D – After the resignation of four of the five board members of the German promotional products association, GWW, who were elected last year, new elections are on the agenda of the extraordinary general meeting in Wiesbaden on June 20.
The Chairman, who also stepped down, Steven Baumgaertner (cyber-Wear), will be standing for re-election with a new team: Ronald Eckert (Döbler), Judith Fröhlich (Senator/Kahla), Tobias Köckert (Mahlwerck) and Petra Lassahn (PSI) are backing Baumgaertner and are hoping to be jointly elected.
The team has compiled an agenda under the motto “Grow together again”. The concept defines four tasks as the original aims of association work: Political communications and lobby work, the external image of the promotional products industry, research on the performance of promotional products as well as further education and legal advice. In order to be able to concentrate on these areas and avoid the office becoming overburdened, the trade fair activities of the association are to be reduced and there is to be a clear separation between the operative units of the GWW and the GWW subsidiary, GFW, which is responsible for events. Furthermore, a closer cooperation with the PSI is planned to expand the network and intensify the lobby work, which is to be underlined by the integration of Petra Lassahn onto the management team.
An initiative of meanwhile 32 promotional products suppliers has addressed the industry and the GWW in the scope of a media campaign. Their request: In the face of the many challenges present on the market, the association should spend less time acting as an exhibition organiser and instead carry out primary association work with all means available. The signatories include importers and manufacturers, full-range stockists and specialist.
