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Pre-Registrations up 68% at Sourcing City MarketplaceThe SC Marketplace team are delighted to announce that pre-registrations are 68% up on this same time last year. Alistair Mylchreest said: “We are excited about the quality of professional distributors that are already registering to be at SC Marketplace. This is great news for the top suppliers attending, plus an excellent opportunity for the industry’s leading distributors to network and share experiences. It is also great that SC Marketplace is seen as the place where quality time is spent between industry professionals, and to watch new business opportunities being created for all involved at a key selling time. We are proud to have such wonderful support from the industry.” About SC Marketplace The exclusive VIP Networking Event for the senior players from the industry’s top distributors takes place a FIVE Farnborough on Tuesday 23rd & Wednesday 24th September 2014. SC Marketplace is universally acclaimed as the industry’s top networking event, and the SC Marketplace Team are confident that they are going to deliver even more excitement, and more value for your investment in time visiting or as a host. All Professional Distributors Over £250k Turnover are invited to this exclusive event, and Sourcing City CEO, Alistair Mylchreest has said; “It is never easy to make something excellent better, but we think we can!” This year the Conversation Theme is: ‘Our Top 10 Services & Latest Hot Products’. As always, the key is the Focused Conversations which as well as including Key Services it now also features presentations of Hot Products. All guests can Meet by Appointment – & also take advantage of the new informal ‘Runaround Sessions’. Every supplier has services & processes that can help a distributor be more efficient & profitable, …but the distributors do not always know. This is the place to meet both new potential suppliers, and your existing suppliers by appointment. VIP’s make appointments for supplier meetings prior to SC Marketplace, and suppliers can also contact top distributors to make key appointments prior to SC Marketplace. To ensure that all invited VIP’s can have quality conversations with the suppliers’ full attention, it is necessary to limit who is invited to SC Marketplace. VIP’s are invited from distributor companies which have a turnover of promotional merchandise sales of between £10m+ and £250k pa. All invited VIP’s enjoy Free Pre-Show Speakers, Free Breakfast, Free Roving Tea Trolley, Free Lunch & Drinks, Free Crepes & Smoothies, Free Sweets, Free Drinks Reception, Free Parking, Free WiFi, Hotel Vouchers, Travel Vouchers & Free Transfers. VIP’s from Over £3m Distributor companies are also invited to the “Platinum Networking Dinner”, and Over £1m Distributors to the “Diamond Dinner”, hosted by a group of sponsoring suppliers on the evening of Day One at SC Marketplace. The evening provides further opportunities to network, and to meet & build relationships with suppliers and fellow VIP’s. All Purple Club Members are also invited to a Free Drinks Reception at the close of Day One. For further information please visit www.sourcingcitymarketplace.co.uk0Read More
First Ever BPMA Annual Conference Goes off with a BangOn Thursday 10th July, over 150 delegates gathered at the Park Inn Heathrow for the first BPMA Annual Conference, “Building a Better Business”. Brian Binley MP, our industry MP and a staunch supporter of small business growth, opened the Conference. Following this, the BPMA released the findings of the first ever industry benchmarking study, with attendees being the first industry peers to gain access to the valuable document. The findings summarised that 70% believe demand for our industry is stronger that in the previous year, average order values in the industry are close to £600 and 82% of Distributors believe the UK Promotional Market is somewhat or more competitive than before. The rest of the day offered delegates the opportunity to book one to one appointments with a selection of experts who were there to offer valuable advice in a multitude of industry, or to sit in on 4 out of the 8 seminars which took place throughout the day. Here is what some delegates thought of the day: “Chas Williams in the Powerful Presentations seminar was great. It was a very compelling argument that presentations should be short, and focused on the client's business, not your own. You can apply these ideas to work in many different situations and it is these skills I’m interested in improving.” Richard Sullivan, Director, Navillus Print Gifts “Stef Lait from Our Social times delivered an amazing amount of informative, useful and inspiring content, delivered with confidence and passion.” Piers Miles, Managing Director, Drayton Gifts "I found the first BPMA conference really valuable. The seminar sessions have provided some great insight and the one-to-one expert sessions have been very productive. It’s good to step away from your desk for a day to learn, meet with industry peers and the return to the office full of new ideas." Christine Girven, Marketing Manager, SPS "What a great day. I took something away with me from every session. It was a very well organised event. Congrats and thanks BPMA team." Channa Madanayake, General Manager, Squeezyball Once the Conference had ended, the BPMA hosted the BPMA Building a Better Business Awards. Key Note speaker Steve