Dear ARA Member:

Your participation in and your feedback from 2008 ARA Regional Education Events has been fantastic. Here’s what some of you have told us about your experiences:

• “The Engraving Concepts education event was so well done that I don’t know how to recommend any improvement!”
• “The information Pradhan Balter gave us was very helpful. We will see a great return on our investment for attending his seminar!”
• “Rowmark’s education event was my first ARA event and quite a learning experience. I thought the company and its event speakers did an excellent job.”
• "ARA Education Events are always great. I get much information—from instructors, the hosting staff, and other attendees. ARA should sponsor more regional meetings like this throughout the year."

The 1- and 2-day ARA Regional Education Event events now being held around are proving to be great opportunities to partake in informative seminars, improve your awards knowledge, network with fellow ARA members, enjoy great hospitality, and receive a facilities tour of the sponsoring company.

Even better, if you are enrolled in the ARA Certification Program you will earn CEU credits. All seminars will conform to ARA’s standards for quality and adhere to its policy of non-product promotion and compliance with anti-trust regulations.

See the News and Notes section below for featured classes and descriptions of upcoming ARA Education Events sponsored by Western Trophy & Sign Supply and GML Enterprises. To see the entire schedule of ARA Regional Education Events for 2008, click here.

Sincerely,

Cathy Garcia
President
Awards and Recognition Association

Education Event at Western Trophy & Sign Supply

Saturday, August 23, Portland, OR

• “Introduction to Sublimation: the Big Picture in Nine Essential Steps” Instructors: Jim and Matt Woodhouse
• “Sublimation: Case Studies in Profit Growth – Increase Revenues by 20% this Year” Instructors: Jim and Matt Woodhouse
• “What’s New in the Latest Version of CorelDRAW & Corel PHOTO-PAINT” Instructor: John McDaniel

Click here to register

Regional Education Event at GML Enterprises

Saturday, September 13, Atlanta, GA

• “Success Tactics for the Laser Engraving Entrepreneur” Instructor: Tom “Buzz” Bernard
• “Advanced Sandblasting Crystal, Glass, & Stone for the Awards Industry” Instructors: Abdul Amlani and Andy Kite
• “Solutions Clinic for Sublimation” Instructor: Mike Onushco
• “Working Smarter with CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4” Instructor: Marc Bech

Click here to register

Two ARA Seminars at Texas Trophy & Awards Show

The Texas Trophy & Awards Show takes place Friday and Saturday August 1–2, in Galveston, TX. The annual show will feature the following two ARA seminars:

• Friday, August 1, 8–9:30 am—“Marketing on a Shoestring” Instructor: Fran Carville, CRM
• Saturday, August 2, 8–9:30 am—“Applying CorelDRAW Techniques to Create Identification Products” Instructor: Robert Hensley

For details about these seminars and to register, click here. Please note: A separate registration is required to attend the Texas Trophy & Awards Show. To register, please visit http://www.texastrophyshow.com/.

Affordable Web sites for ARA Members

The Jestus Company specializes in economical Web site development and ECommerce solutions. ARA members can call Tom Jestus at 651/226-8646 and mention their ARA affiliation for special pricing. Visit the Jestus Web site at http://www.thejestuscompany.com/. ARA, through its ARA Member Savings Program, intends to continually provide members with cost-effective business solutions. For more member savings benefits, visit ARASavings.com or call Mark Schiavone at 941/330-8050.

Key: * - Indicate an ARA show

July 30–August 2 Texas Trophy and Awards Show Moody Gardens Hotel Galveston, TX 682/429-5248 Cribbon1@sbcglobal.net Note: ARA seminars will be on August 1–2	August 23* ARA Education Event Western Trophy & Sign Supply Portland, OR [more info]
September 13 * ARA Education Event GML Enterprises Atlanta, GA [more info]	September 13–14 * ARA Louisiana Branch Event Shreveport/Bossier City, LA acadtrop@bellsouth.net (337/235-7408)
October 4 * ARA Education Event Continental Awards & Trophies Newark, DE [more info]	October 11 * ARA Education Event Identification Plates, Inc. Mesquite, TX [more info]
October 11–13 Euro Trophex MECC Exhibition Centre Maastricht, The Netherlands +44 (0) 1442 230431 colingallimore@aol.com	October 24 * ARA Education Event LaserBits, Inc. Phoenix, AZ [more info]
November 15 * ARA Canadian Conference Sheraton Four Points Mississauga, On. Canada [more info]	February 23–27, 2009 * 2009 ARA International Awards Market Las Vegas Convention Center 800/344-2148

The July 2008 issue features the results of an ARA retailer member survey regarding current economic conditions in the U.S. The issue also features acrylic awards, products, components, and gifts from ARA companies. ARA distributes its official magazine electronically in addition to its standard printed-and-mailed issues. 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.

If you’re an ARA member, 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 and submit your question(s). More often than not, an ARA expert will have the solution you need.

? We need to reverse engrave a name and logo on a 12 x 12-in. piece of glass. We typically use a diamond-tipped “floating” burnisher. Can you provide some advice on how we can achieve a good, clean etching?

Fred Schwartz of Quality One Engravers responds: I have found that due to hard spots, glass often will not fully diamond burnish. I like to use a 90º diamond (less expensive and longer lasting) on the first pass to get a crisp line, then follow up with a sized diamond burnisher (more expensive) that will fill to the requirements. The 90º diamond will, in most cases, not skip anywhere. Wet the glass a bit when cutting, using a simple spray-on cleaner like Windex or similar brand. Hope this helps—I would love to hear how you fared. Good luck.