September 2006

Dear Members:

Maintaining a contact list or database of your customers can be very effective for retaining contact information and order history. Your customers are the heart of your business, so it's helpful to know a little bit about them. Take their business cards or general information and file it electronically. (There are several database management software systems on the market that enable you to do this. If you don't want to purchase or learn new software, Microsoft Excel can work too.)

Be sure to note what products interest the customer, and whether he or she purchased anything from you. This additional information will be valuable if you ever choose to do a product special or promotional mailing to a targeted audience.

Ahead of the Curve

Rich Zydonik

Back to Top

Industry Trends and Price Survey
ARA is excited to announce it will soon be launching an Awards and Recognition Industry Trends and Price Survey. The survey will provide valuable information about recent trends in our industry and historical pricing information. Surveys will be mailed to a random sample of awards retailers later this month. If you are among the sample group to receive the questionnaire, we strongly encourage you to participate. The results of the survey will be available to all ARA members in early 2007.

ARA Sportsmanship Award
The ARA Sportsmanship Award continues to generate attention! Click here and here to read two recently published articles about this award. Watch your e-mail and the ARA Web site for tools ARA members can download and use to generate sales using the ARA Sportsmanship Award program.

2007 ARIEF Scholarship Applications Available
The Awards and Recognition Industry Educational Foundation (ARIEF) will again award five $1,000 scholarships for the 2007-2008 academic year. All employees and children of ARA member companies are eligible to apply for 2007 ARIEF Scholarships. Click here for an application form. The forms will also appear in the September issue of Recognition Review. The deadline for submitting applications is December 15, 2006. ARIEF is a non-profit organization that exists solely to provide financial assistance to students affiliated with ARA member companies that wish to pursue education in any field of their choice.

ARA Las Vegas: Make Your Hotel Reservations Now!
The biggest show in the awards industry will take place February 21–24, 2007, at the Las Vegas Convention Center. ARA has reserved a room block at the adjacent Las Vegas Hilton to accommodate the thousands of attendees who regularly visit the ARA International Awards Market in Las Vegas. To make your hotel reservation, call the Hilton at 800/732-7117 or 702/732-5111. Make sure to mention that you're with the Awards and Recognition Association. ARA's room block regularly sells out, so we recommend that you make your reservations as soon as possible.

ARA Regional Education Events in September and November
Take advantage of ARA Regional Education Events, which are hosted by ARA supplier companies and designed to help you expand your skills. If you are enrolled in the ARA Certification Program you will earn CEU credits. These events require nominal registration fees and are scheduled in several locations throughout the United States during the next 3 months.

Simply click on the following highlighted sponsoring companies' names to get a description of each event's educational offerings and daily schedule. These documents also include a registration form and driving directions to the sponsoring companies' headquarters.

Continental Trophies takes place in Tucker, GA, on Saturday, September 9. Note: registration for this event is closed. To be put on a waiting list, please fax your registration marked "Waiting List." In the event of cancellations, ARA will prioritize these registrations according to the date received.

Victory takes place in Chicago, IL, on Saturday, September 30. Please note that incorrect attendee fees were published in the September issue of Recognition Review. The correct fees are $65 for ARA members and $98 for nonmembers.

Quality One Engravers takes place in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, on Wednesday and Thursday, November 8–9.

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.

Attend a Regional Education Event and strengthen your awards knowledge, meet fellow ARA members, and tour the facilities of the sponsoring company. For more information, please call ARA Headquarters, 800/344-2148 or 847/375-4800.

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 are not to be republished or distributed without the written consent of the association.

