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HAPTICA® Live 2015: That Extra Touch"Explain it to me and I will forget. Show it to me and I will remember. Let me do it myself and I will understand." This Confucian aphorism is also very relevant for the impact of haptic advertising: Items that one has actually held in one's hand, that one has tried out or used oneself, stick in one's mind - and with them also those, who supply the products. Haptic advertising is one of the most efficient forms of advertising: The visitors of the HAPTICA® live ’15 on March 25 at the Palladium in Cologne, Germany, will be able to convince themselves of this, because many of the 110 exhibitors will not only be presenting their novelties and trend products, but they have also come up with something special for the guests at their stand – namely that extra touch. There will be a rush of visitors for instance at the stand of Autec AG: The suppliers of remote-controlled vehicles will be operating a car racing track and will also be allowing people to have a few practice rounds with its helicopter. At the stand of Exclusive Gifts, the visitors can have their own Moleskine Cahier notebook individualised using a hot-foil embossing machine. Interaction will also be the order of the day at the stand of Hermann Media: The supplier of individualisable audio books will let short audio clips be recorded live by professional speakers via a live link-up with a recording studio. The visitors will be able choose their texts themselves and subsequently take the recording home with them. In addition to these interactive elements many of the exhibitors have come up with special give-aways – to mention but a few examples: Koziol will be presenting its guests with the world novelty, the car organizer Fritz from its own design studio, at Rösle's stand the visitors can look forward to a practical tea bell, at Vossen Frottier there will be embroidered towels, Belgosweet will be distributing delicious macarons, Samsonite will be raffling off three suitcases from its Lite-Locked series and the company WM Sport is bringing fan scarves in HAPTICA® live look with them to Cologne. The activities of the exhibitors underline the special approach of the HAPTICA® live: In line with its subtitle "Experiencing Haptic Advertising", the event, which was initiated by the Germany-based specialised publishing company, WA Media, in 2013, demonstrates the charm and potential of haptic advertising to the trade audience – members of advertising agencies, promotional products buyers, marketing specialists from companies and promotional products distributors. Hereby, the event concept places a strong emphasis on practical application. This includes among other things the Best Practice Special Show: Here, successful campaigns that implement haptic advertising are presented. Furthermore, marketing strategists and creative directors will give insights into how branded products are integrated into their corporate or brand communications in the scope of specialised lectures. And prize-winning promotional products ranging from Give-aways, to Custom-made Designs through to Premium Products will be on display in the exhibition of the award-winning products of the Promotional Gift Award 2015. The winners of the communication price will additionally be picking up their trophies during the official award ceremony at 4.30 p.m. The HAPTICA® live ‘15 opens its doors on March 25, 2015 from 10.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. at the Palladium in Cologne. After the event, there will also be an additional opportunity for networking until 9.00 p.m., while enjoying drinks and finger food. Participation is free of charge; however, it is necessary to pre-register at: www.haptica-live.de/anmeldung 0Read More
Awards, Education & Show to Benefit from InvestmentTrade Only, the leading provider of technology and information solutions, and organizer of events including the internationally respected Trade Only National Show, Spring Shows and APG Roadshows is pleased to announce further enhancements and investment to the visitor experience for all delegates. Vicky Robinson, Managing Director of Trade Only UK commented, “With the rebrand of our TONS event to the Promotional Products Expo (“PPE”) for 2016, we have taken the chance to review every element of the event, visitor experience and seminar program. We are heading into the 10th year of the show and we continue to listen and act on feedback, a strategy that has made the show the ‘Industry Event’ for 5,000 delegates each year.” Along with the rebranding, Trade Only are delighted to announce the creation of the Industry Awards program open to every distributor and supplier in the UK. With awards including Distributor of the Year, Supplier and Account Manager of the Year, the awards will be allocated based on detailed data points alongside survey results from both distributors and