Still time to register ! Only $299 for AMBC Members, which includes meals!
Please plan to join AMBC in Phoenix, November 1-3, 2019 for our annual fall weekend event: AMBC’s The Event 2019
AMBC has hosted very popular fall events for the past few years in different parts of the country. Now simply titled “The Event,” these annual workshops are full of brainstorming sessions, networking, real-life scenarios, and presentations on where our industry is headed and how to make the most out of the incredible potential that’s coming our way.
The Event Class Descriptions
We are so excited to offer a wide variety of classes in Phoenix, AZ on November 1-3rd at The Event. Below is a short summary of the classes being taught.
Inside the Box: Packing Tips from Uncle Marty – Marty Johnson from Uncle Marty’s Shipping Office in Ithaca, NY, has been AMBC’s go-to packaging guru for many years. He is the lead instructor for AMBC’s certified basic and advanced packing courses and has tips and tricks for safely packing everything from fine china to delicate art. This hands-on workshop will walk you through the concepts and basic steps for a few of these methods, and give you points of reference for other items you may encounter. Learn how to say “yes, we can” to the odd, unusual, delicate, and delightful packing jobs that other businesses turn away, and become the go-to packing guru in your own neighborhood.
How to Handle the Front Counter – Seema Mojawalla of Island Ship Center in Grand Island, NY, and Marty Johnson of Uncle Marty’s Shipping Office in Ithaca, NY, are pairing up to share their expertise on the front counter. Not only will they lead a discussion about the obvious–customer service, attitude, greeting, and efficiency–but we delve into the lesser thought of but incredibly important aspects of multitasking, reducing wait times, handling a line, prioritizing, keeping calm during crisis, encouraging repeat business, and much, much more! Seema and Marty are experts in valuing relationships over transactions, and the welcoming environment they’ve created in their stores is due in large part to the professional, warm experience their clients have at the front counter. Come, learn why!
KPI’s – Set Specific Performance Goals -The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics reports that the unemployment rate has not been this low since the 1970s. We are now not just competing for customers, but also for top employees. Are you spending more time than ever on recruiting and training new staff? Have you had a candidate or even an employee ‘ghost’ you? Do you ever feel like your team just isn’t as excited about the business as you are? Join Lisa Blanton of Espresso Mail and Fahim Mojawalla of Island Ship Center to gain valuable insights and practical tips and tricks on how to attract, retain, and get the most engagement out of your customer service staff.
Say “YES” to Freight
If you don’t say “YES” to Freight, this is the class for you. Do you want to learn how to grow your business and make huge margins doing freight? Do you have questions or concerns about doing freight? Do you think your store is too small or you don’t have the capitol to start doing freight? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you will want to attend “Say “YES” to Freight” at The Event in Phoenix. Chad Helbert from GO Logistic, will be discussing how he grew his freight business and how anyone can do it. He will teach you how to find freight, quite it, pick it up, and pack it. All you have to do is say “YES”.
Outside the Box Marketing
Be prepared to unthink what you know and learn to think outside the box in your marketing. Fahim Mojawalla of Island Ship Center and Norman Froscher of Espresso Mail will give you a crash course in guerrilla marketing and teach you how to be your community’s problem-solving solution. We’ll show you how little efforts and touches can reap a big return. This class will give you practical advice and tactics on how to make “shop local” more than just buzzwords and how to engage with other small businesses and people in your community.
Digital Marketing Strategies
Once you get a customer into your store, you’re great at giving them a positive experience and making them feel welcome. But how do you get them into your store in the first place? How do you engage them before they come in, after they have left, and stay current in their minds until their next visit? Tobye McClanahan of Mailboxes & Beyond will guide you with proven hands on digital marketing strategies to connect your store with your local community.
How to Market Printing
Join Steve Dick of Box King, AMBC’s Director of Print for Profit, to learn the basics of profitable printing, along with how to market it successfully. Learn strategies of how and where to identify print customers. Get Steve’s “Top Secret” list of go-to wholesale providers for the items you can’t print yourself, and gain the confidence to always answer “yes” when a customer asks if you can print “that,” even if you have know clue what “that” is. Learn how to distinguish yourself as the go-to print shop in your area.
Online and Offline Strategies
Do you just rely on online advertising like social media and email, or do you just rely on word-of-mouth or newspaper ads for your business? You need to access the power of both online and offline marketing strategies, interweaving both to spread a consistent message, in order to truly create buzz for your store and generate new clients every day. Let Fahim and Seema Mojawalla of Island Ship Center show you how they’ve combined these strategies in their own store to bring more people, new clients, and increase the dollar value for each client they bring in.
Employee Recruiting and Engagement
The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics reports that the unemployment rate has not been this low since the 1970s. We are now not just competing for customers, but also for top employees. Are you spending more time than ever on recruiting and training new staff? Have you had a candidate or even an employee ‘ghost’ you? Do you ever feel like your team just isn’t as excited about the business as you are? Join Lisa Blanton of Espresso Mail and Fahim Mojawalla of Island Ship Center to gain valuable insights and practical tips and tricks on how to attract, retain, and get the most engagement out of your customer service staff.
Effective Social Media Solutions
Turn likes into customers. Having a presence in today’s fast-paced social world is vital for your store’s success. Does your content reflect your brand? Are you providing posts that are relevant and engaging? Fahim Mojawalla of Island Ship Center and Norman Froscher of Espresso Mail will help you optimize your social media into a tool to help fuel your store’s growth.
Book your hotel room at a special reduced rate using this link: https://www.hilton.com/en/hi/groups/personalized/P/PHXAHHF-AMBC-20191030/index.jhtml
We understand that emergencies and scheduling conflicts happen, so if you need to cancel your registration we will be happy to refund your money in full up to two weeks prior to the event. In that case we will withhold a $100 administrative fee or give you registration credit for a future AMBC event.
Find the full weekend schedule here.
“Last year’s AMBC event in Springfield, OH was a get-down-to-business weekend filled with a lot of information, yet still there was time to enjoy and have some fun. The classes were very well put together and the AMBC team did a great job of keeping everything and track and focused on the topic at hand. The classes were not just vendors telling us what they have for us, but it was other members sharing their information and experience and where to get the information needed in order to implement. If this was any indication of what the AMBC has in store for us then I hope others will take notice and support the efforts of AMBC.
I have been in the business for a long time and have seen the changes in our past business model. Realizing that in order to stay in business we all need to make some changes and continue to learn what is out there and how we can do what we do better … and AMBC’s Springfield event did just that!”
– Tom Ogilvie, EZ Pack N Ship, Kenosha, WI
