The Stahls’ Canada National Tour hit the road in May and June to bring heat printing to the people. With stops in 10 cities in 7 provinces, the whirlwind tour offered customers a chance to meet heat printing experts, learn the latest techniques, and to see, feel, and try new products. Stahls’ Canada Marketing Coordinator Dale Mouscos shares details of the sights seen, folks met, and topics discussed on the tour in part one of a three-part series. Read part two and part three.
National Tour Wrap-Up, Part 1
by Dale Mouscos, Stahls’ Canada
May 27th, 2013
 |
||
| No, it’s not a T-shirt shop for leprechauns! Your author shows off Mini T-Shirts and the new Mini-Tee Sample Ring in Halifax. |
We flew out to Halifax on May 27th to meet and greet our customers at the Four Points by Sheraton for the first stop along our Eastern National Tour. The conference centre was great and very spacious. We had Rob Gardiner, the General Manager for Stahls’ Canada, Dan Dugas, our Eastern dedicated Sales Representative, myself, and our friend Bill Cook from our sister company Transfer Express out of Ohio. Together, we greeted over 35 customers and presented some of our newest products, like Stahls’ DMS Business Bundles, Custom Embroidered Patches, and Sublimated Table Covers.
Most of our customers showed up a few minutes before we even started so they must have been anxious. Rob addressed everyone and presented the basic features of our heat printing and sign making products to the group. It was a great experience to meet such nice customers in Halifax and hopefully their visit with us was just as beneficial for them as it was for us.
 |
||
| A view of Victoria Street in Amherst. |
Off we went to Quebec City with one quick stop in Amherst, NS along the way. There were so many beautiful things to see there in such a small town. We stopped for lunch at Duncan’s Pub and had a really great meal that would carry us for the long drive ahead.
May 29th
 |
||
| Notre Dame des Victoires church in Quebec City’s Basse-Ville (Lower Town). |
Quebec City (the show was actually in Lévis) was also a great turnout. Thanks to Dan and Bill, who are fluent in French, we were able to speak to all of our customers. As seemed to be the trend, most of our customers showed up at the same time, and I will have to mention how impressed I was with their patience. Dan, being the dedicated rep for the area, was in high demand and kept very busy discussing options with customers one after the other while our other wonderful customers patiently waited and listened to what he had to say. I suppose it helps to not have to ask the same questions.
After the show, we took the ferry over to Quebec City to see the sights. Quebec City is one of the oldest cities in North America, but has been really well preserved. We saw Château Frontenac and the cobblestone streets, stone buildings, and winding streets lined with shops. It was beautiful like nothing I had ever seen before.
May 30th
 |
||
| Chuck Loreto and Mark Cavallin demonstrate products to a tour attendee. |
En route to Ottawa, we stopped at a Tim Horton’s, and while I was standing in line the woman behind me tapped me on the shoulder and asked, “Shouldn’t you be in Ottawa?” I thought it was great that she actually read our tour shirt and was curious. I assured her that we were on our way and would be there in time for the show. We did cut it close with the traffic that we ran into while passing through Montreal, but we got there to greet our customers.
We held the show at the TC Sports Marketing office, from which our reps Chuck Loreto and Mark Cavallin work. It’s a cozy space and worked quite well for demonstrations and showing off garment decoration. We acquired some very interesting comments from our customers in regards to things they would like to see from Stahls’. Thank you all for the feedback. We certainly will do everything we can to help you grow your business.
Don’t miss part two and part three of this series!