ARA Connections

Forward to a Friend

January 2006

Dear Members:

I hope you've made the commitment to attend the 2006 ARA International Awards Market in Las Vegas (February 28–March 4) or the ARA East Coast Awards Market in Secaucus, NJ (March 30–April 1). You've likely asked yourself, "Can I afford to attend—financially and time-wise?" and you have decided that the answer is "I can't afford NOT to go!" If so, then it's time to get prepared. Here are some tips passed on to me from past president Fran Carville that will help you get ready.

1) Schedule as much time as you possibly can to attend either or both shows. There are dozens of seminars and hundreds of booths, as well as many special sessions and events that might interest you. It's best to work up a tentative schedule before leaving home to ensure that you don't miss anything.

2) If you own a small business and will have to close your store to attend these shows, contact customers that did business with you during this period last year. Arrange to deliver orders before you leave or after you return. If you have a larger business, meet with your employees to review upcoming orders and company policies and procedures during your absence.

3) Let your customers know that you are attending the show and that you'll be working to bring back the latest in award products for them. You are attending the show to provide better service for your customers.

4) Decide on your options to buy. How will you spend your budgeted dollars (stock inventory, new categories, equipment, specials)?

5) Check your base inventory and write purchase orders for stock items. Writing these orders before you leave will take the guesswork out of ordering at the show.

6) Make a list of items to look out for. Check your customer requests, as well as upcoming orders, for non-stock products. Ask your employees if customers have requested product lines you don't currently carry. It's also a good idea to list specific suppliers that you want to see.

7) Review the ARA suppliers' show specials and note those you are interested in.

8) Remember to pack business cards, credit sheets, purchase orders, and comfortable shoes.

One of the most important reasons for retailers to attend ARA trade shows is to find out what's new. Las Vegas is traditionally the show where suppliers display their newest and most innovative new products. Being among the first to see these great new products—in Las Vegas or Secaucus—will give you a head start over your competition. I look forward to seeing you on the Show floor.

Charles Miles

DeAngelo Williams Receives ARA Sportsmanship Award
On Wednesday, December 21, the Awards and Recognition Association presented University of Memphis tailback DeAngelo Williams with the inaugural ARA Sportsmanship Award—a new national award the association created for NCAA Division I College Football.

"We're very fortunate to have a first recipient to set a standard by which others will be judged, and we have a good one in DeAngelo Williams," said former Brigham Young University Head Football Coach and College Football Hall of Famer LaVell Edwards, who chairs the selection committee for the ARA Sportsmanship Award. "He truly represents what you want to have in a college football player. He's achieved on the field, in the classroom and off the field, in the community. How great it would be if all college athletes conduct their lives as he has," Edwards said.

Williams is majoring in marketing management with a minor in accounting and is expected to graduate in May. Tommy West, the University of Memphis head football coach, added that "DeAngelo is the type of athlete that coaches love to coach. He does everything asked of him on the field and off the field and he always carries himself in a classy way." To see a picture of Williams hosting the ARA award with ARA Sportsmanship Award selection committee member Dick McPherson and West, click here.

ARA Board of Directors Election
Watch your mailbox-Board of Directors candidate information and ballots were mailed last week. Your ballot must be returned to ARA headquarters by February 1. Help shape the future of your association - cast your vote in the 2006 ARA Board of Directors election.

Please note: Retailer Candidate Rick DeWolf was incorrectly listed as having previously worked with Liberty Supply Company. This statement should have been listed under Retailer Candidate Steve Rapchick. We apologize for this error.

ARIEF Scholarships Applications—Deadline Extended
All employees and children of ARA member companies are eligible to apply for ARIEF scholarships. ARIEF will award five $1000 scholarships to deserving students pursuing higher education. Application forms and qualifications can be found in the December 2005 issue of Recognition Review (pp. 58–59) or by clicking here. The deadline for submitting applications has been extended to January 16, 2006.

ARA 2005–2006 Awards Program
You are in the awards and recognition industry. Your job is to help people recognize excellence and reward achievement. How often do we get the chance to recognize excellence or reward achievement in our own industry? Here is your chance to do so. Nominate your colleagues for an ARA Industry Award. Feeling proud of your professional accomplishments this year? Why not showcase your work in the ARA Awards Contest? Click here for more information and to download forms.