Head delivered a rousing and inspirational speech which really motivated those in attendance, after this attendees enjoyed food, drink and networking while watching 6 deserving companies win brand new BPMA awards. • Ciarra Holloway, Allwag Promotions, BPMA Professional Development Student of the Year, sponsored by the BPMA Professional Development Programme • Rainshader, BPMA Newcomer of the Year, sponsored by PSI • Fluid Branding, BPMA Website of the Year, sponsored by Sourcing City • The Sourcing Team, BPMA Catalogue Cover of the Year, sponsored by Print Vision • Trade Only, BPMA Service Partner of the Year, sponsored by Incentive & Motivation • Listawood, BPMA Employer of the Year, sponsored by Incentive & Motivation Gordon Glenister, Director General of the BPMA commented: “We are delighted with the overwhelming positive response from both delegates and experts who attended the conference. This event has been in the pipeline for many years for the BPMA, and we will be announcing information reading the BPMA Annual Conference 2015 in due course.” The BPMA would like to thank Roantree, Twist Key, Laser Crystal, Print Vision, Prodir, Touch of Ginger, Bizz Badge, Crazy Bags, Cyan Group, Silverstream, Liquid Lens and Just a Drop for supporting the Building a Better Business Conference and Awards. Look out for more BPMA Building a Better Business Conference and Awards pictures on the BPMA Facebook page – www.facebook.com/thebpma0Read More
ASI Chicago Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Fun and FlairCHICAGO, IL - July 17, 2014 – The Advertising Specialty Institute® (ASI) celebrated its 15th anniversary of hosting a national trade show in Chicago with a business-boosting event that featured 50 education sessions, leading suppliers, 22 team-building distributor sales meetings and a multimedia keynote by graffiti artist, entrepreneur and motivational speaker Erik Wahl on using creativity to super-charge your potential. “Erik Wahl’s presentation was astounding,” said Wanda Brooks, of Warehouse Direct (asi/355433). “I’m so inspired to instill what he spoke about today into my business. I rate this keynote a 10 plus.” The keynote was sponsored by Showdown Displays (asi/87188). ASI Chicago took place Tuesday, July 15, through Thursday, July 17, at McCormick Place and featured 750 exhibiting companies – including numerous Counselor® Top 40 suppliers and 105 exhibitors new to Chicago this year. Total distributor attendance was more than 4,300, from distributor firms based in 42 states and eight countries. The show – the largest ad specialty trade show of the summer – is a favorite of entrepreneurs, CEOs and small-business owners located throughout the Midwest and beyond. Go to www.asicentral.com for complete coverage of the show, including blogs and videos from ASI’s on-site editorial team. “We have about 30 salespeople here,” said Michael Giachetti, of Standard Register (asi/333647). “We attend all The ASI Shows® because it’s the perfect way for our local and regional teams to take advantage of ASI Education, spend time with our diamond partner sponsors and visit with a wide variety of suppliers. ASI is a wonderful partner.” Jason Christianson, of JC Imaginations (asi/234328), said, “ASI Chicago has been great. I came looking for new, innovative items for schools and colleges and I found tons.” ASI’s education, which featured a special half-day session with business coach Stephen M.R. Covey titled “Selling at the Speed of Trust,” attracted more than 350 suppliers and distributors. Covey detailed why high trust is the key driver of better relationships, improved sales and greater workplace productivity. One of many special benefits ASI members could take advantage of included free education, which featured strategic sessions on scoring sales as well as a new Screen-Printing Success Track, part of ASI’s new relationship with ST Media, sponsored by Workhorse Products. ASI also unveiled the new Signage + Decoration Pavilion, produced in partnership with ST Media, featuring well-known equipment companies and live education allowing attendees to explore niche sales opportunities and speak to experts in potential new markets. “Being at ASI Chicago is the perfect way to show our technology to ASI members,” said Randy Paar, of Canon Solutions America (asi/14976). “A lot of other industries that are using traditional printing methods, like screen printing, are moving in this direction. This technology really opens up the types of applications that the promotional products industry can supply the end-user. We’re impressed with the show and are glad to be part of the Signage + Decoration Pavilion.” ASI’s president and chief executive officer, Timothy M. Andrews, said “innovation” was the word of the day at ASI Chicago. “I’ve seen some very new packaging ideas along with some traditional decorating techniques applied to new products. We also had great interest in the new Signage + Decoration pavilion and I’m sure two days of demos made distributors really appreciate all the decorating suppliers do for them. Lots of people got to experience the digital equipment for themselves and many suppliers visited the pavilion to see new equipment they should be specifying for their factories.” “It’s been great to talk to people and to hear how bullish they are on the second half of the year,” said Andrews. “Suppliers and distributors alike are very positive on our industry and are looking forward