The offer, it turns out, was something of a lastditch effort. The other considerations on the table were merging with another regional association or closing MiPPA’s doors altogether. But Kiewiet accepted the challenge. There was, however, a catch: The association had no money. “It literally had less than $10,000 left in reserves and was running on fumes,” Kiewiet says. Worse still, his predecessor had not been correctly filing taxes, and in his first few weeks on the job, Kiewiet received a $5,800 bill from the IRS. For the next two years, he tediously advised the board on digging MiPPA out of its hole, rotating board meetings at the homes of board members. By 2014, it was time for a risk. Kiewiet proposed an end-user show at Ford Field. Inviting end users to trade shows was still largely frowned upon a decade ago, seen as a typically unsuccessful venture, but Kiewiet wanted to get distributors and their clients to be able to share an experience together and to credit MiPPA for that experience. It was a big swing. “It’s either hit a home run or strike out,” says Shereda, who was not on the board at the time. “Striking out meant that MiPPA would go away.” Shereda was actually one of the idea’s early skeptics, uninterested in bringing clients to that first Promotions That ROAR. Now, QMI Group purchases one of the stadium’s biggest hospitality suites to host 70 or so clients every year. That first year, the event was revenue positive. You could say the rest is history, but it was Kiewiet’s attention to detail every successive year that grew the event into a must-attend. “It’s good to reflect on how far we’ve come,” Kiewiet said from a Ford Field suite looking out over more than 1,000 people – 800 distributors and end users and 120 exhibiting suppliers. Jake Wylonis, the director of events on MiPPA’s board and president of SWAG Consultants, based in Novi, Michigan, just west of Detroit, says that, at this point, Promotions That ROAR is doing a service to a city that has been trying to revitalize itself for the past 10 years. “Bringing this event to Ford Field was not only good for MiPPA but good for the city,” Wylonis says. “It’s great to have all our clients out here and show them what we can do in Detroit.” Massive Change And Opportunity Coming’ It’s hard to imagine that anyone who knows Kiewiet, who has since remarried, doubts that Must Read | Paul Kiewiet 56 • DECEMBER 2024 • PPAI
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