promotional products – Masher Runs

I quickly learned that Vegas for fun and Vegas for work are very different. This was my second go at Sin City, so I wasn’t as overwhelmed when I flew in Tuesday. But this trip was for work, so I knew things would be a lot different. The reason for the trip was for the PPAI Expo for promotional products. It’s our biggest show and most important show of the year.

I flew in on Tuesday, and was exited to say goodbye to the snow for a few days. I ended up flying in with the president and he gave me some great insights on what the next couple months could bring for me. This includes get my CAS (Certified Advertising Specialist) and then MAS (Master Advertising Specialist). What, School? Not to worry, all I’d have to do is attend seminars during shows. Even better, this can be done online if need be and it’s free. So with a short break, I’m back to furthering my education.

Most of the week was spent at our booth, meeting with distributors and showing off our new products. When we weren’t at the show, we were either attending seminars or meeting with our sales reps or others in the industry. It was a great way to see even more of the industry that I hadn’t yet been exposed to. It was a busy four days that left me quite exhausted, so it will be great to be home for a week to rest up before the next show!

View from my room

However, my favorite part of the trip was listening to one of the keystone speakers, astronaut Mark Kelly, husband of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. He spoke of how much has changed in the past year, and the ups and downs they’ve both gone through. He even read the note he left for Gabby in case something happened while he was in space. It was such an emotional moment hearing him, and of course inspirational. It certainly made you reflect on how lucky you are.

Two weeks ago…yes, I’m way behind on these posts….I was in California for the Specialty Advertising Association of California trade show for work. I was looking forward to this for weeks because A) I’ve never been to California, so I wanted to see if it really was all that glitz and glam, and B) still being new to the company, and industry, I was really excited to dive in and learn so much more. We flew into LAX on a Tuesday and spent the week out there for the show. The show was great, and everyone involved was very welcoming. They were also determined to make my firs trip to Cali an unforgetable one. And while I learned that maybe the LA/Long Beach area isn’t where I want to run a half, I’m excited to look into the northern part to see what it has to offer. Unfortunately this is the last trade show for the year, but next year brings Vegas, Orlando and Dallas in the beginning of the year! Of course the best way for me to fully take in a new place is by taking tons of pictures, and of course finding a lighthouse!