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	New Web Service Enhances Attendee Experience at 2007 Motivation Show
	End-Users Offer Incentive Program Sales Tips
	"Executive Leadership Series" Tops Show's Educational Slate
	Your Promotional Products Marketing Skills Need Boosting
	Countering Myths About Coupon Redemption
	Need to Brush Up Your Promotion Marketing Basics?
	How to Ensure That Incentive Programs Are SOX-Secure
	RPI Urges Certification for Recognition Professionals

New Web Service Enhances Attendee Experience at 2007 Motivation Show
A free personalized Web-search portal is being issued to each registered buyer attending this year's Motivation Show – scheduled for September 25-27, 2007. The service, created by BD Metrics and called MotivationConnect, is designed to help "match attendees with products, destinations, and events relevant to the registrant's interests and to find other people attending the Show who share the attendee's same interests and objectives," says Peter Erickson, managing director of the Show.

The service includes a personalized event planner which buyers can access via their laptops – it keeps a list of companies, products, seminars, people, and other resources that are of immediate value to the Show registrant. It also allows registrants to connect online with the people in the Show community who might have answers to their specific questions – both before and after the Show. For information on the Show and on MotivationConnect, go to www.motivationshow.com.

End-Users Offer Incentive Program Sales Tips
The Incentive Marketing Association (IMA) invited three end-user customers to share their perspectives about buying incentives at the IMA Summit general session in July. Though each had different complaints about the incentive suppliers they work with and their comments were sometimes controversial, they all agreed the incentive suppliers they choose to work with must bring much more than product to the business relationship. In fact, here's what they said they wanted from their preferred suppliers:

• Find out what you can about my business, my industry, and my customers before you walk in the door.
  
  
• Then ask questions about my business, my industry, and my customers so you can fully understand my challenges.
  
  
• Don't start our conversation by telling me what you have to sell.
  
  
• Ask me how I want to receive information and how often. (Two panelists favored e-mail and one preferred to read printed pieces he receives via mail.)
  
  
• When you send me information, make sure it includes material I can use.

For information on the Incentive Marketing Association or on next year's IMA Executive Summit – "Unlock the Vault", July 27-30, 2008, at the Fairmont Copley Plaza, Boston – visit the IMA website at www.incentivemarketing.org.

"Executive Leadership Series" Tops Show's Educational Slate
Besides providing access to some of the leading brands, incentive companies, travel services, and other vendors serving the incentive industry, The 2007 Motivation Show also provides one of the industry's unique educational opportunities, with more than 30 sessions over the course of three days – September 25-27.

This year's faculty of distinguished practitioners, academics, and thought leaders share best practices from companies like DHL, Avis-Budget, Gap, Park Nicollet Health Services, John Deere, Eileen Fisher, and more. Seminar learning tracks include: Employee Engagement and Recognition, Motivating Sales and Channel Partners, Consumer Marketing, and Meeting & Incentive Travel Strategies. In addition, the Show offers two special half-day workshops on incentive program design: Principles of Results-Based Incentive Program Design (including the IMA Circle of Excellence luncheon) and the Incentive Travel Workshop (which includes the IMA and RPI keynote luncheon by Chester Elton on "The Carrot Principle").

Full conference registration includes up to seven individual 90-minute seminars over the three days of the Conference, plus seminar materials, and morning and afternoon refreshments, for $195. Individual 90-minute seminars, which include seminar materials, and morning and afternoon refreshments, are $75 each. The individual half-day workshops, which include a luncheon program, seminar materials, and morning and afternoon refreshments, are $150 each. For more information, go to www.motivationshow.com.

Your Promotional Products Marketing Skills Need Boosting
If so, the Promotional Professionals Mentoring Network (PPMN) might be just the thing for you. PPMN is a special interest council of the Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) and was formed to foster education, mentoring, and networking for individuals working in the promotional products industry. In fact, while the network is only three years old, a recent survey of its membership found that 90 percent of respondents perceive their membership to be somewhat or very valuable. And 82 percent say they have taken advantage of at least some of the membership benefits available to them, including a mentoring program, networking opportunities, a job bulletin board, podcasts, and educational seminars. For information on the network, visit www.ppmn.com.

PPAI will be sponsoring another educational opportunity through its Promotional Consultant Academy and Learning Lab on September 25-27, concurrent with The Motivation Show. This Academy is for promotional consultants who want to boost their skills and abilities in designing/selling integrated programs to clients.

