The promo community continues to cross borders and oceans.

Danny Rosin, CAS, co-founder and president of Brand Fuel (PPAI 277900, Gold), is speaking at the Australian Promotional Products Association (APPA)’s Industry Conference in Melbourne, Australia on Thursday, August 15.

The opportunity came out of what Rosin calls an “open-source mindset” that led to a relationship with Rob Williams, MAS, a director at Melbourne-based distributor Your Brand Unleashed and current president of APPA. “Being open to sharing with competitors, stateside or abroad” led to extended correspondence between the two.

“We share resources as well as a long-distance friendship,” Rosin says. “He saw me speak at SKUCON this year and loved the content. He shared it with Mark Kindness, the general manager of APPA.”

  • A schedule conflict prevented Rosin from traveling “down under,” but he will be presenting via a virtual interview.
  • The presentation will be titled “Exploring the Future And Evolution of the U.S. Merchandising Industry.

According to Rosin, the U.S. promo market is perceived as massive in scale (as well as diversity of options) compared to Australia and has tended to be a bit ahead of regulatory, technology and product trends. As such, Rosin’s deep experience navigating the market in America – and his insight as a PPAI Board member – can make for valuable insight for his Australian counterparts.

Key themes that Rosin plans to touch on include:

  • Products evolving from “brandfill” to highly personalized, responsibly sourced options.
  • Avoiding “greenwashing.”
  • The role a digital presence plays in promo.
  • The future of AI.
  • How to tell a story from the distributor, supplier and decorator’s perspective.

Early bird registration for APPA Industry Conference extends until August 2.