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10:30 - |
10:30 - 11:45 a.m.
Ballroom C
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12 - 5 p.m. EXPO HALL OPEN |
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12 - 5 p.m.
ASI Booth #719
Bring your questions – we have the answers! |
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12 - |
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1 - |
1 - 1:50 p.m.
Booth #1734
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2 - |
2 - 2:50 p.m.
Booth #1734
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3 - 3:50 p.m.
Booth #1734
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4 - |
4 - 5 p.m.
Expo Hall
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5 - |
5 - 7 p.m.
Convention Center Outdoor Plaza
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Learn expert tips on how to get the most out of ASI's ESP+ – the industry's largest, most accurate sourcing and marketing service that helps you work smarter.
Grow your business with information-packed sessions to help you stay ahead of the competition, connect with clients and close more deals.
Taught by decoration experts, these interactive sessions feature innovative heat press techniques, decorating machinery in action, and advice on choosing the best products and printing methods for your clients' campaigns.
Whether you're new to the branded-merch industry or want to brush up on the basics, these in-depth sessions will tell you what you need to know to ensure success.
Take a break from the show floor and discover ways to improve your sales and social media skills, and dive into the latest version of ASI's ESP.
Take a break from the show floor and dive into the latest version of ASI's ESP, see how AI can help grow your sales, and learn how to make the best product recommendations for your buyers.
With so many great events taking place at the ASI Show, it can be a daunting task trying to fit everything in. As a new attendee, we know how important it is for you to get the most out of the time you have - but where do you start? Join ASI's Vice Chairman Matthew Cohn as he shares great tips for working the show more effectively, and hear about all the free services and amenities available to distributors/decorators while at an ASI Show.
To succeed in this industry, you need to position yourself as a truly indispensable marketing resource rather than as a salesperson. To make this happen, it's critical to morph your creative approach for every buyer by understanding their needs before you meet with them. In this session, you'll receive an actionable blueprint to differentiate yourself from any competitor, plus the tools you need to be a “creative chameleon” regardless of your audience. You'll leave armed with the confidence that comes from knowing you'll create wow and wonder in every meeting – and win the sale.
Advertising your business profitably is one of the most important things you can do to attract qualified leads and keep your sales pipeline full. Facebook and Instagram – both part of Meta – are two of the most popular social platforms, and in this session you'll learn the fundamentals of success with Meta Ads. You'll dive into case studies and examples of top-performing Ads, see creative ideas you can incorporate into your strategy and find out how to easily post your Ads on TikTok. Don't miss this chance to ensure your business gets as much social engagement as possible.
During this event you'll enjoy lunch and conversation with your distributor peers, and see the latest products and trends from suppliers - plus, you'll learn the best ways to pitch them to your clients.
PLEASE NOTE: A ticket is required to guarantee your free lunch. Pick up your ticket (1 per person) at the Education Desk starting at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 29. Ticket holders must arrive at Ballroom C by 11:50 a.m.
Years from now, your buyers may not remember the exact pen they ordered from you, but they will remember how they felt while working with you on that order. If you create friction for clients – intentionally or not – you're undermining the growth of your business. In this session, you'll learn real-world, industry-specific strategies for delivering a smooth purchasing experience. By making it easy to do business with you, you'll not only increase your sales and profits – you'll build long-term client loyalty that delivers measurable results.
ChatGPT and other AI tools can save you time in planning and creating your social media content … but only if you know how to use them. In this session, you'll discover how to leverage AI to write copy for your marketing pieces and social posts, create a content calendar for the entire year, quickly shoot and post videos, and create and use eye-catching images.
During this interactive final session of the day, you'll hear from many of the ASI Show's speakers as they recap the most important takeaways from their sessions. Don't miss this chance to pick up some effective strategies you may have missed.
After an afternoon of training and educational sessions, get the celebration started over drinks and light appetizers. Enjoy the company of your promo friends, while getting a sneak peek at some of the industry's newest products.
Unlock the full potential of ESP+'s extensive 1.2 million product database with integrated sourcing, client management and marketing tools that drive sales and grow your business. In this session, you'll learn how to identify the right products for every campaign, plus how to leverage advanced search tools, data insights and personalization features. You'll leave equipped to streamline your product-discovery process, enhance client satisfaction and drive greater sales success.
Transform the products you've found in ESP+ into compelling presentations that captivate your clients and close deals. Discover best practices for designing engaging, client-focused presentations using ESP+ tools, including customized images, pricing and detailed descriptions. You'll come away with the skills to create polished presentations that highlight product value, align with your clients' goals and drive results.
Take your client relationships to the next level by mastering the tools and features in ESP+ that simplify the post-presentation process. We'll guide you through creating accurate quotes, efficiently managing orders and generating professional invoices – all within the fully integrated ESP+ platform. Learn how to save time, reduce errors and ensure a seamless experience for your clients from initial approval to final delivery. You'll have the confidence to handle every step of the transaction with ease and professionalism.
