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Baseball Partners to Sponsor Opening Reception
Major League Baseball, the MLB Players Association, Topps, and Upper Deck will join together to sponsor the opening reception to the 2007 Hawaii Trade Conference/Mainland Edition event in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The reception will take place on the evening of April 16.
"The opening reception has always been a special part of the conference because it has a family reunion-type of atmosphere," said Jeff Pozorski, sports group publisher for F+W Publications. "It sets the tone of the primary goal for the week, which is having the industry come together and share ideas for growth. Having the baseball card licensors and manufacturers pool their resources to host a special evening for all attendees is a great asset to the conference."
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Topps Retailing Seminar to Kick Off the Hawaii/Mainland Conference
The first Topps Retailing for Success Seminar for 2007 will be held in conjunction with the opening of the Hawaii Trade Conference/Mainland Edition event in Ft. Lauderdale.
The seminar, conducted by Card Trade columnist, Alan Narz, will take place Sunday,
April 15, at the Bahia Mar Beach Resort beginning at 10 a.m. The seminar is free for all interested retailers. On-site registration for the trade conference, which runs April 15-19, begins that afternoon.
"The Hawaii Trade Conference is one of the most important educational events for hobby retailers, so it only makes sense to incorporate the longest-running retailer seminar into the conference," said Jeff Pozorski, F+W sports group publisher. "We think this is a great way for retailers to begin their week in Ft. Lauderdale."
Retailers interested in attending the Topps seminar should contact Alan Narz directly:
Phone: (800) 562-3109
E-mail: alannarz@earthlink.net
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Loss Prevention Expert, Jim Burger, Speaks on April 19
 Jim Burger, who has spent more than 30 years leading the loss prevention efforts for high-end speciality retailers such as Tiffany & Co., Saks Fifth Avenue and J. Crew, will make a presentation April 19 during the Hawaii Trade Conference/Mainland Edition. Burger will educate hobby shops how to reduce their exposure to shoplifting, employee theft and other forms of fraud.
"Hobby stores operate on very tight profit margins and those margins are extremely vulnerable when shoplifters and others try to steal from store owners," said Scott Kelnhofer, Card Trade editor and content planner for the trade conference. "When we contacted the National Retail Federation for help in finding a speaker on this topic, Jim Burger was at the top of their list."
Burger is recognized as an innovator in the loss prevention industry. He has developed successful education and awareness programs and pioneered the implementation of EAS source tagging to the specialty apparel retail market.
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Annual Charity Auction to Benefit Youth Foundation
Organizers of the the Hawaii Trade Conference/Mainland Edition have announced proceeds from this year's eBay-sponsored auction will benefit the charitable efforts of the Miami Dolphins Foundation.
The Miami Dolphins Foundation was established in 1995 as the fundraising arm of the Miami Dolphins football team. Through the Foundation, the Dolphins have raised money through a variety of events that are invested in South Florida-based youth programs that emphasize educational, health, social and community service issues. Representatives from the Dolphins Foundation will be on hand at the auction and will donate items for the event.
"Over the years, the trade conference's annual auction has raised money for a variety of programs, from charitable causes to industry initiatives," said Jeff Pozorski, sports group publisher for F+W Publications. "There is a renewed emphasis on marketing our hobby to youngsters, so we thought it was appropriate to use the auction to benefit a youth-focused charity."
This year's auction will be held on the evening of April 17. Items will be donated by a variety of industry participants ranging from card manufacturers, licensors, memorabilia companies and others. Some of the items will be available for bidding exclusively by conference attendees, while others will also be available for live bidding on eBay.
Companies who wish to donate items to this year's auction are asked to contact Jill Lodewegent at (715) 445-4612, ext. 607 by March 23.
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MLB Will Take Attendees Out to the Ball Game
All attendees of the 2007 Hawaii Trade Conference/Mainland Edition event are invited to enjoy an evening at the ballpark, courtesy of Major League Baseball Properties. Conference attendees will have the chance to watch the New York Mets take on the Florida Marlins on Wednesday evening, April 18 at Dolphins Stadium.
MLB Properties will provide tickets to the game, round-trip motorcoach transportation from the conference headquarters at the Bahia Mar Beach Resort in Fort Lauderdale, as well as pre-game refreshments.
Although several current and former professional athletes have made appearances at the conference over its 21-year history, this game will mark the first time attendees will have the opportunity to attend a sports event in conjunction with the conference.
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Upper Deck Returns as Sponsor of Golf Outing
The Hawaii Trade Conference/Mainland Edition will be held in a new location this year, but several elements of the show will remain. Among them is the conference's annual golf outing, which will be sponsored by Upper Deck for the 13th consecutive year.
The golf outing will take place on Monday, April 16, at the Grande Oaks near Fort Lauderdale. While Grande Oaks may not be a familiar name to most of the participants in the event, they may recognize it's fictional name of "Bushwood Country Club." That's because all of the golfing scenes for the popular movie "Caddyshack" were filmed at the course (at that time, the course was known as Rolling Hills Golf and Tennis Club). Golf legend Ray Floyd is one the course designers.
"We are excited to once again be the sponsor of this annual event," said Upper Deck's Don Williams. "Each year, the Upper Deck golf event is one of the most popular activities of the week as the industry uses it as a platform to get together and discuss the many issues in the hobby."
All conference attendees are eligible to play in the Upper Deck golf outing, but space in the outing is limited to 144 participants. To register for the conference and reserve a place in the outing, contact Jill Lodewegen at (715) 445-4612, ext. 607, or contact her via e-mail at jill.lodewegen@fwpubs.com.
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