The PPAI Expo 2017’s In-Depth Workshops Offer Attendees Added Value

Attendees at the PPAI Expo 2017 have more than 100 education opportunities to learn new ideas, best practices and tips on improving their careers and businesses, and most are free to attend. Alongside these sessions are a series of in-depth paid workshops on Sunday, January 8, with industry thought leaders who will provide their audiences with takeaways, samples and resources.

Garment Screen Printing: Basic To Intermediate

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Charlie Taublieb

Charlie Taublieb of Taublieb Consulting, a technical screen-printing consultant with more than 39 years in the industry, is hosting this three-hour, hands-on session in which he takes his audience from artwork through finished prints. The program includes a discussion of the differences between raster and vector artwork and related software; an integrated registration system to decrease set-up times; and the use of frames, mesh and squeegees, as well as set-up procedures. Taublieb will also demonstrate much of what he speaks about during the session, and audience members will come away with a better understanding of garment screen printing as well as ways to increase efficiencies and profits.

Sunday, January 8, 2017

12 – 3 pm

Breakers B

CAS: 3 points

Session Fees: $60 Members/$120 Nonmembers

 

Smart Sales Hiring

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Troy Harrison

Everyone is in sales, no matter what their job title is. In this session, Troy Harrison, a thought leader in the world of sales and selling, and author of Sell Like You Mean It – Outselling Your Competitors By Understanding Your Customers, reframes sales as communication. Every encounter in life involves communication, so everyone is in sales. Sales, when done right, is a two-way dialogue with another person built on trust. There are no shortcuts, gimmicks or tricks. Instead, Harrison says, sales is built upon a PACT (passion, authenticity, creativity and trust) mindset. His session will explain how we must adapt our own preferred styles of communicating to meet another’s preferred method to achieve the highest level of sales success.

Sunday, January 8, 2017

12 – 3 pm

Lagoon J

MAS: 3 points

Session Fees: $60 Members/$120 Nonmembers

 

Walk, Talk And Negotiate Like A CEO

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Linda Swindling

In her session, Linda Swindling, JD, CSP, a consultant, executive coach and facilitator, and past president of the National Speakers Association/North Texas, asks her audience what would be possible if they could show up powerfully, no matter how high the stakes. How much time could they save if they stopped negotiating deals where there was no chance of winning? What risks would they take if they were prepared for any situation or negotiation tactic the other side tried? Negotiations, whether to influence a decision maker at work, get better deals in business, or to persuade friends and family, can improve outcomes when the results really matter. Swindling’s presentation will equip her audience to ask outrageously to get what they want, win with integrity, increase their executive presence and influence with leaders and decision makers, pursue only winning deals and know when to walk away.

Sunday, January 8, 2017

12 – 3 pm

Lagoon A

MAS: 3 points

Session fees: $60 Members/$120 Nonmembers

 

Using The Marketing Funnel To Outperform The Competition

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Cliff Quicksell, MAS+

Focus is the name of the game when trying to maximize marketing energies. Today the shotgun approach that most folks incorporate is grossly ineffective and expensive. In this session, Cliff Quicksell, MAS+, with Cliff Quicksell & Associates, shares a marketing funnel tool, which along with classifying and categorizing to creatively target the right clients and prospects, will help dramatically flatten the curve and maximize marketing efforts. Attendees will leave with an in-depth understanding of the effectiveness of the marketing funnel, how to use the tool in developing personal marketing and how to incorporate it into discussions with clients, and hear actual case histories and their successes.

Sunday, January 8, 2017

12 – 3 pm

Lagoon L

CAS: 3 points

Session Fees: $60 Members/$120 Nonmembers

PPAI Partners With APPA On Get In Touch! Campaign

PPAI and the Australasian Promotional Products Association (APPA) announced an agreement in November to use core elements of PPAI’s Promotional Products Work! and Get In Touch! campaigns across Australia and New Zealand. APPA plans to launch the campaigns in those countries in early 2017.