to a stronger finish than ever.” “It was wonderful to end the national show year on such a high note at ASI Chicago,” said Rita Ugianskis-Fishman, vice president and general manager of The ASI Show. “We’ve gotten wonderful feedback from everybody – suppliers, distributors and decorators alike, and we are all super psyched for 2015.” Exhibitors were delighted with the show because it gave them a terrific opportunity to display their latest, greatest products, talk to numerous distributors and discuss creative ad campaigns. Jennifer Grigorian from Hit Promotional Products (asi/61125), said, “The ASI Shows deliver very good traffic. We always leave with new relationships and really benefit from spending one-on-one time with our customers. We have a number of our new summer products, as well as new tech items, on display. Take a look around. There are a ton of distributors inside our booth, and out – we can never complain.” The show also featured the debut of the #ASIpromocar, an “Art Car” decorated with a variety of promotional products donated by ASI suppliers and driven 750 miles from ASI headquarters in Philadelphia to the show, where it was on display and available for people to sign and get their photo taken. The car is intended to drive attention to the creativity and ingenuity in the promotional products industry. Wednesday, ASI’s product expert, Joe Haley, conducted a live version of his popular “Joe Show,” featuring dozens of cool, new products from leading suppliers. Wednesday night was devoted to nonstop socializing when the fun continued after hours with a special Gala Celebration on the Mystic Blue on the Chicago waterways. During the show, ASI also hosted the prestigious 2014 Counselor® Awards, held this year at Chicago’s Museum of Broadcast Communications. Norman Hullinger, CEO of Top 40 alphabroder (asi/34063), was named 2014 Counselor Person of the Year. Suzanne Worwood of 4imprint Inc. (asi/197045), was named 2014 Counselor International Person of the Year. The awards, chosen by editors of ASI’s Counselor magazine, recognize outstanding individuals and companies. For the complete list, click here. At the ceremony, Counselor also announced the Top 40 Distributors and Top 40 Suppliers – the largest companies in the $20.5 billion promotional products industry, based upon 2013 revenue. Registration for the 2015 ASI Shows opens July 19 at www.asishow.com. ASI’s 2015 shows are: ASI Orlando, January 4-6, Orange County Convention Center; ASI Dallas, February 3-5, Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center; ASI Long Beach, March 24-26, Long Beach Convention Center; ASI New York, May 6-7, Javits Center, North Pavilion; ASI Chicago, July 14-16, McCormick Place. An unprecedented roster of business and leadership trailblazers includes Steve Wozniak and Peyton Manning. For information on exhibiting or sponsorship opportunities, contact Karen DiTomasso, vice president of sales, at kditomasso@asicentral.com. About The ASI Show The ASI Show was created for active ASI member distributors and suppliers, and attracts more distributors than any other industry show, with 20,000 attendees. Offering a full education conference, networking opportunities and a manageable one-floor/one-hall layout, The ASI Show provides a complete trade show experience. In five host cities per year (Orlando, Dallas, Long Beach, New York and Chicago), The ASI Show is ideal for advertising specialty businesses searching for new ideas and new business. Additionally, The ASI Show runs the Advantages® Roadshow, the ad specialty industry’s most popular traveling show, and ASIlitate, ASI’s hosted buyer event. About ASI The Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI) is the largest media, marketing and education organization serving the promotional products industry, with a network of over 25,000 distributors and suppliers throughout North America. ASI leads the industry in technology solutions, providing cloud-based e-commerce, enterprise resource planning software (ERP) and customer relationship management software (CRM). ESP Web® is the industry’s leading tool for sourcing hundreds of thousands of products. A family-owned business since 1962, ASI also provides online research, marketing, advertising opportunities, trade shows, education, award-winning magazines, newsletters, custom websites and catalogs to help members sell, market and promote their brands. Visit ASI at www.asicentral.com and on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and the CEO’s blog.0Read More
First Annual Company Conference for Outstanding BrandingAward-winning promotional merchandise distributor, Outstanding Branding, held its first annual company conference this week at the Lensbury Hotel in Teddington. The event was attended by every member of the company and comprised a review of the company’s performance and achievements over the past financial year; goal setting by the whole team; an outline of the plan and vision for the coming financial year by the management team; and an afternoon of team building. Sales Director, Andy Thorne, said "Having held a Sales Conference last year which was extremely well received by the sales team, we decided this year to do things bigger and better and create an event for the whole company – it was our chance as directors to present our vision for the future, as well as review the past, and really kick off our new financial year with a bang. Each member of the company