Tuesday, May 2nd
6:30 – 8:00 pm Welcoming Cocktail Reception
DuPont Circle Hotel – Glover Park Room, 1st Floor
Wednesday, May 3rd
8:00 am – 5:00 pm Registration
8:00 – 9:00 am Breakfast Buffet
9:00 – 9:15 am Introductions & Chairman’s Remarks
Brad Darooge, ACMA Chairman; President & CEO of Baudville Brands, Inc.
9:15 – 10:15 am Stunning Achievements and Multitudes of Threats: ACMA’s Policy Work Yesterday and Tomorrow
Hamilton Davison, President & Executive Director, ACMA
The ACMA’s Co-Founder & Leader will review the policy landscape and the organization’s priorities, challenges and achievements, outlining the extensive work ahead while examining the dynamics and drivers that will affect the potential outcomes and your business.
10:15 – 10:30 am Refreshment Break
10:30 – 11:30 am State of the Business
Speaker: The Honorable Megan Brennan, USPS Postmaster General & CEO
In her annual address to the catalog industry, PMG Brennan will lay out the Postal Service’s plans for the near future and how its catalog policy is shaping up amid the USPS’s present state of uncertainty, as a postal reform law continues to be allusive.
11:30 am – 12:15 pm How to Win Friends and Influence People in Government
Alex Vogel, Managing Partner, VogelHood Research
This year, Congress has its hands full dealing with the new president’s agenda. As a business leader, your future will be influenced by what happens. Building relationships with key members of Congress is a requisite for all catalog executives. This session will provide a roadmap to equip you to become a savvy influencer to advance your company’s catalog cause.
12:15 – 1:45 pm 10th Anniversary Celebratory Luncheon: ACMA Legacy Awards
Hamilton Davison; Paul Miller, VP & Deputy Director; Lynn Noble, VP Industry Relations, Cathy Roden, Assistant Director, ACMA
Despite our group’s shamelessly no-nonsense, cut-to-the-chase approach, it’s time to pause and recognize the Association’s outstanding volunteer contributors throughout our first 10 years. During this festive occasion, ACMA staff will honor those who have made a significant impact to help make our success possible.
1:45 – 2:45 pm Will 10-Year Review of Postal Rate Making System Be a Life Changer?
Speakers: Dan Blair, former Postal Regulatory Commission Chairman; Denise Wilson, Former Special Assistant to the President & Commissioned Officer, White House Office of Legislative Affairs; Larry Buc, President, SLS Consulting
The Postal Regulatory Commission is in the process of reviewing the postal rate system. At stake, is the possible elimination of the CPI cap; if that happens, catalogers could be in for significant rate hikes in the near future. Find out what may be going on behind closed doors right now and how this possible life-altering process could change the way you do business. This well-seasoned panel of experts knows the ins and outs of the system and will discuss and debate their insights.
2:45 – 3:30 pm New USPS Research on the Catalog Customer’s Experience
Dan Barrett, Director, Customer & Market Insights, U.S. Postal Service
The USPS is engaged in significant market research on how the customer perceives, receives, handles and hopefully reacts to mail. Learn what its most recent research is saying about consumer use of catalogs and what this means for catalog marketers. Then, participate in an open discussion on what further topics / questions / issues that need attention exist. Have input into the future research agenda so both the USPS and industry can steer even better use of mail given consumer sentiment.
3:30 – 4:00 pm Refreshment Break
4:00 – 5:00 pm Behind-the-Scenes Look at USPS-ACMA Progress for Catalog Volume Growth
Steve Monteith, Vice President, Marketing and Elke Reuning-Elliott, Manager New Solutions, Lauren C. Williams, Product Management Specialist, Marketing, U.S. Postal Service
Last year, following a meeting with the ACMA’s Board and the PMG and CMO, Mr. Monteith was anointed by the PMG to address catalog industry issues and create a path for new growth of catalog mail. Many of the issues raised were addressed in the January 2017 rate change but work continues to create a pro-growth opportunity for catalog volumes. Since then USPS Product Management and a small group of ACMA members have worked together to design a powerful incentive for catalog volume increases. This session will give you an update on where we have come and what lies ahead to improve the environment for growth in catalogs.
6:30 – 9:30 pm ACMA-hosted VIP Reception for All Attendees & Key Policy Officials
The Whittemore House, 1526 New Hampshire Ave. NW, Washington
Unwind with other attendees and special guests for drinks and heavy hors d’oeuvres and help celebrate the ACMA’s 10th Anniversary at this historic preservation property and home of the Woman’s National Democratic Club.
Thursday, May 4
7:30 – 8:30 am Breakfast Buffet
8:00 – 9:00 am Working Breakfast: An Update from ACMA’s Postal Committee
Anita Pursley, VP Postal Affairs, LSC Communications (ACMA postal committee chair), Hamilton Davison, ACMA, with members of the postal committee
Hear the back-story on key postal issues affecting catalogers including what ACMA’s postal committee is doing to influence the outcomes. The committee will discuss the 10-year PRC-led review, changes to mailing regulations, simplified pricing, new sanctions for compliance and other catalog-relevant issues the committee has focused on of late.
9:00 – 10:00 am States On The Attack – A Remote Sales Tax Debate
George Isaacson, Senior Partner, Brann & Isaacson; Joe Garrett, Deputy Commissioner of Revenue, Alabama Department of Revenue
ACMA’s aggressive defense of the Quill v. North Dakota remote sales tax collection precedent has shifted to the state level, as a number of states are looking to circumvent Quill in hopes that their own new laws will lead to a Supreme Court ruling. This session will examine the current state of the law and why states are challenging the long-held physical presence standard. Find out why ACMA has been so successful in fending off an unfair resolution to the Internet Sales Tax debate and what the other side has in store for us this year.
10:00 – 10:30 am Refreshment Break
10:30 – 11:30 am Turning the Keys to Your Future
Moderator: Hamilton Davison, ACMA; Speakers: Chris Karpenko, Executive Director Brand Marketing, US Postal Service, Elissa Moses, CEO, Ipsos Neuro & Behavioral Science Center; Andy Joyce, VP, MeritDirect (members of the Integrated Media Research Center Board of Directors)
Creators of the new Integrated Media Research Center (IMRC), a new collaborative think tank dedicated to improving the efficacy of marketing, will explain how you can participate in this valuable resource today and how it may bode for your future. Designed to encourage an ongoing discussion among marketers about the most effective use of an ever-expanding set of marketing channels, including catalogs, the IMRC braintrust show you how to maximize this valuable opportunity.
11:30 am – 1:00 pm Closing Luncheon:
How the Trump Era is Impacting Your Business
Speaker: Alex Vogel, Managing Partner, VogelHood Group
The popular Washington insider Mr. Vogel will break down how the new president’s policies can trickle down to impact catalogers directly and share “inside baseball” anecdotes about what is really happening in this fast paced city where tweets twist futures but policy proceeds slowly.