Michele Bell is a vice president at ASI, overseeing the Editorial, Special Events and Education teams. With more than 30 years of journalism experience, she has been with ASI for 23 years and is the recipient of multiple Neal Awards, known as the Pulitzer Prize of business journalism. She can be reached at mbell@asicentral.com.

Jake Krolick, BASI, is ASI's executive creative director. He's been with ASI for 11 years, and was previously ASI's digital marketing manager. A born communicator with a deep love for the art and craft of advertising, Jake has extensive experience in video and new media and helped ASI launch a successful video program. Outside of his role at ASI, he has extensive experience working in the music industry doing photography, video and creative promotion for bands and venues across the U.S.

With people still working from home, cutting though online clutter and reaching clients – quite literally where they live – has never been more important. Whether the goal is to build loyalty, drive engagement, incentivize or motivate, using dimensional mail offers the best bang for your buck and, when done smartly, can deliver off-the-charts ROI. In this fast-paced, fun session – chock-full of usable examples and tips for measuring metrics – ASI veterans Michele Bell and Jake Krolick will detail:

• Why using dimensional “lumpy” mail is such an effective way to reach clients, especially now
• Examples of custom mailers that wowed clients
• Tips for creating impactful mailing campaigns and pitfalls to avoid
• How to partner with suppliers for even greater success.

Marki Lemons Ryhal is a fifth-generation entrepreneur dedicated to all things social media and technology. With over 25 years of marketing experience, she has taught more than 300,000 people how to earn up to a 2,682% return on their marketing dollars. The recipient of several sales awards, her expertise has been featured in Forbes, Washington Post, Homes.com and REALTOR Magazine.

On Friday, March 13, 2020, the world changed, and promo product distributors had to change, too. Without easy access to clients, video has become essential for reaching customers and showcasing products. Plus, viewers are 95% more likely to remember a call to action after watching a video vs. reading it. If you’ve been reluctant to try video, this session, taught by a video and social media expert, will remove your fears and show you:

• How to generate leads from the comfort of your home, at no cost
• Which video equipment is best to use on-the-go, in your home office, and for virtual meetings and presentations
• The one piece of equipment that will improve your content
• Which tools and apps will set you apart from your competition.

Cliff Quicksell, Jr., MASI, is the president and CEO of Cliff Quicksell & Associates and serves as the exclusive sales and marketing consultant and acting director of marketing for iPROMOTEu, Inc. During his 35+ years in the industry, his passion for education and training has been exemplified by his having served five terms as the education chairperson for the regional trade association CPPA of Maryland, and he currently serves on the board and is the chair for the Awards Committee. The author of thousands of articles and recipient of numerous awards, Cliff speaks, trains and consults internationally to associations and national business groups on more effective ways to market themselves and their products and services, as well as how to motivate their personnel.

2020 is behind us, and 2021 has kicked off with much hope and promise of better days ahead. But how do we build momentum, generate steam, and not look back? This fast-paced webinar will deliver nine salient points on what you need to do to get your sales and marketing locomotive going like a high-speed train – moving forward with amazing success and incredible profits. Sit back and enjoy the ride, where you’ll explore:

• Proven tactics to keep your business on track, despite the hurdles
• Action steps for immediate implementation
• How to harness the power of being in control of your destiny
• Three self-promo campaigns to help you get business now.

Nate Kucsma is ASI’s executive director of Research and Corporate Marketing. Nate joined ASI in March 2014 and has over 20 years of domestic and international marketing research experience. Prior to ASI, he worked at well-known companies such as Dow Jones, MetLife and ETS. He earned his MBA from Rutgers University in Marketing in 2007.

C.J. Mittica is the editor-in-chief for ASICentral.com and Counselor magazine. He has won many awards during his 12 years with ASI, including a Neal Award for Best Subject-Related Package and six ASBPE Top 10 Magazine of the Year honors.

How did the promo industry fare in 2020, and what can both distributors and suppliers expect in the year ahead? In this session, Nate Kucsma, ASI’s executive director of research and corporate marketing, and Editor-in-Chief C.J. Mittica discuss ASI's latest market research that shows the challenges and opportunities created by the pandemic, as well as the industry's potential road to recovery.

Vincent Driscoll, BASI, is the director of ASICentral.com. A 12-year veteran of ASI, he plays an integral role in the evolution of some of the company's digital properties, including the corporate website and social media. His deep roots in editorial and new media enable him to elevate the impact of ASI's wealth of content, and he's helped expand the company's brand awareness in the digital realm. To date, he's sent over 32,000 tweets on behalf of ASI.

Melissa Newman is ASI's social media manager. She's been in the digital marketing space for four years with a significant concentration in social media marketing, and she holds an M.S. in Digital Innovation in Marketing. She's passionate about social's ability to create community and brand equity, and provide value to customers. She co-hosts The Social Angle podcast and loves collaborating with ASI's internal departments to evangelize ASI to promo professionals everywhere. When she's not combing through Facebook Groups or overthinking the perfect tweet, you can find her highly caffeinated in her kitchen attempting to replicate recipes she finds on TikTok (with varying degrees of success).

From balancing multiple platform updates, to a potential TikTok ban, to an ever-changing tone online, social media was one of the most integral and #stressfulAF marketing channels for promo professionals last year. Are you clueless about how to cut through the noise and capitalize on the top social media trends in 2021? Don’t worry, ASI’s resident social media experts, Vin Driscoll and Melissa Newman, have you covered. Grab your favorite drink (Vin enjoys a bourbon stout, while Melissa favors “Summer Water,” aka Rosé) for a 30-minute happy hour where they’ll discuss the top social media strategies for 2021.