(F.t.l.) Klaus Pohn (VÖW President), Petra van Halsema, Henry Maier (both from XD Connects) and Gerhard Wagner (Vice-President and Secretary of VÖW).
A – The Association of Austrian Promotional Products Dealers (VÖW) invited its members and supplier partners to Schicklberg in Upper Austria for its traditional Summer Meeting from June 17 to 19. The event served as an opportunity to commemorate the association’s 35th anniversary and set a strategic direction for the association’s future development.
In his opening address, VOW’s President, Klaus Pohn, highlighted the readiness for cooperation – a key theme of the second item on the event’s agenda: a round-table discussion between VÖW dealers and supplier partners. The goal was to explore ways to further strengthen and deepen the collaboration to achieve a mutual benefit. The participants discussed various approaches of attaining a closer integration and joint market activities – ranging from new customer engagement formats, to leveraging VÖW communication channels as platforms for marketing partnerships. The discussions clearly demonstrated the shared desire of all parties to actively push their collaboration forward. “Such an open dialogue is crucial for invigorating a partnership and for profiting from the diverse approaches and experiences that we, as an association, can draw upon together with our partners. We gained many valuable insights from this round table to help reinforce the VÖW. We cannot afford to, nor do we want to let this potential go untapped,” commented Pohn.
On the second day, the focus shifted to the VÖW supplier partner trade fair, where the latest product innovations were showcased. The visitors were able to gather detailed information here on quantities, manufacturing and finishing techniques as well as on delivery times. The products could also be examined first-hand.
The trade fair offered scope for the presentation of novelties and for an exchange with customers.
A cosy, final get-together at the Furtmühle in Bad Hall on Thursday evening gave the participants the opportunity to discuss the ideas developed over the two-day event in a more informal setting and engage in a personal exchange.
Another traditional programme highlight was the selection of the Supplier Partner of the Year (for 2025), an award which the VÖW members confer in recognition of outstanding performances in service, quality and delivery reliability. This year, Petra van Halsema (Account Manager for Austria & Switzerland) and Henry Maier (Key Account Manager for Austria & Switzerland) accepted the award on behalf of their company, XD Connects. Klaus Pohn: “XD Connects has been supporting the association as a reliable and strong partner for many years. With its strong focus on adhering to strict ESG criteria, the company also shares our commitment to transparency regarding raw materials, supply chains and fair working conditions.”
