TREVOSE, PA – January 5, 2009 – ASI Show announced today that its Orlando show posted strong attendance, with preliminary distributor attendance of about 5,200, equivalent to last year, from more than 2,000 distributor firms.

In addition to education, networking and entertainment, attendees were energized by a two-hour business and personal coaching session by Tony Robbins, who has worked with the most successful entertainment, sports and business and political leaders in the world. The 1,200-seat auditorium was packed and much of the session was spent with distributors and suppliers on their feet interacting with each other and Tony Robbins, as he explained how to capture market share, grow your business and flourish in challenging personal and business times.

Motivational expert Tony Robbins fires up attendees at the ASI Show Orlando.

“We are excited to deliver this successful show to our members at such a critical time in our industry,” said Timothy M. Andrews, president of ASI Show. “There’s no way someone didn’t leave the two hours with Tony Robbins without having a positive outlook on their business and their life as we enter 2009. More than ever, I believe ASI Orlando has positioned suppliers and distributors for a strong performance in the coming year.”

The Orlando event, held January 3-5 at the Orange County Convention Center, was the industry’s first national show of the year and largest event on the East Coast. ASI Orlando delivered 800 suppliers, over 85 education workshops (sponsored by Fields Mfg., asi/54100), networking that included the Gala Celebration at Universal Studios (sponsored by SnugZ USA, asi/88060) and the keynote by motivational star Tony Robbins (sponsored by Broder Bros. Co., asi/42090).

Thousands of attendees participated in the opening celebration of the ASI Show Orlando.

Numerous enhancements provided additional benefits for distributors and suppliers in Orlando, who took advantage of: 

• More education.  Over 70% of education offerings in Orlando were new, including a “distributor success” track, which attracted nearly 300 distributors. A “supplier clinics” program was also launched, designed to provide actionable examples of how to manage business in a challenging environment. Overall, more than 2,100 distributors attended education sessions.
  
  
• Inaugural Million-Dollar Sales Summit.  Specifically created for distributor account executives who sell $1 million dollars or more annually, this program provided the 40 participants with a multimedia presentation that included the results from the ASI advertising specialty effectiveness study and examples of how the results could be used to increase sales.
  
  
• The ASI 2009 Fashion Show.  Featured hot new looks in corporate casual apparel from top industry suppliers, such as Dunbrooke, Hanes, Perry Ellis and Reebok. More than 600 attendees previewed new 2009 looks in corporate and casual apparel from top industry suppliers, such as Dunbrooke, Global Traders and Suppliers Inc., Hanes/Outer Banks, Perry Ellis International, Charles River Apparel and Reebok.
  
  
• Improved Technology.  Upgraded technology and self-service kiosks streamlined registration to get suppliers onto the show floor more quickly on setup day, while distributors enjoyed a brighter, more accessible registration area with shorter lines.  The 8’ x 12’ jumbotron featured video recaps, supplier specials and the latest show news.
  
  
• Advantages New Product Digest.  Featuring the hottest items for 2009 from the Advantages products showcase in one catalog, with description, company booth number and ASI number for easy reference.
  
  
• Fresh Branding.  New colors, designs and badges individually branded for Orlando, and for each of the five ASI shows in 2009. 

Attendees say ASI responded to current market conditions with added benefits that helped them make every marketing dollar count.  
 
"The best gift ASI could have given the industry was Tony Robbins," said Jeanne Slack, sales representative for JS Promotions Inc. (asi/232749). "I noticed a big change in people's attitudes today as opposed to yesterday's show - shifting from being focused on a weak fourth quarter to how strong they can perform in 2009."

“Our 2009 Orlando show experience has been excellent,” said distributor Gary Tuchler, vice president, Brown & Bigelow (asi/148500). “There was a certain amount of negativity through the fall and a lot of people were really concerned going into 2009, but this show has been extremely energizing for me and my people.”

Supplier John Lindgren, marketing manager for SanMar (asi/84863), said, “The show has exceeded our expectations as far as attendance and the quality of the customers that we’ve been seeing. We’re above numbers from last year as far as booth scans go.”

“This year’s show may have been the busiest that I’ve been to and I’ve attended practically all of them,” said supplier Dave Saracino, sales director of BIC Graphics (asi/40480). “With yesterday’s booth traffic, we ran out of products a little earlier than we would have liked to because it was very busy and well received. We’ve had a great show and we see great things for the future if this is any sign of things to come.”

The strong attendance in Orlando is setting the pace for an optimistic year, and pre-registrations for the next ASI Show in Dallas in February continue to increase.

Distributors can register for the ASI Show in Dallas, New York City, Chicago and Las Vegas at www.asishow.com, and suppliers can contact Karen DiTomasso, sales director, at kditomasso@asicentral.com or at 1-800-546-3300. 

About ASI
Advertising Specialty Institute is the largest media and marketing organization serving the advertising specialty industry, with a membership of over 26,000 distributor firms (sellers) and supplier firms (manufacturers) of advertising specialties.  Supplier firms use ASI print and electronic resources to market products to over 22,000 ASI distributor firms.  Distributor firms use ASI print and electronic resources, which contain nearly every product in the industry from more than 3,500 reputable suppliers, to locate supplier firms and to market services to buyers.  ASI provides catalogs, information directories, newsletters, magazines, websites and databases, and offers e-commerce, marketing and selling tools.  Visit www.asicentral.com.

About ASI Show
The ASI Show was created for ASI member distributors and suppliers and attracts more than 30,000 attendees annually.  Offering a full education conference, networking opportunities and a manageable one-floor layout, the ASI Show provides a complete tradeshow experience.  The ASI Show has experienced growing attendance since its inception in 1998, and hosts shows in five major cities (Orlando, Dallas, Las Vegas, New York and Chicago).  In January 2006, ASI Show launched the Advantages Roadshow, a traveling show visiting over 70 top cities throughout the country.  In addition, the Stitches Roadshow brings embroidery professionals together with suppliers and is being conducted in six cities this year.  Visit www.asishow.com. 

Contact

Dawn Marie,
Executive director of corporate communications

Email industry news and press releases to Chris Ruvo, Digital News Director and Promogram Editor at cruvo@asicentral.com

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