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perspectives
Tom Goos, MAS
Chair of the Board
Going The Distance
P
reparing to race a triathlon requires
concentrated preparation and the ability
to juggle three separate but all important
disciplines.There’s building a base of fitness
to establish endurance, threshold training to
push your body to levels youmight think is not
possible, and getting into the right mindset so
that you can train the body to respond to
themind.
Stepping into the role of PPAI board chair
required a similar, deliberate focus to ensure a
solid foundation of knowledge and processes,
and tomap a plan tomanage the board chair
responsibilities while keeping up withmy
business and personal life. As of this writing I’m
on the final quarter of the run as my termnears
the finish line atThe PPAI Expo inmid-January.
It’s been a fast one—the past 11months—and
your Association has covered a lot of ground
with a number of well-attended shows,
incredible events and first-of-a-kind programs
designed to strengthen our industry.
Before I finish that final mile as your board
chair, let’s take a look back at some of the
brightest moments in 2016.
My termgot off to a great start atThe PPAI
Expo 2016 with 11,700 attendees frommore
than 4,300 companies, and 1,325 exhibitors—
including 182 new companies—in 3,200 booths
within a newly configured floor plan at the
Mandalay Bay Convention Center.
This showwas also the first PPAI Expo in
which all exhibitors, sponsors and advertisers
had achieved the Product Safety Aware
status. Getting to this point was a huge
accomplishment because it’s critical that
promotional professionals are knowledgeable
andmindful about selling safe products.
InMarch, we again brought a quality trade
show to the East Coast with Expo East in Atlantic
City.The show reflected our investment in a
powerful education programand captivating
speakers such as Seth Godin.
Amonth later I was off to Hong Kong and
China to represent PPAI on the international
stage at the 2016 Hong Kong Gifts & Premium
Fair where I spoke about the value of our supply
chain and how to sell to U.S. suppliers. While
inHong Kong, PPAI President and CEO Paul
Bellantone, CAE and I also presented to several
global industry groups.
InMay, our entire board and PPAI
management teamconvened inWashington,
D.C., to update PPAI’s Strategic Plan.The
intensive two-day work session led to the
development of your Associationmoving from
transactional to relational as well as a new PPAI
mission statement, and a fresh set of goals
including one focusing on strategic foresight.
I was never more proud of our board and staff
than when we put our heads together and
looked at the issues strategically to prepare the
Association tomeet the future and best serve its
members. With change coming at our industry
fromevery direction, our exceptionally strong
three-year vision and strategic direction will
help us stay on top of emerging trends, be alert
to opportunities, and help keep our members
ahead of the curve.
A day later I was honored tomeet up with
more than 80 PPAI members and staff on
Capitol Hill for this year’s Legislative Education
and Action Day. Over two days we conducted
nearly 250 visits with legislators and their aides
from30 states to discuss vital industry issues. I
came away truly inspired by the passion of our
industry colleagues and encouraged that our
voices are being heard.
Throughout the summer there were several
superb opportunities for PPAI leadership and
members to meet as we convened for Women’s
Leadership Conference, North American
Leadership Conference, Technology Summit
and Product Responsibility Summit. Each of
these PPAI events reinforced the Association’s
undisputed place as the industry’s leader
in bringing together business owners and
marketing professionals to learn about,
discuss, explore and debate the significant
issues we face.
By September, Paul, SanMar’s Marty
Lott and I were off to the UK to speak at the
British Promotional Merchandise Association
show—just one example of themany
opportunities I’ve had this year to represent
PPAI at industry associations and companies.
September also signaled the rollout of
one of PPAI’s largest andmost exciting
initiatives yet—the Get In Touch! campaign,
a five-year, multimillion-dollar branding
initiative targeting advertising buyers to
increase awareness and improve industry
perception. It’s another big step in the right
direction in creating visibility and viability
around the value of promotional products.
This year has been a whirlwind for me
personally and a very active and dynamic
one for our board and PPAI as we recognize
the significance of our mediumand the
power of our member companies to keep
themomentummoving upward.
In January, my successor, Mary Jo Tomasini,
MAS, will assume her role as chair of the board
along with Dale Denham, MAS+, chair-elect. We
will also welcome three new boardmembers:
Danny Rosin and SharonWillochell, who were
elected this fall, and D’Anna Zimmer, CAS, who
was appointed as RACDelegate to the Board.
As I cross the finish line and takemy
seat as immediate past chair, it will be
with sincerest gratitude for all those who
had a role in PPAI’s rousing success in
2016. It’s been quite a race!
I came away truly inspired by the
passion of our industry colleagues and
encouraged that our voices are being heard.
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NOVEMBER 2016
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