The Get In Touch! campaign is designed to increase awareness and enhance the perception of the promotional products industry, as well as communicate the benefits of working with promotional consultants. The overall goal of the campaign is to direct a larger share of advertising dollars to the industry. It will feature member kits available for download and customization, including elements that members will be able to immediately incorporate into their own marketing efforts. The expectation is that APPA members become an integral part of the Get In Touch! campaign.

“APPA’s goal is simple: promotional products marketing should be recognized by marketers and business people as an essential part of the brand and marketing communications toolkit,” says Steve Granland, APPA chief executive officer. “Our members are recognized as leaders in their creative field, and promotional products marketing rivals other specialized marketing fields for share of wallet, curriculum coverage, career, commentary and perceived value.”

PPAI President and CEO Paul Bellantone, CAE, adds, “Get In Touch! is important to the promotional products industry because, for too long, it has been an afterthought for many in the marketing chain. The industry knows, understands and communicates the power of promotional products, but it’s time the rest of the world recognized the power of promotional products and their place in successful marketing campaigns.”

In August, APPA launched PromotionalProductsWork.com.au and PromotionalProductsWork.co.nz. Targeted at promotional products buyers, these websites provide information and data about the power of promotional products and the importance of working with promotional consultants. The websites will continue to evolve and be an important element of the Get In Touch! campaign.

“The APPA Board is saying it wants this to be a primary focus and a key element of APPA’s strategic plan,” says Granland. “The board recognizes that now is the time to be proactive. However, APPA will not be successful if it pursues this initiative alone. It’s going to require APPA members’ assistance to succeed.

“With the assistance of PPAI, APPA has a plan to reach marketing buyers through the campaign at the national level and will create the tools our members need to get involved and engaged with their customers and prospects,” Granland adds. “Get InTouch! is a significant and positive step forward in raising the positive profile of the promotional products industry in Australia and New Zealand; however, we must engage our members for this initiative to be successful.”

APPA will form a profile-raising advisory group to be chaired by an APPA board member and made up of a small number of industry professionals. This advisory group will be charged with providing advice and support to the APPA national office in both adapting the materials made available by PPAI for the Australian and New Zealand markets and how best to engage with the APPA member base to ensure success.

More details will be provided to APPA members as the advisory group is formed and meets to map out key time frames and deliverables for this project.

PPAI Board Approves New Strategic Plan At Fall Meeting

The PPAI Board of Directors held its fall meeting in October to kick off PPAI’s Leadership Development Week in Grapevine, Texas, with PPAI Chair Tom Goos, MAS, presiding. Among the reports and actions taken at the meeting were these:

  • President and CEO Paul Bellantone, CAE, reviewed the Association’s new strategic plan and board members voted to approve it as presented. The plan includes a new mission statement which is less transactional and focuses on more relational connections to members. (See page 4 for more information on PPAI’s strategic plan.)

  • PPAI Director of Marketing Keith Vincent and Vice President of Business Development Alan Peterson reviewed the Get In Touch! campaign. The focus for the next six months will be to reach out to the top five designated market areas, along with increased member engagement. Vincent also reviewed the status of PPAI’s collaboration with ITR Economics and its role to provide quarterly sales data, create reliable and actionable data, build forecasting capabilities and potentially to provide data for PPAI’s annual sales volume study.

  • The board also heard an update on the redesign of the PPAI website set for a soft launch this month and a full launch in February.

  • Director of Public Affairs Anne Stone provided a report on the Product Responsibility Summit held in September. Based on survey results, 99 percent of attendees said they would consider attending the conference in 2017. She also announced that the Legislative Education and Action Day would be held April 26-27, 2017, in Washington, D.C. with three L.E.A.D. Local 2017 events planned for Florida, Oregon and Washington.

  • Director of Expositions Darel Cook updated the board about the PPAI Expo 2017, reporting that registration numbers are running ahead of 2016’s show. He also discussed plans for moving Expo East 2017 from its previous March time frame to June 14-16, 2017.