PPAI

PPAI Webinar To Address Federal Legislation
August 8, 2006

PPAI, Irving, Texas, will conduct a free Webinar on Wed., Aug. 16 at 10 a.m. (CDT) to update industry practitioners about new legislative opportunities to preempt Proposition 65 and address the current prohibition on the sale and distribution of certain promotional products in the state of California. According to PPAI personnel, the United States Senate is currently debating a bill that will provide federal guidelines and stop enforcement for some limited products and provide federal guidelines for Proposition 65, the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act, approved by California voters in 1986. The initial purpose of Proposition 65 was to protect California citizens

Recognize $1,000 Prospects
August 1, 2006

When the folks at Promotional Marketing asked me to write an article with tips for finding new promotional products clients, my first thought was: open a window and look outside—there they are. Dial any random number—there they are. Swing a dead cat and see who it hits—there they are. This is one business that doesn’t require looking under rocks or great detective work to find new prospects. They are literally everywhere. Every business, organization, neighborhood, event, team, school and group is a prospective promotional products client. The problem is not finding them; it is connecting with them and ultimately having a few of those

PPAI Announces Membership Milestone
August 1, 2006

PPAI, Irving, Texas, membership has surpassed 7,500 member companies, announcing the highest in the history of the nonprofit trade association that serves the promotional products industry. This total represents more than 500 new members since November 2005, and a 14 percent increase since May 2005. “Everything we do is designed to help our members grow their businesses,” said Michele Packard-Milam, director of membership development. “Our flagship trade show, The PPAI Expo 2007, is loaded with business building products and educational opportunities; our research makes it easier for our members to identify new markets; and our Nova credit card processing system allows customers to do

PPAI Sponsors Solutions Summit in Chicago
July 24, 2006

PPAI, Irving, Texas, will once again sponsor Solutions Summit, a high-level educational forum that is now part of Marketing Days, a new event scheduled for Sept. 26 to 29, 2006, in Chicago. “We know a marketing effort is successful when the message is consistent, targeted and moves the audience to take action,” said Steve Slagle, PPAI’s president. “And we know that incorporating promotional products into the mix in a strategic manner produces measurable results.” The three-day umbrella event is expected to attract 30,000 attendees, more than 2,200 exhibitors and will be host to more than 120 seminars. Sponsored by The Motivation Show and the In-Store Marketing

PPAI Announces Board of Directors Nominees, Award Finalists, Growth of ADvocate Program
July 18, 2006

PPAI, Irving, Texas, has announced the nominees for its 2007 Board of Directors. From the eight nominees, two suppliers and two distributors will be elected by PPAI supplier and distributor members. Those elected will serve a four-year term that begins at the conclusion of The PPAI Expo 2007 in Las Vegas. The ballot vote ends on Sept. 15, and results will be announced during that month. In an effort to increase voter participation, each distributor and supplier member, through their designated representative, will have the option of voting by mail or electronically through an independent election administrator. Due to laws governing businesses in the state,

SAGE Adds Sm@rt Codes to Online Database
July 1, 2006

SAGE Quick Technologies, Irving, Texas, recently announced SAGE-Online, the company’s flagship research tool for the promotional products industry, will now include Sm@rt Codes developed by PPAI. “Sm@rt Codes enable our customers to efficiently identify minimum artwork requirements for each product type at a glance,” said David Natinsky, president of SAGE. “Often, a graphic designed for use on one item will not be appropriate for another. Sm@rt Codes give distributors product-specific artwork guidelines that eliminates guessing.” Sm@rt Artwork Guidelines define the criteria that determine the readiness of each of four common artwork formats. The guidelines cover both vector and raster art files, and include instructions

PPAI Announces Board of Directors Nominees, Award Finalists, Growth of ADvocate Program
July 1, 2006

PPAI, Irving, Texas, has announced the nominees for its 2007 Board of Directors. From the eight nominees, two suppliers and two distributors will be elected by PPAI supplier and distributor members. Those elected will serve a four-year term that begins at the conclusion of The PPAI Expo 2007 in Las Vegas. The ballot vote ends on September 15, and results will be announced later that month. In an effort to increase voter participation, each distributor and supplier member, through their designated representative, will have the option of voting by mail or electronically through an independent election administrator. Due to laws governing businesses