It blends elements of gift, incentive, and motivation programs with the strategic use of promotional products for providing one-stop solutions for a wide spectrum of client needs. For more information, visit www.ppa.org, or contact the Promotional Products Association International at 888-I-AM-PPAI (426-7724).

Countering Myths About Coupon Redemption
Overall coupon redemption rates in the U.S. are down over the last few years, and part of the reason, according to ICOM Information & Communications, is that marketers are still relying too much on the conventional wisdom about coupon redemption. And much of that conventional wisdom is wrong.

For instance, many marketers believe that short-term redemption rates for coupons will drive immediate sales. But ICOM argues that consumers need more time, and that short expirations cut redemptions more than any increase in value can make up. Another generally accepted myth is that a sample is necessary to drive higher redemption rates, but ICOM believes that other factors like expiration, value, current vs. competitive user, frequent vs. infrequent coupon user, and others are more likely than samples to drive redemption. ICOM's assertions are based on a 20-year database built in the course of designing 6,300 targeted direct mail programs. For a list of ICOM's "Top Ten Myths About Coupon Redemption," click here.

Need to Brush Up Your Promotion Marketing Basics?
Basics of Promotion Marketing, a two-day seminar offered by the Promotion Marketing Association (PMA), is a career-development necessity. It's designed to develop attendees' skills in all aspects of promotional marketing, including strategy, law, and all tactical elements of promotion. Small classes taught by experienced marketing executives analyze real-world promotions and promotional campaigns. Then, in small teams, participants design and develop their own integrated marketing promotions based on detailed industry case studies. Upcoming seminars will be held in New York on November 8-9, 2007, and in Chicago on January 29-30, 2008. For information, visit the Promotion Marketing Association website at www.pmalink.org.

PMA will also be offering its 29th Promotion Marketing Law Conference, November 15-16, 2007 at the Downtown Marriott in Chicago. This year's theme is "Who's In Control Now? Navigating Tumultuous Changes in Today's Marketing."

The conference will offer an in-depth explanation of the things you need to know to comply with the fast changing world of promotion laws, regulations, and government enforcement policies. Lynn Parnes, director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection of the Federal Trade Commission will be the keynote speaker. For further information or to register, please call the PMA at (212) 420-1100, or go to www.pmalink.org.

How to Ensure That Incentive Programs Are SOX-Secure
While the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, enacted in 2002 in the wake of a number of corporate governance scandals, does not address incentive plans directly and does not legally apply to private companies, there is a trickle-down impact as companies in general seek to improve their ethical, recordkeeping, and accounting practices to increase the transparency of all expenditures throughout their organizations.

As a result, many companies are looking for more precise and accurate tracking and justification of all of their marketing efforts, including incentive programs, in order to provide a better rationale for business development and any expenditures related to compensation, rewards or recognition. If a current incentive plan is not well defined and awards are distributed without tracking, these programs could face elimination or other repercussions arising from internal or external audits.

A White Paper offered by the Performance Improvement Council of the Incentive Marketing Association advises that to ensure that their programs are SOX-secure, companies should:

• Make sure your incentive program has a measurable business purpose.
  
  
• Base program design on research-supported practices.
  
  
• Document the business goals, performance measures, strategies and actions justifying any program.
  
  
• Track all expenditures, taking advantage of technology offered by professional incentive program designers.
  
  
• Use incentive and recognition program experts with demonstrated experience in creating performance-based programs.

To view a copy of the White Paper on whether and how Sarbanes-Oxley applies to your company, click here.

RPI Urges Certification for Recognition Professionals
Responding to employer needs and industry trends, Recognition Professionals International (RPI – formerly the National Association for Employee Recognition) has developed the Certified Recognition Professional (CRP) curriculum to meet the needs of the ever-changing workforce environment.

The CRP program sets the standard for assessment of an individual's abilities and provides a means for recognition professionals to acquire the skills and knowledge required to succeed professionally in the field. The program fosters self-development by offering guidelines and enabling individuals to identify and award special recognition to persons who have demonstrated a comprehensive knowledge of the principles and practices of employee recognition. RPI performance standards include criteria for effective recognition strategy and programs with real business results.

September 25, 2007, will provide an opportunity, when recognition professionals from around the globe will meet and network at McCormick Place in Chicago. RPI will hold its Excellence in Recognition Fall Summit in conjunction with The Motivation Show. The Summit will include the presentation of the 2007 Recognition Best Practice Awards, and attendees will have a great chance to learn about these best practice organizations and apply those creations into their own recognition practices. RPI will also be offering four facilitator-led Certified Recognition Professional (CRP) courses over the course of the Show. For more information, visit www.recognition.org.