Take the next step with ESP+ Websites. You'll learn how to engage clients effectively with professional website templates that are simple to customize. This e-commerce solution increases your visibility online, simplifies your operations with our integrated platform and drives growth for your business.
Apparel decorating is easy – iconic branding is not. In this hands-on session, you'll discover how to transform your buyer's brand from a typical left-chest logo into a memorable, iconic fusion of brand strategy, emotion and creativity. Plus, you'll see examples of successful campaigns that were able to build brand awareness, communicate current trends and showcase unique decorating techniques. You'll leave ready to set your business apart as so much more than “just another T-shirt shop.”
In this interactive session, you'll dive deep into the critical role that the right apparel pieces play in helping you communicate brand messages. You'll discuss brand identity and target-audience analysis, and leave knowing fabric and garment types and decoration techniques that will elevate your – and your customers' – brand visibility and leave a lasting impression.
In this session, you'll see firsthand how you can heat print on demand to customize an assortment of products, including clothing, accessories and corporate gifts. This approach reduces your financial risks while broadening your company's decorating capabilities. Through interactive demonstrations, you'll learn valuable strategies and techniques for maximizing the potential of heat print-on-demand technology to craft compelling and lucrative branded merchandise.
Starting out as a promotional products distributor is an exciting time, and with a little help from ASI's experts, it can be a seamless transition for your business. Learn all about the industry and the first steps to take to ensure your success, including establishing a business plan, targeting the correct markets, using the right tools and resources, continuing your industry education and so much more.
From sourcing to marketing and client management, this session will show you how ESP+ – ASI's all-in-one platform – helps you market and sell smarter. We'll walk you through how to best leverage ESP+ features for streamlined search and sourcing, and review how to attract new audiences with our website solutions. We'll also showcase the just-launched ESP+ Stores, where you'll see how easy it is to create branded client shops that deepen relationships, simplify workflows and boost sales – all within one connected platform.
Kick off the first Exhibit Day with engaging, energized networking. During this highly interactive session, you'll problem-solve with other distributors in small groups to work out key business concerns, pain points and obstacles to overcome. Mark your calendar for this dynamic mix of discussion and discovery, plus a free brunch!
Sponsor
Label Specialties
asi/66361
Social media plays a critical role in shaping your audience's perceptions, growing your client base and ultimately enhancing your professional success. Successful social selling also allows you to transition from just another salesperson into a trusted consultant who educates every customer and adds value to every project. In this session, you'll discover how to maximize the power of social selling in today's market and learn quick engagement strategies for different social media platforms that take only 15, 30 or 45 minutes per week to implement but result in closer relationships that help you close the deal.
Print is a broad and profitable product category – in fact, it has annual revenue of $100 billion. Many of your current promo clients already use print to support their operations, create market awareness and sell products. In this session, you'll dive into the print industry and learn about the key players, profitable product opportunities, demand trends, production methods and how you can add print to your promo business.
Whether they're new to the industry or a veteran, many distributors are hesitant to promote themselves as the promo pros that they are. This interactive session will address common reservations – including not wanting to be seen as bragging, uncertainty about whether your message will resonate with the audience and fear of rejection – and provide strategies to overcome them. You'll leave confident in your ability to:
Rich Berg is senior vice president Owner Success & Business Development for Counselor Top 40 distributor AIA Corporation (asi/109480). He's been in the promotional products industry since 2005, holding sales and business development leadership positions with distributors including Staples Promotional Products, Corporate Imaging Concepts, Facilisgroup, and Deluxe Corporation/Safeguard.
Berg and his teams have sold promo to Fortune 500 companies including Microsoft, Amazon, IBM, JPMorgan Chase, Coca-Cola, Disney, General Motors and many others across various industries. In addition, Rich has helped numerous small and mid-size promo products distributors grow their sales and profits.
Fortune 500 firms have countless promo product needs, typically spending $5 million to $25 million on promo every year. Engaging these iconic brands requires a strategic, personalized approach, including doing thorough research, building relationships, demonstrating value, and communicating effectively and creatively. (What's not required is owning a $100 million distributorship; small to midsize companies often successfully compete against larger distributorships.) In this session, you'll discover tactics to help you capture the Fortune 500's attention and land their business, and leave knowing:
Tommy Lewis is the senior vice president of sales and business development at HALO (asi/356000). He has 26 years of experience in industry sales and 18 years in leadership positions, and he specializes in uncovering untapped opportunities within accounts and partnering closely with sales teams to develop impactful growth strategies. His proven track record of success defining, designing and delivering impactful solutions for the Fortune 1000 has resulted in many long-term partnerships. He has served on the board of PPAS for three years and most recently held the role of secretary/treasurer.
