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Matalin And Carville To Discuss Business Of Politics At ASI’s Chicago Trade Show

616ASI-Matalin-CarvillePolitical odd couple James Carville and Mary Matalin will discuss the 2016 presidential race and offer insider predictions on how the next leader of the free world will impact the economy and small businesses at a keynote Q&A at ASI Show® Chicago.

The keynote takes place at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 14, and is free to any distributor, supplier or decorator registered for the largest promotional products trade show of the summer. And, a limited number of tickets are still available for members of the Advertising Specialty Institute® (ASI) to gain early admission to the keynote or to attend a meet-and-greet with Carville and Matalin, a Chicago native, after the keynote. The keynote is not open to the general public.

“In a presidential race as critical and as close as this one, ASI is very pleased to offer our members exclusive access to two of the most experienced, opinionated and entertaining political operatives in the country,” said Timothy M. Andrews, president and chief executive officer of ASI, who will moderate the 45-minute Q&A keynote. “I’m certain Matalin and Carville will deliver a frank assessment, from both sides of the aisle, of how our next president will change the way we all do business.”

At the keynote, ASI will also release the results of a survey of ASI members detailing their views and positions on the 2016 presidential showdown.

ASI’s Chicago show takes place Tuesday, July 12, through Thursday, July 14, at McCormick Place. Over 4,500 attendees and nearly 600 exhibitors are expected.

Matalin, a conservative Republican-turned-Libertarian, grew up in the Chicago suburb of Burnham, IL. James “The Ragin’ Cajun” Carville, a liberal Democrat, is from rural Carville, LA. The couple married in 1993. Together, they have over 30 years of experience in politics and have individually worked for Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. In 2014, they co-wrote Love & War: Twenty Years, Three Presidents, Two Daughters and One Louisiana Home.

To listen to ASI’s podcast with Mary Matalin, click here.

Throughout the presidential campaign, ASI is offering its 25,000 members unique insight into the role promotional products play in politics, including twice-monthly ASI Presidential Promo Polls. The latest nationwide poll, released June 15, shows Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump remain neck-and-neck at about 50% each among U.S. consumers who were asked by ASI which candidate’s bumper sticker they would be most willing to put on their car. Bumper stickers, yard signs and buttons remain among the most popular promotional products available.

ASI will also provide on-the-ground coverage of the promo products featured at the Republican and Democratic national conventions, taking place July 18-21 in Cleveland and July 25-28 in Philadelphia.

And, in its April issue, ASI’s Counselor® magazine explored the connections between promo products and politics in a package of stories that included “How to Sell Campaigns,” “Marketing Lessons From the Presidential Election” and “How One Distributor Became Trump’s Go-To Iowa Promo Firm.”

In addition to the Carville-Matalin keynote, highlights of ASI Show Chicago include:

  • New Corporate Gifts & Incentives Pavilion and new Corporate Gifts & Incentives education track, sponsored by the Incentive Marketing Association (IMA) and the Incentive Manufacturers and Representative Alliance (IMRA), a strategic industry group of the IMA.
  • The Counselor Awards, Wednesday, July 13, 6:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m. Ticket required. Annual black-tie event celebrates the Counselor Person of the Year, the Top 40 distributors and Top 40 suppliers in the industry, and other individuals and companies.
  • Gala Celebration at Buddy Guy’s Legends, Chicago’s premier blues club, Wednesday, July 13, 6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. Ticket required.  MORE INFO