PPA Today

Imaging USA: Phoenix Convention Center Virtual Tour

Get your first look at the new Phoenix Convention Center, home to Imaging USA 2009

Hi, Lenny Taffel here, your Director of Events for Imaging USA.

I’ve just returned from a visit to Phoenix, Ariz., where I was making sure that everything is on schedule and up to par. Though it may sound corny, I’m so excited! Imaging USA 2009 is going to be AWESOME! There’s a lot to look forward to:

The layout of the Phoenix Convention Center campus makes it very easy to get around, which is a very good thing because you don’t want to miss a minute of your chosen programs or the Imaging Expo. In just seconds you can zip back and forth between the Imaging USA classrooms and the exhibition hall via the skywalk, located on the same floor as both locations. And if you ever do need pointed in the right direction, you can just look for me or any of the other Imaging USA staff members and volunteers (we’ll be the ones in the orange shirts!)

Not only is the layout great, the entire convention center is eco-friendly with top-of-the-line enhancements (it’s brand-new for you, my friends). The $600 million expansion triples the original size of the center, and totals nearly 900,000 square feet of space that is inviting, comfortable, and easy to navigate. Talk about perfect timing for Imaging USA! It’s definitely one of the best—if not THE best—convention center that has housed Imaging USA.

So you might be wondering about things outside the walls of the convention center…Well, let me tell you, they’re going to be a breeze to experience! The METRO light rail train will make it sooo easy and cost-effective to get from the airport to your hotel, the convention center, dining, entertainment, and anything you want to do around the city. (Plus, it’s pretty snazzy looking!)

Imaging USA 2009 is a great show in a great city…soon to be filled with the greatest folks in the world, (yes, I’m talking about YOU!) We’ve uploaded a video from our visit to Phoenix, a  virtual tour that the convention center’s architect gave us. Take a peek at where we’ll be in January.

Imaging USA…Celebrate with PPA Charities

PPA Charities hosts a “Celebration” event Saturday evening before PPA’s Imaging USA (the national convention in January) officially begins. The celebration event will take place at Alice Coopers Town in Phoenix, just two blocks from Convention Center and features fun, fellowship, and food. The evening kicks off with a VIP Cocktail Hour from 8-9pm. VIP Cocktail Hour tickets are only $35 and include hors d'oeuvres and an open bar. The doors open to all convention attendees at 9pm, and the fun continues with the live/silent auction, the check presentation to Operation Smile, and music and dancing.

Mark your calendar now to attend the PPA Charities' Celebration on January 10, 2009, in Phoenix. Order your VIP ticket when you register for Imaging USA.

Protect Yourself: Copyright, Trademarks, and Model Releases

August 27
Hosted by: Christel Aprigliano, PPA’s Member Services Manager
Panelists: Al Hopper, PPA’s Director of Membership, Copyright & Government Affairs and Maria Matthews, PPA’s Copyright & Government Affairs Coordinator
7:00pm – 8:00pm EST
Free—PPA members only
Please login to PPA.com to get the free registration link.

Every photographer needs to ensure that each image they share with the public is protected. If it's not, you lose business! Learn about copyrights and trademarks, how to properly handle them, why model releases are necessary, and more…all with this free webinar.

Join PPA’s Copyright & Government Affairs staff as they discuss how to protect yourself, your work, and your clients using the tools and resources of PPA. And don’t forget to bring your own questions—they'll be answering yours during the Q & A session.

Earn $1,000 an Hour from School Photography Step 1: Underclass Business Basics

August 25
with Chris Wunder, Cr.Photog.
Monday, August 25, 2008
12:00pm - 1:00pm EST
Cost: $49 PPA Members/ $249 non-members
Register online (08AUGWEB2) or call 800-786-6277

It’s always good to add something lucrative to your business!

Ready to offer an additional service and bring in more revenue? Conducted on weekday mornings—when you probably have time available to handle it—underclass school photography can be a lucrative addition to your studio business. But to get a good start in this field, you must understand the metrics of the business. Join in this live Webinar for explanations and advice about the basics of the underclass photography business, including schools’ requests for rebates.

Listen and learn how you can add a new revenue stream!

