March
2006
Dear Members:
The
2006 ARA International Awards Market (Feb. 28–March
4) is getting started as you read this message! ARA is excited
to present to you 5 days of outstanding business-building
opportunities in the exciting city of Las Vegas.
The
ARA Show floor features the best suppliers and products in
the industry. Take advantage of all the Show Specials that
exhibitors are offering. ARA offers the best education in
the industry, provided by respected professionals. Be sure
to attend some of the dozens of educational seminars that
are being offered.
The
following are some of the other special events that are part
of this show. I encourage you to check them out while you're
making the rounds.
2006
ARIEF Silent Auction—The Awards and Recognition
Industry Education Foundation (ARIEF) is hosting its second
annual auction, featuring product and equipment donated by
ARA members and companies. Please stop by the registration
area Thursday, March 2 and Friday, March 3 to browse and bid!
All proceeds of the auction go to ARIEF.
Welcome
Session for First-Time Attendees and Future ARA Volunteers—Come
to the "Quick Tip" area on the ARA Show floor at
11 am on Thursday, March 2. ARA board members, volunteers,
and staff will provide information on how to maximize your
time on the Show floor and tell you about the many volunteer
opportunities within ARA.
ARA
International Awards Gala—The Gala is our night
to recognize our fellow professionals. The event, from 7 to
10 pm on Friday, March 3, features dinner and entertainment;
best product awards; announcement of ARIEF Scholarship winners;
Supplier, Retailer, and Sales Representative of the Year;
and the ARA Hall of Fame induction. You can purchase tickets
at the show registration desk.
ARA
Member Breakfast and Annual Meeting—Before
your final day on the ARA Show floor, join fellow members
at ARA's annual meeting and breakfast Saturday, March
4 from 7:30 to 9:30 am. The event begins with a hot breakfast
buffet, followed by the installation of its 2006–2007
Board of Directors, and the recognition of those professionals
who have earned their Certified Recognition Specialist (CRS)
and Certified Recognition Master (CRM) designations. There
is no fee to attend.
The
annual breakfast and meeting is also where I will hand the
gavel to 2006–2007 ARA President Rich Zydonik of Rowmark,
Inc. As I end my year as ARA president, I sincerely thank
all ARA members and volunteers for their support, encouragement,
and participation in our association. In particular, I would
like to thank the ARA Board of Directors—working with
you has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my lifetime.
The
Future Is Now.
Charles
Miles
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ARA
Las Vegas Slide Show
Make plans to log onto www.ara.org
during the week following the 2006 ARA International Awards
Market in Vegas. Your association will be featuring a flashing
slide-show presentation featuring new products, equipment,
Show floor views, and the winners of its awards contest and
volunteer awards.
ARA Retailer Awards Contest in Secaucus!
ARA retailer members are encouraged to showcase their work
in a competition being held at the ARA East Coast Awards Market
(March 30–April 1) in Secaucus. Categories include those
for trophies, plaques, engraving, sublimation, sandblasting/etching,
recognition "package" and creativity. For more
information see the entry form here.
ARA East Coast Awards Market—Hotel Sold Out!
The ARA room block at the Holiday Inn Harmon is sold out!
However, rooms are currently available at the following hotels:
AmeriSuites—Make
reservations by calling the hotel at 201/422-9480 ext. 1158.
Be sure to mention ARA or Awards & Recognition Association.
Here
are other nearby hotels, within walking distance of the convention
center:
Courtyard
by Marriott
455 Harmon Meadow Road
Secaucus, NJ
201/617-8888
Hampton
Inn
250 Harmon Meadow Road
Secaucus, NJ
201/865-7932
Embassy
Suites
455 Plaza Drive
Secaucus, NJ
201/864-5391
ARA Board of Directors
Congratulations to Terry Damsky (United Trophy Company), Steve
Rapchick (All American Awards, Inc.) and Vince Frank (Catania
Medallics) who were recently elected to the ARA Board of Directors.
Terry, Steve, and Vince each will serve a three year term.
Other
members of the 2006–2007 ARA Board of Directors are:
Rich Zydonik—President (Rowmark)
Ed Hunt—President Elect (Continental Trophies)
Dick Manard, CRS—Secretary/Treasurer (B&B Awards
& Recognition)
Charles Miles—Past President (F&H Ribbon)
Glenn Beckworth (Plastic-Plus Awards)
Ron Brown, CRM (Red Weir Athletic Supply)
Cathy Garcia (Plastic Dress Up)
Floyd Hershberger, CRM (BJ Trophies, Awards & Gifts)
Lynda Preble (Specialty Engraving & Awards)
Karen Scherer, CRM (A Flamingo Glass)
Fred Schwartz (Quality One Engravers)
ARA Member CorelDRAW Discount
ARA has arranged for you to upgrade to CorelDRAW Graphics
Suite X3 for only $139!! Discounts are also available for
a new license of CorelDRAW X3, Corel Painter 8, Knockout and
KPT. Simply log into the ARA members only section and click
on CorelDRAW Discount Program. Click here
to reach the login page.