The January issue of Recognition Review features detailed information on award categories and how to enter.

Health Coverage for ARA Members and Their Staff
ARA strives to develop programs that meet the many needs of membership. As an ARA member, you'll also have access to a valuable medical service designed to find the best health insurance plan—at affordable rates—for you and your staff!

In partnership with JLT Services, ARA's insurance broker, the Medical Benefits Center provides a licensed benefit consultant over the phone to evaluate your insurance needs and your present plan. Your consultant will analyze the many companies offering health insurance and look for an optimum match based on your particular needs. If the plan and rates of any insurance company are of interest to you, the JLT Services Consultant, at your request, will begin the application process, or you can simply use the information for future consideration. Be assured, at no time will there be any expectations to apply for coverage. For more information, ask for Bob Jones at 800/544-2672 ext. 6224 or bjones@jltservices.com.

January 7, 2006
ARA Metro Branch Meeting
The Cuban Association
508 43 rd Street, Union City, NJ
973/539-5749 or fax 973/285-9755
E-mail: Rolando@gti.net

January 12–14
CorelDRAW 12, Unleashed Boot Camp
Cave Creek, AZ
800/736-8973

January 15–16
Trophex
NEC Pavilion
Birmingham, England
E-mail: tencoling@aol.com

January 28
January ARA Georgia Branch Meeting
Hosted by Cudos Trophy Shop
Augusta, GA
770/720-1110
E-mail: freeman392@aol.com

February 8–10
ASI Show
Dallas Convention Center
Dallas, TX
Education Day, Feb. 8
Exhibits Open, Feb. 9–10

February 23–25
CorelDRAW Boot Camp
Cave Creek, AZ
800/736-8973

February 28–March 4
2006 International Awards Market
Las Vegas Convention Center

March 13–15
CorelDRAW Boot Camp
Cave Creek, AZ
800/736-8973

March 22–24
ASI Show
Venetian/Sands Expo Center
Las Vegas
Education Day, March 22
Exhibits Open, March 23–24

March 24–26
2006 ARA Southwest Regional Education Weekend
Wyndham-Dallas, TX
Contact Tom Carville, CRM: 225/929-6026

March 30–April 1
ARA East Coast Awards Market
Meadowlands Exposition Center
Secaucus, NJ

April 20–22
CorelDRAW Boot Camp
Cave Creek, AZ
800/736-8973

May 11–13
CorelDRAW Boot Camp
Cave Creek, AZ
800/736-8973

May 23–25
ASI Show
Pennsylvania Convention Center
Philadelphia, PA
Education Day, May 23
Exhibits Open, May 24–25

July 11–13
ASI Show
McCormick Place Convention Center
Chicago, IL
Education Day, July 11
Exhibits Open, July 12–13

In the January 2006 Issue:

Benefiting Personally, Professionally
There are plenty of jobs available for people who may want to slowly ease into a higher level of volunteer involvement with ARA. Several members who are already volunteering say there are some really good reasons for you to take that first step.

Playing with PostScript Options
Pradhan Balter guides readers through a series of exercises to demonstrate the variables available in CorelDRAW. He starts by creating one simple file in CorelDRAW ® and then exports it five times with different variables selected.

When to Upgrade or Replace Your Machine
Learn how to determine whether it's better to repair an existing engraver or upgrade and replace your main source of income using today's new technology.

On the Tech Track
Last March at the 2005 ARA International Awards Market in Las Vegas, ARA handed out top honors in the Best New Technology category to R. S. Owens, Chicago; The Slee Corporation, Chicago; and Trotec Laser, Inc., Ypsilanti, MI. Learn more about these new technological breakthroughs.

Satisfaction Guaranteed
Conventional wisdom says that satisfied customers are loyal customers. But if the goal is to keep our current customer base driving across town to do business with us year after year, then "satisfied" may not be good enough. Click here to read more...

The Power of ‘Buzz'
The dynamics of "buzz" can help advance a company's top-of-mind presence in the marketplace and become a powerful management tool in achieving sales goals.

Ornamental Lines
It is frequently desirable to use ornamental lines to divide areas of a design or to frame something. With the tools provided in CorelDRAW, anyone—even nonartists—can create his or her own ornamental lines.

