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SC Marketplace Starts on WednesdaySourcing City Marketplace starts on Wednesday 21st & Thursday 22nd September 2016 at the FIVE Show Centre, Farnborough. Everyone coming to SC Marketplace will be greeted with a Free Big Breakfast Bap courtesy of Fanela, before they start to meet around 90 suppliers in focused appointments and the run-around sessions. All Purple Club members are also invited to a Free Drinks Reception sponsored by Clipper Gifts. Each of the suppliers below would love to explain the key benefits you would gain from doing business with them, so please enjoy your visit to the sixth and final SC Marketplace before we join forces with the BPMA Show to create a new, exciting and unique event in 2017. 14 Promotions (Trade), 7Active, Abbeygate PVC Products, Adapt Marketing (Pty), Advantage International, AMT Trade, ARC Apparel, Baby Pb, Bagco Asia, Bagco, Bagtrade, Bio Laboratories, Bottle Promotions, BPMA, BTC Activewear, Carole Group, Chili Concept, Clipper Gifts, CMS Distribution, Cookies 4U, Crystal Galleries, Crystal Impressions Corporate, Custom Planet, Desktop Ideas, Direct Textiles, Dynamic Highway, Elasto Form UK, Encore Catalogue Group, Envoy Catalogue Group, Evolve Branding, Fanela, Fine Confectionery Company (The), Goldstar Europe, Headwear (UK), Ignite Incentives Group, Impression Europe, Juniper Trading, Just A Drop Drinks, Just Balls, JuteBag.co.uk, Kalfany Süße Werbung, Keramikos, Liquid Lens Europe, Mantis World, Mid Ocean Brands, NG Badges, Oldeani, Page Partnership (The), Pen Warehouse (The), PF Concept UK, Pinpoint Badges, Pixika, PlasTech Print, Premier Impressions, PrintVision (UK), PromoAlliance, Promonotes Sp. z o.o, Promotional Office, Promotional Union, PSI (Reed Exhibitions), Purple Club, Purple Zebra Products, Reiter Group, RSN Tekstil, Screenworks, Sharon Lee, Sourcing City, Sourcing City Skin Sites, Sourcing Planet, Spectrum Catalogue, SR Brothers (India), Strive Badge, Sunray Import, Sweet Temptations, Swizzels Matlow, T Shirts 4 Less, Thermalmate UK, Thermopacks Promotional Products, Toppoint, Touch of Ginger, Troika, United Bag Store, United Brands of Scandinavia. To register &/or book appointments for SCM16 please click here. About SC Marketplace Sourcing City Marketplace is an established and universally acclaimed industry VIP Networking Event. The two day trade event is exclusively for invited VIP’s from professional promotional merchandise distributor companies with over £250k turnover. The attendees have combined sales in excess of £300 million. To enable effective meetings and maximum discovery, the days are ‘Appointment based’ together with pre-set 'Runaround Sessions' where over 2,000 focused conversations take place. Traditional exhibitions tend to focus purely on product, and some would consider that conversations have become repetitive for experienced exhibitors & visitors alike. Suppliers have an important story to be told, so, as well as presenting new products and top selling lines, they explain 'all' of the other reasons why distributors should do business with them. Every supplier has services & processes that can help a distributor be more efficient & profitable, ...but the distributors do not always know! The environment is relaxed, and conversations are focussed on added value services, the development & review of individual trading partnership plans, late season new products and top selling lines. All attending guests enjoy Free Breakfast, Free Lunch & Drinks, Free Roving Tea Trolley, Free Pick’n’Mix Sweets, Massage Angels, Free WiFi, Free Parking, Hotel Vouchers, Travel Vouchers & Free Transfers. VIP's from Over £1m Distributor companies are also invited to the ‘Networking Dinner’, where the evening provides further opportunities to meet & build relationships with suppliers and fellow VIP's. SC Marketplace is widely recognised as the best networking event in the industry, and there are many reasons why we have earned that reputation; not least through the focussed, meaningful and rewarding conversations that you will enjoy - Don't miss your chance to meet and spend quality time in Appointments, or at the Runaround Sessions, where professionals in the industry set up trading deals, and discover the latest & hottest products.0Read More
