The bpma joined the Institute of Fundraising (IOF) at a round-table event to explore the effects of branded merchandise in the charity sector.
During the lunch at the Grange Hotel in London’s Tower Hill in May, an interesting debate ensued about how much merchandise is used for promotional use and how much for revenue generation. The bpma is producing a white paper for IOF members to help them make the most of product media.
Phil Morgan, CEO of SPS, shares his advice on staying ahead.
In my youth, I kept myself out of trouble by playing squash. And I was pretty good, to be honest, ranking seventh in the country at one point. I spent hours and hours practising, seven days a week. In the end, I left it all behind for the glamorous world of promotional products, but I did bring a valuable lesson with me: you’ll never get good at anything unless you keep on learning!
Andrew Hill, Managing Director of Senator in the UK and head of the Charter Committee at the bpma.
“We don’t have to prove ourselves to anyone”, a recent correspondent of mine proclaimed. “Our customers get the best deals and the quickest service, so if that’s not good enough then they can lump it.” Yet with an increasing demand for compliance and conformity within our industry, it is becoming clear that this price-driven commodity trading attitude will soon be a thing of the past.
Leading UK supplier Listawood has extended its PhotoMugs collection with a Marrow mug with a full-colour print.
Thanks to its investment in technology, it can decorate mugs through dye sublimation which offers stunning full-colour, photographic image reproduction that is unobtainable by any other means.
Dukes Global has received a significant investment from private equity firm Agathos to support growth including expansion globally.
Douglas Grays, Dukes’ CEO, will continue to lead the business and drive the growth of both the UK and Asian operations with the support of Stuart Shepherd, Sales Director. The Agathos team will provide financial, strategic and operational support to Dukes’ management team.
Galpeg is continuing to grow its Associate programme and help them expand their businesses and knowledge.
The latest Associate is John Peel, who has launched Peel Promotions, based in Northampton, after working in the promotions industry for nearly 10 years. He said: “The opportunity to run my own business backed by the resources of Galpeg, expand my knowledge of promotional gifts and have access to the network of other Associates in the programme was a win-win situation for me.”
Personnel changes in the management of the Senator Group at its global headquarters in Germany see the appointment of a new Managing Director Technology.
Dr Christian Korte left the company at the end of May to pursue new career opportunities and has been replaced by Senator’s previous chief operating officer, Dr Ulf Osmers.
The impact of the Ashers branding discrimination case could affect promotional merchandise industry.
A recent legal ruling in Northern Ireland could have far-reaching legal implications. A judge ruled that a Christian-run bakery discriminated against a gay customer by refusing to make a cake with a pro-gay marriage slogan. Ashers Baking Company, based in County Antrim, was taken to court by a gay rights activist, assisted by Northern Ireland’s Equality Commission.
Matt Pluckrose, managing director of Desktop Ideas, explains wireless charging and how it works.
Wireless charging, such as the Qi charging standard that many Android phones use, isn’t that new but, like all cutting-edge technology, it is just now starting to take off and get consumers and businesses buzzing about it.
The Leather Business has unveiled a range of high-end gifts, from a laptop case to ring binders.
The Ashbourne Leather laptop case and the under-arm envelope (pictured) are made with a luxurious full-hide aged leather. The envelope is left raw on the inside creating a classic but very modern product.
Outstanding Branding has declared the return of its end-user show, The Outstanding Promo Show, a huge success.
Held at the Tower of London in May for the second time, it attracted merchandise buyers from the company’s nationwide clientele, with a theme of unlocking the power of promotional merchandise.
Over 30 of the organisation’s top suppliers exhibited a variety of promotional products to inspire creativity for future marketing campaigns. Features included branding workshops, free prize draws and a goody bag worth over £150.
Promotional Products Week is returning in September to nationally raise the profile of promotional products and encourage their use within the marketing mix.
The bpma wants companies to recognise the value of promotional products and understand the many different ways they can improve brand awareness. Taking place from September 14 to 18, it follows PPW’s successful launch in 2013. It will showcase promotional merchandise at its best, highlighting its essential role in the marketing mix and explaining why it is continually used by marketers keen to make an impact.
After five years of exceptional growth, Crazy Bags has outgrown its headquarters in Lymington in Hampshire and moved to further expand its operation.
A market-leader in the promotional bag sector, it is now based in New Milton, Hampshire with new office space housing an expanded account and marketing team with in-house warehousing. Managing Director Andy Steavenson said: “It will enable us to continue innovating in the promotional bag market and establish us as a game-changer in the marketplace.”
Wholesalers and distributors from around the world came together in Hong Kong at the spring meeting of Ippag, the International Partnership for Premiums & Gifts.
They discussed issues such as the consequences of the Ukraine crisis and the unstable political situation in various countries and regions of the Arabic world. Rick Brenner, Chairman of the American industry association PPAI (Promotional Products Association International), and Paul Bellantone, CEO of the PPAI, reported on the market in the US.
SPS has announced the acquisition of High Profile in a move that will further strengthen the company’s offering when it comes to British-made promotional products.
With ambitious plans for growth after a management buy-out last year, the leadership team at SPS view the acquisition of High Profile as a fantastic move for Great British manufacturing, as both companies will benefit from the shared experience, knowledge and business processes.
The bpma will be hosting a UK Pavilion at the PSI Trade Show which will open its doors for the 54th time in Düsseldorf in January. The pavilion will be made up of business pods, aimed at small and first-time exhibitors, but the bpma is always happy to facilitate introductions to the right people at PSI for those looking for larger stands.
Nigel Bailey, Event Director at the bpma, said: “The bpma UK Pavilion will be at the heart of the British presence at PSI 2016 and we will be supporting a ‘buy British’ campaign at the show. We will also be hosting a drinks reception at the show and other activities to be announced in the next few weeks.”
The bpma’s launch of its new exclusive national member-only exhibition has been very successful that 80% of stands for the 2016 event had already been sold by June. The bpma Show will be co-located with a relaunch of its popular Education Day together with the prestigious bpma Annual Awards Dinner.
The first edition of The bpma Show will be on September 14 at The Wing, Silverstone with the associated events at the nearby Whittlebury Hall.
SPS opened its doors in May to host the AGF Branding Bootcamp Extra. Distributors from around the UK came to Blackpool for a day of education, product demos, and quality conversations with their favourite suppliers.
It also included a tour of the SPS factory, with the opportunity to do product branding and explore the company’s massive manufacturing and branding facility. The two-day event was a massive success, with distributors returning to their businesses full of ideas, expert knowledge and a desire to send the rest of their teams to the next event.
The PAGE group hosted its 24th annual awards conference and dinner which, after 23 years, was held at a new venue, the Woodland Grange in Leamington Spa.
Held on June 4, it was attended by PAGE members with presentations from Andrew Talbot of Gateway 3D who spoke about the standard online catalogue provided to PAGE members and the advantages of having your own stand-alone website. He was followed by Peter King and Sam Baker of PAGE Partnership who introduced Osyth, the latest development in promotional industry distributor software.
Fluid Branding achieved such overwhelmingly positive feedback after hosting its first-ever Yorkshire Merchandise Show that it plans to repeat the event next year.
Held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Leeds in May, it featured hundreds of new and exciting brandable products, with account managers on hand to offer advice and guidance. There were also seminars presented by bpma Director General Gordon Glenister on creative ideas and demonstrating how promotional products can deliver a great return on investment.
© Copyright 2020 The BPMA | All rights reserved.
