http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news en aheugel@greatamericanpublish.com Copyright 2012 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:04:52 GMT http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news/release/valentines-day-card-sales-hold-steady-for-2012/ http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news/release/valentines-day-card-sales-hold-steady-for-2012/#id:15795#date:16:04 The Greeting Card Association (GCA) estimates that approximately 150 million greeting cards will be purchased for Valentine's Day this year in the U.S. This figure is based on member company sales and does not include children's packaged valentines for classroom exchanges. Valentine's Day is the second-largest holiday for giving greeting cards, behind Christmas. The GCA expects that the number of greeting cards purchased for Valentine's Day will hold relatively steady from last year's estimate of approximately 160 million valentines purchased as, historically, more valentines tend to be exchanged when the holiday occurs on a weekday… Party and Paper, Stationery Trends Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:04 GMT http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news/release/lynn-white-named-national-stationery-show-manager/ http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news/release/lynn-white-named-national-stationery-show-manager/#id:15783#date:15:35 Lynn White, a 30-year trade show industry veteran, has been named Show Manager of the National Stationery Show (NSS), North America's leading source for greeting cards, social stationery and related lifestyle products. Patti Stracher - recently appointed Executive Vice President of the Greeting Card Association - will assume the role of NSS General Manager, providing strategic and creative direction for the show that she has led for 18 years. "Patti's vast industry knowledge and long-standing history with the NSS, combined with Lynn's strong trade show management background, is a powerful combination of expertise and experience… Museums and More, Party and Paper, Stationery Trends Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:35 GMT http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news/release/judges-announced-for-24th-annual-louie-awards/ http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news/release/judges-announced-for-24th-annual-louie-awards/#id:15513#date:15:55 The 24th Annual LOUIE Awards committee has announced the judges for this year's LOUIE Awards. The panel of judges consists of 16 well-respected retailers, sales representatives, editors and members of the industry who will evaluate this year's LOUIE entries to determine the finalists and winners in each category. The LOUIEs welcome a high caliber of new and returning judges to this year's Awards, including retailers such as Paper Source, Kate's Paperie and Barnes & Noble; industry professionals from Hallmark, American Greetings and Mohawk Paper; and editors from Oh So Beautiful Paper, HOW Magazine and Stationery… Museums and More, Party and Paper, Stationery Trends Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:55 GMT http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news/release/urban-expositions-acquires-trade-shows-from-western-exhibitors/ http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news/release/urban-expositions-acquires-trade-shows-from-western-exhibitors/#id:15418#date:12:39 Urban Expositions has acquired the Portland Gift & Accessories Show, San Francisco Cash & Carry Show, Seattle Cash & Carry Show and Portland Cash & Carry Show from Western Exhibitors. The latest acquisitions are part of the continued western region growth strategy for Atlanta-based Urban Expositions, which purchased the San Francisco International Gift Fair and Seattle Gift Show from dmg world media in 2009 and launched the Las Vegas Souvenir & Resort Gift Show in 2007. As part of the transition plan, Kelly McLoughlin, long-time manager for all four shows under Western Exhibitors' management, now… Museums and More, Stationery Trends Wed, 28 Dec 2011 12:39 GMT http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news/release/party-partners-joins-the-madison-park-group/ http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news/release/party-partners-joins-the-madison-park-group/#id:15293#date:14:55 Party Partners, designer of time-tested, classic party supplies, has teamed up with The Madison Park Group, a leading stationery and gift manufacturer, to manufacture and distribute its products. Party Partners' vintage-inspired collection of party favors, birthday candles and seasonal party products - including their signature tiaras-n-tooters, itty-bitty banners, candid candles and festive party picks and straws - have been around since 1999. "Our products are kid friendly, inexpensive, mostly recyclable and fun," said Timothy Siciliano, company founder and president. "Our simple, retro flavor of party goods is missing in the bigger party market. We fill… Stationery Trends Fri, 16 Dec 2011 14:55 GMT http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news/release/according-to-nrf-black-friday-weekend-spent-record-52-billion/ http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news/release/according-to-nrf-black-friday-weekend-spent-record-52-billion/#id:14996#date:13:30 According to a National Retail Federation survey conducted by BIGresearch over the weekend, traffic and spending were up both online and in stores, reaching historic highs. According to the survey, a record 226 million shoppers visited stores and websites over Black Friday weekend, up from 212 million last year. Digging deep into their holiday budgets, the average holiday shopper spent $398.62 this weekend, up from $365.34 last year. Total spending reached an estimated $52.4 billion. Additionally, shoppers also checked out retailers' deals online, spending an average of $150.53 on the web - 37.8 percent of… Museums and More, Party and Paper, Stationery Trends Mon, 28 Nov 2011 13:30 GMT http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news/release/design-design-inc.-announces-a-brand-new-look/ http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news/release/design-design-inc.-announces-a-brand-new-look/#id:14980#date:15:43 Grand Rapids, Mich.