In Fine, Fit, Form
The busy and well-attended 2005 Chicago Awards Show—intended to help members strengthen their businesses—served as an unofficial warmup to the 2006 ARA Awards Show season.

New Products, New Season, New Show, New York
The association's newest trade show is really in New Jersey—but it's so close to the Big Apple that we couldn't resist giving it the theme of "New Products, New Season, New Show, New York."

The Best Education in Town
The 2006 ARA International Awards Market will feature an enhanced educational program with more than 40 top-notch business-building, hands-on, and special presentation seminars covering technical topics and offering sales, marketing, and other invaluable business-building tips.

ARA 2005–2006 Awards Program
Reward yourself and others. It's time to enter yourself in and nominate others for ARA's 2005–2006 Awards Program. The nomination and entry forms are found on pages 68–72 of the January issue of Recognition Review.

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 am new to the industry and am trying to formulate some plans for constructing a new building for my business. At this point, I have a blank sheet of paper and a two-acre lot. Any suggestions or ideas you might have to guide me are certainly welcome.

Sam Varn, CRM, responds: Congratulations on your forward thinking! Planning is a key part of business success and you're smart to be doing so while your company is still new and small.

Obviously, if you plan to have a showroom and production area, you will need to adequately plan for both. If you plan on just being a production center, then you'll probably dedicate less space for showroom. However, you should have some type of showroom unless you anticipate absolutely zero customer visits.

I would strongly urge you to consult with an interior designer about the best use of your showroom space. He or she can help you design accents, which can quickly set your showroom apart from the others. Features like recessed lighting and built-in cabinets really add a quality look to a showroom. Proper colors are also a must, and the designer can be a big help here. You want your shop to look as professional as possible. Designers can bring that element to your displays and help you properly plan traffic flows. Their fees will be money well spent.

Lots of windows and an open feel are important aspects for a showroom. You want your customers to be able to move between your displays without feeling crowded. Plan ahead for your plaque displays. If you think your building could become a reality in the next couple of years, keep your eyes open for high-quality used showroom fixtures.

As far as planning the production area, the biggest complaint I hear from other dealers is that they quickly run out of storage space. Be sure to build as big a building as you can afford. It will never cost less than when you build, and you'll never regret the extra space. If your budget won't allow the maximum, then plan now for a phase two when you can afford it.

That's what I did. We started with one plan in 1991, added to it in 1996, and we're getting ready to double our space. We planned all of this from the beginning, and it has saved me a lot of money on site plans and architectural fees (all paid for in 1991 dollars). It's easy to plan footprints of buildings and parking, and you can build it as you can afford it. Plan for the expansions as carefully as you can. For instance, you may want to position a large double door on an exterior wall that will later open into the expanded area. It's cheaper to put a door in now (even if you rarely open it) than it is to cut a hole in a wall later.

Start planning your production space by thinking about workflow and the logical sequences involved. For instance, you might use metal to engrave or sublimate and for back plates. Your working metal stock should be centrally located so you're not walking from one end of the building to the other to get it. You can keep bulk storage of metal elsewhere and replenish working supplies as needed.

Plan your workstations so that you have power available and, if possible, run air lines to them as well. I like the big tables you can walk around. These give you room to work on the really large projects and space to spread out the work for multiple assemblers, if needed. Measure the footprint of all of your equipment, tables, chairs, and benches so you will have a good idea of how much space each requires. Draw these to scale, cut them out, and put them on a scale drawing of your space. Move them around until you find a layout you like.

Be sure to leave room for the humans! No one wants to walk all the way around a bench because an aisle is too narrow to get through. Think ahead for things like a saw room, glass-etching room, and paint room (properly ventilated, of course) in the event you add those spaces later. Run your design by your staff; they will want some input on your plan and fresh eyes are always a good thing! Even better, bring your plans to the 2006 ARA International Awards Market (Las Vegas, February 28–March 4) and ask some other dealers to take a look at them. You'll be surprised how many good opinions and ideas they'll give you.

Finally, look around your town and see if there are any small manufacturers. You might find a lot of good ideas from these businesses that you could apply to your design.

I hope you find this advice helpful. Building your own shop is a long process, but if done carefully, it will be worth the effort and time. Contact me via the "Ask An Expert" section of the ARA Web site if you have particular questions as you get started.