BPMA Award WinnersThe BPMA presented the new look BPMA Awards Dinner at Whittlebury Hall, following the successful BPMA Show at Silverstone. Just under 250 guests from the promotional merchandise industry got together for an evening compared by director general Gordon Glenister. Winners of the awards were: Supplier of the Year up to £2m: WCMA Supplier of the Year over £2m : SPS Service Partner of the Year: Sourcing City Distributor of the Year up to £500k: Face 2 Face Distributor of the Year £500-£2m: Willsmer Wagg Distributor of the Year £2-5m: Allwag Distributor of the Year £5m+: Dowlis Garment Decorator of the Year: Screenworks Unsung hero of the Year: Pat Darr of Senator Pens Personality of the Year: Dave Kershner of Impression Europe Professional Development Student of the Year: Vicky Crosby Marketing Campaign of the Year : Fluid Branding Best dressed stand at the BPMA Show: Senator Pens Winning Formula Competition: (mug tree) – Listawood Innovative product: Robots by Xindao Pancreatic Cancer UK Fundraising: A big part of the event involved the Promotional Products Week chosen charity, Pancreatic Cancer UK. A lively quiz and a charity auction managed to raise £5989 for the charity. Pushpinder Hill from PCUK commented; “We are thrilled to bits and hope the BPMA can raise its goal of £10,000 by the end of the week. The winner of the auction Andy Thorne had a poignant reason for supporting having lost his father to the disease. Andy said; “Pancreatic Cancer is an awful disease, 7 years ago I watched first hand it destroy my Dad until it took his life at 63. I was going to do a sky dive this year to raise funds but my plans got stopped when I busted my leg. So winning the auction was my way of remembering my hero and great man, who I miss every day and wished could see the success of Outstanding Branding. Anyone near me last night would of seen my tears, it was emotional as it brought back all the memories and sadness." It is not too late to donate, as of today (19^th September 2016) only £774 is needed to hit the £10,000 target. To donate please contact: Gordon Glenister, BPMA Director General - Mobile: 07595 710338 - gordon@bpma.co.uk0Read More
BPMA Show & Education DayThe BPMA held its inaugural show at Silverstone on the 14^th September with great feedback from visitors and exhibitors alike. The one day members' show attracted almost 400 distributor visitors from the promotional gift industry; with many of the larger promotional gift distributors sending almost their entire sales teams. The BPMA decided also to trial the idea of distributors inviting their customers along. Around 20 end user buyers attended denoted by a different colour lanyard. There were a number of visitor attractions including the Winning Formula supplier product competition, the launch of the newly formed BRIMAN group, the Innovation Alley showcasing student product designs, the branding zone featuring a number of different branding techniques and a Christmas tree feature supported by Festive Promotions and other leading suppliers. In addition, the Tech Zone had some great cool products from Sony. Matt Franks chairman of the BPMA commented “I am absolutely thrilled with the feedback from our members having been aware of the months of planning that went into our Education Day the BPMA, show and Awards. Given the announcement relating to the Sourcing City collaboration, I am looking forward to an even greater event in 2017.” BPMA Education Day brings speakers from all over the world The BPMA held its 4th Annual Education Day and was enthusiastically welcomed by members of the BPMA, with over 90% of attendees feeling that it had exceeded their expectations. Around 140 people attended the event on the 13th September at Whittlebury Hall; close to Silverstone, which preceded the BPMA Show the following day. The 13 speakers gave the audience a huge choice from within the industry and externally. Gordon Glenister, director general of the BPMA who put on the event, commented, “I have always sought some of the finest speakers around to really help inspire our members. When you run a business, so often you can miss out on some of the great ideas from other industries.” Marty Lott, talked about the importance of apparel to the gift distributor sector, playing a much higher percentage in the America than in the UK. His company Sanmar turns over in excess of $1bn and is one of the most highly regarded suppliers in America, Other well-known professional speakers included Nigel Risner, Steve Clarke, Andy Hanselman, Grant Leboff, Peter Hill, Murray Cowell, Mark Blackmore, Robert Craven. The day was rounded off by keynote speakers from PPAI (Promotional Products Association International CEO Paul Bellantone, and President Tom Goos from Image Source.0Read More
