Visiting before dinner are (from left) Kathy Burke, Above and Beyond Incentives; Mary Jo Tomasini, MAS, CE Competitive Edge, LLC; D’Anna Zimmer, CAS, BAG MAKERS, Inc.; and Tia Walker, MAS, BrandAlliance, Inc.

The PPAI Board, staff directors and executives met at the Omni Mandalay Hotel in Irving, Texas, on Monday for a scheduled strategic plan discussion facilitated by board member Larry Cohen, president of Axis Promotions, and Ashley Wilemon and Amy Blackburn, both of Saxum, PPAI’s public relations firm. The meeting also included a review of marketing trends expected to have an impact on business, and a discussion on PPAI’s 2017 goal relating to strategic foresight.

Danny Rosin, CAS, Brand Fuel, Inc.; Mary Jo Tomasini, MAS, CE Competitive Edge, LLC; and Natalie Clark, PPAI, chat during the reception.

On Monday evening, the group was joined by almost a dozen invited local members for a private dinner and guided tour at Dallas’ Sixth Floor Museum, which commemorates the 1963 assignation of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas.

During Monday evening’s reception at the Sixth Floor Museum are AJ Hunter, PPAI; Bob Lilly, Jr., Bob Lilly Professional Promotions; Cory Halliburton, PPAI legal counsel; Darryl Hanks, Sun Coast Merchandise Corp. and Dale Denham, MAS+, Geiger.

Today, the board is holding its spring board meeting at PPAI Headquarters with Chair Mary Jo Tomasini, MAS, presiding. Tomasini will also be a special guest at the PPAI monthly staff meeting taking place Wednesday morning.