suppliers. Awards data and voting will be audited and verified and then announced on the night by an independent resource. Liz Allen, Group Marketing Director for Trade Only said, “The January show and dinner are looked forward to by so many people that either work in or supply the UK print and promotional industry, so it’s exciting for us to be able to deliver innovation and a fresh new approach to both the awards banquet and the kick off to the New Year. The adoption of voting best practices will undoubtedly add some unpredictability to the results, with winners earning one of the highest accolades in the industry.” The Promotional Product Expo Gala and Awards Dinner will take place on 20th January 2016 and tickets will be limited to just 700 overall as required by the new format. Tickets will go on general sale in April 2015. The investment in the brand, education, dinner and awards continues with the planned appointment of a Managing Director to head the Exhibition activities of the Group, with Vicky Robinson commenting further: “The importance of the PPE show and gala is well understood by our industry, and it is appropriate that we add highly professional senior level resource to manage the growth of the event and ensure we exceed expectations on all of our initiatives.” Interested applicants should contact vicky.robinson@tradeonly.com.0Read More
Quiet January - Sourcing City StatsIt has been interesting to hear that a good number of suppliers have reported a slow start to January. Sourcing City would confirm that this has been the case. In Sourcing City’s opinion this is not of any concern, in fact we consider it to be the opposite. To explain, January has been a shorter working month than normal, with people returning later from Christmas breaks. Also with PSI & Trade Only to visit things have been slow to re-engage. Across the industry everyone has worked hard under pressure throughout 2014 to re-build business since the 2008 credit crunch. 2014 was a success for many, and we feel distributors may have consciously, or sub-consciously, taken the foot off the pedal to regroup in January, but we fully expect thing to move forward again quickly, and indeed the industry could realistically expect another year of growth.0Read More
Winners Celebrate Sourcing City AwardsThe Sourcing City Awards Winners Celebration Lunch took place on Wednesday 4th February at Marcus Wareing’s two Michelin Star MARCUS Restaurant in The Berkeley, Wilton Place, Knightsbridge. The 2014 award winners from Liquid Lens, PF Concept, Outstanding Branding and Face to Face enjoyed a sumptuous five course meal with paired wines, before moving on to The Grenadier to continue the party well into the evening. Our congratulations go to the winners, and we are now looking forward to next year, when we will be entertaining all of the SC Award Winners from this year!1Read More

Company News

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Major New Investments at Premier ImpressionsLaser Engraving Significant investment in two new laser machines, with total flexibility for most products, means Premier Impressions can offer larger capacity and faster engraving turnaround times in 2015. Alan Stride, MD says “I’ve been in this trade for many years and recognise the need to keep up with technology to remain competitive. Having witnessed the great success of our digital printing facility, it made sense to upgrade our laser equipment. I am amazed at the scope of the new machines and have trained a competent team to run them. I want to ensure that Premier guarantees our distributor customers the widest range of corporate branding processes in the UK”. Rotary Laser Engraving Premier also now supply state of the art rotary laser engraving, increasing the size of the message and increasing the impact. Pad Printing Alongside their digital print process, new investment in the latest pad printing technology means they now offer five spot colour printing, fast! Put your trust and hard earned orders in the very capable hands of Premier Impressions, for all your printing and engraving requirements, a company you can rely on. For more information please contact sales@premierimpressions.co.uk, or visit their website www.premierimpressions.co.uk.0Read More
