GCA Greeting Card Conference 2026: Full Schedule

11:30am EDT

Breakout Session 2: Who Will Sell Greeting Cards Tomorrow?

Tuesday August 18, 2026 11:30am - 12:15pm EDT

The greeting card industry relies on sales reps to drive growth, but finding the next generation of talent is becoming increasingly challenging. This panel will examine what's changing, what's working, and how publishers and sales organizations can adapt. From recruiting and compensation to hybrid roles and evolving expectations, attendees will gain practical insights for building a stronger, more sustainable sales network.

Speakers

Tom Shoaf

Founder, Biely & Shoaf

Brad Woods

Maginating

Maginating champions childlikeness to empower others to embrace and express their innate childlike qualities. We endeavor to advocate for qualities like joy, innocence, make-believe, whimsy, kindness, and a dash of silliness, and have been pursuing this goal since 2008 with award-winning... Read More →

Lisa Engler

Avanti Press

Lisa Engler is Vice President of Product Planning & Partnerships at Avanti Press in Detroit, Michigan. After more than 34 years in the greeting card industry, she still loves the people, the creativity, and the relationships that make it so special. She proudly served as the 2025... Read More →

Vanessa Harnik

Notes & Queries

Tuesday August 18, 2026 11:30am - 12:15pm EDT
Mezzanine CD

Breakout Session, Mini Conference

3:15pm EDT

Breakout Session 2: The Handwritten Edge: Winning With AI

Tuesday August 18, 2026 3:15pm - 4:00pm EDT

Mezzanine CD

AI will never sign a card. It can help you run the business behind one. This session gives every card maker, from solopreneur to enterprise team, a practical path for putting AI to work on outreach, operations, and customer relationships while your creative voice stays fully human. You will leave knowing where you stand on the AI maturity journey, how to teach AI your authentic voice, and three prompts to try this week.

Speakers

Martin J King

Founder & CEO, AI-X

Marty King is the Founder and CEO of AI-X, where he helps organizations turn the promise of artificial intelligence into practical business results. A seasoned entrepreneur and strategic advisor with more than 30 years of experience, Marty has built, scaled and successfully exited... Read More →

Tuesday August 18, 2026 3:15pm - 4:00pm EDT
Mezzanine CD

Breakout Session, Full Conference

9:45am EDT

Breakout Session 2: Social Media; Connecting with Authenticity

Wednesday August 19, 2026 9:45am - 10:30am EDT

Mezzanine CD

Mary Beth Sibert will facilitate this break out session as a follow up to American Greetings Presentation, “Building a scroll-stopping Brand; Launching & Growing on social media. Companies of all sizes will benefit.
Join Adriana Tescut and Victoria Pacino along with Vicky Barone Founder/Creative Director Barone & Co, for an engaging conversation on connecting with your consumers in an authentic and inspiring way. You’ll hear practical ideas, lessons learned, best practices.

We’ll keep it casual and will save time for questions.

Speakers

Victoria Pacino

Manager Social Media & Content Strategy, American Greetings

Victoria Pacino is the Manager of Social Media and Content Strategy at American Greetings, where she works across both the American Greetings and Papyrus brands. With 12 years of experience in brand management, she specializes in building engaging digital campaigns and driving brand... Read More →

Adriana Tescut

Director Brand Marketing, American Greetings & Papyrus

Adriana is a brand marketing and social media leader with over a decade of experience spanning data, strategy, and storytelling. She has spent the past 11 years at American Greetings, where she has evolved from a foundation in business intelligence into leading brand and social marketing... Read More →

Vicky Barone

Founder/Creative Director, Barone & Co

Wednesday August 19, 2026 9:45am - 10:30am EDT
Mezzanine CD

Breakout Session, Full Conference

11:30am EDT

3:15pm EDT

9:45am EDT

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