WLC's Speaker Lineup Opens The Door To Inspiration And Learning

The 2017 Women’s Leadership Conference (WLC) is coming to Scottsdale, Arizona, next month and bringing the top-notch education and networking opportunities attendees have come to expect. To be held June 26-28 at Scottsdale’s Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia, WLC will check all the boxes for those looking to hone their leadership skills, enhance their business proficiency, grow personally and professionally, and expand their networks with dozens of new business contacts.

After a welcome reception and the presentation of the 2017 Woman of Achievement award on June 26, WLC’s schedule settles into two solid days of insightful speakers and panelists. Alongside numerous breakouts and roundtable discussions, the education schedule includes several eye-opening general sessions:

Sara Canaday of BST&C Ventures, LLC is WLC’s opening general speaker. On June 27, Canaday, a leadership expert and career strategist, will share the secrets of developing a leadership presence that inspires confidence and connects with people in a way that makes them want to listen, support and follow.

The schedule continues with a panel discussion that presents real-life perspectives from local women leaders. Moderator Karie Cowden, president of distributor Connect The Dot Promotions, along with panelists Dr. Pamela Williamson of WBEC-West, Marlene Seitz with AIA/triARC Architecture & Design, LLC, and Microsoft Tempe’s Cherryl Pressley, will delve into the issues and challenges women face in today’s workplace, and how they’ve seen the landscape change throughout their careers.

After lunch and before Tuesday afternoon’s lineup of breakout sessions, Nicole Bandes, a productivity expert who works with small-business owners to find the time to do what matters most, is sharing the secret to mastering effective time management. Without it, Bandes says, not even the best schedule or smartest set of habits will save working professionals from being overwhelmed, overworked and exhausted.

Wednesday’s opening education session focuses on breaking personal glass ceilings. Speaker and business coach Vanessa Shaw explores four unintentional habits that get in the way of success.

WLC’s line up of general session speakers continues with Barefoot Brainstorming’s Marilyn Barefoot, who shares her best practices for developing big ideas. She says big ideas can rally customers and employees to a brand and incite passion and results, but new ideas are necessary to energize and stimulate a brand.

Rita Davenport, CSP, CPAE, closes out the education schedule with an examination of failure as a learning process. Davenport, a speaker, author and television host, looks at how setbacks can pave the road to future successes.

For more on the WLC agenda and to register, visit www.ppai.org and click on Events.

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Expo East’s Power Luncheon Explores The Future Of Social Media

Next month at Expo East, the Power Luncheon will introduce sales professionals to the future of social media. Aimed at industry members wanting to stay on the forefront of current technology, the Power Luncheon featuring technology strategist Crystal Washington is the premier event in the extensive education schedule coming to the Atlantic City Convention Center, June 12-14.

Research shows most U.S. consumers use some sort of social media. Powerful Google search functions, paired with sites like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, are making prospecting and relationship building easier. Expo East’s Power Luncheon explores using technology for prospecting, gaining referrals and inbound marketing.

Washington brings her background in leveraging technology to increase profits and productivity to Expo East. She is the owner of CWM Enterprises, a social media instructional brand aimed at training everyone from Millennials to Baby Boomers to strategically use social media and apps for sales, marketing and general efficiency.

She has collaborated with Google, Microsoft, GE and other companies in the U.S., as well as Europe and Africa, and has appeared in The Huffington Post, Entrepreneur magazine, Glamour magazine, Bloomberg Business Week and in stories by The Associated Press. Washington is the author of One Tech Action: A Quick-and-Easy Guide to Getting Started Using Productivity Apps and Websites for Busy Professionals, and The Social Media Why: A Busy Professional’s Practical Guide to Using Social Media Including LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Google+ and Blogs for Business.

Expo East 2017 is bringing the high-quality, diverse education opportunities to the Atlantic City Convention Center that industry professionals have come to expect at PPAI’s trade shows, conferences and events. With 30 sessions across seven tracks—Strategies & Solutions, Corporate Responsibility, Industry Essentials, Marketing & Advertising, Decorate, Sales & Service and Technology—Expo East attendees can pick the right classes to expand their professional playbook, explore new opportunities and move their careers ahead.

Power Luncheon: The Future of Social Media for Sales Professionals

Monday, June 12, 12-1:30 pm

Room 412, Level 4

MAS: 1 point

Session fees: $40 (members),

$80 (nonmembers)

Tickets can be purchased with Expo East registration or added on to an existing registration. Learn more about Expo East at expoeast.ppai.org.

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Inaugural SPARK Event For Young Professionals

This summer, PPAI is introducing the inaugural SPARK event for young professionals in the promotional products industry. To be held July 27-28 in Denver, Colorado, SPARK is the latest development in a series of “pop-ups” PPAI introduced last year that offer education and networking opportunities for young people working in the industry.

SPARK’s agenda is built around connecting future leaders and giving them insight into the ideas, projects and achievements that will shape the industry going forward. Participants will have the opportunity to become engaged, educated and connected with topics that are specific to the beginning stages of starting a successful career in the promotional products industry.

Alongside networking and team-building opportunities, SPARK’s schedule includes several insightful speakers. In the first of two general sessions, Mike Ligon, founder of concert promoter HomeVibe Presents, will deliver a behind-the-scenes look at leadership in a shifting industry. Later, Chris Sinclair, owner of St. Catharines, Ontario-based distributor Brand Blvd., will explore coaching and team building from a young professional’s perspective.

