What Opportunities Are You Missing?

I am writing this piece on a business trip like I’ve never taken before. In the past, I’ve traveled a bit, presenting education sessions at trade shows and regional associations. I’ve attended amazing conferences, like the PPAI North American Leadership Conference. This year, I’m attending the ASI Power Summit. The relationships that are nurtured and…

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So You Think it’s Fun?

Having just returned from some early-season trade shows, I am in awe of the commitment my industry colleagues have to help us build our business. I wrote about this some time ago in a commentary entitled, “A Salute to Our Industry Heroes.”

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A Memorable Week!

You don’t realize the impact of some things until you have a few days to reflect on what happened. I’ve been to many PPAI Expo weeks, but this one was like no other. In this commentary, I share a few of my video reports that offer some insight on what went on in Vegas.

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Measure the ROI at Trade Shows (Using the Right Mix of Creative and Promotional Products)

Every year more and more products are being introduced into the market, and after a while it all looks the same. What if a program was developed that helped generate a true (ROI) return on a trade show investment? During my tenure as a promotional products consultant, I was absolutely amazed at how ineffective most marketing managers were at effectively managing the results of their trade shows.

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Where Are Trade Shows Going?

In our first article on What’s Happening with Trade Shows, we covered the SAAC Show, a strong regional association event, in Long Beach, Calif. There were a couple of anonymous comments bemoaning that the article featured links to product videos from some interesting items we found at the show.

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What’s Happening with Trade Shows?

Full disclosure here—and I’ve said this before—I love trade shows. There is no better way for distributors to connect with their supplier partners. Suppliers have the opportunity to connect with new prospects and to strengthen relationships with current customers. There is no question, however, that the dynamics of trade shows are changing. It’s a big topic that I will address in two parts.

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Making The Right Splash at The Show

We’re getting into the 2014 winter trade show season and anyone reading this has varying experiences with past shows. You’ve either participated in several and know exactly what you want to accomplish—or you have attended few (or none) and may have levels of excitement or anxiety. 

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