iPROMOTEu’s A Woman’s View Hosts Successful Networking Event At The PPAI Expo
iPROMOTEu hosted its annual networking reception, A Woman’s View, in January in conjunction with The PPAI Expo. This event recognized and celebrated women in the promotional products industry. At the event, Kippie Helzel, MAS, senior vice president of sales with CPS Keystone, was honored as the 2018 Supplier Visionary Award recipient, and Cindy Gibbs of Big Fish Branding, Inc. was awarded with the 2018 Distributor Visionary Award.
(Photo above) The A Woman’s View reception transformed its venue into a chic cocktail party scene complete with entertainment, cool lighting, wine and hors d’oeuvres.
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PPAI Speaks On Promo Products In The Classroom At AMA’s Winter Academic Conference
In February, PPAI Research Manager Mo Das and Communications and Branding Strategist Kim Todora attended the 2019 American Marketing Association (AMA) Winter Academic Conference in Austin, Texas, to present the Association’s white paper on the role of promotional products in higher education. In developing “Growing the Curriculum: Promotional Products in U.S. Higher Education,” PPAI partnered with the AMA to better understand the state of promotional products in higher education through the eyes of marketing faculty and students. The study explored the depth of faculty awareness, knowledge and understanding, as well as illuminated student motivations, mindset and behavior to identify the perspectives of the next generation and the schools expected to educate them. Highlights of the study were reported in PPB’s September 2018 issue.
(Above) Das and Todora’s session at the AMA conference explored PPAI’s findings and noted that while the goal of higher education is rooted in transitioning students into professionals, it is equally important to effectively communicate to the next generation the ways in which their degrees, interests and talents can lead to successful and fulfilling careers in promotional marketing.
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PAPPA Inducts Hall Of Fame Honoree, Celebrates Award Winners
Philadelphia Area Promotional Products Association (PAPPA) announced its 2018 PAPPA Award winners on February 5 at an event held during the PAPPA Winter Showcase in Springfield, Pennsylvania. All of the evening’s award recipients were nominated by their peers.
(Above, left) Mike Valentini, Sr. (center) of MVP Promos with Patti Ward, PAPPA executive director,
and John Davis, board director was inducted into the PAPPA Hall of Fame because of his support for the
regional association and his continued instrumental role in its success.
(Above, right) Valentini joins the night’s other winners. To his right are Anthony Abatzis of Hub Promotional
Products, which won Supplier of the Year; James Przybyszewski of Hit Promotional Products, who was
named Supplier Sales Person of the Year; and Matth Riehl of Jules Scheck & Associates, who was named
Multi-Line Rep of the Year. To his left are representatives of Apex Advertising, which was awarded Distributor
of the Year.
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PPAI Hosts Freeman Leadership Visit
On Valentine’s Day, PPAI hosted a visit from Don Freeman, CEO of event marketing and management firm Freeman, along with members of his senior leadership team. PPAI has partnered with the Dallas, Texas-based company for more than 50 years on The PPAI Expo and other Association initiatives.
Freeman, who is also chairman of the Freeman board, visited PPAI along with Rob Engelhardt, senior vice president of client development. Danny Ferguson, senior client manager, and Chris Mahoney, a client development executive, to meet with PPAI staff and tour the Association’s headquarters.
Recognizing where their visit fell on the calendar, Freeman also delivered a Valentine’s Day-themed cupcake display in appreciation for Association staff.
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PPAI, PPPC And SAGE Join Successful Merchandise World In The UK
Merchandise World, a trade show serving the promotional products industry in the UK, drew industry professionals from across the country and abroad to the NAEC Stoneleigh in Warwickshire on January 30-31. The show is a collaboration between business services provider Sourcing City and the British Promotional Merchandise Association (BPMA). The show floor featured 217 supplier companies and drew 1,348 distributor visitors over the show’s two-day run, a 25-percent increase in attendance over 2018.
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PPAI’s Todora Helps Distributors Build Their Brands, Earn Sales
The Three Rivers Advertising Specialty Association (TRASA) held its 2019 Spring Expo on March 5 in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, and PPAI Communications and Branding Strategist Kim R. Todora joined the event to speak on brand building. Todora shared strategies and tactics on how promotional products businesses can organically communicate their brand voice and group their businesses using content marketing and curation tools.
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James Khattak is news editor of PPB.