Bill Wild, MIRA President & CEO
As the calendar closes on 2023, MIRA is charging into the new year and launching many exciting new changes for our membership.
First, MIRA’s communications team is excited to deliver a fresh new look to the association’s official magazine, Bottom Line. With this edition you will find many enhancements throughout the magazine designed to give the reader a better experience. Moving forward, our bi-monthly magazine will have more timely industry news and a greater focus on our membership. Starting with the March/April edition, every cover of Bottom Line will feature a MIRA member and you will find many additional spotlights of members and the great programs that bring additional value to your membership, throughout the magazine. There will be plenty of new ways to advertise inside and outside the magazine to help promote your business or products to the industry.
MIRA members can also expect to see a new modern, interactive website launched in early 2024. With the goal of creating an online platform for members and visitors to easily conduct business 24/7 with MIRA, you will find that you will now be able to join or renew membership, purchase event tickets, sponsorships, swag and much more on the new website. Members will now be able to manage their profiles, programs, request additional copies of publications and review their individual rebate history with just a few clicks. The site will be compatible with all mobile devices as well.
The MIRA events team has been working to create an amazing lineup of events for 2024 and you won’t be disappointed! We kick off the year off with our 106th Annual Gala on February 3rd at the amazing Shenandoah Country Club in West Bloomfield, Michigan. The event will be a black-tie event with a special “Casino Royale” theme. Please RSVP early as this event will sell out quickly. Following the Gala, all MIRA’s most popular events will be back including the Chairman’s Dinner, the MIRF Scholarship Luncheon (apply now! Deadline is April 1st)), the Michigan and Ohio Golf Classics and the much-anticipated Holiday Food & Beverage Innovation Show. Something new will be the addition of new MIRA Roadshows, with the first scheduled March 20th in Cleveland. These events are geared for retailers and will be an enjoyable evening of networking and learning more about MIRA’s endorsed programs and how they can improve the profitability of your company. Check out page 45 for more information. There will also be events scheduled to raise funds for MIRA’s legislative efforts as we enter the next Presidential election cycle.
The entire MIRA staff and I remain dedicated to working with members to ensure that you are utilizing all the benefits of your membership and are always here to serve you. Please remember, there is strength in numbers! If you know of another retailer that could benefit from MIRA membership, please don’t hesitate to contact me at bwild@miramw.org.