TREVOSE, PA – March 10, 2009 – The ASI Show announced that its New York tradeshow posted strong attendance of nearly 2,800 distributors from 1,338 firms, up more than 7% from 1,247 firms last year.

Education day attracted nearly 450 distributors – up about 8% from a year ago.

“We’re thrilled with a strong showing in New York City,” said Timothy M. Andrews, president of The ASI Show and president and chief executive officer of ASI. “Instead of backing down in the face of tough times, ASI is delivering one great show after another. Add New York’s numbers to the terrific attendance at ASI Orlando in January and a record-setter in Dallas and we have delivered the industry’s most successful first-quarter shows.”

In addition to education, networking and entertainment, attendees were energized in a keynote presentation by best-selling author Mary Lou Quinlan, called “the Oprah of Madison Avenue” by The Wall Street Journal.

With more distributors within the New York City metro area than any other region in the country, ASI New York provides a dynamic environment for suppliers and distributors to conduct business. The show, held March 8-10 at The Javits Center, featured thousands of new products and services for the start of the year and delivered 427 suppliers, including 125+ that weren't at ASI New York last year and 267 that aren't scheduled to be at Promotions East. In addition, distributors attended over 40 education workshops, sponsored by Fields Mfg. asi/54100.

Nearly 500 distributors, decorators and suppliers attended a very special “Evening at The Top of the Rock” on the 64th floor of Rockefeller Center, with a gourmet banquet and sweeping views of the glittering Manhattan skyline.

Numerous enhancements provided additional benefits for distributors and suppliers in New York, including:

• More education. Over 70% of education offerings in New York were new, including a “distributor success” track. A “supplier clinics” program designed specifically for ad specialty suppliers provided actionable examples of how to manage business in a challenging environment. Overall, nearly 450 distributors attended education sessions. 
• 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.
• 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 New York, and for each of the two remaining ASI Shows in 2009.
• Daily Live ASI Radio broadcasts. Before exhibits open each day on Monday and Tuesday, ASI’s Internet radio show broadcasted live from 9:30-10 a.m. Visit asicentral.com/radio to listen to recordings of the shows anytime. 

Attendees say ASI responded to current market conditions with added benefits that helped them make every marketing dollar count.

“Our distributors really get a lot out of attending the ASI Shows,” said distributor Forrest Fairley of Safeguard Business Systems Inc. (asi/316203). “They pick up a lot of information that they don’t normally get day to day and that’s really a strong, beneficial thing. The trade show floor gives them the opportunity to acquire a better sense of the industry, along with exposure to new products, ideas and solutions.”

Suppliers were pleased with the quality of attendees and with the traffic during the two exhibition days.

“The show was fantastic,” said Jason Emery of Logomark (asi/67866). “Attendees came looking to do business. Most importantly, as opposed to other shows that we have done, people came here and left to sell our ideas. Distributors were looking for specific projects and solutions. We were actually closing orders on the show floor.”

The strong attendance in New York - added to ASI’s record-breaking show in Dallas in February and strong showing in Orlando in January - is setting the pace for an optimistic year. The next ASI Show is in Chicago in July.

Distributors can register for The ASI Show in Chicago and the new ASI Holiday & Incentives Expo in Las Vegas at asishow.com. Exhibition space is available in Chicago and Las Vegas, and suppliers may 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 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 trade show experience. The ASI Show has experienced growing attendance since its inception in 1998, and hosts shows in five major cities (Orlando, Dallas, New York, Chicago and Las Vegas). In January 2006, The 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 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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