SC Marketplace and BPMA Show Join ForcesSourcing City and the BPMA are delighted to announce an exciting collaboration, bringing together the strengths of Sourcing City Marketplace and The BPMA Show to form a brand new event for September 2017. The new event will have a new name and rebranding to reflect the new partnership. The combined concept will include all of the benefits of the unique element of pre-booked appointments as popularly established at SC Marketplace, together with a professional product exhibition as at The BPMA Show. The event will continue to be focused on bringing together professional distributors, industry suppliers and service companies for quality networking and product discovery. The opportunity for distributors to optionally invite end-user customers to one of the days of the new two-day show, as trialled at the BPMA Show 2016, is also being considered. The new concept will ensure that all team members in distributor customers are invited to informally visit the product exhibition stands to see the latest products, whilst Business VIP’s will still be able to have focused and meaningful conversations by appointment with key suppliers. David Long, Chairman and Founder of Sourcing City said: “We are confident that the new event will deliver an exciting combined concept that offers something of real benefit to everyone in a professional distributor company at an important time of the selling year. The main driver to merge the two events was that both organisations feel it is in the best interest of the industry’s suppliers and distributors not to have two shows at the same time of year. This causes obvious and unnecessary frustrations for both suppliers and distributors. We are therefore pleased that this we can bring the best of both events into a single show next year, having everyone in one place will be more productive, cost effective and a lot of fun!” Given the strength of the two shows this year it is anticipated that approximately 200 suppliers will attend the new show in September next year. The location and firm date are yet to be decided and will be announced with full details later this year. Matt Franks, BPMA Chairman said: “We are delighted to be collaborating with Sourcing City on this venture. We've listened to our members, and feel a combined show bringing together the features of The BPMA Show along with the networking of Sourcing City Marketplace will deliver enormous value to our members.” Sourcing City have been contracted to deliver the management and organisation of the new event. They will work closely with the BPMA Board and be supported by the BPMA Secretariat. The BPMA will continue to independently run the Education Day on the day before the new show opens and the prestigious BPMA Annual Awards Dinner on the evening of day one. The full details of the new joint SC Marketplace & BPMA Show event will be announced later this year. If you would like any more information please contact David, Ella or Liz on: 0844 504 5000 - davidlong@sourcingcity.co.uk 0Read More

Company News

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Double Award Win for Fluid BrandingFluid Branding were delighted to come away with not one but two awards from the recent British Promotional Merchandise Association show and awards dinner. Hosted at the prestigious Silverstone Circuit in Towcester, Northamptonshire on 14th September 2016. The bpma Annual Awards provide recognition for achievement and excellence within the promotional merchandise industry. Fluid Branding were awarded the professional development student of the year award, this was won by Sales Director Vicki Crosby, she’s become the first ever person in the industry to achieve a Master in Promotional Merchandise qualification via the bpma’s professional development programme. The second award win was for marketing campaign of the year, which Fluid won for launching their pioneering customer loyalty programme – Fluid Rewards. Fluid Branding’s Managing Director Miles Lovegrove said “It was a great show and a really good evening, to win two awards is just fantastic and it’s great to be recognised and rewarded for the excellent work that we’re doing for our clients. Winning the awards really reflects our prominent position as one of the UK’s leading promotional merchandise suppliers. I’m very proud of our team.”1Read More
