The PPAI North American Leadership Conference is August 9-11 in Nashville, Tennessee, overlapping with the sold-out PPAI Technology Summit, which is August 11-12. Essent is the Platinum Sponsor of both events. See the NALC agenda and register.

Mitch Mounger, the CEO of distributor Sunrise Identity, is Co-Leader of the 2015 PPAI North American Leadership Conference Work Group. He recently shared the following insight on how the NALC is shaping up for an exciting seventh year.

What part of the NALC is generating the most buzz this year, or which parts do you think will generate the most buzz?

"The music industry has been dramatically impacted in these areas and we hope to tap into some music industry leaders to see how they have adapted."

The success of last year’s conference has people excited about this year.

Rachel Robichaud of PPAI along with Larry Cohen and Scott Pearson did an amazing job last year putting together meaningful content and put on a great conference. My Co-Leader, Catherine Graham of commonsku, and I have our work cut out for us this year.

We are excited that we will be hosting this event in the great city of Nashville, Tennessee. We are focusing much of the content around CHANGE and INNOVATION. The music industry has been dramatically impacted in these areas and we hope to tap into some music industry leaders to see how they have adapted.

What long-running aspects of the NALC do you think attendees will be glad to see back?

"We plan to have great content aimed at the leaders within our industry."

Some of our best feedback has come from the networking opportunities that we provide at the conference.

In particular, we are bringing back the "Mix and Mingle” Dinner where individuals are grouped together randomly for dinner. This format encourages people to meet others within the industry that they might not normally have the opportunity to.

Additionally, we plan to have great content aimed at the leaders within our industry.

What issues in the promotional products industry are in most need of leadership right now?

We have quite a few that need to be addressed: Technology, Product Safety and Compliance, Social Media/Digital Marketing, and the habits of younger generations come to mind.

The NALC and the PPAI Technology Summit overlap in time and location. How are leadership and technology related?

"The advancement and rapid change of technology cannot be ignored."

This is the first year that the NALC and the PPAI Technology Summit overlap. The advancement and rapid change of technology cannot be ignored in our industry. Organizations must be prepared and willing to adapt to change at the leadership level. We hope to have people attend both events.

The NALC is going on its seventh year and looks like it’s here to stay. To what do you attribute the NALC’s success so far?

"Each year I come away thinking that the conference was well worth my time."

This will be my 4th year attending the event. Each year I come away thinking that the conference was well worth my time. In addition to the amazing networking, the content is relevant and something that I can immediately implement in my own business.

How do you see the NALC becoming even bigger and better in the future?

We just need to keep spreading the word and attracting the elite leaders in our industry. The content must continue to be relevant and innovative.

How do this year’s registration numbers stack up to years past?

"We are on track to hit our attendance goals and believe we will surpass them."

So far so good. We are on track to hit our attendance goals and believe we will surpass them once we finalize content and begin our marketing push. This will be a great event!

Any additional comments you would like to make regarding the NALC or the NALC volunteer committee?

Don’t miss this one!!