Above photograph: At the 2018 Quebec Chapter golf tournament are, from left, Jarod Thorndike, SAGE director of business development; Jonathan Strauss, PPPC president and CEO; Sharkie Tarakjian, MAS, PPPC board member and Heidi Reimer-Epp, CAS, PPPC board chair.

Chapter events help build camaraderie within the Association and help strengthen the local community,” says Sandra Harssar, member of the Promotional Product Professionals of Canada (PPPC) Board of Directors and Board Chapter Liaison. If attendance at PPPC Chapter events is anything to go on, this sentiment is undoubtedly shared by many who participate in events organized by PPPC Chapters.

Chapters are regional branches of PPPC that work to promote, foster and develop the economic and social interests of the members of the Association in their local provinces. “Local chapters provide an added value to the ‘regional’ experience of the National Association,” explains Harssar. “This is done through networking events and education seminars specifically tailored to enrich the needs of its members.”

Currently there are three active PPPC Chapters across the country; they are located in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec.

The 2019 chapter season kicked off with the Quebec Chapter’s participation in the annual Cabane à sucre (Sugar Shack). Over 30 members attended with their families for a fun day outdoors with food, sleigh rides, a petting zoo and, of course, plenty of ‘tire,’ a soft maple candy rolled onto a stick.

Other events have taken place recently as well, including the Ontario Chapter’s two social nights, organized in different cities to give members the option of attending an event near them, and the British Columbia Chapter’s wine-tasting event, where members had the opportunity to sample several local wines along with cheese pairings.

Kabula Yi is a lead organizer for the British Columbia Chapter. When asked what these events mean to her, she explains, “They open up opportunities for meaningful face-to-face conversations. Meeting people in person can help strengthen relationship building and collaboration.”

The most anticipated events of the summer are by far the annual golf tournaments that took place in June. They are a great way to network with other local PPPC members while engaging in a little bit of friendly competition. In the past, chapter tournaments have drawn hundreds of players and dozens of sponsors. Read more about this year’s tournaments in this section in an upcoming issue of PPB.

Of course, none of these events would happen without the hard work of PPPC’s amazing volunteer chapter leaders. We are fortunate to have such dedicated members involved who believe in the work of the chapters. PPPC staff offers administrative support for the events, but it is truly the volunteers who run them.

In the future, PPPC hopes to find ways to engage other provinces in chapter events, even if the province does not have an active chapter team. For example, last fall PPPC held a networking event in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where our new office is located, and the event was well received by local members. Another event takes place this month in Halifax, Nova Scotia, which will bring together members from the Atlantic provinces to network for the first time in years.

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Gladys Kasp is the general manager of the Promotional Product Professionals of Canada (PPPC) and acts as the PPPC Chapter Liaison.