Looks like Leaf isn't alone

From Brian price, itg owner and like Leaf, producer of player licensed products.


I am writing this open letter to Kevin Isaacson promoter of the Industry Summit because all other methods of communication have failed over the past months.


February 14, 2014

Dear Kevin;

As you are well aware, In The Game, Inc. has attended the Industry Summit for the last three years. I personally have hosted retailer workshops, given a presentation to entire group and have served on a panel with Upper Deck, Panini and Topps.

Something seems to be different this year. Both my staff and myself have made many calls to you and I have personally sent over twenty emails to you as well.

I simply want to confirm if we will be attending the Industry Summit or if we are not invited to attend, the reasons why.

Our emails started early in December and the last email was sent several days ago.

By now the trading card industry has learned that Brian Gray and his company, Leaf Trading Cards are not invited to the Industry Summit and a lawsuit between the parties has commenced.

I on the other hand am not sure if we are invited or not since you will not respond to my emails confirming or denying our attendance.

The one email I did get from you on January 6th and stated:

Dr. Price:

I am on vacation with my family and am checking messages only occasionally. I will communicate with you or Mr. Levine (whichever you prefer) upon my return to work. FYI: Last year's agreement with your company was completed Feb. 12.

Best,

Kevin Isaacson


I have now emailed you at least fifteen times after receiving this email letting you know that although there is time to negotiate an agreement, I just want to know if we are able to attend, so that travel plans can be made.

We knew last year in November that we were going to attend and had ample time to make travel plans, redemption program plans and Industry Summit promotional cards.

You have not responded at all to these emails and I am sure by now you are back from holidays, in fact it is now February 14th and we still have heard nothing from you.

So I write this letter to you Kevin in the hope you might respond to us, please let us know if we are able participate in the Industry Summit or not, and if not, why.

In The Game, Inc. has been making trading cards since 1998 and we are certainly part of the trading card industry.

Dr. Brian H. Price
President
In The Game, Inc.

What a bunch of idiots.

Idiots agreement.

I'm done with the industry summit as a legitimate hobby gathering. It's simply not open enough to do the job.

I'm not attending this year which is unusual for me because I've only missed two over the last 14 years.

It's a combination of a couple of reasons but certainly the stuff going on now doesn't help.

I still think the organizer is getting strong armed by the leagues and maybe companies to force "un licensed" companies out, especially outspoken ones.

Seems like an opportunity for someone to start a new summit...

Topnotchsy said:

Seems like an opportunity for someone to start a new summit...

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FCB Summit?

If you can't use the railway, build your own pipeline. Instead of lawsuits and whining, companies like LEAF and ITG need to start thinking out of the box, redefine their means towards success and change the status quo. Do you want to pick up crumbs or bake your own loaf? This is the question they need to be asking right now. Screw the summit, forge your own path.


[MENTION=1948]Leaf[/MENTION] want some free advice? Too bad, you are going to get it....

I work for a fortune 500 company and yearly go to multiple 'summit' type conventions, most recently (2 weeks ago) in Coronado Springs Disney for a 4 day ego trip. It usually costs our company 10 - 15 million a year hosting these and I can tell you now, the time of industry summits and mass conventions are coming to an end. Sure, they will still be viable for certin things but for what you are looking to accomplish, it is a waist of time. Welcome to the future and the emergence of the webinar.

I can tell you now, you can reach and engage a much larger audience for a tiny fraction of the price. Here is what I suggest...

Start hosting a webinar every quarter (or even monthly if you feel like it). You can call it something relevent or fancy to your liking, but present it in a way that will make hobby insiders, retailers, and hobbiests/collectors alike will want to attend. I recommend a 4 hour block broken in to key feature sets, for example....

You can have hobby insiders chime in on current and upcoming issues, products, ect...

Showcase current and upcoming product.

Q&A sessions

Spotlight hobbiests and/or collectors (give some average collectors their 5 minutes of fame)

Product giveaways and contests

Make it engaging, relevent, compelling, and most of all entertaining. I can assure you 'they will come'. The audience you could achieve if advertised & conducted right will make the industry summit look like a little rascles boys club. Redefine what it means to present to the market, your audience and potential customers. Give people a voice, not only to present but to engage, make something unique and distinguish yourself from the herd.

take it or leave it, the webinar is the way of the future.

matfanofold said:

If you can't use the railway, build your own pipeline. Instead of lawsuits and whining, companies like LEAF and ITG need to start thinking out of the box, redefine their means towards success and change the status quo. Do you want to pick up crumbs or bake your own loaf? This is the question they need to be asking right now. Screw the summit, forge your own path.

Click to expand...

But the way the summit has treated them and leaf is completely wrong. Very unprofessional.

Very simple, don't lead leaf on, don't ignore tons of emails and calls from itg.

There's no reason, at all, to ignore, ignore and ignore.

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BBCgalaxee said:

But the way the summit has treated them and leaf is completely wrong. Very unprofessional.

Very simple, don't lead leaf on, don't ignore tons of emails and calls from itg.

There's no reason, at all, to ignore, ignore and ignore.

Sent from my HTCONE using Freedom Card Board mobile app

Click to expand...

I edited in a bunch more if you feel like re-reading...

But yes, I do understand what you are saying, however if you understand my refrence in the part you quoted you would see that history dictates the winner is the one who creates oppertunity, not wallows in the lack there of.

dp...

So like 3 companies are going to show up, Topps and Donruss and UD. Does not seem like something I would want to go to.

I was told bench warmers wasn't invited either.

~ Who wants smoking hot girls at a sausage fest conference anyway ~:banghead:

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Erich said:

So like 3 companies are going to show up, Topps and Donruss and UD. Does not seem like something I would want to go to.

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Donruss = Panini

Have you been to the IS before?

As long as panini keeps giving away black boxes, and topps gives away boxes of cards as bribes before the q and a's, the slurp fest that is the industry summit will continue as usual.

Seems like if you didn't get on your knees last year and squeal like a pig at the free giveaways you weren't invited back this year. This is not just manufactures, it is regular people too.

Yea and calling it the "licensed" summit, please. Tell me what license Historic Autographs has as they will be there.

rico08 said:

Donruss = Panini

Have you been to the IS before?

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I know Donruss is Panini, I find Donruss much more pleasant than Panini.

No I have not been, that is why I asked the question. If it is an industry summit and they are not letting players that are in the industry come to the event how many are going to be there. It was a serious question.

The "Industry Summit" was great when they held it in Hawaii, and in my opinion has gone downhill ever since. It used to commence with a pretty good card show too. Upper Deck sent me to Hawaii on several occasions, it was a great time.

Whats BG suing for, cause he didn't get invited to the party?

allstars said:

The "Industry Summit" was great when they held it in Hawaii, and in my opinion has gone downhill ever since. It used to commence with a pretty good card show too. Upper Deck sent me to Hawaii on several occasions, it was a great time.

Whats BG suing for, cause he didn't get invited to the party?

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Initially many thought that as well, but it seems to be more than that.

I believe he was actually invited/accepted, spend a large amount of cash in preparation, then after the fact was told 'not to come'...

This is the gist of it from what I understand anyhow...

Awesome memories of when Krause owned the kit young conference in Hawaii.

I went there the last five years and had so much fun. Expensive for sure, time consuming obviously, but always worth it!

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