Chris Lydle - Chris' Camera Center - Aiken, SC, USA - www.chriscamera.com

We just went through a very challenging two-week period when our wet digital lab wouldn't produce acceptable prints. We could develop film, we could make instant 4x6 prints on our HP PM1000, we could make wide format prints on our Epson 7800 - but we couldn't do any bread-and-butter work. And we couldn't easily develop and print 4x5.3 or 4x6 prints at all.

But we needed to promote something, anything! Can't have an empty promotional calendar in January!

So we capitalized on what we could do, which was develop and scan directly to a CD (the R-1 lab would still do that just fine.)

Here's something we promoted by email and in a small space ad in the paper:

JANUARY IS PHOTO ARCHIVE TIME

Got a batch of old, undeveloped film sitting around the house? Too good to throw out - after all, it might have something important on it - and yet you shouldn't need a financial bailout just to develop some prints.

We've got the solution: skip the prints!

We'll develop your 35mm or APS color print film and scan it to a long-lasting CD for just $3.97. Then you can look at your images on our convenient photo kiosks and print just the ones you want, or just store them away for that snowy day.

Offer good throughout January.

We also ran some of our previous promotions that fall into the category of "archiving" such as VHS to DVD transfers.

Tom Mooney - Pridhams Studio - New Glasgow, Nova Scotia 1-902-752-4282

This is an idea I have had for a long time but have not been able to implement it.

I have always wanted to do a "Where I spent my summer vacation" contest. I was always stymied by how to get past the fact the the most well off person would likely win if you based the contest on the destination or how exotic the photo was. Most of our customers are not great photographers and I didn't want to base the contest solely on skill or on the exotic nature of the destination.

My answer came to me recently while watching an ad for a GPS system. Why not take a large map of the world and pin it up in a fairly obvious place? When a customer enters an image they place a small push pin with a label on the location. As the contest develops we would begin to see pins all over the map.

On the Draw date we would roll some dice to generate (or probably there is a math program that could be used for random number generation) some latitude/longitude numbers and the closest pin to the "winning" location would be the winner.

Time is running out to win $25,000! Grab a copy of your best consumer photo gift promotion used in 2008 and enter it in the PMA Custom Photo Gift Promotion Competition by January 30, 12:00 p.m. EST.

Honoring the innovation, creativity, and results of custom photo gift promotions, the competition is open to PMA members worldwide. Four finalists will receive $5,000, a crystal award and a free PMA 09 All Conference Connection Pass to PMA 09 <> in Las Vegas, Nevada, March 3-5, 2009. The Best of the Best Grand Prize Winner (selected from the first round finalists) will receive an additional $20,000.

Bill McCurry will lead two DIMAź Marketing Idea Exchange sessions to help you get actionable ideas from your peers that you can implement immediately. Whether you attend one or both sessions, no two idea exchanges are alike.

DIMA Marketing Idea Exchange will be Monday, March 2 at 2:40 p.m.

DIMA Marketing Idea Exchange Part II is Tuesday, March 3 at 2:00 p.m.

Each Idea Exchange stands on its own, no two are ever alike.

Chris leads Photo Classes - The Next Great Sales Tool Session D18, Sunday, March 1 at 3:30 pm.

More great events in and around PMA/DIMA 2009:

PTN Dealer of The Year Party - Wednesday night - at Renaissance Hotel - March 4 - 5:30-7:00pm - come congratulate Jerry Sullivan and rub elbows with all the greats of photo retailing . . . yes, you are invited!

PRO meeting and working dinner Monday, March 2, 5 pm - 7 pm at Renaissance Hotel. Members and Affiliates only

IPI members meeting - Monday, March 2, 6 pm

PMA is adding a most insightful session to the 2009 schedule - it will be Thursday, March 5 - called something like "Hot Picks of The Show" or "Best Gems of PMA" or something similar

It will feature representatives of the major buying groups around the world showing their best finds of the show . . .

January 22-23 - PhotoLynx Users Group meeting, San Diego CA USA details

January 26-28, 2009 - West Coast Art & Frame Show Las Vegas, NV, USA - www.wcafshow.com

Saturday, February 7, 2009 PMA Northern California Division "Winter in the Wine Country" Sonoma County, Calif. details

Tuesday, February 10, 2009 New York/New Jersey Metro Division Spring Meeting Fort Lee, N.J.

February 12, 2009 - Bill McCurry gives keynote speech at United Nations International Photographic Council luncheon, Manhattan USA. More info

March 1 - March 4, 2009 - DIMA 2009 Las Vegas, NV, USA

March 3 - March 5, 2009 - PMA 2009 Las Vegas, NV, USA

Wednesday, March 4, 2009 - PMA Northern California Division Luncheon at PMA 09 Las Vegas, Nev.