Outstanding Support for #PPWeekGlobal supplier of promotional merchandise Outstanding Branding have once again shown commitment to the cause with their support of #PPWeek, the BPMA’s annual Promotional Products Week. PPWeek is designed to raise the profile of Promotional Merchandise outside the industry, and promote the power of giveaways as part of the marketing mix. Firstly, Outstanding Branding launched their OBTV channel, which will be an ongoing medium to showcase news, reviews and trends within the Promotional Merchandise Industry. “Getting the message across during #PPWeek that promotional merchandise works is something we are passionate about, and we were lucky to secure the support of Dorian Tranter (DT) for our first broadcast. DT is as passionate as we are about the promotional merchandise industry, and he did a fantastic job presenting some of Desktop Ideas’ top selling product range.” With the video having received over 5000 views already, proving the appetite for education on promotional products, we can be sure to see further videos soon. Additionally throughout the week, Outstanding Branding shared infographics and a video based on research provided by the BPMA, showing the success of promotional merchandise as an advertising medium. Photographs of Ellie the Elephant, the BPMA’s Promotional Products Week mascot, were also taken in various locations across the capital, including Tower Bridge, Hays Galleria and a supermarket shelf, to name a few. Finally, Clara the Cow hit the streets of London once again to draw attention to the PPWeek cause, handing out branded bags of chocolate eggs. “Clara proves popular whenever she leaves the office and meets the public”, commented Sarah Penn, CEO of Outstanding Branding. “The fact she is handing out chocolate is I’m sure just the icing on the cake! I want to say a big thanks to our key partner supplier, Liquid Lens, for supplying the chocolates, we really appreciate the support of our suppliers to help us make sure #PPWeek is a great success.” More information on Outstanding Branding’s promotional merchandise is available at www.outstandingbranding.co.uk, where details of the complete range of products and services offered can also be found.0Read More
OB:TV Gains MomentumGlobal supplier of promotional merchandise Outstanding Branding have launched their OB:TV channel to showcase news, reviews and trends within the Promotional Merchandise Industry. The timing of the first edition was planned to coincide with #PPWeek, the BPMA’s annual Promotional Products Week. PPWeek is designed to raise the profile of Promotional Merchandise outside the industry, and promote the power of giveaways as part of the marketing mix. “I have to say firstly a big thanks to Dorian Tranter (DT), of our fantastic partner supplier, Desktop Ideas, for agreeing to take part in our inaugural broadcast”, commented Andy Thorne, Sales & Marketing Director for Outstanding Branding. “Getting the message out that promotional merchandise works is something DT is as passionate as we are to be involved in, and he did a fantastic job presenting some of their top selling product range. Having received over 5000 views across all social media channels already, we can see the power of the format, and will be releasing more videos in the coming weeks, to educate and entertain our clients, suppliers and friends!” View OBTV here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2kDrKEOLy0 or on their facebook page. Any supplier wishing to be involved in forthcoming editions should contact Andy Thorne on andyt@outstandingbranding.co.uk for more details. More information on Outstanding Branding’s promotional merchandise is available at www.outstandingbranding.co.uk, where details of the complete range of products and services offered can also be found.0Read More
Outstanding Branding Graduate Assessment Day SuccessGlobal supplier of promotional merchandise Outstanding Branding held their first ever Graduate Assessment Day this month, as they continue with their ground breaking Graduate Training Scheme. Held at Prospero House near London Bridge, the full day session was designed to further narrow down the applicants for the role, and allow the Outstanding Branding management team to select the very best to begin the Graduate Training Scheme this month. The day comprised a range of tasks and tests, each designed in conjunction with the company’s business coach, Juliette Brown, to assess each candidate against the skills and attributes they would need to be successful Account Executives within the industry. “The importance of recruiting and nurturing new talent is crucial for the continued success of any ambitious organisation, and Outstanding Branding’s Graduate trainee recruitment programme shows the company's commitment of investing in the future stars of their business”, commented Brown. “These successful candidates now have the exciting prospect of learning from the best on the new OB Graduate Trainee Sales Programme the company are launching this month." The applicants all