"Mission Accomplished" For In The Game, Inc. at the NHL All-Star Block Party!

In the Game presented one of its most impressive "redemption card programs" ever at the show, which took place in conjunction with the NHL® All-Star weekend festivities in Sunrise, Florida from January 30 to February 1.

The premise of the redemption card program was simple. Collectors who purchased specific Be A Player and Parkhurst products at the show could open their packs at the In the Game booth. In exchange for the wrappers, they received a random selection of unique and highly collectible foil-stamped hockey cards. These cards were sequentially numbered out of 10, with special cards numbered "1/1" mixed in.

Collectors could open as many or as few packs as they wished to receive these "traditional-style" redemption cards. The number of redemption cards distributed per wrapper varied from product to product but usually amounted to one card per wrapper.

A highlight of the program was the availability of a wide selection of game-used memorabilia cards, each of which were numbered "1/1". More than 600 different one-of-one memorabilia cards were created specifically for this show including all of the game's biggest names such as Mario Lemieux, Patrick Roy, Steve Yzerman, and 2003 All-Star Game MVP Dany Heatley. Collectors were asked to open two boxes of any 2002-03 Be A Player product to qualify for the 1/1 memorabilia card.

All the redemption cards featured a special 2003 All-Star logo and were available exclusively at this show.

During the three-day show, In the Game redeemed the majority of their traditional redemption cards, amounting to literally thousands of cards. In addition, the company redeemed hundreds of their "1/1" memorabilia cards. Company officials estimate nearly 1,000 boxes of Be A Player and Parkhurst boxes were opened at the show.

"No doubt, the level of collector participation and interaction at our booth was very high at this show," says Dr. Brian H. Price, President of In the Game. "Our hats are off, not only to the show organizers, but also to all the hobbyists who whole-heartedly took part. In terms of the overall caliber of our redemption program, this was our strongest offer ever. I'm glad we were properly prepared because the response was terrific."

The redemption program was not only of benefit to hobbyists (who received highly-collectible cards in addition to the cards in their packs and boxes), but also to dealers at the show. Their sales of Be A Player and Parkhurst packs and boxes were brisk.

"Of course, the benefit for us with this type of program," says Price, "is the level of interactivity it generates between us and collectors. We answer questions, and discuss what is important to collectors while they are at our booth opening our products. We learn from each other and the results are invaluable.

"What was most encouraging was the fact there were collectors at our booth every hour of the show. I was personally redeeming cards to people right up until closing on Saturday evening. Our booth was half dismantled and they were still opening boxes!"