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Dear Members:

ARA Regional Education Events allow you to expand your skills and acquire CEU credits without traveling to an ARA trade show. These one- and two-day events are held at the facilities of hosting supplier companies. Each occasion is also a good opportunity to learn more about the hosting supplier's products and to network with your colleagues in the industry.

Rowmark will host the next Education Event on July 26–27, in Findlay, OH.

N & R International will host an Education Event on August 11. It will be held at the Hilton Atlanta Northeast in Norcross, GA. Click here for program information and to register.

The following are more ARA Regional Education Events scheduled for 2007. See the list below to find a location near you.

N & R International Inc. Norcross, GA—August 11
Plastic Dress-Up South El Monte, CA—September 7–8
Continental Trophies Dallas, TX—September 15
Digital Art Solutions Tempe, AZ—September 28
Johnson Plastics Minneapolis, MN—October 20

An ARA Canadian Education Event also will be held in Toronto, Ontario, November, 17, 2007. For more information, please visit www.ara.org, or e-mail ARA Education Manager Daniel Weinstock at dweinstock@connect2amc.com.

Ed Hunt Signature

"Seeking Perfection"

News & Notes

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Special ARA Seminar at the Texas Trophy and Awards Show

Fred Schwartz of Quality One Engravers will present "101+ Shop, Rotary, Laser and Safety Tips" at the Texas Trophy and Awards Show (July 26–28) at the Moody Gardens Hotel in Galveston, TX. Schwartz's seminar takes place on Saturday, July 28, from 8 to 9:30 am. Click here to register for the seminar, or call 800/ 344-2148. Note that to attend the Texas Trophy and Awards Show you need to register separately by calling 800/ 433-0965.


ARA Industry Trends and Price Survey Report

The ARA 2006 Industry Trends and Price Survey Report is now available! The results are fascinating and they are available only toARA members here. Here are just three of the findings from the survey, which asked both members and nonmembers detailed questions about the state of the industry and their particular business:

  • ARA member businesses make more money than nonmembers.

  • ARA members are more optimistic about their businesses than nonmembers.

  • ARA members spend less on labor than nonmembers.

The 70-page report is an objective look at our corner of the business world. It is more than a snapshot of trends in the industry; it is a guide that you can refer to over and over to improve your business practices and learn how you compare to others in your region and across the nation.


Improved ARA Online Buyer's Guide

Here are a few reasons why the new ARA Online Buyer's Guide is better, faster, and extremely valuable:

  • The new online ARA Buyer's Guide allows members to search for specific products using very specific criteria, making it a much more robust and useful tool than the former paper book.

  • Images of the actual products are displayed in the search results, along with contact information for the supplier offering them. There are tens of thousands of products available to search through in the new directory.

  • Suppliers can upload new products at any time, and their contact information is constantly updated. Suppliers can also remove and deactivate products at any time, so you don't have to scroll through unavailable product listings.

  • Shifting to this new online buyer's guide greatly enhances ARA members' ability to find products.

To view the Buyer's Guide, click here. Use the same login ID and password you use for the "Members Only" section of the ARA Web site. ARA encourages all members to take a look at your new ARA Online Buyer's Guide and tell us what you think!


New Member Benefit!

Download ARA Seminars from ARA Web Site

If you couldn't make it to The 2007 ARA International Awards Market in Las Vegas, ARA is pleased to announce that it has made available in PDF form, with the permission of the session speakers, several ARA seminar downloads.

To access this useful information:

  1. Go to www.ara.org.
  2. Click on the Education tab on the left side of the home page.
  3. Click on "Seminar Downloads," which will prompt you to log in as an ARA member.
  4. Choose from seminar title, speaker name, or keyword to find the presentation you want to download.

NOTE: No CEU credit will be awarded to enrollees in the ARA certification program for downloading and reviewing these seminar PDFs.


NEW ARA Educational CDs Now Available

The CDs were recorded from three popular seminars at the 2007 International Awards Market in Las Vegas: Showroom Design: Is That All Ya Got? (Roy Brewer, CRM); What Your Rotary Engraver Does Best (Fred Schwartz); and How to Sell Awards to Large Businesses (Gordon Grabill). The CDs (each is sold individually ) cost $29.95 for members, $59.95 for nonmembers;. Visit www.ara.org to get more information and to order these informative CDs.


