One of the neater things we've seen lately are these old school film reel viewers. 

Imagine our delight when Mallory discovered them being used as the dessert menu at Austin Grill. What a creative application!

Ugh, as if dessert isn't hard enough to resist on a normal menu. Imagine that brownie popping out at you!

If you're in a business where pictures speak louder than words (food service, design, architecture, contracting, property management, hospitality to name a few), these viewers are a great way to catch a client's attention. Give them to your salespeople to bring along on meetings or leave them in the reception area of your office for customers to browse while they wait.

Not recommended for plastic surgeons or dentists... nobody wants to see those before and after pictures in 3D.

What's the coolest promotional product you've seen lately? We'd love to hear about it!

Thus far in our recaps of the ASI Orlando Trade Show, we've reviewed new items in apparel and technology. This last post will be a bit disorganized. Let's just call it... everything else!



In drinkware, many vendors have expanded their capabilities in full color decoration. I'm a big fan of these Tritan plastic and stainless steel water bottles and thermoses. They're double-walled to keep your beverage hot or cold longer, and fitted sleeves (composed of neoprene or leatherette) keep your hands comfortable and dry. The imprint opportunities here are great too. Catalog pricing on the water bottles shown above includes a spot color imprint on the upper bottle and a four color process wrap design on the sleeve.



On the stainless steel tumblers with leatherette sleeve, pricing includes a spot color imprint on the stainless bottle and a deboss in one location.



Tervis is another supplier doing great things with decoration. Their American-made double-walled tumblers have been popular since 1946, and many people would quickly recognize their clear tumblers decorated with an embroidered patch insert. Check out what they're doing with graphic decals these days. I love that UPS cup in particular.

I thought this 4-in-1 kitchen gadget was pretty handy. Use it as a slotted spoon, spatula, knife or spoon.



Branded spiral bound journals are not a "new" item, but a creative design is always worth sharing. We love how American Airlines used a custom insert page to accentuate the journal's die-cut cover.



Have you seen seeded paper before? We love to use it for invitations, holiday cards, stationary, business cards, direct mail... you name it! Here's something new for 2012- seeded paper confetti. These would make fabulous party favors or table accents.



They call this item a Tee Shaker. When I saw the display and product name from afar, I half expected a T-shirt to be inside. I mean, crazier things have been done! Of course, the name refers to a more sensibly sized golf tee. Before teeing off at a new hole, just flip the canister upside down and pluck off a tee. The extra tees will fall back inside when you turn it right-side up. Get creative with a four color process imprint. How adorable is the little Morton Salt piece?



Another excellent full color product for golf tournaments is this custom umbrella. Few other products can offer you such a big imprint area in a compact and functional piece.



And finally, we have the Drop Stopper, a neat little flexible disc designed to save your table tops from burgundy drips. A truly successful product has outstanding design, is easy to use and actually solves a problem. The Drop Stopper satisfies all three criteria. Think of it for your next gala or wine event. It too, like so many other items in this post, is printed in full color.

Thanks for sticking with us through our recap of Orlando favorites! Please give us a call if you'd like more information on anything we covered.

If you're just catching up with us, please be sure to read Best of Orlando: Part 1 for a summary of apparel items new for 2012.

Wearables is just a small category within promotional products; there is still so much more to share! Read on to learn about our favorite finds in technology...



Julianne spotted this handy speaker for your iPhone. It worked exceptionally well!



These little night lights aren't as long-lasting as true compact fluorescent light bulbs, but they do come equipped with an energy saving sensor. Plus, they're just so gosh darn cute!



At Sonic, we have long been fans of OrigAudio's Rock-It portable vibration speakers and their collapsible, eco-friendly craft paper speaker sets. This year's product line additions did not disappoint! The above photo shows off their new Cubicool speaker. This little 3x3x3 cube will work with ANY audio product that has a standard 3.5mm headphone jack (think laptop, iPod, cell phone), and two hours of charge will get you up to twelve hours of battery life. Use just one speaker, or connect them together to increase the volume. The sound quality is phenomenal; my jaw literally dropped.



The best part? You've got four imprint opportunities with a digital imprint on each panel. I really love how Disney and Absolut played with design to create a full set.

Another great piece for a full color imprint is this grip stand. It might look small, but it has powerful strength.

