Anaheim, California, is the location for this year’s PMA product, service and educational opportunity expo. It’ll be held at the Anaheim Convention Center, with the conference sessions running from February 19 to 23, exhibits from February 21 to 23. There’ll also be programs from PMA’s affiliate organizations, DIMA (Digital Imaging Marketing Association), PSPA (Professional School Photographers Association), SPAA (Sports Photographers Association of America), PPFA (Professional Picture Framers Association) and PIEA (Photo Imaging Education Association).
PMA is billing the show as “The Ultimate Event for Everything Photo,” but considering the way things have been going for the past year or so, you might think of the conferences, boot camps and educational sessions as an overall survival guide to the photo retail adventure that 2010 promises to be. Dealers I spoke with recently about the year that was, 2009, said the key to hanging on and hanging in was to work smarter and be more creative. The latest edition of smart may start in Anaheim with the strategies and ideas presented at the PMA show. Here are a few sessions that seem to be particularly apropos.
• The Art of Vision—Managing Rapid Change. If the conventional wisdom isn’t working, or doesn’t seem quite wise enough, here’s a program that aims to help you put the unconventional vision to work to spark innovation and sharpen creative skills. Speaker: Eric Wahl, The Wahl Group.
• 25 Ideas to Increase Sales Overnight. Offering “new and improved ideas to inject enthusiasm into your store,” this session will take a look at marketing, advertising, in-store promos, sales techniques, add-on sales, merchandising and more. Speaker Chris Miller of Pacific Store Design will share 30 years’ experience.
• Making the Horse Drink. Highlighting product and promotion strategies to get your service and technology message to your customers, PMA reports this session is about educating, inspiring and creating ongoing profitable relationships. Speaker: Wendi Spiess, Ninebird Publishing.
• Baby, Let Your Website Shine. Maybe your website was once an extension of your store, but no longer. Consider it a stand-alone marketing enterprise. “The highest growth area in imaging is online ordering,” PMA reports, and the Web is the number one way customers will find and deal with you. What you need for starters: a solid Web strategy and an inviting home page. This session will also feature available PMA-created website templates.
• Social Networking Glue. And speaking of the Web, how are your social networking skills? Find out how Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, LinkedIn and the like can connect you to increased business and profits.
• Get Web Marketing Savvy. And still speaking of the Web, this session’s a natural bookend to Let Your Website Shine. “The future of marketing is online,” PMA says and suggests that if you’re ready to “put the Web to work as a stellar marketing medium to generate awareness” and, of course, make sales, this is the place to be. Speaker: Lorrie Thomas, Web Marketing Therapy.
• Photo Books: On-Site Solutions for Retailers. The proposition here is that it’s not necessary or advisable to outsource photo books. “Increase profits by bringing the photo book process from creation to construction into your lab,” says this session’s description. Speakers: Stacy Lowell, Powis-Parker; Nicolas Series, KIS Photo-Me Group.
• Imaging Soothsayers Bare All. The heavy hitters of imaging analysis gather to gaze into the future. These are the people with the consumer photography research, and what they reveal at this session can range from the fascinating to the invaluable. Speakers: Liz Cutting, The NPD Group; Steve Hoffenberg, Lyra Research; Ed Lee, InfoTrends; Gary Pageau, PMA; Lawrence Wu, J.D. Power and Associates.
• Bright Ideas for Photo Classes for Retailers. You know the formula: teach ’em and they’ll be back to buy. Classes prompt sales and inspire loyalty, and at this session three new business models for offering photo classes to the public will be presented. Speakers: Jirair Christianian, Mike’s Camera; Kevin Harayda, Dan’s Camera City; Glynn Lavender, Creative Photo Workshops.
• Five-Minute Moneymaking Moments. What’s more appealing than the lure of the quick fix? This rapid-fire session shares, in five minutes or less, “quick ideas of how photo retailers can make a quick buck.” Speaker: William J. McCurry, McCurry Associates.
• Best Practices in E-mail Marketing. And yet another way to promote. PMA reports that e-mail is one of the most effective marketing tools for business, and this session promises to provide a top 10 list of effective e-mail methods.
• Hatching, Matching and Detaching Employees. And just to show that the fundamental things still apply, here’s a session that takes up bedrock issues of management: finding, training and, when the time comes, terminating employees. Among the intriguing issues: the three never do’s of hiring, interview questions that can weed out weaker staff members, how to build a team that gets along and correct ways to terminate or get people to resign in a positive way. Speaker: Chris Miller, Pacific Store Design.
Of course there are many, many more conferences and sessions, and you’re sure to find among them those that zero in on your needs and concerns. This year may see the start of an anticipated economic recovery, but smart retailers aren’t going to wait for it to come to them. They’ll be networking, learning, listening and taking notes in Anaheim.