PPB July 2020

PromoPoll Collects And Shares Industry Pros’ Opinions On Top Issues In lateMay, PPAI launched PromoPoll on PPB Newslink , a quick, informal, twice-weekly poll that captures a snapshot of opinions on a wide range of current topics. In its opening weeks, PromoPoll asked four questions to gauge opinions on related concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic: • “Where do you think we are on the timeline of COVID-19’s impact on our industry?” —40 percent said “in the middle,” 31 percent said “still in the beginning,” 23 percent said “we’ve hit the bottom and are close to starting to climb out of it,” and six percent said they were not sure. • “When do you think you’ll be comfortable going to a trade show?” —32 percent said September, five percent said November, 22 percent said January and 41 percent said they were not sure. • “Which, if any, would affect your attendance at a trade show?” —53 percent said “crowds on the show floor,” 16 percent said “flights and car services in the show city,” 12 percent said “cleanliness of convention center and hotel” and 18 percent said none of the above. • “When will you feel safe to travel by air?” — 49 percent said they were not sure, 36 percent said September, eight percent said January and seven percent said November. To participate in the latest polls and see how your industry peers have responded to other topical questions, visit pubs.ppai.org/polls. PPAI Volunteer Spotlight: Kevin Flynn, MAS Volunteers from the promotional products industry are an important and vital part of PPAI’s success. This third installment of an ongoing PPB series introducing the volunteers and initiatives that have helped make the Association what it is today, focuses on Kevin Flynn, MAS, director of sales at distributor TBK Promotions in Chicago, Illinois, and a member of PPAI’s Research Committee. Flynn started volunteering in his teens, something that he says was encouraged by his mother’s own philanthropic involvement. “Since I have been alive, my mother has held at least one volunteer position,” says Flynn. “My first ‘job’ was a volunteer receptionist for a nonprofit. I guess I have always been exposed and see firsthand what a volunteer group can accomplish. Doing it for love of the cause and not personal monetary gain is personally fulfilling to me.” With that said, volunteer work can pay professional dividends. Flynn notes, “I can honestly say that the network of people I have today has been greatly increased due to my volunteer work. From my banking relationship to our top suppliers, many of them have resulted from someone I worked side by side with as a volunteer. Our business has grown and become far more profitable due to the people I have met inside and outside of the industry as a result of my volunteerism.” As with so many of the volunteers who make PPAI’s accomplishments possible, Flynn is also involved in causes supporting his community. He says, “Last year, I helped a good friend do a fundraiser for LOSS, an outreach program for survivors of suicide. While I am not a person with a Rolodex of calls to big donors, I am a person who is good at finding resources to accomplish tasks. In the end, that event turned in about $800,000 in profit for the cause. Currently, my only ongoing volunteer work is with our local church and school. I spend time helping the two major fundraisers there, which raise about $200,000 annually to offset tuition costs.” 86 | JULY 2020 | CONNECT