Customized Shipping Discounts for ARA Members!

Through a unique partnership, ARA has made it easy for members to save on all types of shipping services. We've teamed up with the leading transportation providers in the industry, including Yellow Transportation, Roadway Express, UPS Supply Chain Solutions, DHL, USF & New Penn. Whether you ship envelopes, packages, or heavy freight, these carriers have a solution.

  • Save at least 52% with Yellow and Roadway on North American LTL freight

  • Save 20% on International air freight and 45% on heavy North American air freight with UPS Supply Chain Solutions

  • Save up to 25% with DHL on express air, ground, and international services

  • Save at least 52% with USF and New Penn on regional, next day less than truckload freight services throughout the U.S. and parts of Canada regional next day less than truckload

To take advantage of your ARA member benefits, or to find out how much you can save on your next shipment, call your shipping benefit consultants at 800/MEMBERS (636-2377), ext. 303. For more information about the ARA Shipping Program, click here.

ARA Calendar

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July 26–27

ARA Education Event

Rowmark LLC

Findlay, OH

877/ROWMARK

www.ara.org

www.rowmark.com


July 26–28

Texas Trophy and Awards Show

Moody Gardens Hotel

Galveston, TX

Set-up Day, July 26

Exhibits Open, July 27–28

800/433-0965


August 11

ARA Education Event

N & R International

Norcross, GA

800/344-2148

www.ara.org

www.etchedstone.com


September7–8

ARA Education Event

Plastic Dress-Up

South El Monte, CA

800/800-7711

www.ara.org

www.pdu.com


September 15

ARA Education Event

Continental Trophies

Bartlett, TN

800/289-0400

www.ara.org

www.continentaltrophies.com


September 28

ARA Education Event

Digital Art Solutions

Tempe, AZ

800/959-7627

www.ara.org

www.smartdesigns.com


October 20

ARA Education Event

Johnson Plastics

Minneapolis, MN

800/869-7800

www.ara.org

www.johnsonplastics.com


November 17

ARA Education Event

Toronta, On., Canada

800/344-2148

www.ara.org

dweinstock@connect2amc.com


January 14–17, 2008

CorelDRAW Boot Camp Cruise

Miami/Eastern Caribbean

800/736-8973

www.unleash.com


February 25–29, 2008

2008 ARA International Awards Market

Las Vegas Convention Center

800/344-2148

www.ara.org

RR Highlights




July 2007

Recognition Review July '07


Beginning with the July 2007 issue of Recognition Review, ARA will distribute your magazine electronically in addition to the standard printed and mailed issue. If you didn't get a copy via e-mail, please let us know by sending a message with your store name and address to info@ara.org.

 

 

 


Ask the Experts





If you're an ARA member with computer access, simply visit www.ara.org, log in to the "Members-Only" section using your member number, and select ARA Ask an Expert. Find the topic and expert you're looking for, then ask your question(s). More often than not, the ARA expert will have the solution you need.

? Could you give me some tips for customers about how to properly present an award at a ceremony?

Richard and Laurie Schaefer of Awards & More respond:

Your customer took the time to pick out the award and select the wording. That person will likely be part of the presentation because they know why the award is being given and what it looks like. Here are some tips for making the moment a special one.
  • Remove the award from the box or packaging beforehand.

  • Remember, the audience is curious to see what the recipient is receiving. Show the audience the award, read the inscription, and present it to the recipient.

  • After the recipient takes possession of the award, have him or her turn and display it again for the audience.

  • Please be aware that during most presentations, someone will want to take a photo. Do your best to position the recipient and his or her award clearly in the photographer's view, along with other ceremony participants.

  • For custom-made orders, attach a personal customer note with the award that says something like "We hope you like this award and feel proud in presenting it. Above all, we hope the recipient feels very special to receive it. We thank you for your patronage, and hope to serve you again in the very near future."

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4700 Lake Avenue, Glenview, IL 60025