"People wanted warm and sunny," says Jana Stern, director,
conventions and conference planning, at ReliaStar Life in
Minneapolis. When they unfolded the kickoff poster (item 1)
announcing the company's 1998 Top Ring contest, "warm and sunny"
is just what they saw--an invitation to board the Radisson
Diamond and cruise to tropical ports of call. A record number of
qualifiers will be ReliaStar's shipmates (and not shark bait)
when the cruise launches this month.  After the poster,
qualifiers received a tube containing a historic-looking map and
a compass (items 2 and 3). "We do at least one or two 3-D
things," Stern says. "The only way I can tell if they like [the
promotion] is when they call and ask for more. Everyone loved
this one." Stern saves money with her promotions by choosing
items that are easy to mail. The tube, for example, was a self-
mailer. "We've been burned on shipping before. You might have a
three-dollar item but by the time you create the box it costs
ten dollars."  This year's trip is the fi