On this page: Summary NSSEA Bucks Mobile App Annual Meeting & Awards New Products Video Contest Photos Wrap Up
Thank You for Participating in the 2012 Ed Expo & Dealer Conference!
Bringing the Industry Together
The 2012 Ed Expo & Dealer Conference, the premiere event for the back-to-school educational products marketplace, brought together nearly 2,000 people who market and sell the high-quality products available in today's learning environments. NSSEA welcomed 88 first-time dealer companies to the show that featured a total of 292 exhibiting companies in 516 booths and 35 tabletops at the Baltimore Convention Center, March 21-23.
New for 2012 was the addition of the Dealer Conference, educational programming that included 12 sessions on 4 different tracks: marketing, best practices, curriculum, and trends. The Dealer Conference featured a "speed dining" format for the luncheon that proved to be not only an effective networking tool to meet new industry friends, but also allowed dealers to "talk shop" and share business secrets that they could use when they returned home during three separate courses with new people to meet at each setting.
Following the Dealer Conference was an industry-wide Keynote Address by Jim Brazell on Emerging Technologies and Business Strategies for Educational Markets, after which the Frederick Douglas High School marching band led attendees to the grand opening of the exhibit hall. This year's format includes exhibit hours from 4-8 pm on the first day that included a reception on the exhibit floor to allow people to get down to business and meet and greet their customers/vendors.
NSSEA Bucks Program
Many other new exciting additions were introduced to the 2012 event including the popular NSSEA Bucks, a program that rewarded NSSEA member dealers with money to spend on back to school orders placed at the show. Over $25,000 in NSSEA Bucks were distributed to member dealers to encourage shopping at the show, a direct benefit to the 100 exhibitors who cashed them into NSSEA for reimbursement at the close of the show.
"This excellent idea has worked wonders for us at the 2012 Expo. We signed a new customer, they used the NSSEA Bucks and placed a first order of $900.00. Thank you for this wonderful incentive for new companies to place an order at the show."
— Lynn Toves, Wee Blossom
Ed Expo Mobile App Debuts
The Ed Expo Mobile App, a planning tool for all things Ed Expo, was available for all show registrants. This application allowed participants to build their own show agendas, search for educational sessions, find and connect with fellow attendees using the built-in messaging and appointment-scheduling capabilities, and display company information and products to entice dealers to visit their booths. With the Ed Expo Mobile App, participants could also stay abreast of any late-breaking details that became available concerning the event.
Annual Meeting & Awards Presentation
At the NSSEA Annual Meeting on Thursday, March 22, new leaders of the association were elected and outgoing members were thanked for their years of service to NSSEA. Chairman Kevin Fahy, owner of Fahy-Williams Publishing, presided over the meeting and awards presentation.
Former NSSEA Chairman Jamey Firnberg presented the $2,500 college scholarship to Hunter Winslett sponsored by Scholar Craft Products, Inc. in Birmingham, AL.
Jim McGarry, NSSEA President & CEO; Hunter Winslett, Award Winner; Doug Jehle, Intersect Educational Solutions, LLC
Todd Merryfield, Chair of the NSSEA Retail Store Council, presented awards for the most creative, engaging, and dynamic booth design at the show to:
| Most Dynamic Staff: | Ashley Productions |
| Best New Exhibit Booth: | Classroom of the Clouds |
| Outstanding Exhibit–Single Booth: | Bonitas International |
| Outstanding Exhibit–Multiple Booths: | Incentive Publications |
| Most Innovative Booth: | Plan Toys |
In addition to the Booth Awards, the Retail Store Council sponsored awards to two companies that demonstrate the very best in customer service based on nominations submitted by the dealer membership at large: The Pencil Grip and TREND enterprises. The purpose of the NSSEA Customer Service Awards is to promote excellence, best practices, and innovation in customer service and to highlight their importance in today's business climate.
Former Chairman Dennis Gosney presented the first annual Tim Holt Bright Start Award to Jenkins County High School in Millen, GA. Dr. Kirkland spoke of his county's dire need for educational products resulting from the recent economic downturn. NSSEA President/CEO Jim McGarry then presented Dennis Gosney with the highest honor, the David McCurrach Distinguished Service Award, and outgoing Chairman Kevin Fahy with a ceremonial gavel plaque.
Dr. Kirkland, Jenkins School System, Millen, GA, Bright Start Grant Winner
New Products
New product introductions were plentiful with 60 companies presenting 108 entries in the New Product Pavilion, sponsored this year by Educational Dealer magazine. Dealers voted on their favorite items in the New Product Pavilion with Learning Resources' now!Board Portable Interactive Whiteboard Technology, Bananagrams' Jumbo Bananagrams, and MoH Band by Memory on Hand winning the most votes. The winning dealer for the $100 drawing was David Pinkerton from The Art Store in Kutztown, PA.
Dealers met on the last day of the show to share the "must-have" items from the 2012 Ed Expo. The following favorites were shared from each of the Best of Show roundtable moderators over breakfast, leaving time for dealers to revisit booths they may have missed the first two days:
American Souvenir Puzzles
Art Game 3D Puzzles
Big Bananagrams
Boxcars & One-Eyed Jacks, Math books w/manipulatives
Classroom Complete Press, IWB Materials
Daydream Education, IWB products
Eureka Scratch Off Stickers & Snoopy
E-Z Grader large print
Fat Brain Accuity game
Incentive Publications Extreme Decorations
INI, Inc. Times Table Triangle, Babble Games
JC Toys Real Life Babies
Little Xavier Company Spanish products
Kid O Magnitab
K8 Resources Science Transparency on CD
Learning Resources now!Board IWB
Lay-n-Go
Memory on Hand MoH Band
Plan Toys Plan Wood Materials
Puzzle Pod
Romanoff Products Plastic caddies
Scholastic Workshop in a Box
Science Supply Solutions, Beakers/Test tube racks,
Science Cube
Smart Fab
Smart/Tangoes Smart Games
Teach Stix Sight Word Stickers
Tuzzles My Body 3-Layered Puzzle
Wee Blossom, Wee Play products
Wikkistix DNA
Zoob Inventors Kit
Video Contest
And the winner is... Mike Weldon of Foamnasium by Foamcraft! Congratulations, Mike!
At the Ed Expo & Dealer Conference in Baltimore nine members stopped by the NSSEA Membership Booth to record a quick video to tell us what they liked most about NSSEA. We posted the videos to Facebook to determine the winner of the Kindle Fire by the most liked video. Voting closed on Friday, April 6th at 5pm EDT. The winner will be announced in Essentials Weekly on April 10.
Thanks to everyone who participate in our Facebook contest. Congratulations, Mike!
Finalist #1 Mike Weldon
Finalist #2 Carlesia Byrd-Collins
Finalist #3 Get Smart Staff
Learn more about NSSEA Membership, your number one resource to help adapt your business for the future.
Show Photos
Wrapping Up
Following the tradeshow, 59 exhibitors donated $102,923 worth of products to both Jenkins County Schools in Georgia and Title I schools in the Baltimore and Washington, DC areas, a total of 26 pallets of much-needed supplies to schools in need.
Many of these innovations will be continued and fine-tuned for next year with plans already underway for the 2013 event taking place in Atlanta, GA.
"The marketplace for educational products continues to change and NSSEA is committed to transforming with it," says Jim McGarry, President/CEO of NSSEA. "We will continue to innovate and respond to the needs of the industry as we provide the venue to showcase lifelong learning."
Thanks to Our 2012 Ed Expo Sponsors!
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Call for 2013 Presentations