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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.)
Monday
May 19, 2008 No Sex (But Lots of Fun) and the CityHi Everyone – The week of May 5th week was the first-ever ASI Show in New York City and it was a blast! This year’s Counselor Top 40 banquet was held at the quintessential New York hot spot Cipriani, and it was fantastic. At my table were my pals Jo-an Lantz from Geiger, Scott Siegel from R.S. Owens and Gemline owner Jonathan Isaacson, who is this year’s Counselor International Person of the Year. Jonathan’s knowledge on the topic is so vast and his passion for conveying the widespread impact that pricing issues in Asia will have on our industry is so contagious, that he actually has me saying things like this to my girlfriends over cocktails: “Prices on items imported from China have been so cheap due to its government’s refusal to let the yuan float against the U.S. dollar; that’s going to change as China is now exporting its inflationary markets to the U.S.” It would be at this point, if my life had its own soundtrack, that you’d here the crickets chirping over the Grey Goose, as my friends gaped at me, slack jawed.
Friday
April 4, 2008 Holy Frak!I have a confession to make: My name is Michele and I’m a sci-fi addict in all its dorky variations. Yep, I’m a full-blown geek from way back: Give me your Wonder Woman, your Lost in Space, your Star Trek: The Next Generation, your Buffy the Vampire Slayer, your Angel– pretty much anything by creator Joss Whedon, the uber-cool leader of the nerd herd. I’ll take them all.
Friday
March 21, 2008 The End of the Roadshow… Out with a Bang, Not a WhimperFiled under: ASI Shows, Fun, Travel Hey there Everyone! My apologies for just getting this final blog installment from last week’s Advantages road show through the Midwest to you now. Frankly, it took a few days for my internal organs to stop quivering. Some people may leave their hearts in San Francisco, but my lungs and liver are in Des Moines and St. Louis.
Friday
March 14, 2008 St. Louis & $250 worth of fireworks is a felony waiting to happen…Hi Everyone – So because we had a 4 1/2 hour bus ride from Kansas City to St. Louis, we pulled over at a rest stop and bought $250 worth of firecrackers (thank you Tom Vann, aka “Tommy T-shirts,” Eddie Roth, aka “E” from Aunt Beth’s Cookie Keepers and Tom Ngo!) Yes, fireworks are legal here and yes, we totally realize this is a recipe for disaster. Tim Andrews , if you’re reading, call a good bail-bondsman and keep your cell phone on!!! Stay tuned for the photos and mugshots!!!
Thursday
March 13, 2008 Kooks Invade Kansas City; Locals Flee in FrightFiled under: ASI Shows, Fun, Travel Hi from Kansas City, where it is day four of the Advantages Roadshow though it feels like day 8, 895. You’ll all be happy to know that Kansas City has been a blast and today’s attendance at the show was 199 — suppliers are freaking ecstatic. “The quality of the attendees has been really good across the board,” says Tom Ngo, director of sales and marketing for Key-Bak and the person who has been my handler on this trip. Tom has also been the bartender extraordinaire on the bus — he is like “Isaac the bartender” on The Love Boat. |
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