- based personal expression company Design Design has launched a new brand look and marketing direction a year in the making at their annual sales conference at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel. The company has rebranded their logo design to reflect more trend and sophistication, and developed a butterfly focal point. This transformation, coupled with a reconfiguration of their sales team leadership and product offerings, ushers in new way of doing business with a fresh face for the company. "Our mission is to be the ‘just right' choice for personal expression products," said… Stationery Trends Wed, 23 Nov 2011 15:43 GMT http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news/release/sanrio-announces-licensing-agreement-with-up-with-paper/ http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news/release/sanrio-announces-licensing-agreement-with-up-with-paper/#id:14970#date:16:58 Sanrio has announced a licensing agreement with Up With Paper, the world's leading marketer of innovative three-dimensional greeting cards. Up With Paper will develop a new line of pop-up stationery products featuring pop icon Hello Kitty. The collection will be launched at winter gift shows and at Toy Fair; the agreement is effective immediately. This new licensing partnership will make Hello Kitty available in a variety of pop-up formats. Produced under the new UWP Kids brand, and featuring the top quality mix of design and paper engineering that Up With Paper fans have come to… Stationery Trends Tue, 22 Nov 2011 16:58 GMT http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news/release/americasmart-atlanta-debuts-new-website/ http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news/release/americasmart-atlanta-debuts-new-website/#id:14657#date:16:06 AmericasMart Atlanta has announced the next step in its comprehensive digital marketing strategy with the launch of a new website-www.americasmart.com. It features improved navigation, dynamic content showcasing AmericasMart through video and photography and exclusive online tools designed to optimize the Market experience for users. "We have an ongoing mission to provide the ultimate Market experience for our buyers and exhibitors," said Jeffrey L. Portman, Sr., president and chief operating officer of AmericasMart. "That includes advancing their businesses by providing leading resources and services. Our new website incorporates a wealth of innovative tools to help plan… Museums and More, Stationery Trends Thu, 03 Nov 2011 16:06 GMT http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news/release/charles-g.-mccurdy-assumes-operating-ceo-role-at-glm/ http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news/release/charles-g.-mccurdy-assumes-operating-ceo-role-at-glm/#id:14646#date:13:54 GLM Holdings, created by 
Providence Equity Partners as part of its acquisition of George Little Management (GLM), has announced that Charles G. McCurdy, CEO of GLM Holdings, will also take on the CEO role for GLM at the operating company level. At the same time, GLM Holdings announced that Doug Smith, formerly CFO of Education Dynamics, will become GLM's Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative Officer at both the holding company and operating company levels.
Alan E. Steel, president of GLM, Jeff Little and Jack Withiam, senior vice president, will be leaving the firm after advising… Museums and More, Stationery Trends Thu, 03 Nov 2011 13:54 GMT http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news/release/louie-awards-call-for-entries-and-theme-announced/ http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news/release/louie-awards-call-for-entries-and-theme-announced/#id:14623#date:19:15 The Greeting Card Association (GCA) has announced the theme for the 2011 LOUIE Awards: "The Greatest Cards on Earth!" In addition, the Call for Entries is officially open and entries in all categories for the 24th Annual Awards can be submitted online at www.greetingcard.org. Inspired by the exciting and classic circuses popular in the 1920s and 1930s, this year's theme concept was designed by Katy Greenspan, creative director at Cardstore.com and this year's Awards Chair. "The theme evokes nostalgia, yet communicates the new and modern face of the LOUIEs," Greenspan said. "We also plan to… Stationery Trends Tue, 01 Nov 2011 19:15 GMT http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news/release/up-with-paper-announces-new-uwp-kids-brand/ http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news/release/up-with-paper-announces-new-uwp-kids-brand/#id:14538#date:14:09 Up With Paper, the world's leading marketer of innovative three-dimensional greeting cards, announced the development of a new brand that will focus on products developed for the youth market: UWP Kids. "Up With Paper's unique and fun pop-up greeting cards have long been a favorite for parents and grandparents to give - and for kids to receive," said Monika Brandrup, vice president and creative director for the company, who led the development of the brand. "We are now pleased to introduce an entire new brand focused on providing new formats of pop-up products to our… Museums and More, Stationery Trends Wed, 26 Oct 2011 14:09 GMT http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news/release/ghta-conference-golf-tournament-to-support-gift-for-life/ http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news/release/ghta-conference-golf-tournament-to-support-gift-for-life/#id:14514#date:16:36 Gift for Life, the gift, stationery and home décor industries' leading charitable organization, announced it will be a beneficiary of the charity golf tournament to be held at Red Rock Casino and Resort in Las Vegas on Thursday, Nov. 17, during the 9th annual Gift and Home Trade Association (GHTA) conference. This year's GHTA conference, Playing to Win: Strategies for Success, will be held from Nov. 17-19 at the Red Rock Casino and Resort in Las Vegas and will feature several keynote presentations, breakout sessions, workshops and a special presentation by Robert Richman of Zappos.