Distributors and suppliers have poured in to Atlantic City, N.J. for the opening days of PROMOTIONS EAST, running now through Wednesday. The four-day event started on Sunday with the supplier roundtable at The Sheraton Hotel and continued today with education sessions and popular networking events.
Monday morning began with PROMOTIONS EAST University classes held by David Blaise, Cliff Quicksell, Rosalie Marcus, Dana R. Zezzo and more. Some of the popular sessions included “Get Maximum Results From Every Marketing $ You Spend,” “From Rags to Riches—Making Top Dollar Selling Apparel” and “Social Networking for Promotional Professionals.”
“The education sessions have been full,” said David Blaise of Blaise Drake & Co., who spoke at two classes today. “People are interested, they’re engaged and they’re really focused on trying to get the most out of their businesses. We had a session on social media, how to pull prospects and clients out, and people were taking a lot of notes.”
Monday afternoon also saw the keynote session, “The New World! Selling In An Interconnected, Hypercompetitive and Globalized Economy,” presented by Jonathan Isaacson, president of Gemline. In it, Isaacson discussed how the recession of the late 2000’s, rapidly advancing technology and the burgeoning Asian economy have created a new landscape for distributors.
“It’s going to be a very different world than what it’s been over the last few hundred years,” said Isaacson in his keynote. “It is going to look different, it is going to feel different, and we need to engage it differently.”
Outside of education, many of the popular networking events from past years have returned to the trade show. The PROMOTIONS EAST Golf Outing came back to Renault Winery Resort & Golf in Egg Harbor City, N.J. this afternoon, and tonight, attendees will head to the Boardwalk at Trump Plaza for the Tropical Fantasy Reception at the Rainforest Cafe. The party runs from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. this evening.
The PROMOTIONS EAST trade show floor opens tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. for attendees with a VIP pass, and 9:45 a.m. for all other attendees. More education sessions and networking events are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday as well. Stay tuned to PromoMarketing.com for further coverage on PROMOTIONS EAST all week long.
