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Tuesday
August 12, 2008 Fun in the Sun at the SAAC Show!Filed under: Editorial, Fun, Travel Hi Everyone! I just returned to the office after being at the always-awesome SAAC Show in Long Beach, CA, last week. I’ve been attending the SAAC Show since its last year at the Towne & Country hotel in San Diego and have been a huge fan ever since. I don’t know if it’s because the show is the last of the year for many people or the relaxed vibe of Cali, but this show always has a distinct atmosphere to it — one of profound fun, where everyone is laid-back and happy. See below for a smorgasbord of photos I took chronicling the week. Two of my favorite moments that I missed the chance to photograph? My pal Jamie Raynor from JournalBooks, who is always the epitome of moderation, reason and decorum, succumbing to the crazies and doing Irish Car Bombs (rock on, Jamie!) at the iPROMOTEu ”SupplierPalooza” party and Kris Robinson, vice president of Counselor Top 40 distributor PromoShop, getting five other people to join him in sticking their fingers in shots of Sambuca, lighting them on fire , raising their arms in the air and declaring themselves the “Statues of Liberty.” And truly, I can think of no better analogy for the SAAC Show and this industry: “Give us your weirdoes, wackos, loonies and kooks…” ; )
Wednesday
July 30, 2008 Putting the “Chic” in Chicago…The High (& Low) Lights from the ASI Show!Filed under: ASI Shows, Editorial, Fun, Travel Hi Everyone! Welcome back from Chicago! If you weren’t there, YOWZA, did you miss a good time! I can’t remember a show where everyone seemed to be in such a great mood and going off the rails they were having so much fun! The show was fabulous and the parties were epic — but don’t take my word for it; check out the menu of mayhem and debauchery in the array of photos below. I don’t know about you all, but I have serious concerns as to whether my liver will cease quivering in time for the SAAC Show next week. And that one, my friends, being my last show of the year, is where I go out with a bang, not a whimper. ; ) More on Friday! Cheers! – Michele
Tom Riordan, CEO of Maple Ridge Farms, and I share a drink at the Mix bar in the Hyatt — where the elite meet to eat and the rummies flock to drink. Tom and I had never met in person before, and he was as delightful as I had heard.
Friday
July 18, 2008 My Kinda Town, Chicago Is!Filed under: ASI Shows, Editorial, Travel Hi Everyone – Before I head (in Philly-speak) “down the shore” to Avalon for the weekend, I just wanted to say I’m looking forward to seeing you all in Chicago at the ASI Show next week! If you’re a supplier, be sure to stop by the “Supplier Hot Topics — Uncensored!” panel I’m moderating on Wednesday, July 23rd, from 5-6:00 p.m. (room 226) immediately after the show. We’ll be discussing such crucial issues as rising prices, the impact of new employment laws in Asia and product safety. Adult beverages will be served, because, as the bon vivants say, “If drinks aren’t involved, then neither am I!” We’ll also be broadcasting our ASI Radio Show live from Chicago on Tuesday morning, 9:30 a.m. central time. For those of you who know me, to say I am not a “morning person” is putting it mildly, so I’m sure my disposition will be snarky sass at its finest. Thanks so much to all of you who listened and called into our first show this past Tuesday. You made it a huge success and, as always, I stand in awe of your support — you’re better than a WonderBra. If you’d like to call into the show this week when we’re in Chicago, just dial (215) 953-4979. Check in next week for lots of photos, commentary and general kookiness from the ASI Chicago Show! Cheers! – Michele
Monday
July 14, 2008 And Now, a Word from the Lunatic Fringe…Happy Monday (an oxymoron if there ever was one…), Everyone! Last week, I wrote a blog entitled “The Mouths that Roared,” regarding the debut of ASI Radio. The weekly half-hour live call-in talk radio show kicks off tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. (Eastern time) and will feature ASI’s five senior editors — Melinda Ligos, editor-in-chief; Kathy Huston, editor of Advantages; Andy Cohen, editor of Counselor; Joe Haley, managing editor and star of The Joe Show; and myself. To access the show, just go to the link www.asicentral.com/radio tomorrow morning. To call in, simply dial (215) 953-4979 or send me an e-mail, which will reach me as I’m on the air, due to the ever-present Crackberry glued to my hand. (My e-mail address is mbell@asicentral.com). Of the issues we’ll be discussing tomorrow, the new, more restrictive code announced by the Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) last week will be the first hot topic. What this code says is that all non-educational items — such as pens, note pads, mugs and similar reminder items — should not be offered to healthcare professionals or members of their staff, even if they’re accompanied by patient or physician educational materials. This is due to take effect in January, 2009 and will clearly have widespread repercussions for the industry. We will also be discussing the results of a poll, posted on ASICentral, that asked industry professionals who they were more likely to vote for — Barack Obama or John McCain. I’ll leave you in suspense, but do call in to get Joe Haley’s back as he — the lone conservative Republican — squares off against the other four liberal Democrat editors. And for those of you I haven’t spoken with, yes, we will be working without a five-second delay, so what you hear will be live and uncensored. This fact — and the penchant Kathy Huston and I have for dropping the “f bomb” — has ASI’s president and CEO, Tim Andrews, wringing his hands, shaking his head and walking the halls here at ASI muttering “FCC fines” under his breath. And, did I mention that for our inaugural show, the five of us will be drinking morning cocktails? Let the games begin… ; ) Tune in tomorrow and cheers! – Michele
Tuesday
July 8, 2008 The Mouths That RoaredHi Everyone - There’s not a week that goes by that Rich Fairfield, ASI’s senior vice president, the publisher of our magazines and my boss, doesn’t come up with an idea that makes me scowl, roll my eyes and whine, “Where’d you come up with that cockamamie plan?”
Wednesday
June 25, 2008 Hey Baby, What’s Your Sign?Hi Everyone - Hope you’re all enjoying the summer so far! Those of you who know me know that I’ve been spending each summer in Avalon, NJ, all my life. For those of you not familiar with Avalon, it’s a very small beach town in South Jersey, where people mainly in their 20s, 30s and 40s suffering from arrested development flock every weekend to hang out with their friends and enjoy copious amounts of cocktails. The real estate is very expensive and the people who congregate on the island every summer have an excess of disposable income and a general lack of discretion, composure and willpower (and believe me, I’m one of the worst offenders in that regard). It is the type of place that inspired famed writer Somerset Maugham’s descritpion of the South of France: “A sunny place for shady people.” It’s also the kind of beach town that thrives during bad weather, when the bars are even more crowded (the unofficial slogan of the bar owners: “When it rains, we pour”). Succinctly, it is a haven for heathens.
Thursday
June 12, 2008 Primo Show for Promo East!Filed under: Editorial, Fun, Travel Hi Everyone! Last week was the Promotions East Show in Atlantic City (or, as I refer to it, the Hellmouth of the East Coast). Despite the fact that it is not an easy place to get to unless you’re from NJ or Philly, people flock to this show and for good reason - it’s one of the two biggest regional shows (SAAC’s August show in Long Beach, CA, being the other) and a solidly good, mid-year event that attracts top-tier ad specialty professionals. (Another factor could be the world-famous “White House” cheesesteaks and hoagies, which have developed a rabid, cult-like following among show-goers.)
Wednesday
May 28, 2008 The Good, the Bad & the Slimy: Memories of this year’s Asian showsHi Everyone — |
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