Pacific Press® exhibits at the Festival of Laity convention

Nampa, Idaho (May 1, 2002) – Susan Harvey, Vice President of Marketing, reports from Orlando, Florida:

“Our Portion of the Power” was the theme of last week’s Festival of the Laity, held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. This 4-day convention, designed to equip lay people to finish God’s work, was the first-ever such event sponsored by the North American Division. Pacific Press was one of more than 200 exhibitors who filled Hall E2 in the vast convention center.

About 3,000 people were registered for the convention, although many more attended on Friday night and Sabbath. Our fruit-and-vegetable-filled booth, with its “A Seed Today, A Soul Tomorrow” theme, was a show-stopper. We gave away Steps to Christ posters, Adventist Girl paper dolls, and apples, with Pacific Press stickers on them. These items created great interest, and our booth was always busy. In addition, we gave away hundreds of bookmarks, catalogs, and sample packets of Pocket Signs, mini El Centinela, and pocket-sized La Sentinelle.

There were many opportunities for our Pacific Press team to network with other ministries. This, even more than a booth, is the real work our team does when attending a convention. Publishing partnerships, large sales of books to ministries to use as fund-raising premiums, and even new authors and product ideas can often be traced to a conversation begun at such a convention.

Chapel Music artists provided music for the convention. Representing Chapel were: Charles Haugabrooks, Rudi Micelli, Lo Lo Harris, Seventh Element, Roland Gresham and Wintley Phipps.

Four Pacific Press staffers were presenters at Festival of the Laity. Dale Galusha, Randy Maxwell, Oscar Hernandez, and Armando Juarez all presented well-attended seminars. In addition, Pacific Press loaned Dale to the NAD to help out as a convention manager. Other Pacific Press employees involved in the Festival were Felix Castro, Russ Holt, Nancy Kyte, Clare Woods and Susan Harvey.

Our booth was adjacent to the large space devoted to the Adventist Book Center. The ABC was always packed with people, and their sales for the four days totaled nearly $35,000. Witnessing materials were extremely popular, with many customers buying large quantities of Pocket Signs, mini El Centinela, and other sharing materials.