If you’re in the music products industry, Summer NAMM is the show for you. Appropriately located in Nashville at the Music City Center, Summer NAMM is alive with the sights and sounds of a music enthusiast’s dream. Attendees come from all over the world to network with their peers, learn about business tips, and pick up the latest product trends. PartnerShip is no stranger to the industry’s favorite mid-year event. Senior program manager Harry Centa has been attending for years and is a Summer NAMM veteran.

Harry set up shop near the member center, close to fellow NAMM endorsed service providers. The PartnerShip booth received a good amount of traffic and Harry was able to talk to a great deal of attendees and exhibitors about their shipping needs. As always, Summer NAMM provides PartnerShip with a great opportunity to connect with NAMM members.

A top highlight from the show was the Insight pre-show party, hosted by Vince Gill and Tom Bendell. Harry and the other guests enjoyed food and drinks…and music, of course. Tim Akers & the Smoking Section put on a great performance.

Thank you to NAMM and all those in attendance at this year’s Summer NAMM for making it a great show for PartnerShip!

PartnerShip will be exhibiting at the ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition this year in Detroit, Michigan on August 8^th-11^th. As a partner to over 140 associations, the ASAE Annual Meeting & Exhibition is a date that is circled on our calendars every year. It’s a great chance to spread the word about a PartnerShip managed Shipping Program as a valuable member benefit, as well as see some current association partners.

From an association standpoint, there are many reasons to attend the ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition year after year. For some, it’s the 120+ education sessions designed to generate ideas and provoke new thinking. For others, it’s access to fabulous parties and networking opportunities with over 5,000 colleagues from around the country.

We can vouch for the value of this show and encourage all association professionals to make their way up to Detroit for this once-a-year opportunity.We'll be in booth #233, so stop by and say hello!

Click here to register for the event and then visit the Schedule-at-a-Glace for information on show activities. If you need more convincing, watch the short ASAE video below with testimonials from association executives and the value they found at the ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition.

The Work Truck Show, presented by the National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA), is the must-attend event for the work truck industry. As in years past, the 2015 show in Indianapolis was buzzing with new products, innovative exhibitors, and of course, trucks. The Indianapolis Convention Center was flooded with a record number of attendees that were looking for the latest products and industry trends to keep their businesses hitting on all cylinders.

Among other highlights, attendees of the Work Truck Show 2015 enjoyed industry focused training courses, access to technical engineering representatives, and NTEA’s President’s Breakfast where Tony Dungy was the keynote speaker. The show also has growing green initiatives to address the demand for advanced vehicle technologies and fuels. The Green Truck Summit, held in conjunction with the Work Truck Show, was a day-and-a-half event for attendees and offered strategies and solutions for practical deployment and application of green technologies for the industry.

As the endorsed shipping provider of NTEA, we were exhibiting in the NTEA booth and sharing information about the shipping savings available to all NTEA members. We’re always excited for the NTEA Work Truck Show as it provides great opportunities to stay up to date on the industry happenings and produces valuable interaction with our customers. We had a chance to snap some pictures while at the show and invite you to scroll through the album below!

As you may have read in our previous post, CAMEX is a very special show for PartnerShip. We are the endorsed shipping partner of the National Association of College Stores (NACS) and the college retail industry is an important customer segment for us. With the show in Atlanta this year, we knew it was going to be a good time. Here are a few of our favorite memories from exhibiting at CAMEX 2015:

1. Opening Reception at the College Football Hall of Fame
   This reception celebrated the opening of the 92nd CAMEX. There was a nice selection of food and drinks and it was a great opportunity to network with members of the industry. We also got to explore the venue through interactive exhibits highlighting the history of college football.
2. The PartnerShip Coffee Bar
   Our barista skills were put to the test at CAMEX while we served coffee and cookies to show attendees who stopped by our booth. It gave us a great chance to say thank you to our customers and let them relax and recharge.
3. Dine Around Atlanta
   Our sister company, NACS Foundation, set up a great fundraising initiative called Dine Around Atlanta. When you went to participating restaurants and presented your CAMEX badge, a portion of your check was donated to the NACS Foundation. We dined at several of the participating restaurants, which were not only delicious but also directly benefited the industry and our college stores and vendors.
4. Closing Reception
   The closing networking reception was an opportunity to connect with members of the NACS community at the end of the show. Good company, conversation, and hors d’oeuvres were had!
5. YOU!
   Last but certainly not least, one of our biggest highlights was getting to talk to all of you – attendees, exhibitors, and everyone in-between. Whether you stopped by our booth or we got a chance to talk to you at one of the receptions, we appreciate you taking the time to chat with us. We hope you enjoyed your time in Atlanta and had a great show!

