A NIGHT AT THE RACES!

Fifth Annual National Party Retailing Awards Presented in Las Vegas; New Members Inducted into Party Retailing Hall of Fame

Randolph, NJ (March 16, 2008) – On Sunday evening, March 16, 2008, at the fifth annual National Party Retailing Awards gala in Las Vegas, 10 retail stores were honored for their excellence and creativity, and two new members were inducted into the Party Retailing Hall of Fame. Some 300 partyware retailers and manufacturers attended this event, held at The Venetian Las Vegas on the opening night of the International Halloween, Costume and Party Show.

Greetings etc. magazine launched the National Party Retailing Awards five years ago to recognize outstanding partyware retailers whose dedication, creativity and hard work help people to celebrate the special events in their lives. Each year, party stores of all sizes, including online-only businesses, are encouraged to submit entries in a variety of merchandising and marketing categories.

Previous winners have been lauded for imaginative displays such as huge pirate ships, freezers filled with fake body parts and candy bins used to merchandise balloons, as well as for innovative marketing and promotional campaigns and effective websites. This year brought a new wave of creative ideas, including the use of FaceBook, MySpace and blogs to reach customers. “We were also pleased,” says Alison O’Connor, Group Publisher of Greetings etc., “to see several reports on how stores are giving back to their communities – from offering special discounts for nonprofit groups to hosting holiday-themed blood drives that help to save lives.”

At this awards event, Gordon and Joy Watanabe, owners of the Nobbies retail party-store chain, were inducted into the Party Retailing Hall of Fame, which was established in 2006 to honor individuals and stores who have made significant contributions to the partyware industry. The Watanabes opened their first store 20 years ago in Omaha, Nebraska, and have played an active role in the partyware industry, both as established retailers and as members of the industry group Paper First Affiliates.

In addition to these new Party Retailing Hall of Fame members, 10 brick-and-mortar and/or online-only retailers were presented with National Party Retailing Awards for excellence in Halloween merchandising, special-themed and/or holiday merchandising, store marketing and promotion, and website design. In several categories, awards were presented in two divisions – One-to-Three Locations and Four-or-More Locations – to give smaller stores an equal advantage to compete. “Budgets for smaller stores may be smaller, but we see numerous examples of how these small stores are able to generate big returns from free or low-cost efforts,” notes Kathy Krassner, editor-in-chief of Greetings etc.

Judging for the National Party Retailing Awards took place in early February at the offices of Edgell Communications, the publisher of Greetings etc. magazine. The panel of judges consisted of members of the editorial and marketing staffs at Edgell, and each entry was judged on criteria such as innovation, attractiveness, execution and effectiveness. Each store submitting an entry was also considered for a Party Retailer of the Year Award.

The following retailers were honored at this year’s awards ceremony:

Party Retailers of the Year for 2008

One-to-Three Locations:

Party Pro – The Ultimate Party Store! (Las Vegas, Nevada)
This store held a “Vampire Blood Drive” during the Halloween season; gave customers bounce-back discount cards offering 25 percent off their entire purchase during the Thanksgiving weekend; and has an ongoing program of advertising, discounts and special military merchandise targeted to a local Air Force base.

Four-or-More Locations:

iParty (Dedham, Massachusetts)
This retail chain store has an active e-commerce website that combines party supplies with party-planning services, including an online party magazine offering ideas and expert advice. The Dedham store used a “Balloon Week” promotion to focus on and bring increased sales to its business; has a cause-marketing program that benefits local groups and charities through a variety of efforts; and produces a full range of promotional circulars, print and television ads, as well as customer postcards to generate store awareness and to build sales.

Online-Only Party Store:

BuyCostumes.com (New Berlin, Wisconsin)
This website recently added a Party Division to its already-active costume business. The site features quick and easy navigation, and builds business through ongoing promotions, “Choose Your Own Discount” offers, and the use of FaceBook and blogs to create word-of-mouth awareness.

The following retailers were honored with awards in specific merchandising, store marketing/promotion, or website categories:

The Party Bazaar (Vancouver, British Columbia)
Best Halloween Merchandising Award

Balloon Fantasies (Portsmouth, Virginia)
Best Special-Themed and/or Holiday Merchandising Award
(One-to-Three Locations)

Party Works (Memphis, Tennessee)
Best Special-Themed and/or Holiday Merchandising Award
(Four-or-More Locations)

Party and Play Promotions (Mount Pleasant, South Carolina)
Best Store Marketing and Promotion Award
(One-to-Three Locations)

Card & Party Factory (Amarillo, Texas)
Best Store Marketing and Promotion Award
(Four-or-More Locations)

weddingFAVORites.com (Tustin, California)
Best Party Store Website Award
(Online-Only)

Balloon Celebrations (Los Angeles, California)
Best Party Store Website Award
(Brick-and-Mortar Store)

The awards gala was produced by Greetings etc. magazine, in conjunction with TransWorld Exhibits, Inc., which presents the annual International Halloween, Costume and Party Show. Partyware manufacturers Party Express from Hallmark and DesignWare, an American Greetings Company were Title Sponsors of this event, which included a cocktail reception, dinner, dancing and competitive racing games. Gold Sponsors included Just for Kicks, Rubies, Smiffy’s, Pioneer Party Group and Creative Converting. Rasta Imposta was a Supporting Sponsor; and Fun Express was the Centerpiece Sponsor, providing the table décor. Pioneer Party Group provided the balloon décor for the event.

Greetings etc., an Edgell Communications publication, is a bimonthly trade magazine that exclusively covers the greeting card, stationery and party goods markets. Greetings etc. has developed a loyal readership of 20,000 retailers who look to each issue of the magazine for new trends, innovative merchandise and fresh ideas to differentiate their stores. Article topics include profiles of companies and stores; updates on hot trends, products and licenses; information on reps, suppliers and trade shows; and an interactive "Hot Topic" column in which retailers share their viewpoints. “Card News,” the Greeting Card Association's official newsletter, is also published within each issue.

Located in Randolph, New Jersey, Edgell Communications publishes two additional merchandising magazines (Selling Christmas Decorations and Selling Halloween) and six technology magazines (RIS News, Hospitality Technology, Consumer Goods Technology, Vertical Systems Reseller, Mobile Enterprise, and Apparel) and produces several national technology conferences. For more information about Greetings etc. magazine or the National Party Retailing Awards, visit the magazine’s website at www.greetingsmagazine.com or call Noreen Walsh at 973-607-1389.