SAGE Announces SAGE Show For 2013

SAGE^® announced last week the SAGE Show^TM, to be held February 26-28, 2013, at the Fort Worth Convention Center in Fort Worth, Texas. It replaces the company’s long-running MAPPS by SAGE tradeshow beginning next year.

David Natinsky, CAS, president of SAGE, says, “Over 33 percent of the industry’s distributors are located in the central U.S., but there hasn’t been a national-scale show in this area in quite some time. We’ve spent a lot of time studying what changes we could make in order to make the show the best it can possibly be.”

The SAGE Show will include two full show days, a hosted client day, a full day of professional education, a keynote speaker, a networking reception and much more. The hosted client day enables distributors to invite their clients to join them on the show floor to create a one-on-one enhanced sales experience geared toward identifying and satisfying the needs of key advertisers. Clients’ badges will identify them as such and list their associated distributor’s information. Natinsky adds: “While we are the first national-scale show to add a client component, 16 of the 28 regional associations currently have client shows, which are very successful and appreciated by suppliers, distributors and clients who attend.  We think the DFW area is a particularly good fit for this type of event due to the hundreds of large corporations headquartered in the area.”

The SAGE Show marks an expansion of the existing “Power of Two” relationship between PPAI and SAGE. PPAI will market, sell and help grow the SAGE Show alongside The PPAI Expo and EXPO East, a collaboration between PPAI and SAAGNY. In addition, PPAI will produce the professional education at the SAGE Show.

“This past year has been one of listening to and learning from our membership,” says PPAI President and CEO Paul Bellantone, CAE. “The SAGE Show is further evidence that we’re taking strong, decisive, forward-thinking actions based on that feedback. With our recent launch of Expo East in Atlantic City and this expanded relationship with SAGE, we’re creating a simple, convenient and powerful opportunity for suppliers and distributors to cover the United States in the first half of the year. Clearly, the expanded Power of Two relationship with SAGE makes sense for PPAI and the industry, but I am especially pleased that we were able to create these member-focused opportunities without adding another tradeshow to an already overcrowded calendar.”

Over the past 17 months, with SAGE’s help, PPAI has grown by 38 percent to more than 10,600 members.

“PPAI has been producing tradeshows in our industry longer than anyone else,” says Natinsky. “The PPAI Expo is the largest show in our industry, hands down. We’re excited to be working with such a great partner, and we’re looking forward to leveraging PPAI’s tradeshow experience to make the SAGE Show the best it can be.”

Visit www.sageshow.com for an FAQ on the SAGE Show and further details.