Overall, CAMEX 2015 was non-stop entertainment and a wonderful experience. If you stopped by our booth or were at the show, we hope you enjoyed yourself and we look forward to seeing you next year! Check out our pictures from the show below.

Every year the staff at PartnerShip spends months gearing up for CAMEX, one of our most important trade shows. CAMEX is the collegiate retailing industry's largest trade show and educational event, attracting more than 2,100 qualified buyers from more than 1,060 campus stores as well as 750+ exhibiting companies. The show is about to kick off in Atlanta and we couldn’t be more excited.

As the endorsed shipping partner of the National Association of College Stores (NACS), we always play a large part in supporting this event every year. Through the NACS Shipping Program, PartnerShip helps college stores and vendors save on their shipping costs with FedEx, UPS Freight, YRC Freight and other reputable carriers. CAMEX is a great place to meet with members to learn more about their business and find ways to help them with their specific shipping needs.

We’ve already been busy helping CAMEX exhibitors with their shipments to the show and we’ll be there to help when they ship their materials back as well. We also ran a special promotion for attendees. By shipping incrementally more shipments compared to last year during their fall returns season, they were able to earn up to two free registrations. 27 stores won at least one registration and it was great to see so much participation!

As in years past, we will also be serving complimentary coffee and cookies. It’s our way of treating our friends in the industry and saying thank you to our customers. If you’ll be at CAMEX, make sure to stop by booth #3740 when you need a quick pick-me-up!

The 2015 Winter Fancy Food Show, held in San Francisco, has come and gone and our very own Harry Centa was in attendance. Harry is a Senior Program Manager at PartnerShip and has become a staple at both the Winter and Summer Fancy Food Shows presented by the Specialty Food Association.

"This show is always a great opportunity for exhibitors to showcase their products and for the retailers, restaurateurs, and distributors that attend to bring new, exciting, and unique items and ideas to their businesses," said Harry. "It's also an invaluable opportunity for PartnerShip to showcase its money-saving member benefit, the Specialty Food Association Shipping Program, which is available to all Specialty Food Association members."

As the west coast's largest specialty food and beverage event, highlights include: 14,000 exhibitors from 35 countries, 19,000+ industry professionals, and 30 emerging food entrepreneurs. The show also features new product showcases, 15+ educational seminars, and custom matchmaking for buyers and suppliers. These are just a few of the great opportunities offered by the Specialty Food Association through this show.

In addition to the above highlights, Harry also collected submissions for a drawing for a $100 Visa reward card. Congratulations to our lucky winner — Jared at Aloha from Oregon! 

Don't worry if you missed out on the winter show, as the Fancy Food Show comes not once, but twice a year in the summer and winter. 

"The Winter and Summer Fancy Food Shows are dates that are always circled on my calendar," Harry added. "The show always entertains, informs, and produces quality customer interaction year in and year out for PartnerShip....not to mention all the great food!"

Check out some of Harry's pictures from the event in the slideshow below.

Our very own Harry Centa, senior program manager for PartnerShip, had the pleasure of attending Summer NAMM 2014 in Nashville earlier this month. NAMM (one of over 120 associations that endorses PartnerShip for shipping services) supports businesses in the music products industry, and this annual show attracts some of the most fascinating and talented people around.

One of the biggest highlights of the show was the Top 100 Dealers Awards, which recognizes the industry's very best music product retailers and shares their stores' strategies for success. The —Dealer of the Year' and eight —best of' category winners are chosen from among NAMM's Top 100 Dealers, named earlier this year. Congratulations to The Candyman Strings & Things of Santa Fe, New Mexico for winning the top award of —Dealer of the Year.'

This year's Summer NAMM also proved to be another successful show for PartnerShip! It was a great opportunity for Harry to connect with NAMM members and educate them on the services and discounts available to them through PartnerShip. The NAMM Shipping Program provides members with discounts on their inbound and outbound, small and big package shipping, one of the many valuable benefits offered through the association. Harry also collected submissions for a drawing for a $100 Visa reward card. Congratulations to our lucky winner — Christie at Hell Creek Music & More!