Chris Wunder Bio:
Chris Wunder, Cr.Photog., is a 30-year veteran of the photography business and a recognized sales & marketing industry expert for studios, events, sports, schools and directory photography programs. He’s a popular platform speaker and a consultant to photography businesses—both small and large—all across America. Chris is also co-owner of the PortraitEFX Photography Network with over 40 locations nationwide.

Visit PPA.com for complete information.

PPA Charities Golf Tournament

Join fellow PPA photographers and exhibitors at the first annual PPA Charities Golf Tournament. We will be playing at the ASU Karsten Golf Course in Tempe on Saturday, January 10, 2009, with an 8:00am Shotgun Start. Your $150 registration fee (or $550 for a foursome) will include:

• Golf fee and car fees
• Practice balls before your event
• Official scoring by professional staff
• Sun Devil Patio Awards BBQ Awards Luncheon following golf
• Prizes, goodie bag of gifts from PPA vendors, and much more.

Download this registration form to sign up now.

Create a smile: Family Portrait Month

October is PPA Charities' Family Portrait Month

A smile is universal in meaning...and it's pretty contagious! But what about  children who cannot smile? Those who find it difficult to even speak or eat?  Now's your chance to give them a smile.

Participate in Family Portrait Month, a national fund-raising effort in  October to benefit Operation Smile, a worldwide children's medical charity  dedicated to improving the health and lives of children born with cleft lips,  cleft palates, and other facial deformities.

It's easy. Pledge to contribute a portion of each October Family Portrait  Month sale to PPA  Charities, which has chosen Operation Smile as its charitable partner. Just sign up online and make the small $25 donation, and you're on your way to making  a difference.

Studio Management Services (SMS) 3-Day Business Workshop

Want to DOUBLE or TRIPLE your sales and net income?
Register now and attend the class that can show you how.

Studio Management Services’ (SMS) client studios have experienced that kind of success. Now you can, too. Attend the last 3-day SMS workshop of the year—November 10-12 in Atlanta, Georgia—and walk away with business methods you need to pave the same path to success.

SMS mentors have helped hundreds of studios just like yours. Register now. It could be the single most important business decision you make this year.

The 3-day workshop is geared toward studios that have already acheived the $50k gross sales benchmark. All SMS workshops cover:

• Pricing for profit
• Managerial accounting
• Sales techniques
• Branding
• and much more…all from some of the best-known instructors in this business

For complete details on this SMS seminar, visit ppa.com/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=688.

PPA's August Webinar Schedule

We have three great webinars in August, including a FREE member-only program on Wednesday, August 27—Protect Yourself: Copyright, Trademarks, and Model Releases—with staff from PPA's Copyright and Government Affairs office. Also joining us this month are Sarah Petty and Lori Nordstrom, presenting Hidden Power of Charitable Marketing next Wednesday, August 13, and Chris Wunder with Earn $1,000 an Hour from School Photography, Step 1: Underclass Business Basics on Monday, August 25.

A Different Kind of School

This Evergreen Affiliate School Workshop takes the classroom to the beach!  Sail into the heart of the beautiful San Juan Islands of Washington with Gabriel Alonso, M.Photog.Cr., aboard the 65' sailboat "Shawmanee." Not only do you get to spend the week in a wonderful beach house, you also get new opportunities each day to master outdoor portrait lighting in a variety of challenging situations. And along with Gabriel’s tutelage, you’ll take part in a special one-day program with Don MacGregor, M.Photog.Cr. API. Don will demonstrate group compositions, and you can watch as he creates a portrait of Gabriel and Amy Alonso on the beach.

The landscapes surrounding you all week will amaze and inspire you. This is an Affiliate School week not to be missed and certainly never forgotten. Better contact Sam now…there may still be a few spots open in the beach house!

August 17 – 21, 2008
San Juan Islands, WA
Contact: Sam Gardner; sam@samgardnerphotography.com
Web site: www.ppw.org

2008 Adobe Design Achievement Awards

Help Adobe honor the best interactive, motion and video, and traditional media work created by the most talented and promising students from around the world.

When
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Doors open at 6:00 PM for a gallery preview
Award ceremony at 7:30 PM
Creative formal attire

Where
Skirball Center for the Performing Arts
New York University
566 LaGuardia Place
New York, NY 10012 (Find a map here)

RSVP
RSVP online now and reserve your place at the 2008 ADAA ceremony.

ADAA Live!
Check out the online gallery and see the 2008 semifinalists as well as past ADAA winners and finalists.