New Year; New SGIA Contacts
You may have met her in Orlando at SGIA’07 — Christina Pappas joined SGIA in September 2007 as Director of Conventions and Meetings and will be responsible for overall management of SGIA Expos. Christina brings 25 years of meeting experience to the Association and has worked with various organizations as an Independent Meeting Consultant to put together corporate meetings and events.

Jean Lambert has been promoted to a new position within the Association, Exhibit Logistics Manager, to better serve you, our exhibitors. As your main contact, she is primarily responsible for exhibitor services, booth sales, and event logistics.

Contact Christina at 703.359.1364 or Jean at 703.359.1328.

Call for Presentations
Calling all exhibitors — have you submitted your proposals for SGIA’08 educational presentations yet? Sessions will be selected based on relevance/timeliness of the topic, educational value to the industry, and balance within the diverse specialty graphic industry. All proposals will be considered, but space is limited. For more information, contact Dan Marx, VP Markets & Technology at 703.359.1312. Deadline for submissions is February 15, 2008.

Activate your VTS
The Virtual Trade Show is your chance to connect with thousands of imagers looking for the products and services you offer. As an exhibitor, your VTS booth is complimentary and you can use it to increase your online marketing reach. Setting up your virtual booth is easy, and your password-protected access makes it possible for you to update your booth often.

Power to Attendees
Purchasing power, that is. In 2007, about 85 percent attendees reported that they will be deciding or impacting their companies’ choices in equipment, consumables and services when attending SGIA Expo, which means good news for you. For example, Gerber Scientific, Inc. recently reported record sales topping $8 million since launching their Gerber Solara Ion at SGIA’07.

Switching Gears
Membrane switch industry suppliers: Consider exhibiting at the Membrane Switch Symposium (June 3-5; Crowne Plaza St. Paul Riverfront, St. Paul, Minnesota). This annual opportunity gives you plenty of face-to-face contact and networking time with your hottest prospects, best clients and industry leaders. And there’s nothing quite like it! The SGIA Membrane Switch Symposium, known for outstanding networking opportunities and extraordinary presentations on cutting edge topics, is unique in this high-tech industry niche.

Contact Cassandra Stewart to reserve your space and sponsorship today: 703.359.1314.

Keep Attendees In the Know
Be sure to e-mail your news and any accompanying images to sgia@sgia.org for use in SGIA’s Industry Update online and the Hard Copy section of SGIA News to keep attendees and members up-to-date with information about your company. Please be sure to follow all SGIA artwork specifications and requirements.

One caveat: SGIA reserves the right to determine the news that will be posted on SGIA.org and/or published in SGIA News and to edit all releases posted or published.

Book Your Hotel Early
Make sure you get your first choice. Online housing for SGIA’08 is up and running. Visit Travel Planners’ SGIA’08 site to compare hotels, availability and rates, then reserve your room for Atlanta. The Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel in downtown Atlanta is our headquarter hotel this year. We’ve negotiated the best prices possible for all hotels in our block of convention-center-accessible hotels.

Sponsors Get the Spotlight
You’re exhibiting at SGIA’08, which is an excellent way to reach the leaders of the specialty imaging industry — but to really boost your ROI, consider some of these cost-effective sponsorship opportunities available in Atlanta. Be sure to act quickly: Opportunities are limited! Contact Jean Lambert today to reserve any of these SGIA’08 custom sponsorships: 703.359.1328.

Tote Bags (Investment: $8,000) — Spread your name throughout the convention center and Expo. Put your logo on the SGIA’08 tote bag and get ready to be carried away. 

Expo Map (Investment: $3,000 inside, $8,000 back cover) — The SGIA’08 floor plan, in an easy-to-carry size attendees use often. Your ad will lead them to your booth — if you reserve before space runs out.

Corporate Banner or Lobby Towers (Investment: $5,000/each) — Unfurl your corporate colors and draw attention with a banner on display, or tower above the crowd with your message and graphics on all four sides of an 8-foot-high structure. Either one are sure to get attendees’ attention as soon as they enter the Georgia World Congress Center.

E-mail Pavilion (Investment: $1,500) — Help attendees answer the e-mail call … and enjoy the benefits of your logo on the signage and computer screens of two of the busiest places on the show floor.

Exposition Directory (Investment: $250–$1,500) — You could call it the good book. Just remember this: Attendees take the directory home and use it all year long. Add your logo to your listing and/or a full-page ad and bask in the extra attention.

John M. Crawford Golf Tournament (Investment: $100–$2,200) — The annual golf tournament has an entire menu of sponsorship opportunities to fit your goals and budget. Take advantage of this concentrated opportunity to put your message in front of high-powered players.

Escalator Advertisement (Investment: $3,000) — Escalators are a meeting place as well as a way up or down. Stand out when attendees stand on or near them.

Shuttle Bus Wrap (Investment $500-$4,000) — Experience the power of the vehicle wrap, and be part of the most popular-with-attendees sponsorship opportunity with the SGIA ’08 shuttle buses.