… Stationery Trends Tue, 25 Oct 2011 16:36 GMT http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news/release/susan-january-named-greeting-card-association-president/ http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news/release/susan-january-named-greeting-card-association-president/#id:14234#date:13:52 Susan January, vice president of Leanin' Tree, Inc., was named president of the Greeting Card Association (GCA) at its recently concluded 70th Annual Convention in Horseshoe Bay, Texas. January previously served as vice president of the association under GCA President Doug Faust, executive vice president of Masterpiece Studios/The Occasions Group, who provided valuable leadership during his two-year term. As GCA president for 2011-2013, January will lead the GCA's executive committee and board of directors. She will be involved in all aspects of the GCA's affairs, including coordinating the activities of all committees and overseeing events… Museums and More, Party and Paper, Stationery Trends Thu, 29 Sep 2011 13:52 GMT http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news/release/localtrafficbuilder.com-verifies-closing-of-encore/ http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news/release/localtrafficbuilder.com-verifies-closing-of-encore/#id:14178#date:19:00 According to a blog post from Brian Lawrence at LocalTrafficBuilder.com, there has been verification from the owner of Encore that the company has closed. It was said that a formal announcement will be made, however the announcement may take some time. In his blog post, Lawrence wrote that: "If you are an Encore Dealer, you know that I had been the voice of the company for many years prior to leaving in 2010 to more fully focus on the growth of Local Traffic Builder. During my 14 years I came to know you and I… Stationery Trends Wed, 21 Sep 2011 19:00 GMT http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news/release/amc-tradeshows-names-executive-vice-president/ http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news/release/amc-tradeshows-names-executive-vice-president/#id:13976#date:13:35 According to Jeffrey L. Portman, Sr., president and COO of AmericasMart Atlanta and its AMC, Inc. parent entity, JoAnn Miller-Marshall has been named executive vice president of AMC Tradeshows, bringing all AmericasMart home, gift and apparel and LIGHTFAIR International sales under her direction. Miller's promotion follows a 19-year AMC tenure during which the AmericasMart temporaries have grown exponentially under her leadership, notably through the addition of signature categories and collections and the expansion of a large and growing exhibitor base now occupying all exhibit halls across the AmericasMart campus. "JoAnn has grown our tradeshow business… Museums and More, Party and Paper, Stationery Trends Tue, 06 Sep 2011 13:35 GMT http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news/release/carnevale-jones-stepping-down-as-ghta-executive-director/ http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news/release/carnevale-jones-stepping-down-as-ghta-executive-director/#id:13749#date:13:10 Effective Sept. 15, 2011, Diane Carnevale Jones will step down as Executive Director of the GHTA to concentrate on building her new business, the Carnevale Jones Group. Her firm provides strategic products and services to clients, both within and outside of the Gift and Home industry. "Heartfelt thanks to Diane for her many years of service to the GHTA," said Marc Rice, president of the GHTA. "Without Diane's tenacity and enthusiasm, I'm not sure we would have accomplished as much as we have with the GHTA. On behalf of the entire organization, I wish her… Museums and More, Stationery Trends Mon, 15 Aug 2011 13:10 GMT http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news/release/nyigf-launches-like-for-life-facebook-campaign/ http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news/release/nyigf-launches-like-for-life-facebook-campaign/#id:13680#date:13:14 Gift For Life, the gift, stationery and home décor industries' sole charitable organization, announced that GLM and the New York International Gift Fair have launched a "Like for Life" fundraising campaign on Facebook benefitting Gift for Life. Throughout the month of August, GLM will donate $1 to Gift for Life for each Facebook user who "Likes" the NYIGF Facebook page. A fundraising minimum of $1,000 has been established. For more information, visit http://www.facebook.com/nyigf. "Through NYIGF's ‘Like for Life' Facebook campaign, we can take Gift For Life fundraising viral," said Dorothy Belshaw, NYIGF director and GLM… Museums and More, Stationery Trends Thu, 04 Aug 2011 13:14 GMT http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news/release/gca-celebrates-70th-anniversary/ http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news/release/gca-celebrates-70th-anniversary/#id:13588#date:14:44 The Greeting Card Association (GCA) - the U.S. trade association of the greeting card and stationery industry - is celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2011. The Association was founded in 1941 by a small group of greeting card publishers who established the Greeting Card Industry, predecessor of today's GCA. The group changed its name in 1947 to the National Association of Greeting Card Publishers and, after several more name changes, became the Greeting Card Association in 1984. In addition to greeting card publishers, the GCA represents producers of invitations and stationery-related products. In June 2011,… Museums and More, Party and Paper, Stationery Trends Thu, 21 Jul 2011 14:44 GMT http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news/release/nyigf-2012-dates-announced/ http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news/release/nyigf-2012-dates-announced/#id:13472#date:12:34 George Little Management (GLM) has announced 2012 dates for the winter and summer editions of the New York International Gift Fair (NYIGF), the nation's premier gift, home and lifestyle marketplace. Both editions will be held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and Passenger Ship Terminal Piers 92 and 94 in New York City. The winter 2012 NYIGF edition will run Saturday, Jan. 28 through Thursday, Feb. 2 and will include Accent on Design featuring A+ Young Designers' Platform, At Home featuring Home Textiles, Baby & Child, EXTRACTS, General Gift featuring Floral & Garden Accessories,… Museums and More, Stationery Trends Tue, 12 Jul 2011 12:34 GMT