also had the opportunity to present their professional highlight of the last 12 months, and share their personal and professional goals for the coming year. With the Boot Camp style team building in the afternoon, the team were then able to bond and forge stronger links as a team". Early evening saw a champagne drinks reception on the sun terrace overlooking the formal gardens, followed by a three course dinner and drinks. The whole day was sponsored by ten of Outstanding Branding’s key suppliers, who also provided gifts for the fantastic goody bag and motivational messages for feather flags used in the Boot Camp field. ‘Feedback from the team shows that they really valued this day as an opportunity to learn about the company, each other, and even themselves, away from the office and in a fantastic setting,’ said Sarah Penn, Managing Director. ‘Although there was plenty of fun to be had, and in particular the laser rifle skirmish finale to the teambuilding was really well received, this day has allowed the team to get to know each other better and find ways to work together even more closely than before. We can’t thank enough our great suppliers – Desktop Ideas, PF Concept, Advantage Group, Print Vision, Essential, Toppoint, Senator Pens, The Umbrella Company, USB Group and SPS – for their support both on this conference and throughout the year. The OB Company Conference will doubtless become an annual event, as we are already seeing the benefits of improved communication and camaraderie and anticipate doing so over the whole coming year’. More information on Outstanding Branding’s promotional merchandise is available at www.outstandingbranding.com, where details of the complete range of products and services offered can also be found.0Read More

Company News

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Building Relationships in an Anonymous World - Advice from Bagco AsiaJuly: the time of year when brands start ramping up for fourth quarter holiday promotions. With profit margins in mind, the cheapest prices seem like the best option. With technology making the world a smaller place, sourcing for the best deals remotely with online platforms like Alibaba is an easy option. But the risks associated with anonymity from online sourcing sites can be high. This year’s Canton Fair, as reported by Week in China, was “Fair enough.” Once thought to be the bi-annual event that stimulated trade between suppliers and buyers, the purpose of the fair seems to be rapidly changing for a variety of reasons. “Fewer and fewer foreign participants are willing to sign deals on the spot,” says Wang Changyin, general manager of trading at Galanz Group. Bagco Asia managing director, Caroline Daly, believes that to be a good move saying, “good relationships are not built up instantly, but over time and with standards in mind.” On her last sourcing trip to visit one of our long-time suppliers in China, Caroline saw a farmland town transformed into a bustling city in a matter of three years. We can expect more growth, and therefore greater competition, from China manufacturers in the coming years, but suppliers and brands should continue to look for credibility and quality in their suppliers – and beware the deals that are too good to be true. For more news from China, follow Bagco Asia on Twitter: @bagcoasia. See what’s new from Bagco Asia today: http://bit.ly/OIDkmS. About Bagco Asia Since 2005, Bagco Asia has built a first-class reputation for its delivery of bespoke premium bags and conference items for a range of end users around the world. Headquartered in Hong Kong, Bagco Asia is perfectly positioned to bring customers the best products with the most reliable service in the region. We source top-quality, trendsetting items that have been manufactured with standards in mind.0Read More
Danielle Armstrong Joins Pinfold PromotionsPinfold Promotions are pleased to welcome Danielle Armstrong to their team as Business Development Executive, as the company has seen a 20% increase in sales over the last 12 months and are forecasting further growth in the next year. Danielle has just returned from travelling around Australia and says “I am really happy to be joining this thriving company and look forward to becoming a valuable member of such a wonderful team.” www.pinfoldpromotions.co.uk0Read More
Richard Leonard Joins Outstanding BrandingPromotional merchandise industry veteran, Richard Leonard, joined award winning distributor Outstanding Branding’s senior management team this month as Operations Manager. ‘Having worked at Merchandise Mania for over a decade, Richard brings a wealth of invaluable experience in a wide range of areas’, said Sarah Penn, Managing Director of Outstanding Branding. ‘As a company we continue to have aggressive growth plans, and central to achieving these is ensuring we have a strong senior team to manage the day to day activities of the company, freeing up the directors to focus on the strategy and plan for the future’. Richard has experience in all operational areas, from order production, office management, and process and procedure implementation, through to team management and ISO standards. ‘We recognise that Richard’s experience in reviewing and improving internal processes and procedures, as well as managing and motivating our office and admin team, can only result in improved service to our customers and strengthen relationships with our suppliers. To be able to ensure we are also benefitting to the maximum from our ISO:9001 and 14001 obligations is another huge benefit’. ‘Joining Outstanding Branding at this point in their growth is hugely exciting’, commented Richard Leonard. ‘I am genuinely excited about the future and the direction the company is taking, and look forward to being a part of their continuing success’. More information on Outstanding Branding’s promotional merchandise is available at www.outstandingbranding.com, where details of the complete range of products and services offered can also be found.0Read More
