Don't miss this month's Tuesday Learning Lab designed to
increase your network and enhance your professional growth

Prompting for Profit: Unlocking AI's
Full Potential in Promo Sales & Marketing

November 11, 2025
12:30 pm
Featured Speaker: Cliff Quicksell, Cliff Quicksell & Associates

AI is no longer a futuristic tool, it’s here, and it’s revolutionizing how we create, market, and sell. Yet most professionals in the promotional products industry are barely scratching the surface of its potential. The secret to unlocking AI’s power lies in prompting, the art of asking the right questions, in the right way, to generate exceptional results. In this workshop, Cliff Quicksell, CSP, MAS+, MASI, will demystify prompt engineering and show you how to collaborate with AI as a true creative partner. You’ll leave with the knowledge, confidence, and actionable strategies to turn ChatGPT-5 into your competitive edge.

Five Key Takeaways:
1. The Formula for Exceptional Prompts - Discover the four-part formula: Clarity, Context, Constraints, and Iteration, that ensures every prompt you craft delivers useful, actionable, and high-impact results.
2. From Assistant to Collaborator - Learn how to treat ChatGPT-5 not as a task completer but as a creative teammate, capable of brainstorming, refining, and co-developing campaigns and strategies with you.
3. Crafting for Your Audience - Understand how to give AI the right context, audience demographics, tone, style, and desired outcomes, so your outputs are always client ready.
4. Practical Prompting in Action - See real-world promotional product scenarios, like campaign ideation, email drafting, packaging pitches, and ROI storytelling, transformed through effective prompting.
5. Building Your AI Toolkit - Walk away with a set of reusable prompts, techniques for refinement, and the mindset to continuously experiment, improve, and maximize your results with AI.

About the Presenter: Cliff Quicksell, CSP, MAS+, MASI, is a seasoned expert with over 40 years in promotional marketing. As a highly regarded speaker, trainer, and consultant, he has spent 40 years helping associations and national business groups enhance their marketing strategies, improve team motivation, and drive business growth. Cliff is the President of Cliff Quicksell Associates.

Don't miss this month's Wild Wednesday Webinar designed to
increase your network and enhance your professional growth

Elevating Merch: Shaping the Future of Branded Joy

November 19, 2025
12:30pm
Featured Speaker: Drew Holmgreen, CEO, PPAI

The promotional products industry isn’t just evolving — it’s stepping into its spotlight. In this session, we’ll look beyond what’s trending today to where we’re headed tomorrow. We’ll dig into PPAI’s long-term “Elevating Merch” vision, exploring how responsibility, creativity, and global storytelling are setting the stage for a new era of branded merchandise. Think of this as a peek at the road ahead — full of opportunity, growth, and a whole lot of joy.

Learning Outcomes: 

• Gain a clear understanding of PPAI’s long-term vision to elevate merch as a powerful, respected marketing medium.
• Identify the big shifts and global trends shaping the industry over the next decade.
• Explore how purpose, innovation, and storytelling can make branded merchandise even more meaningful.
• Walk away inspired — and ready — to play an active role in shaping a brighter, bolder future for our industry.

Please join CPPA for a fun evening out with industry friends
as we mingle, network and celebrate the Holiday season as well
as honor our Peake Awards Recipients!

Date:
December 11, 2025

Time:
6:00 to 9:00 pm

Location: 
Merriweather Lake House
10209 Wincopin Cir
Columbia, MD 21404

Cost: 
Members & Guests: $60 pp which includes a delicious buffet meal and one complimentary drink ticket.
Cash bar available.

Dress Code:
Cocktail Attire

Sponsorship opportunities available:
Bar Sponsor: $500 - 2 available
Spots are limited and on a first come, first served basis
Details are on the registration form

Product sponsorship opportunities available:
Please contact Tiffany if you would like to donate door prizes, party giveaways, decorations, etc.
The more the merrier!

In the spirit of the holiday season, CPPA will be collecting donations at the party for Toys for Tots which delivers hope to children during the holiday season and beyond. Please consider bringing a new unwrapped toy to spread love and cheer this holiday season!

We hope you will join us for an evening of fun as we toast to a successful 2025 and a prosperous 2026.