PMA News: Online Newsline goes solo

The flow of information to Australian PMA members will be even more regular and targetted in 2009. 

From January, our weekly emailed PMA Newsline newsletter is being sent out to members each Friday, separate from the usual Photo & Imaging News email which subscribers and PMA members receive each Tuesday.

This not only provides you with an additional benefit in being a PMA member, it should also allow us to give you more “inside” information not normally distributed in a general newsletter.

Please don’t hesitate to send me stories, photos, “good news” items and examples of what works in your store. Keith Shipton, editor of Photo & Imaging News, will continue compiling Newsline and the Yaffa organisation will be continuing to handle the technical aspects.

In additon to the weekly emailed version of Newsline, Yaffa will continue to carry a couple of pages of PMA news and highlights from the previous two months email newsletters in the bi-monthly Photo and Imaging News magazine you are reading now.

Look forward to receiving your news! If you are not receiving your weekly newsletter subscribe at www.photoimagingnews.com.au. 

And encourage your staff to subscribe, too. It’s a quick, efficient way to keep up with PMA activities and photo industry news and new product releases both here and overseas.

All the best for 2009, 

Peter Rose Director, Australian Activities, PMAI  

Las Vegas just weeks away

If your are attending the Las Vegas event, PMA Australia would love to know. We are compiling a “whose going” list which is helpful to all attendees. Contact Kathy on 02 9454 2444 or kwarlum@pmai.org

The All Conference Connnection pass represents great value at US$299. It provides access to all PMA, DIMA, PPFA, PSPA, PSRO, and SPAA sessions, as well as tickets to most receptions and luncheons. Daily trade show floor access is also included. Registration is available online.  

You should also ensure you book for the Global Gala Reception. It was a great night last year and allowed the Aussies, Brits, Canadians, Europeans, etc, to spend some fun time together in a really relaxed atmosphere.

We need a number of tables of Aussies to “Fly the Flag”. We had five tables of 10 last year and they knew we were there!

It’s on Tuesday, March 3, 2009, 6 – 8:30 pm at the Renaissance Las Vegas Hotel

If your company is interested in sponsoring a table for 10 company guests, please contact Elisabeth Scherer at escherer@pmai.org.

Advance tickets are US$39 member/US$49 non-member (US$29 member/US$39 nonmember with the purchase of an All Conference Connection Pass). 

Strong DIMA line-up 

With big-name keynotes, full-day tutorials, hands-on computer labs, and networking opportunities for industry leaders, the DIMA 2009 conference will be the must-see event in the digital imaging industry. DIMA 2009 will be held from March 1-4, 2009, at the Las Vegas Convention Center, South Hall, Las Vegas. The conference features a combination of technical training opportunities, innovative marketing strategies, futurist visionaries, and nextgeneration business practices – all focused on the new landscape of visual communication and consumer behaviour.

“By working closely with the DIMA board this year, it became obvious there was a need for more networking, more education, and more high-level speakers than ever before,” says Chad Munce, group executive, Digital Imaging Markets, for PMA.

“We listened and responded by adding two more days of DIMA education than in the past. With 43 percent more DIMA sessions, I can say with complete confidence DIMA 2009 will be the most important event for the digital imaging industry in the history of PMA.” DIMA 2009 is part of the All Conference Connection Pass package. Attendees can also opt to purchase sessions “a la carte” instead.  

New PMA resources 

PHOTO BOOK VIDEOS FROM PMA

PMA members can now add (US-based) photo book television segment videos to their own websites or in-store screens to build customer awareness. This is part of a program by PMA in the US to promote consumer awareness of photo books by sponsoring national television appearances and launching a new consumer website to build awareness of the photo book product category.

PMA is working with the nationally syndicated “Designing Spaces” TV show to promote custom photo products such as greeting cards, calendars, canvas prints, collage posters, and photo books. The first segment, “Taking and Making Holiday Pictures” is now available for PMA members to download and use in their stores and on their websites free of charge. Another segment, “Giving the Gifts That Will Be Treasured for Years”, is also available. PMA members need to log in to the members’ site for further details. The previously – announced Enjoy Photo Books website also features resources and tips for consumers looking to get started with photo books. 

US Portrait Report

PMA has announced the availability of the 2008 PMA US Portrait Report, in both basic and premium editions, to provide professional photographers and portrait studios an idea of what is going on in the industry. Available from the marketing research area of the PMA website, the basic version, free to PMA members, includes an overview of spending and demand of US families and consumers for portrait services. Non-members of PMA can buy the basic version for $99.