Back to Top

September 9
ARA Education Event
Continental Trophies
Tucker, GA
Click Here for More Information

September 27–29
Las Vegas Souvenir & Resort Gift Show
Las Vegas Convention Center
Las Vegas, NV

September 30
ARA Education Event
Victory, a division of Planter, Inc.
Chicago, IL
Click Here for More Information

October 8–10
Galveston Gift & Resort Merchandise Show
Galveston Island Convention Center
Galveston, TX

October 14–15
Louisiana Branch Educational Weekend
Acadiana Trophies
Lafayette, LA
337/235-7408
acadtrop@bellsouth.net

October 14–16
Euro Trophex
MECC Exhibition Centre
Maastricht, The Netherlands
+44 (0) 1442 230431
colingallimore@aol.com

October 15–18
Panama City Gift & Resort Mechandise Show at Destin/Ft. Walton Beach
Emerald Coast Convention Center
Ft. Walton Beach, FL

October 26–28
The Awards & Custom Gift Show
Charlotte Convention Center
Charlotte, NC

November 3–4
Western Awards & Gift Show
Embassy Suites Hotel
San Francisco Airport/Burlingame
800/276-8428

November 8–9
ARA Education Event
Quality One Engravers
Rancho Cucamongo, CA
Click Here for More Information

November 12–15
East Coast Resort Gift Expo
Ocean City Convention Center
Ocean City, MD

December 3–6
Grand Strand Gift & Resort Merchandise
Myrtle Beach Convention Center
Myrtle Beach, SC

February 21–24, 2007
2007 ARA International Awards Market
Las Vegas Convention Center
Las Vegas, NV
800/344-2148

March 15-17, 2007
2007 ARA East Coast Awards Market
Atlantic City Convention Center
Atlantic City, NJ
800/344-2148

Back to Top

In the September 2006 Issue:

The Loving Cup Endures
Although loving cups are probably not the first items that come to mind when someone is looking for an award, today's suppliers offer them in plastic and metal styles and a variety of sizes and price points.

Rotary Engraver Specifications
This month, Recognition Review provides ARA members with tables comparing the features and specifications of rotary engraving machines from the industry's premier manufacturers. Read more...

Working '9 to 5' in a Timely Manner
Entering a well-organized workplace is much more exciting than walking into an out-of-control mess. That's why practicing good time management in your business is one of your most important jobs.

Customizing a Macro
You've learned how easy it is to record a VBA macro in CorelDRAW. For many tasks, all you'll need to do is record the steps you do on a regular basis. But there are times that you'll want to make modifications, even minor ones, to the macro you've recorded.

Working With Power Fonts
Times Roman and Helvetica are taken for granted as the basic fonts to be used for all jobs. What if you just had those fonts to use? How would you handle the creative work within these limiting parameters?

The Front Line Game Plan
It is an expensive prospect to find and sometimes lose good customers. That's why it is imperative that we learn the best customer retention techniques and put them to use.

A First-Place Trophy Tribute
With a new first place honor for its unique entry in the 2006 ARA Retailer Awards contest, Cowart Awards, the association's 2005 Retailer of the Year, is forging ahead to carry on the legacy left by its tireless leader.

High-Volume Tips and Tricks
Darren Webster, CRS, of Dar Mar Awards shares some ideas and practices that have helped him become more efficient with the consumables and labor involved in sublimation.

ARIEF Scholarship Program
The Awards and Recognition Industry Educational Foundation (ARIEF) is requesting applications for its 2007 Scholarship program. Five $1,000 tuition scholarships will be awarded this February to ARA member company employees or their children.

Back to Top

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.

? Which adhesive should be used to join acrylic face to face without leaving stains, and what are the ways to finish the acrylic edges?

Diane Bosworth of Access Business Solutions responds: Laser cutting through acrylic should give you a flame polished edge that needs no finishing. If you are getting less than this, try adjusting your settings. Also make sure you are using cast acrylic as opposed to extruded; there is less chance of overheating that can result in damage to the acrylic.

As for the glue: Due to the differences in acrylic, you might check with the suppliers of the acrylic you are using for the best results. There are also polishes available that can remove small scratches or imperfections from acrylic that may be useful as well. Good luck.

Back to Top