commented that the day had been an enjoyable experience, with many mentioning how warm and welcoming the OB team had been throughout. “Holding a graduate assessment day was another milestone in the evolution of Outstanding Branding”, commented Sarah Penn, Outstanding Branding’s CEO. “We are looking to take exceptional graduates with raw talent, and train, nurture, and coach them into the best promotional merchandise account managers they can be. Our first assessment day surpassed my expectations in terms of the quality of candidates and the fantastic event the team put on.” After comparing the candidates’ performance at the various tasks and tests, and taking into account the personality profiling that had been conducted on the day, the graduate applicants were whittled down to final interview stages; and two candidates were offered places on the course. The course begins this month, with Sales Manager Chris Dawson heading up the training programme. “It has been a huge desire of mine to implement a graduate programme since I became Sales Manager at Outstanding Branding”, says Dawson. “I pride myself in helping people grow and succeed within my team, so I can’t wait to execute the whole process.” It is anticipated that the Graduate Training Scheme will become an annual event, bringing in new raw talent to the industry. More information on Outstanding Branding’s promotional merchandise is available at www.outstandingbranding.co.uk, where details of the complete range of products and services offered can also be found.0Read More

Product News

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Keep Your Technology Clean with Preseli0Read More
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Atomic USB Ballpen from The Pen WarehouseThe Pen Warehouse has introduced the Atomic USB Ballpen, the perfect writing instrument for techie gadget fans. The slim twist-action ballpen has a touchscreen stylus and a removable USB flash drive nestled in the top. Unlike other flash memory pens, the Atomic USB Ballpen is light and easy to use, while the USB is readily accessible thanks to its innovative design. Choose from 2GB, 4GB, 8GB or 16GB storage capacities. The white barrel has a large 45mm x 20mm print area for bold branding, complemented by a chrome trim and a choice of six USB flash drive colours. Also available is the Atomic USB Argent Ballpen with a sleek silver-coloured barrel. The Pen Warehouse can print and dispatch the Atomic USB Ballpen in just five days and it has a low MOQ of only 50 pieces.0Read More
Why Promotional Merchandise? - UK Hip FlasksPromotional products, like hip flasks, are used worldwide for brand recognition. But in a marketplace where return on investment is everything, why is it still important to have promotional merchandise? In 2012, a study conducted by the BPMA showed some key findings. 15,000 people were surveyed, all of which had received a free promotional gift within the previous year. Here’s some of the findings: 66% of the people claimed they could remember the brand who gave them the promotional product. The infamous ROI on promotional products was better than radio and outdoor advertising. It’s equal to the ROI of print or television advertising. Almost 80% of participants would be likely to do business with the brand again after receiving a promotional product. Over half of the participants stated that their impression of the company improved after being given a promotional gift. Give people something to remember - chat to us about our branded hip flasks for a great branding opportunity this Autumn/Winter 2016.0Read More

Special Offers

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BIC Graphic Norwood - 30% Off PromotionBIC Graphic Norwood have added over 300 products to the 30% off promotion. From ballpens to backpacks, duffels to drinkware, distributors can take advantage of huge savings across a broad range of products until 31st October 2016. An additional 3% discount is also available to customers who place their order online through the website. Visit the website at www.bicgraphicnorwood.eu/gb to see the full range of products on promotion.0Read More
Keramikos September Special Offer0Read More
Free Branded Pencil Offer from CastelliPlace an order for any Ivory diary or notebook from 25th August until 30th September and receive a pencil branded with your customers company logo or message completely free! SIMPLY QUOTE PENCIL16 ON ANY IVORY STOCK ORDER TO RECEIVE YOUR FREE BRANDED PENCIL*. *Terms and conditions apply 0Read More
Six of the Best September Offers from Tomlinson GolfSix best seller offers for September. 0Read More