SPARK also offers attendees the choice of two breakout sessions: Mary Ellen Harden, president of supplier Wall Street Greetings and owner of Mellen Designs, shares her perspectives as a young professional and small-business owner; and multi-line rep Mike Eaton brings his audience up-to-date on a number of industry topics, including Amazon and Alibaba, quality over quantity and increasing ROI.

More information on SPARK can be found at www.ppai.org/events/spark.

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PPAI Welcomes Jennifer Crowfoot As Director Of Professional Development

Jennifer Crowfoot

Jennifer Crowfoot has joined PPAI as the new director of professional development. Crowfoot brings a strong background in educational development, internal community building and conference management, which will be of considerable value to PPAI’s professional development team. PPB spoke with Crowfoot to learn more about this newest member of the Association’s staff.

PPB What did you do before joining the Association?

Crowfoot Prior to joining PPAI, I was the global learning and development senior manager for Hitachi Consulting, where I was responsible for the development and deployment of global learning programs. I have over 19 years of training experience in a variety of industries focusing on facilitation, curriculum development, adult learning, communications and change management. I earned both my bachelor’s degree in speech communication and my master’s degree in educational human development from Texas A&M University, and I am a certified facilitator in Fierce Conversations.

I was the 2008 recipient of the Learning Leader of the Year Award at [on-demand e-learning and performance support solutions provider Skillsoft’s] Perspectives and led my team to receive the Learning in Emerging Business Achievement Award in 2010. I have also participated as a speaker and panelist at a number of national learning and development conferences and events.

PPB What attracted you to your new position within the Association?

Crowfoot From my very first interaction with PPAI it was clear that everyone here is passionate about serving members. As a learning and development professional, there is nothing more exciting or attractive than being part of an organization that has a focus on providing development opportunities to those they serve.

PPB What are your initial objectives for the position?

Crowfoot One of the first things I will be focusing on is the strategy and launch of our knowledge communities, the Promo Community Exchange. As part of PPAI’s strategic goal to drive meaningful member engagement, the Promo Community Exchange will serve as a platform to allow our members to exchange ideas in targeted areas of the industry. I will also be working with the professional development team on our upcoming live conference events including Women’s Leadership Conference, North American Leadership Conference and Tech Summit, and I am immersing myself in information to learn about the promotional products industry.

PPB Outside of PPAI, what are your interests?

Crowfoot Outside of work I keep busy with activities with my four children and my husband. I spend time with my daughter doing Girl Scouts, where I serve as a troop leader to an amazing group of 26 young ladies. I really enjoy taking them camping.

I also enjoy running. I run with an organization called Team in Training where we train for endurance sports and fundraise for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. In fact, I will be running my third marathon in May. My whole family has taken up running; we try to do a 5K as a family every few months or give back to the running community by working a water stop at a race.

PPAI Names Sen. Gary Peters Its 2017 Legislator Of The Year

Sen. Gary Peters

Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) was presented with the Association’s 2017 Legislator of the Year award in April during PPAI’s Legislative Education and Action Day (L.E.A.D.) in Washington, D.C.

“We are pleased to recognize Sen. Peters, whose top priority is to support job creation and economic growth to strengthen small businesses,” says Paul Bellantone, CAE, PPAI president and CEO. “His willingness to work with bipartisan groups to further small business, job creation, tax credit legislation and other issues important to our industry has been essential to the promotional products industry and protecting its interests.”

The PPAI Legislator of the Year Award recognizes members of Congress who have shown a commitment to small-business interests and success, a willingness to meet with industry professionals and support of issues critical to the promotional products industry.

Elected in 2014, Peters was recognized for his history of serving the needs of the promotional products industry by encouraging economic stability and growth through advocating for small business, promoting manufacturing and preserving jobs. In his home state of Michigan, 98 percent of promotional products companies are small businesses employing approximately 7,812 and generating revenues of more than $501.5 million. The PPAI Legislator of the Year Award is presented as part of the annual L.E.A.D. event. This year, the eight annual L.E.A.D., nearly 80 advocates from 33 states conducted more than 250 meetings with senators, congressional representatives and their legislative staffs on Capitol Hill to discuss pending legislation and issues relevant to the promotional products industry.

Past recipients of the PPAI Legislator of the Year award are Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA), 2012; Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-MN), 2013; Rep. Renee Ellmers (RNC), 2014; Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), 2015; and Reps. Steven Chabot (R-OH) and Greg Walden (R-OR) in 2016.

PPAI Granted Get In Touch! Trademark Registration

PPAI has officially registered the Get In Touch!® mark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (Reg. No. 5,156,031). The Association has used the Get In Touch! trademark and slogan, “Advertising that lives on,” in multiple media outlets and throughout the industry for many months as part of its campaign designed to increase awareness and enhance the perception of the promotional products industry, and communicate the benefits of working with promotional consultants. The overall goal of the campaign is to direct a larger share of advertising dollars to the industry.

“We are very excited to announce that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has approved the trademark registration of ‘Get In Touch!,’” says Paul Bellantone, CAE, PPAI president and CEO. “Our success is based on our ability to competitively position the promotional products industry. It was very important for us to trademark this term so we can clearly distinguish one of the most unique characteristics of promotional products advertising, the ability to Get In Touch! with targeted audiences by putting brands in their hands like no other medium can.”

More on the campaign and what it offers can be found at www.ppai.org/advocacy.