December
2006
Dear Members:
In
perhaps the most important decision of the ARA Mega Meeting
this past August and even my year as ARA president, the ARA
Board of Directors voted unanimously to adopt the proposed
new online ARA Buyer's Guide and Membership Directory,
and to completely eliminate the longstanding printed version.
Based on extensive discussions—including input from
the ARA Communication and Membership committees and multiple
member surveys showing that a majority of members want to
access product and component information online—the
Board saw the need for ARA to move forward with this new and
exciting service technology.
Indeed,
the online ARA Buyers Guide will be a better, fast,
easy and extremely valuable tool for our members. It will
offer ease of navigation, increased search features, and links.
In addition to greatly expanded ARA supplier product content,
the online format will give us the ability to update such
content immediately—rather than waiting for the next
annual printed version. Eliminating the annual printing and
mailing costs will also add to our association's bottom
line—and save many trees in the process.
Please
note that ARA will not be charging for this new and improved
tool—it will be free with your membership dues. Plans
are to unveil the new Buyers Guide in time for the
2007 ARA International Awards Market, February 21–24
in Las Vegas. ARA staff is planning various onsite demonstrations
of this new service in Vegas and also at its East Coast Awards
Market in Atlantic City (March 15–17); both shows will
allow attendees to give the new service a "test run"
and have their questions answered.
For
those members who are content with the current printed version,
or still not familiar with the ever increasing prevalence
of online commerce, I acknowledge the "pain of change"
that comes with decisions like this. Please continue using
your 2006 Buyers Guide to locate those products and
components you need to service your customers. But get prepared
for an exciting new online version that will help you locate
even more up-to-date products in a faster, easier, more convenient
and accurate manner. These changes bring an extremely powerful
tool to our membership to help them stay more competitive
in the future.
Ahead
of the Curve
Rich
Zydonik
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ARA
2006 Awards Program
The entry deadlines for the ARA 2007 Awards Program are fast
approaching. Get the word out to your peers and urge them
to enter the awards contest or nominate someone for an industry
award. Click here
for contest information, entry forms, and to view winners
from the 2006 ARA show.
ARIEF Scholarship Deadline Extended
The deadline for the Awards and Recognition Industry Educational Foundation (ARIEF) Scholarship program has been extended to January 5, 2007. Five $1,000 tuition scholarships will be awarded this February to ARA member company employees or their children who complete this application and essay. (Please disregard the December 15, 2006 deadline on the form).
ARA
2007 Calendar
Your association has provided a helpful gift with your December
2006 issue of Recognition Review—the ARA 2007 Calendar
(view a sample here).
Featuring new and exciting products from 12 different ARA
supplier companies, this colorful poster calendar can be displayed
in an area of your shop to help you, your employees, and customers
easily reference dates, 2007 ARA show dates and deadlines,
and major holidays.
Think
of the calendar as ARA's annual gift to assist you in
staying aware of important "due dates" that will
help aid in your business success during 2007. Thanks to the
following calendar sponsors: AT Designs, Continental Trophies,
Epilog Laser, ID Plates, JDS Industries, Johnson Plastics,
PDU, Plastic-Plus Awards, Topline Awards Gifts & Incentives,
Topmost World, Universal Laser Systems, and Visions Awards.
ARIEF
Silent Auction in Las Vegas
The Awards and Recognition Industry Education Foundation (ARIEF)
is hosting its annual Silent Auction during the 2007 ARA International
Awards Market. All proceeds from the auction benefit ARIEF.
If you or your company is interested in donating an item,
please contact Sara Nakon at ARA Headquarters, snakon@connect2amc.com
or call 847/375-3680. ARIEF exists solely to provide financial
assistance to students, affiliated with ARA member companies,
who wish to pursue an education in any field of their choice.
This one-time merit award is applied directly toward tuition
expenses. Click here to see a
slide show of the 2006 ARIEF Silent Auction in Las Vegas.
Customized
Shipping Solutions for ARA Members
ARA members are eligible to receive exclusive shipping discounts
and preferred pricing with the leading transportation providers
in the industry. ARA has partnered with DHL, Roadway Express,
Yellow Transportation, and UPS Supply Chain Solutions for
savings on all types of shipping services. For more information,
please call 800/Members, ext. 303 or click here.
Recognition
Review Online Library
ARA now offers its members a growing library of the most popular
and useful Recognition Review articles from the past
several years. Stories covering CorelDRAW, showroom design,
customer service, engraving tips, and business issues are
available for your review. Click here
or log onto the ARA Web site's "Members Only"
section and click on the "Online Library" link.
