1996 World Figure Skating Championships Testimonial

I would like to show my support for the work that Juniper Emblems has done with us at the 1996 World Figure Skating Championships and recommend their involvement in the 1997 World Under-17 Hockey Championships. The quality of work that Juniper provides adds to the high quality that these type of events have made Alberta famour for within the amateur sporting community. The expertise of the staff and willingness to provide sound advice and support was definitely appreciated by myself as I came on board with the Pin Trading Centre with only 4 months to go before the event. In that short time, Juniper helped with the design of our pins, recommendation for our Pin Trading area and a very accommodating order process when it became clear we had under-estimated our demand.

The Pin Trading Centre was an idea that we had to attract the local pin traders and possibly capture the enthusiasm that pin trading has started to develop at major sporting events, such as the World Figure Skating Championships. As part of the World Village, the Pin Trading Centre was operated as a volunteer venture. This led us to take a small risk when ordering our pins. To this end, the quantities (1,000 of each of the four event pins, of which 200 went into frame sets), were of a modest nature as we were soon to find out. Our pins sold for $6.00 each and the framed set went for a modest $50.00. The demand that we received was astronomical. The Pin Sets, which we limited to 50 per day, sold out each day in less than 20 minutes. The remaining pins, where were limited to 200 each per day, all sold out on their respective days. Due to the very high demand, we approached Juniper to do a second run on the pins and have an order form available for the participants. They were more than accommodating. The order form was completed in less than an hour and it was available for the public immediately after the copies were done. In talking to representative of Juniper afterward, I have learned that they received over 1,500 orders after the event. Needless to say, the pin market is a very viable one and one that can be used to offset some losses in other areas when running a volunteer event such as this one.

I would strongly recommend that the 1997 World Under-17 Hockey Championships go forward with some type of a Pin Trading area and that you explore all possible options when thinking about the pins. The possibilities are endless. I would also recommend that your event go with the expertise and knowledge that Juniper Emblems can provide. Anytime that we can use the expertise of an Alberta-based company such as this one, it adds to our provincial reputation.

If you have any questions regarding our Pin Trading Centre, or the work of Juniper Emblems, please do not hesitate to call me.

Best of luck with the Championships!

Sincerely,
Roger Kramers, Manager
Pin Trading Centre
1996 World Figure Skating Championships