Independent Photo Imagers (IPI) recognized winners of the IPI Window Display Contest at their annual Members Meeting and Trade Show held recently at the Green Valley Ranch in Henderson, Nev. The contest, driven by contenders’ ability to promote their photo business and increase store traffic, was open to all IPI members and ran from April 15 through June 30.
Sponsored by Fujifilm, the competition was inspired by their “Dazzling Window Displays” webinar, the first in a year-long series of Marketing Know-How Webinars offered to IPI members through Fuji. Contestants were judged on creativity, originality, composition and arrangement, and relevancy to topic.
“The world of digital imaging has challenged photo retailers to be remarkably flexible,” said Joellyn Gray, director of marketing, Fujifilm U.S.A., Inc. “Photo specialty retailers are no longer print centers or camera shops; they are also gift shops and need to be experts in visual merchandising and display to drive revenue.”
First prize, an Epson/Fujifilm 7880 Wide Format Printer, was awarded to Phil Gresham at Fotofast in Queensland, Australia, whose display was designed to call out, “Photo Books Created in Minutes”. The display communicated the simplicity of photo book creation and promised to be “made-while-you-shop,” helping to break down the barrier for many attempting to produce a photo book for the first time.
Larry and Dee Steiner of Spectrum Photo and Digital Services in Ashland, Ohio took second prize, a Fujifilm IP-10 Passport System, for creating a simple but impactful newborn baby-themed display that showcased poster-size prints promoting custom birth announcements.
James Park of Colortek walked away with third prize, a Fujifilm FinePix Z33 Digital Camera, for an eye-catching window display of posters and photo merchandise designed to generate excitement around photo gifting.
“All IPI members and the IPI Board of Directors are extremely grateful that Fujifilm has taken a major proactive step in providing monthly webinars for all IPI members,” said Brent Bowyer, Executive Director of IPI. “Congratulations to our winners who were selected from close to 100 entries.”
Eligible IPI Window Display Contest entrees included counter, wall and window displays. In all, 94 IPI members participated in the competition.
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