PPB July 2015

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JULY 2015 • PPB • 79
Business leaders and innovators will be in Nashville, Tennessee,
August 9-11 for the 2015 PPAI North American Leadership
Conference (NALC), to be held at the Omni Nashville. The event
brings together leaders from companies across the industry, and
experts from within and outside the promotional products field to
delve into today’s issues, ideas and the challenges.
This year, NALC will address how technology is changing the way
companies do business and how other industries have adapted with
change. The conference’s schedule explores disruptive innovation, the
future of digital marketing, and strategic planning through the “hype
cycle” of changing technologies, as well the music industry’s experience
in surviving the threat the internet brought to that industry.
Additionally, NALC will focus on developing leadership skills and
incorporating corporate responsibility. Conference sessions will look at
how to improve performance through emotional intelligence; refining
business acumen, creativity and change resilience through mindfulness;
leadership styles and driving customer loyalty. To learn more about
NALC and to register, visit
leadership-conference.
This second annual PPAI Technology Summit will be held in
Nashville immediately after NALC, August 11-12. The Summit
brings together industry IT professionals at all levels to share best
practices and case studies, and to discuss critical topics such as order
management and some of the solutions available. This year’s event is
sold out but interested individuals can be added to the 2015
Technology Summit wait-list or sign up for updates on the 2016
Technology Summit by contacting PPAI Director of Professional
Development Rachel Robichaud at .
NALC To Bring Industry Leaders To Nashville This August
The PPAI board held its quarterly
meeting on May 19 in Arlington,
Virginia, in advance of PPAI’s
Legislative Education & Action Day,
with board chair Rick Brenner,
MAS+ presiding. In the two days
preceding, the board met for a
planning session to consider the
industry’s future and discuss key
issues facilitated by board Member-
at-Large David Nicholson. Greg
Melia, CAE, chief membership and
volunteer relations officer at ASAE’s
The Center for Association
Leadership, prepped the group
with his kick-off luncheon presenta-
tion, “Association Innovation:
Prepare to Lead Your Association
into the Future.”
Following are a few highlights
from the board meeting:
• A.J. Hunter, director of finance,
announced that PPAI’s 2014 audit
was complete and the
Association received an unquali-
fied audit opinion from audit firm
BDO. PPAI presented a strong
balance sheet and continues to
operate with a positive change in
net assets. The board accepted
the audit report, management
letter and financial statement as
presented.
• Anne Lardner-Stone, director of
public affairs, provided an
overview on PPAI’s public affairs
program with a focus on govern-
ment relations outreach. She
shared the PPAI legislative agenda
which includes tax reform legisla-
tion that could threaten inde-
pendent contractor classifications
and limit advertising deductions,
continued threats on “waste,
fraud and abuse,” and pressure
to renew and expand GSP. She
also briefed the group on the sta-
tus of PPAI’s Product Safety
Awareness program.
• Rachel Robichaud, director of
professional development,
provided the board with current
registration numbers and spon-
sorship levels for all live events.
She reported that all numbers are
on track with or ahead of 2014
data.
• Carol Gauger, director of mem-
ber engagement and regional
relations, informed the board that
the executive committee had rec-
ommended Sherri Lennarson,
MAS, be recognized with the
Woman of Achievement Award for
2015. The board unanimously
approved the recommendation.
• Keith Vincent, director of mar-
keting, provided an update on an
industry branding initiative that will
position the industry as more than
a commodity and support the
industry distribution channel to
select target markets. The board
unanimously approved funding for
the project.
• Bob McLean, executive vice
president, reported that the
Imprinted Sportswear Show will
not co-locate with The PPAI Expo
in 2016 but will consider it for
2017. ISS will co-locate with Expo
East 2016 and has agreed to shift
its show pattern to a Thursday-
Saturday pattern, pending finaliza-
tion of certain show logistics.
May PPAI Board Meeting Begins With Planning Session