One of the best ways to increase your business is by deepening your impact within existing accounts. In this session, you'll discover strategies to uncover new sales opportunities, engage with key decision-makers and deliver meaningful value that strengthens partnerships and sparks referrals – helping you expand your reach and drive sustainable growth.
This invitation-only event honors outstanding individuals in the promo industry including the Person of the Year, Lifetime Achievement Award, Distributor and Supplier Entrepreneurs of the Year, and many more, as well as recognizes the Top 40 suppliers and distributors.
During Happy Hour you'll enjoy free drinks and live music while mingling with fellow attendees. It's the perfect opportunity to relax and make new connections before heading outside for the evening festivities.
After Happy Hour in the Expo Hall, join the fun outside with a free Texas-style BBQ. Savor mouthwatering dishes and enjoy live entertainment as you network and unwind. It's a great way to experience the local flavor and keep the ASI party going!
Torsten Gross is a maverick by every sense of the word. Not happy with the status quo, mixed with his entrepreneurial drive, he enjoys the challenge of the word "no." As a C6 quadriplegic since the age of 15, he has heard that word often, yet still finds his way to "yes."
After entering the world of motorsports in 2021, he competed in International GT, HSR and World Racing League races in 2023 driving his hand-controlled Porsche 981 Cayman. In 2024, he had multiple P1 and P2 finishes. His racing skill has led to starring in Pennzoil commercials as well as a highly anticipated docuseries airing in late 2024 about his journey to becoming a race car driver.
Alongside his adrenaline-seeking events, Gross has enjoyed a long and successful marketing career, and in 2022 he co-founded the Just Hands Foundation, which helps hand-control drivers get into the world of performance driving. As he says, "Track driving is one of the most freeing experiences for someone in a wheelchair. After I clip in, I leave my chair in the paddock and I am 100% equal with everyone."
Torsten Gross believes that everyone has something that holds them back and makes them feel underrated – but this weakness can be turned into a superpower. As a marketing executive, competitive race car driver, charity founder, handcycling marathoner, rescue scuba diver and former comedian – who just happens to be a C6 quadriplegic – he's proven this time and time again.
Gross believes that everything good in his life came from recognizing and embracing his own superpower, and in this electrifying keynote, he'll share his journey and lessons learned, empowering you to:
After the keynote, don't miss your chance to meet Gross and sit in his Porsche 718 GT4 Cayman Clubsport race car at Booth #1341 in the Expo Hall. It's an experience you'll never forget!
Co-Sponsors
Label Specialties
asi/66361
Ameramark
asi/53455
Did you know that you should have 40 questions prepared for a 20-minute interview? Most distributors don't ask enough questions when making inquiries or on sales call – they're so concerned about getting the sale that they lose sight of the buyer's objectives and pain points. In this eye-opening session, you'll explore the varied questions you should always ask clients before starting any campaign, and discover actionable tactics to uncover further opportunities.
The same buyers who purchase promotional products often buy print solutions, including direct mail, brochures, flyers and even annual reports. In this session, you'll explore case studies of promo distributors who've added print to their offerings, turning their company into a one-stop shop for clients – and an indispensable resource. You'll find out how they broke into the print industry and continue to grow, and how you can apply their lessons learned to your own company.
Learn how to use ASI's our new ESP+ Stores solution to elevate your business. This session will walk you through creating customized stores from Collections within ESP+, covering key use cases and showing how Stores meet client needs for easy, branded online experiences. Don't miss this chance to discover how ESP+ Stores can boost client satisfaction and streamline your operations.
Too often, buyers choose products – and distributors – based solely on cost. Not only does this limit your profit potential, but it also means clients end up with less-impactful products for their audience. In this session, you'll learn how to shift the sales conversation away from price and emphasize the true value of your offerings. You'll get tips to differentiate yourself in a competitive market and enhance your sales approach, and leave knowing how to:
The best way to end your ASI Show experience is at the Closing Celebration, where you can collect new friends' business cards and relax before heading home. Enjoy beer, wine and other beverages while the DJ spins some tunes.
Exciting prizes will also be given away during the ASI Passport drawing.
While at ASI Shows, ASI distributor members can participate in the ASI Passport. Don't just scan the show floor - this is your opportunity to learn more about the participating ASI Passport exhibitor participants and their products, and your chance to win amazing prizes. When visiting each participating exhibitor, ask them their question provided on your ASI Passport, fill in the answer, get a sticker and add your information. Then, drop off your completed Passport at Registration and you could win one of a variety of exciting prizes! Winners are chosen at each ASI Show during the Closing Celebration.
Must be 18 or older to win.
Winner must be present to receive the prize.
Winner must be present to receive the prize.
Click here to submit your question and we'll reply ASAP.
Register online today or call our Registration Specialists at (800) 546-3300.