Thank you to NAMM and all of the Summer NAMM attendees for helping us make it BIG in Nashville this year! Check out the slideshow below to see pictures from the show.

PartnerShip, as in years past, exhibited again at this year's Summer Fancy Food Show - North America's Largest Specialty Food & Beverage Event. The event was held in New York City from June 29^th - July 1^st and featured 180,000 products including confections, cheese, coffee, snacks, spices, ethnic, natural, organic and more. The show also boasts 2,400 exhibitors from 80 countries & regions.

Highlights from the show included:

• The 2014 sofi Awards Ceremony — a red carpet awards ceremony acknowledging the best innovations and tastes of the past year. Check out who took home the gold this year.
• Business Builders — a free "match-making" program for exhibitors and attendees
• Numerous educational programs — ranging from —The Business of Specialty Foods to —The State of the Specialty Food Industry 2014'
• Exhibitor Showcases — the over 2,000 exhibitors always bring new, innovative products that make this show what it is

Since PartnerShip is the endorsed company that manages the Specialty Food Association Shipping Program, is an important relationship-building event for us. Harry Centa, senior program manger for PartnerShip, attended the show to spread the good word about the PartnerShip services and discounts available to SFA members for small package and freight shipping. Harry also had a chance to take a few great pictures at the show that capture the sights, energy, and fun that this show offers year in and year out. See our Flickr slide show below for the highlights.

*The winner will also be notified directly.

PartnerShip® is a leading shipping solutions provider to small businesses across North America and - as the only endorsed NACS and CAMEX shipping provider - the college industry remains an important customer segment for us. That is why we annually have a large presence at CAMEX - the collegiate retailing industry's meeting place for the past 80 years.

CAMEX 2014 was especially important to PartnerShip as we celebrate our 25th Anniversary this year. Once again, we sponsored opening night on Friday, hosted a special customer appreciation party on Saturday night, and used a coffee bar style booth to serve up coffee and cookies on the trade show floor Sunday through Tuesday.

Here are a few video and picture highlights from this year's event.

CAMEX is a great way for PartnerShip to say THANK YOU to our many college industry customers for their business and loyalty over the past 25 years! The following video/slide show contains pictures submitted by numerous college stores that either attended our 25th Anniversary Customer Appreciation Party at CAMEX 2014, or those that visited our 25th Anniversary College Store Appreciation website at www.PartnerShip.com/25years

PartnerShip also has shipping programs and services for non-college industry small businesses, retailers and suppliers. With over 17,000 active customers across North America, our customer base has become very large and diverse. We ship everything from shoes to auto parts, and everything in between. So, if you're one of our many non-college industry customers, we want to say THANK YOU for your business as well. In fact, if you visit www.PartnerShip.com/25th, you can watch our short thank you video and sign-up for some fun prizes we'll be raffling off throughout the year.

By Scott Frederick

One of the biggest issues that keep exhibitors awake at night during the winter months is a trade show shipment that is delayed due to weather. If you plan on exhibiting at any upcoming trade shows, here are a few quick tips to keep in mind:

1. Build in one or two extra days for shipping, especially for cross-country shipping or shipping into cities that historically are affected by weather.
2. Work with a proactive shipping partner (like PartnerShip) that tracks your exhibit shipment EVERY day, and when issues arise, will work with you to come up with acceptable alternatives.
3. Always have a "Plan B". Most carriers will not honor delivery guarantees to trade shows when delays are caused by weather conditions. So it is important that you have contingency plans in place if your primary exhibit shipment is unexpectedly delayed (e.g., a secondary booth, experienced personnel who can expedite replacement materials, etc.).

PartnerShip has nearly 25 years of experience both as an exhibitor and as a shipper of exhibit materials. We stand ready to help exhibitors with our knowledge and know-how during this busy time of the year for trade shows, expos, and conferences. In fact, earlier this year PartnerShip helped nearly 300 exhibitors overcome nasty weather so they could have a successful CAMEX 2013 show in Kansas City, Missouri. Two crippling snow storms crashed over the Midwest affecting exhibit transportation during show move-in and move-out. Check out the video below to hear what these exhibitors had to say about working with PartnerShip to overcome the weather and still have a successful show.

Got questions? Give our Tradeshow team a call at 800-599-2902 option 3; or click the button below to request a free, no-obligation rate quote on your next exhibit shipment.