Children's Charities to Benefit from Keepme Race to Print CashFollowing a second successful outing for Keepme Bags’ ‘Race to Print 200,000 Cotton Bags’ initiative, two very worthy children’s charities are set to receive healthy donations after being nominated by winners Allwag Promotions of Hatfield Peverel, Essex. Angela Wagstaff of Allwag and members of her team decided to nominate two local charities to receive an equal split of the £2,000 donated by Keepme following the successful completion of the race. Once again, it’s children’s charities that are set to benefit from the initiative as Angela selected both BRAINWAVE of Witham (brainwave.org.uk) and KYDS of Tiptree (kyds.org.uk). Speaking of the nominated charities Angela Wagstaff had this to say: “We selected Brainwave as they do amazing work with children suffering from disabilities and learning difficulties, unlocking their potential via educational and physical therapies. Likewise KYDS is a youth drama society that aims to unlock and develop children’s potential through performance arts.” Anne Morton and Lauren Harris of Allwag joined Angela and Keepme’s commercial director Steve Anderson for a tour of Keepme’s new Greenhithe facility, receiving their winning cheque during their visit. In celebratory mood Anderson commented: “Being a relatively new father I was delighted that Angela and her team selected not one, but two children’s charities to receive our charitable donation. Allwag Promotions are a valued customer and we’re so pleased to help them make a difference to worthy organisations close to their heart.” Keepme Bags has a strong commitment to its corporate responsibilities and ‘Race to Print’ is just one of the initiatives that enables them to share their ongoing success with those less fortunate. For more information visit www.keepmebags.com or call a member of the team on +44 (0) 1322 381144.0Read More
PromoMate® and Markie® by Premier ImpressionsPromoMate® and Markie® by Premier Impressions, the trade alternative to Paper Mate and Sharpie. 2014 was a transitional year for both Premier and their customers, following the decision by Newell Rubbermaid to withdraw the supply of both Paper Mate and Sharpie brands from the European Promotional Gift market. Premier Impressions have launched PromoMate® and Markie® as a suitable trade alternative, which provides quality, flexibility and value for money, plus you can enjoy Premier Impressions great customer services levels. PromoMate® incorporates three designs, Curve® and Element® Ball Pens and PromoGrip® Gel pens, in a range of 21 colours, something to suit most corporate identities. With generous branding areas and Premier Impressions expertise, these ranges can be printed on-site in up to five spot colours and they can respond to the fastest lead time requests. Markie® is a range of permanent markers, which write on glass, foil, metal and plastic. Markie®, can also be branded in-house up to five spot colours and delivered very quickly. MD, Alan Stride said “Having supplied wholesale pens to the trade and adapted our business model accordingly, it was crucial for Premier to source our own pen range. We carried out extensive research and testing over the last 18 months and identified that there is definitely a requirement in the market for another quality brand. We are confident PromoMate® & Markie® will be brands to watch.” All models and colours are in stock. Take a look at the new Premier Brands catalogue. If you would like free samples or more information, please contact Stefanie@premierimpressions.co.uk.0Read More
Hatton Textiles Appoint New Sales ManagerHatton Textiles International are pleased to announce that, following the departure of Richard King, they have appointed Malcolm Garnett as Sales Manager. Malcolm, a prominent and well-liked personality in the Promotional Merchandise industry for over 25 years started with Ace Awards in 1989 then spent three years as an Account Manager with BTC Group, before moving to Event Merchandising – working with the Goldsmith Family, where he held the position of Sales Director for 10 years. Malcolm joined Martin Varley at Dowlis Corporate Solutions to form a new division – Dowlis Media Promotions. Dowlis, soon after, acquired Distinctive Ideas, the Northwood distributor, and Malcolm was installed as Managing Director where he led the company during its period of profound organic growth. Malcolm has spent three successful years as Sales Manager at Merchandise Mania and, most recently, was Sales Manager at TC Group. Malcolm commented, “Really, since leaving Merchandise Mania after its acquisition by Inner Workings, I have been searching for a challenge and a Company that not only matched my aspirations, but also my strong desire to channel my 25 years’ experience into new and creative areas. The meetings I had with Robin Lyon-Smith convinced me that he and Hatton most definitely share my ambitions - with the Company growing and evolving at an impressive pace. At this point in my career, the opportunity is just a perfect fit for me and I feel completely energised and excited about the role. I will be dividing my time between Hatton’s Head Office in Exeter and my office in London.” Robin Lyon-Smith, Hatton Textiles International’s Managing Director says, “We are absolutely delighted to welcome Malcolm to the Hatton team. His experience, ambition and drive will be invaluable to us and, having spoken to prominent industry figures, I am aware of just how popular and highly-regarded he is. The team and I look forward to a great working relationship with him.”0Read More