PPB October 2018

by James Khattak NALC Tackles Differentiation, Tax Reform, AI AndMore In a city rich with history and tradition yet churning with powerful new ideas and vision, Washington, D.C., was the backdrop for this year’s PPAI North American Leadership Conference (NALC). The annual conference was held in August at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and hosted more than 140 top movers and shakers from across the industry. “The Washington, D.C., location allowed us to take advantage of some of the talent in the area and to bring some discussion about the impact of government policies,” explains Larry Cohen, CAS, president of Axis Promotions and chair of the NALC Work Group. “The goal was to be as apolitical as possible while educating attendees on some of the implications of recent legislation such as the tax bill and other policies.” He adds that organizers also made a concerted effort to bring new attendees to the meeting, including a younger demographic. “One of the things people love the most about this event is the ability to network with their peers, competitors and supplier and distributor partners; therefore, diversity of attendees is key.” Adding to the mix of generations at the conference was the annual presentation of this year’s PPB Rising Stars during NALC’s opening dinner and reception. Nineteen young go-getters were recognized following a thought-provoking ethics presentation by CPSC Commissioner Robert S. Adler. Monday’s programming opened with a general session on creating loyalty in businesses by speaker Andrew Davis; a panel discussion on industry issues featuring three PPB Rising Stars that was led by PPAI Chair-Elect Brittany David, CAS; Speaker Andrew Davis opened the conference with his general session on the loyalty loop and how small things add up to big business. | OCTOBER 2018 | 101 CONNECT