Please note: These articles are copyrighted by ARA and may
not be republished, reproduced, or distributed without the
written consent of the association.
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January
14–15, 2007
Trophex 2007
NEC Pavilion
Birmingham, UK
February
3–5, 2007
Orlando Gift Show and
Jewelry and Accessories Expo
Orange County Convention Center
Orlando, FL
February
15–17, 2007
CorelDraw Boot Camp
Cave Creek, AZ
800/736-8973
February
21–24, 2007
2007 ARA International Awards
Market
Las Vegas Convention Center
Las Vegas, NV
800/344-2148
March
12–14, 2007
CorelDRAW Boot Camp
Cave Creek, AZ
800/736-8973
March
15–17, 2007
2007 ARA East Coast Awards
Market
Atlantic City Convention Center
Atlantic City, NJ
800/344-2148
April
12–14, 2007
CorelDRAW Boot Camp
Cave Creek, AZ
800/736-8973
April
19–21, 2007
CorelDRAW Boot Camp
Cave Creek, AZ
800/736-8973
May
3–5, 2007
Awards and
Custom Gift Show
Fort Worth Convention Center
Fort Worth, TX
June
7–9, 2007
Awards and
Custom Gift Show
Charlotte Convention Center
Charlotte, NC
July
12–14, 2007
Awards and
Custom Gift Show
Baltimore Convention Center
Baltimore, MD
August
9–11, 2007
Awards and
Custom Gift Show
Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center
Long Beach, CA
September
6–8, 2007
Awards and
Custom Gift Show
Indiana Convention Center and RCA Dome
Indianapolis, IN
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 In
the December 2006 Issue:
The
Rewards of Community Involvement
Any business is an asset to the community in which it's
located, but many ARA supplier and retailer companies take
that a step further by giving their time and money to charities
and civic organizations where they live.
Dr.
Type Attends Wayzgoose
A "Wayzgoose," or printers' picnic, is held
each year somewhere in the U.S. Bob "Dr. Type"
Trogman describes his visit to this 3-day affair, which includes
an auction and flea market of printers' treasures.
The
Envelope Effect
The 'Envelope Effect' allows you distort the basic
shape of a drawing primitive. When used with Artistic Text,
it is a powerful effect for logo creation, or giving that
basic text a little extra oomph!
Fixing
the 'Broken' Customer
Fran Carville, CRM, has explained how to handle "not right"
customers. Now she turns her focus to how to make amends when
you accidentally "break" your customer. Read
more...
Marketing
Your Laser Engraving
Simply put, marketing your laser services means you need to
let potential customers know who you are, what you do, and
why it is advantageous for them to do business with you.
Automation
in the Real World
Foster Coburn wraps up his CorelDRAW and Corel PHOTO-PAINT
series by describing two real-world projects involving automation
tasks, using feature scripts he created for a client.
Going
for the Gold: The Story Behind the ARA Obelisk
It took approximately 2 years for the ARA Awards Committee
to research and finalize its design, but in the years since
the first one was presented, the Gold Obelisk has found a
special place in ARA history.
Sublimation
Winners
Creativity was the cause when ARA handed out its annual awards
in the Best Sublimation category at the 2006 ARA International
Awards Market in Las Vegas.
ARIEF
Scholarship Program
The Awards and Recognition Industry Educational Foundation
(ARIEF) requests applications for its 2007 Scholarship program.
Five 1,000 tuition scholarships will be awarded this February
to ARA member company employees or their children.
Holiday
Gift Sales Ideas
Customers are always looking for something new and exciting,
and sublimation manufacturers are more than happy to oblige.
Here's a look at some of the newer products now available.
Read more...
2006
Recognition Review Index of Articles
Here's the easiest way to find articles when you need
them. Our 2006 Index lists the year's topics (including
Rewarding Ideas) by category and date.
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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.
?
I've heard that there is a solution that can be applied
to non-coated metals like satin gold brass and metal cups
that allows them to be laser engraved. Have you heard of and
know where we can purchase this solution?
Diane
Bosworth of Access Business Solutions responds: Though
I have not heard of the product doing very well on any gold-colored
metals, there is one for silver-colored metals such as stainless
steel and chrome. Called Cermark, it can be brushed or sprayed
on such items, engraved through, and then washed off. Cermark
water soluble, and leaves a permanent and indelible mark that
cannot be corroded or scratched off. For more information,
contact LaserBits.
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