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Gift + Home at Las Vegas Market |
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ZAG Travel Sponsorship
(previously referred to as ZAG "Scholarship" Opportunity)
One of ZAG’s goals is to help its members gather more information about the zoo/aquarium retail industry to make the best buying decisions possible for their facility’s gift shops. A large part of that involves knowing what vendors and product lines are available in order to make decisions on which vendor has the best products at the best prices. One way to gain this knowledge is by attending trade shows. However, not every facility has the budget to send their merchandise buyer to a show.
ZAG is pleased to announce that it will sponsor a ZAG member from two different facilities to attend both the International Gift Exposition in the Smokies (IGES), Sevierville, TN, running November 3-7, and the Smoky Mountain Gift Show (SMGS), Gatlinburg, TN, running Nov 5-9. The 2010 Annual ZAG Week will take place during this time, and the two selected buyers will be able to take part in many ZAG Week networking activities, including the Annual ZAG Business Meeting and Dinner. ZAG will cover each member’s transportation, lodging and meals. In addition, ZAG will provide a “mentor” for each recipient who will help them navigate the shows, meet fellow buyers, and provide valuable gift industry related insight while at the shows.
In order to qualify for the sponsorship, each recipient must:
• Be available November 5-8, 2010
• Be employed by an institution that has not provided funds for gift buyers to attend national gift shows in the past five years
• Come from a facility with attendance of 200,000 or less
• Attend Annual ZAG Week-sponsored networking functions, including the ZAG members’ Annual Business Meeting and Dinner on Saturday Nov. 6
• Be interviewed after their trip for a future ZAG newsletter article sharing their experiences at the shows, the new vendors and product lines they found, and any suggestions they have for other ZAG members who can’t get to a gift show.
The deadline for submitting an application is Saturday July 31. A random drawing of all applications received will be held in August and the winners will be notified by mail and phone by Wednesday, September 1. Click here to download the application or email
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to request an application.
This is a great and unique opportunity to dramatically expand your list of vendors and industry contacts in order to offer your guests fresh and exciting new product.
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OUR MISSION
ZAG is a collection of merchandise buyers for zoos, aquariums and other wildlife-related institutions and attractions. The goals of ZAG are to increase and improve communication between buyers, and to raise the awareness and professionalism of the field within the Zoo and aquarium industry. |
A Little About ZAG!
ZAG is a not-for-profit Zoo and Aquarium buyers group that traces it's humble beginnings to the late 1980's. Started by a group of buyers who met annually at the Smoky Mountain Gift Show, in Gatlinburg, TN. These informal meetings proved to be great opportunities to share ideas, and resulted in ongoing lines of communication between buyers in the Zoo and Aquarium gift industry. Due to the wealth of information shared at these annual "get-togethers" for buyers, ZAG meetings at The Smoky Mountain Gift Show, and now The International Gift Exposition in the Smokies have continued to grow in popularity.
In the past few years ZAG has undergone phenomenal growth, with its membership surpassing 200 buyers, and is currently supported by over 50 sponsors. Recent ZAG projects include the publication of ZAG newsletters, the development of a website, and also a concerted effort to host annual meetings that produce valuable networking tools for our members. The development of regional meetings throughout the country and incorporation are among a few of the new projects that are currently being worked on by members of ZAG.
Now the rest is up to you! We need active members to help us grow this worthwhile organization for the mutual benefit of our zoos and aquariums.
If you are interested in becoming a member of ZAG, please click here. If you are interested in becoming a ZAG sponsor, please click here.
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