ARA International Awards Market Sponsors
ARA sincerely thanks the following companies for their sponsorship
of the 2006 International Awards Market in Las Vegas.
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, contact Bob Jones at 800/544-2672, ext.
6224 or bjones@jltservices.com.
Education Update
See upcoming issues of ARA Connection and Recognition
Review for ARA Regional Education Events in the summer
and fall 2007. The ARA Education Committee is developing a
schedule of four events allowing members to visit several
supplier facilities—and take seminars approved for ARA
CEU credit.
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February
28–March 4
2006 ARA 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
ARA Southwest Regional Educational 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
4-6
The Awards & Custom
Gift Show
Fort Worth Convention Center
Fort Worth, TX
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
June
1-3
The Awards & Custom
Gift Show
Indiana Convention Center
Indianapolis, IN
July
11–13
ASI Show
McCormick Place Convention Center
Chicago, IL
Education Day, July 11
Exhibits Open, July 12–13
July
20–22
The Awards & Custom
Gift Show
Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center
Long Beach, CA
August
24–26
The Awards & Custom
Gift Show
Baltimore Convention Center
Baltimore, MD
October
26–28
The Awards & Custom
Gift Show
Charlotte Convention Center
Baltimore, MD
Charlotte, NC
February
21–24, 2007
2007 ARA International Awards
Market
Las Vegas Convention Center
Las Vegas, NV
800/344-2148
March
22–24, 2007
2007 ARA East Coast Awards
Market
Atlantic City Convention Center
Atlantic City, NJ
800/344-2148
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 In
the March 2006 Issue:
The
Truth About Tape
It's certainly not necessary to buy every tape in the supplier's
catalog, but if performance has been an issue, it probably
wouldn't hurt to expand beyond the old standby, as well as
take a look at whether your shop practices are giving the
best bond possible. ARA tape suppliers give their views.
Importing
PDF Files
In the February issue, Pradhan Balter introduced readers to
PDF files—their definition, creation, and controls.
In this final installment, he shows you how to properly import
these files so they can be edited.
My
Favorite Things
Bob Trogman complains that he has too many fonts to choose
from when starting a job. So, what are the factors in selecting
type? Dr. Type explains some of the ways he approaches the
selection challenge.
Back
in the Day
Like those stories your elders tell you about the good old
days, great service is not a thing of the past. In fact, great
service could be the key to future growth in your business.
Read
more!
More
Reasons to Move to CorelDRAW X3
Last month Foster Coburn covered CorelDRAW X3—including
the name change to avoid the stigma of the number 13. This
month, he covers more of the changes.
Wake-Up
Calls
If your business is making a decent product for a fair price,
why would you consider cutting your prices to get a sale?
According to Donna Gray, CRM, it may be time to educate your
customer about what goes into the products you offer.
Gift
and Jewelry Engraving
Gift and jewelry engraving machines can now be run on Windows-based
software. This streamlined process now lets more awards and
recognition pros get involved with this fun and lucrative
area of our industry.
Making
the Most of the Show
With ARA Shows at the beginning and end of March, attendees
will be looking for laser-engraving equipment, materials,
and products. Diane Bosworth gives her suggestions for how
to do your shopping. Read
more!
Las
Vegas Products Showcase
Here's an exciting preview of some of the exhibiting ARA companies
and the awards items and accessories they'll be offering in
Las Vegas.
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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.
?
If I want to run two printers off of one computer (one printer
for regular printing, and the second a laser for sublimation),
am I correct in assuming the following: If I hook up one printer
to one LPT port, and the second to another LPT port, can I
select which printer I want to print to?
Fred
Schwartz of Quality One Engravers responds: You can
install more than one LPT port, provided you have the available
IRQ addresses. The printer setup menu will have the selected
LPT port preassigned at installation, so you will not need
to do anything except print to the printer. Most of the newer
models are equipped with a USB input, which eliminates the
IRQ resource problems and requires only that you click on
the name of the printer. USB is much faster, but you still
may be limited by the memory available in the printer.
A
word of caution: When a large file (a high-resolution color
image or several copies) is sent to a printer, your computer's
resources will be severely taxed. Sending the job to a second
printer may cause the computer to chug along, and either printer
may stutter for data and cause your computer to crash. And
when you restart the computer, the print manager will send
pure garbage to your printers, seemingly impossible to delete
from the queue. I recommend owning a second computer, and
having both computers networked so files can easily be exchanged.
One of my favorite sayings is, "You can't be too rich,
too thin, or have too many computers." I have 2 PCs on
my desk and total of 4 PCs in my office. Often I use them
all at the same time.
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