PPB December 2020

LDWAt Home Looks AtThe Industry AndWhere Regionals Can Go FromHere This year, the annual Leadership Development Workshop (LDW), hosted by PPAI and the Regional Association Council (RAC), was delivered to attendees’ homes and offices. Now in its 21st year, LDWwas held virtually on October 14-16 as LDW at Home. The event continued to support regional leaders and foster relationships among regional associations in the promotional products industry with comprehensive training and networking opportunities. “What a strange year! With the sad news that the in-person LDW event in Texas was cancelled, the question was, ‘Well, now what?’,” says Rena Ashfeld, an LDW co-chair and incoming RAC board president. “We knew that we wanted to get the community together still, but how? Will it be as good? Will people attend? All the doubts and worries vanished as we discussed how strong our LDW group is. We knew we wanted to do the event live, so we got to work. We were very pleased that we were able to open it up to the full board of each regional to attend and benefit from this terrific event. Our speakers were tremendous, and it really turned out great; we were so pleased! We know that everyone’s time is valuable, and it is our hope that everyone who attended benefited from LDW at Home.” Brandon Samuel, account manager with commonsku and Tri-State Promotional Professionals Association (TSPPA) board vice president, says, “This year marked my second LDW, and like everything else in 2020, it was very different, but that didn’t stop it from providing exceptional value and having a blast. By this point in time, we are all used to Zoommeetings and probably digital events, too. Some have been good, some have been ... ‘learning experiences,’ but LDW at Home was one of the good ones.” First-timer Laura Munari, MAS, executive director for the Arizona Promotional Products Association (AzPPA) and the Rocky Mountain Region Promotional Products Association (RMRPPA), adds, “I love this community. I have been in the promo industry for 10 years as a distributor and started as an executive director last December. I have always felt welcome no matter the location or event, however, the camaraderie at this event was stellar. Even though LDWwas virtual, you could still feel the warmth and friendship. I loved the banter on the main stage, just casual conversation as people were beginning to filter in. I also appreciated that you could still have those side conversations and shout outs that were going on in the chat feature.” Over its three-day schedule, LDW at Home ran on a 2 – 5 pmCT schedule on Wednesday and Thursday before transitioning to a 9 am – 2pmCT schedule on Friday. “Transitioning from an in-person event to a virtual one is challenging; to make that virtual event engaging in a world deluged with Zoommeetings was infinitely more difficult,” says Bill Petrie, LDW co-chair. “However, we took on that challenge and developed targeted content, ensured it was relevant to the audience and worked diligently to make each and every touchpoint as personal as possible. We did this by keeping sessions shorter, adding more breaks, delivering tangible promotional products to the door of each attendee, and by taking some of the fun of the in-person LDW (social hour at the bar) 98 | DECEMBER 2020 | CONNECT