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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Daniel Hagan
Phone: 215-953-3773
Email: dhagan@sms-team.com
Eighth Annual ASI Show Chicago Kicks Off Second Selling Season with Success
TREVOSE, PA — (August 2, 2006) — The eighth annual ASI Show Chicago, the industry’s largest show of the summer and biggest show in the Midwest, took place July 11-13 at McCormick Place. Delivering 4,404 distributors and 808 suppliers, ASI Chicago was the fifth and last ASI Show of the year. To date, the 2006 ASI Shows (including Orlando, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia and Chicago) along with the all-new Advantages Roadshow have brought over 25,000 distributors together with industry suppliers.
Consisting of an information-packed Education Conference and two busy exhibit days, The ASI Show Chicago welcomed distributors from the Midwest and across the country — all eager to see the industry’s newest and most innovative products and services. “I thought the show was excellent,” noted Mary Hannah from Global Promotions & Incentives, asi/208338. “The variety of vendors was terrific and the quality of merchandise was great!” Lacy Yutzy of American Identity, asi/120601, shared, “This was my first ASI Show and I thought it was very good. I got to put faces with voices and that is always nice. The vendor selection was great. Plus, I met a number of new vendors with cool creative ideas. Thank you!” Skip O'Kelly from CorpLogoWare, asi/168827, added, “I was very pleased with the show and the number of suppliers. I came away with several good ideas! ASI Chicago was well worth my time!” Whether new or old to the industry, attendees had positive feedback. Vickie Smiley of CK Advertising Products, asi/154942, commented, “This was my first ASI Show and I was very pleased with it. I’ve only been in business about six months but I learned a lot from the seminars and seeing all of the products. My staff and I are now ready to hit the ground running with a lot of great, new ideas!”
Suppliers were also very pleased with this year’s ASI Show Chicago. "The show has been really great,” said Becky Stewart of Capital Apparel, asi/43775. "We got a lot of good quality leads and booth traffic has been steady both days. We had a wonderful show!" Marc Held of Bodek & Rhodes, asi/40788, added, “The show has been fabulous with steady traffic! We have met a lot of new customers and quality distributors.” Lew Klein from Pingline, asi/78137, shared, “I thought the show was excellent. The quantity and quality of the traffic to our booth was great. We were busy until the end of the show. Thanks for all your efforts.”
Mary Upton, Vice President of ASI Show Tradeshow Operations, had this to say about The ASI Show Chicago, “ASI Chicago is always one of the year’s best shows, and this year’s event delivered on our promise of starting the second selling season with considerable momentum. The enthusiasm I saw at this show from both distributors and suppliers was refreshing, and is a positive sign for the industry as we head into the all-important holiday season.” Upton added, “I was stopped at this show more than any other show this year by attendees and exhibitors wanting to express their appreciation for the show. And the positive feedback continues to come in even weeks after the show. I appreciate all feedback — positive and constructive — and will try my best to incorporate as much of that feedback into future shows to make The ASI Show an even better experience for everyone.”
Education Conference Earns High Marks in Chicago
The largest show in the Midwest is also home to the region’s largest Education Conference. Sponsored by Fields Manufacturing, asi/54100, The ASI Show Education Conference provided dozens of industry specific training seminars — many of them free — to hundreds of distributors and suppliers throughout the day on Tuesday, July 11. The day was highlighted by Paul Courter’s new Lunch & Learn program, sponsored by SHEPENCO/Shelbyville Pencil, asi/86850, “Develop, Present & Execute a Million Dollar Idea.” One of the most popular seminars of the day was “Top Buyers of Promotional Products & How to Sell to Them.” This workshop featured distributor market specialists who shared their secrets to booming sales in nine multi-billion-dollar markets, including the school, financial, hospitality, government and healthcare markets. Another well-attended session was the “Women in Sales Panel: Winning the Sales Game,” making its debut at this year’s ASI Chicago. During this session, a panel of successful promotional products businesswomen — both distributor and supplier — shared their insights on numerous issues they face in business today.
The learning continued on Wednesday and Thursday and included a free breakfast keynote presentation by marketing consultant Rick Barrera entitled, “Over Promise & Over Deliver: The Secrets of Unshakable Customer Loyalty.” More than 300 attendees got up early to learn valuable tips on how to attain the kind of customer loyalty that other companies envy. Ed Thomson from Unlimited Graphix, asi/349901, shared, “Rick Barrera’s keynote was very entertaining. The information and topic was very relevant to our industry. I plan on implementing a number of his techniques when I get back to the office!”
Fun Networking in the Windy City
Over 1,000 party-goers enjoyed The ASI Show Gala Celebration at Chicago hotspot Excalibur nightclub on Wednesday, July 12. The Gala offered attendees and exhibitors the perfect opportunity to meet off the show floor for an evening of relaxation and networking while enjoying a scrumptious dinner buffet, open bar, live bands and much more! Kim Pogue from Good Heart Enterprises, asi/210385, was like most attendees in sharing her excitement for the event, “The Gala is awesome! The food is fabulous. The people are friendly. The atmosphere is exquisite. The ASI Show always puts on a great event!”
Networking events were held every day of the show and included a Factory Tour of Target Graphics, Welcome to Chicago Reception, the 2006 Counselor Awards, Celebrate Chicago Reception and the Closing Celebration.
The 2007 ASI Shows
The ASI Shows in 2007 are: January 18-20 (Education Jan. 18) in Orlando; February 7-9 (Education Feb. 7) in Dallas; March 19-21 (Education March 19) in Las Vegas; May 3-5 (Education May 3) in Philadelphia and July 10-12 (Education July 10) in Chicago. Plus, the Advantages Roadshow, ASI’s official traveling show and the best-attended traveling show in the industry, will be visiting nearly 60 top cities throughout the country.
About The ASI Show
The ASI Show was created for active ASI member distributors and suppliers and attracts more distributors than any other industry shows — with over 25,000 attendees. Offering a full education conference, networking opportunities and a manageable one floor/one hall show floor layout, The ASI Show provides a complete trade show experience. In five host cities per year (Orlando, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia and Chicago), The ASI Show has experienced steadily growing attendance since its inception in 1998, and is ideal for promotional product businesses searching for new ideas, new business relationships and more.
The ASI Show launched the Advantages Roadshow in January 2006, an all-new traveling show that provides opportunities for professionals in the ad specialty/promotional products industry to meet and conduct business on a local level. With its initial 12-week, 60-city tour, completed to date, over 9,000 distributors have attended the Advantages Roadshow — making it the best-attended traveling show in the industry. The Advantages Roadshow will be traveling in the fall of 2006 to California, September 11-15; the Northeast, September 25-29 and the Midwest, October 9-13
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