Wild Thang are Proud to be Producing Giant Spectacular MerchandiseWild Thang are very proud to be the Official Merchandise Suppliers in conjunction with Culture Liverpool for the flagship World War One Commemoration event, which is predicted to be one of the UK’s largest street theatre events in 2014. Andrew Dwerryhouse commented: “It’s not every day you get to produce the Official Merchandise for one of the world's greatest street theatre companies. Royal De Luxe are bringing three giants to Liverpool in one of the UK's most spectacular street theatre events and just as importantly as one of the flagship World War One Commemorations, Lest Us Never Forget . Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to descend on the city over the four days of the event. We feel genuinely proud to be involved in such a gigantic and prestigious event. I am just as proud of the Wild Thang team who put together the range and worked towards some very tight deadlines to get it on the shelves in time. Special thanks goes to Sarah Howarth, pictured showcasing some of the Official Merchandise. I am sure people will make giant strides to take away some quality merchandise and memento's lovingly produce by Wild Thang.” The event will take place across the city from 23rd to 27th July. The range consisted of printed t-shirts, limited edition hand screen printed A2 posters, jigsaw, magnet cutouts, a pop up postcard and various other items. Website: www.giantspectacular.com0Read More

Product News

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Veleta Notebooks from Kernow Plusfile

Website: www.plusfile.co.uk
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Jack Masters Corportate and Promotional KnitwearWhat an amazing summer we are having, but it won't be long before the nights draw in & it's starts to get wet & cold! Well it's not all doom & gloom, as Jack Masters, a new company to the corporate promotional industry, is about to launch its retail quality, British made knitwear garments, including crew and v neck jumpers, cardigans, slipovers, hats and scarfs all manufactured in top quality Merino and Lambswool yarns. These premium quality British manufactured garments are available with MOQ's as low as 12 pieces across sizes and are all pill resistant. These garments will make outstanding Christmas presents or corporate gifts, either personalised or plain and can also be used to gain additional value added sales, if combined together and presented in premium quality gift boxes, which can also be supplied by Jack Masters. Add to this, Jack Masters full Sedex approved and audited manufacturing facility in Leicester, their state of the art in house design facility & fast lead times and you have a new industry supplier to take note of!. Website: http://www.jackmasters.co.uk/ 0Read More
Express Silicone Wristbands by Snap Products Contact: sales@snapproducts.co.uk Website: www.snapproducts.co.uk0Read More
PF Concept's Technology Must Haves

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Special Offers

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Free Set-up on Dye Sublimation Mugs from Promotional CeramicsPromotional ceramics are offering free setup on Dye Sublimation Mugs throughout August. Minimum quantity order: 72. We are also are offering 1 free screen on your next order. To qualify, simply follow us on twitter @proceramics and re-Tweet our last update. Website: www.promotionalceramics.co.uk0Read More
3% off Delicious Advent Calendars from Kalfany Suesse WerbungAdvent Calendars with delicious chocolate made by Mondelez. Save 3% off normal price if ordered by end of July. Your logo, image or advertising slogan adorns the calendar, with space for your own personal message - festive ingenuity! The 346 x 248 x 10 mm calendar is filled with 75g of melt-in-the-mouth alpine milk chocolate from Kraft. http://www.suesse-werbung.de/en/seasonal-products/christmas/advent-calendar 0Read More
Free Setup on Lip Balm Pots from Snap ProductsContact us today for a FREE sample Telephone: 01252 796860 | Email: sales@snapproducts.co.uk | Website: www.snapproducts.co.uk

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Summer at Rain Gear - Free Bottle OfferBuy any Umbrella & get FREE sports bottles with all orders! To celebrate the glorious summer sunshine, Rain Gear have announced a fantastic special offer that will brighten your day. Order any umbrella and we will include the same number of 500ml sports bottles with 1 colour print, absolutely FREE. So for example, if you order 75 Umbrellas, we will include 75 FREE 500ml Sports Bottles with a logo printed 1 colour. Choose from a wide range of Bottle colours. Take advantage of this fantastic offer and call us today for an instant quote. This offer runs until 31st August 2014 Please quote code FSB14 when placing your order. Tel: 01482 353384 E: sales@rain-gear.co.uk0Read More