Use it to prop up your iPad for movie viewing, or place it on your desk when you want your cell phone close at hand. If you notice the grip power diminishing, just rinse it under water to restore its strength.



Now, I wouldn't normally catalog a mirror under the "technology" category, but I had to make an exception for this unique piece. Created with dark bars, restaurants and nightclubs in mind, this mirror illuminates your logo and makes it impossible to ignore.



Some businesses have used this piece to advertise promotions and vendor partners by placing a live screen in the bottom corner. Pretty cool!

Well, that sums up another round of our favorite items from the ASI Orlando show. Stay tuned for more!

If you have to travel somewhere for a work conference, Florida is not a bad place. No siree.

Earlier this week, Seth, Julianne, Mallory and I had the pleasure of traveling to Orlando to meet with vendors and distributor partners and to attend the ASI trade show. We saw thousands of great items new for 2012, and over the course of the next few days, I will recap some of our favorites on the blog. 

If you want to hear about the real highlights, like Seth and Julianne's harrowing tale of survival on the Amtrak train or our recap of Harry Potter World, give us a call!

There is so much to share, and I'll do my best to keep it somewhat organized. Today, I'll focus on our favorite finds in apparel. 



Eco-friendly apparel has been around for years, but we spotted one line that has really taken it to a new level. This East Coast vendor combines recycled cotton with various recycled materials to create fashionable and wearable clothing with minimal environmental impact. Ever wonder what happens to all those X-rays that hospitals and dentist offices print? They get trashed... OR they get woven into your new favorite tee.



Americans throw away an astounding 2 million plastic bottles every 10 minutes. Every one of these recycled tees uses recycled polyester from approximately 8.5 PET bottles. They're available in three colors: beer bottle brown, soda bottle green and water cooler blue. An added bonus? These tees dry in HALF the time of a normal T-shirt.



We were also very impressed with their line of hoodies, composed of recycled cotton and textile scraps from factory floors. They're incredibly soft to boot.



Another apparel trend that caught our eye (for obvious reasons), was American Apparel's line of neon tanks, tees and raglans. I expect to see several neon-clad kickball teams on the Mall this spring. They would also be great for school spirit wear and retro graphic design.



Custom boxer shorts and pajama bottoms are traditionally big sellers for schools, universities and youth organizations. I love how this vendor has used flannel material to line sweatshirt hoods and for reverse or laser cut appliqué on the front chest. You can do this with several kinds of material; there were samples on display using seersucker and polka dot cotton as well.



I thought this example of screen printing with puff ink was worth sharing. To achieve this effect, the printer mixes an additive into the ink that puffs up when cured in a belt oven. The end result is a print that feels raised against your fingers. 



And finally, if you're looking for great tech polo, this piece uses a unique blend of yarns that provides a cooling sensation by pulling heat away from the skin. This particular manufacturer also carries a line of garments for cold weather. Each piece is rated on a temperature scale, much like you would see when shopping for a sleeping bag for camping. The rating system even distinguishes between light to moderate activity levels, so you know which garments are needed for running in -10 degree weather versus walking in 40 degree weather.

That sums up our highlights in apparel! Be sure to check back for more of our favorites in the coming days.

A few weeks ago, I met with a client to discuss upcoming projects and the company's event schedule for 2012. Not surprisingly, our conversation quickly sidetracked to more personal topics: Kindles, time at the beach, holiday plans and family.

Honestly, I love it when this happens in a meeting. I always learn something useful.

My client has a young child with autistic tendencies, and at one point we found ourselves discussing teaching techniques used in school to help children focus. Apparently, fidget toys and stress balls that get hands and fingers moving provide a calming influence to children with autism and Asperger's Syndrome. Toys are especially helpful in the classroom, as they help kids focus and absorb the lesson, without distracting other students. 



My client's son has had great success with this method. During our meeting, she politely asked that I keep her in mind should my desk become overcrowded with promotional toys and gadgets.

Of course my mind went to Sonic's trove of George Washington head stress balls. Although we had managed to find creative ways to "use" them, I felt their purpose would be better served in the little hands of history class students. A quick phone call and shipment later, and the squeeze toys had found a new home with a local special needs school.

Don't worry, we only sent the undecorated toys. Something tells me Pinhead Washington would do more harm than good.