the board of directors are proposed as a slate and confirmed by the membership through an election and are no longer individually elected by popular vote. PPAI made this change as it provides a better opportunity to constitute a board of directors with a balanced skillset and experience best suited for leading the Association into the future. The selection process also eliminates the time-consuming, peer-to-peer competition, applies strategic foresight and brings transparency to the process.

Anderson and Taschereau have been selected for their unique experience and balanced skillset of competencies that align with the board’s current focus and strategic plan. Each has also been extensively evaluated by the Leadership Advisory Committee and the Elected Directors Nominating Committee. If approved by the membership, they will begin their four years of board service in January 2022.

Click here to view the candidates’ career highlights, skills and education, and see how they describe their leadership style and the strengths they will bring to the board.

Each PPAI member company’s voting contact is eligible to cast a vote for the slate. Voting will be done electronically, and a new 2021 username and password has been emailed to each member company’s voting contact.

On August 24, PPAI held a webinar, “Get to Know Your Board Nominees,” in which PPAI President and CEO Dale Denham, MAS+, and Board Chair Todd Pottebaum, MAS+, introduced this year's nominees. The free session is available here for on-demand viewing.