Coronavirus and the Promo Industry
I wanted to take a few minutes to share some thoughts about the impact of the coronavirus on the promotional products industry and to update you on what the Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI) is doing for our members to help them stay informed.
Since the coronavirus first developed, ASI has comprehensively covered breaking developments. Check asicentral.com/coronavirus for the most recent stories, interviews with industry leaders, podcasts and videos. The page is devoted to all our coverage and is updated every time a new story is posted.
ASI has a long history of bringing people in our industry together for shows and events, and we understand how important these gatherings are to your business. We’re doing everything in our power to make the best, most informed decisions for you, our members, our employees and the industry itself. We’re taking the situation seriously and plan to follow guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for our country. It’s important to note that currently there are no restrictions on travel within the U.S., and ASI shows and events are proceeding as scheduled. Several participating suppliers and distributors coming to this week’s ASI fASIlitate in Denver have told us they are looking forward to the event.
We’ll continue to assess risk systematically, working in order of scheduled events, and will share information as soon as it’s available. Please check the ASI Show website (asishow.com) for updates and look for ASI emails with the latest information.
We’re managing based on facts, not fear.
We sympathize with anyone whose health and businesses might be affected. It can be frustrating and confusing, especially when faced with such rapid changes. ASI is relying on fact-based information from organizations like the CDC for best practices. In addition, we’ll continue to post breaking news across numerous channels – our websites, social media and Counselor PromoGram – so keep an eye out. We have a great team devoted to helping this industry achieve success and they’re working hard to help you keep pace with every development.
I know some of you are concerned about continued disruptions to the supply chain and I want to remind you that distributors can check ASI’s ESP platform for up-to-date inventory levels for about 100,000 products, making it easier for everyone to continue conducting business (if you need help searching within ESP please contact ASI support at 800-546-1350, option 1). I’ve also spoken to many suppliers in the past few days and they’re seeing many factories in China reopening and are hopeful staffing will be back to normal in a few weeks.
As for myself and my ASI colleagues, it’s business as usual, with a dose of precaution. My travel plans aren’t changing. This week, I’m looking forward to visiting Puerto Rico for the Caribbean Advertising Specialties Association Inc. (CASA) 2020 Tropical Show.
Our industry has proven time and again that we support and care about each other through natural disasters and financial challenges. I’m confident that will not change. Let’s stay calm, get informed and help each other through this.