April 2023
A Message From Our PPAMidwest President......
 
PPAMidwest Members,
 
April is here, which means another Spring Product Premiere is in the record books, and what a successful show it was! This time we saw an increase in attendance and exhibitor counts, with a lot of new or returning exhibitors, and a new venue for the Kansas City show. We have heard a lot of great things from members about the quality of the show and the venues, but we always want your input as we immediately start preparing for our fall show.

Don’t forget all the other exciting opportunities that we have for you this year as well:
  • Our golf committee has selected a new venue and set the date for our annual golf tournament. Plan to come out to Ironhorse Golf Club in Leawood, KS on Thursday June 22nd. More details and registration information soon to come.
  • We are actively working on plans for our August social events, which will include a return to Chicken N Pickle in Overland Park, KS and another fun event to be determined in St. Louis, since the opening of the St. Louis Chicken N Pickle venue appears to have been delayed.
  • Our Fall Showcase dates have changed and will now be on 9/26/23 in Kansas City and 9/28/23 in St. Louis. Mark your calendars and make plans to attend our annual client friendly showcase. More details will be released later this year.

It just amazes me that a quarter of 2023 is already behind us. Wasn’t Christmas just yesterday? Looking forward to seeing all of you at events throughout the rest of this year and for many years to come. I continue to be deeply humbled to serve as your President. Please reach out directly to me with your comments, questions, or just to chat. I can be reached via email at at dennis.oglesby@go2partners.com. 

Yours in Service,

Dennis Oglesby, MAS
2023 PPAMidwest President
April 11, 2023 Tuesday Learning Lab:
"Why QuickBooks and Which One?"

Over 80% of all small business owners use QuickBooks. Is this reason enough for Ad Specialty Distributors to use it? And the answer is, “Yes, No, and maybe.” QuickBooks offers 7 different products. Which one is right for you? QBD is QuickBooks Desktop, there are three QBD products: Pro, Premier, and Enterprise, QBO is QuickBooks Online. There are 4 QBO products: Simple Start, Essentials, Plus, and Advanced
 
Learning Outcomes:
  • The benefits of using QuickBooks...and the challenges
  • Which QuickBooks products are best for our industry...and why?
  • Which products might be best for your business...and in the future?

April 26, 2023 Wild Wednesday Webinar: "2023 State of the Industry with ASI, CEO, Tim Andrews"

The 2023 State of the Industry will provide a comprehensive overview of the promo industry’s most pressing issues along with strategies for success and the latest sales, product and market trends. Bring your questions for Tim!
 
Learning Outcomes:
  • Breaking news impacting promo
  • Recent sales, product and market trends
  • Predictions for 2023 and beyond

Get Your Teams Together Because Registration Opens Later This Week!!
PPAMidwest News
Vantage Apparel launches Marketing Campaign with Inspirational Clips celebrating community, entrepreneurship, and the real-life power of promotional branding

Avenal, NJ – Vantage Apparel has put a new spin on the traditional approach to providing customer marketing support with its video series, Behind the Logo. The new campaign uses story-telling and real-world examples to showcase the wealth of apparel opportunities in an entertaining and easily relatable fashion.
 
“Behind the Logo is more than a campaign. It's a passion project that speaks to the deeper meaning and true value of branded apparel,” commented Whitney Robinson, Strategic Marketer and content lead on the campaign. “I’m excited to share what these inspiring stories have to offer. It'll be quite the journey!”
 
Behind the Logo hits all the top and emerging markets,” added Gina Barreca, Director of Marketing for Vantage. “Today, making something ‘client-friendly’ means making it consumer-worthy.”
 
The series, which aired in March on YouTube, is produced by Vantage’s in-house marketing team with Creative direction, film and editing by company newcomer, Dominic Mincieli, Senior Graphic Designer. 
PPAMidwest Members.....Are you taking advantage
of your Membership Benefits?
Want to earn points and join in on the fun?
Simply complete the easy request form to have your points credited
for the activities you participate in. For live events and activities, your attendance will automatically be recorded and points assigned, provided you are an active member of PPAMidwest. For recorded webinars, referrals and completion of PPAI Certifications or renewals, simply complete the easy request form to have your points credited.
It is that simple! (click on above image for more information).
Industry News
PPAI North American Leadership Conference
Washington, D.C. ~ June 4 - 6
Promo Leaders To Converge On Nation’s Capital With NALC And L.E.A.D.
 
The North American Leadership Conference is coming to the nation’s capital this June.
 
NALC is promo’s premier gathering of leaders from distributors, suppliers and service providers. It can serve as something of a temperature check for the most prevalent issues facing promo in any given year. With top-notch education pertaining to the industry and high-profile speakers, NALC is also a networking opportunity in a more intimate environment than The PPAI Expo.
 
“No other industry event comes close to the executive level education that NALC provides,” says Dale Denham, PPAI’s president and CEO. “Everyone leaves with new insights and new connections in addition to catching up with and strengthening existing connections.”
 
NALC will be held June 4-6 in Washington. Registration is now open to the industry. It will be followed immediately by PPAI Legislative Education and Action Day (L.E.A.D.) on June 7. 

For more details and to register, click here
How to Make More Website Content by Doing Less
Ashley Bellow • SAGE Content Marketing Contributor • Blogger & Article Author

Coming from someone who writes every day for a living, sometimes creating new content for your website is a little difficult to do.
 
When you produce any writing piece, it takes time to develop a good topic, research relevant information, and create something worth reading.
 
We work in such an interesting industry, there hasn’t been one person I’ve come across that isn’t passionate about promo. Each product has a story to tell, and there’s so much that can bring promotional products to life in the form of a story.
 
Curating valuable content for your readers doesn’t have to be difficult. I’ve come up with a few steps to help you get started on your content creation journey. Read More
PPAI Pyramid Awards
Submission Deadline: May 12, 2023
It’s Time To Submit Your Most
Creative Campaigns To PPAI’s Pyramid Awards

PPAI Submissions for PPAI’s 2024 Pyramid Awards are now accepted through May 12. PPAI’s annual Pyramid Awards, sponsored by Pacesetter Awards Co., celebrates creative excellence in the promotional products industry. These outstanding promotions and creative campaigns represent the artistry and skill of Association members.

The submissions for the 2024 Pyramid Awards must be chosen from campaigns created between April 1, 2022, and April 1, 2023. Entries should represent a devotion to client relationships, demonstrate the ingenuity of the promo industry and yield measurable results.
 
The 2024 Pyramid Awards competition is open for entries through May 12. For more information and to enter the competition, visit www.ppai.org/pyramid. If you need assistance or have additional questions, email awards@ppai.org.