The PPAI Expo holds immeasurable value in providing direct interactions and discussions among members of the promotional products industry.
It’s more than just the hub for an unmatched array of new products, fueling an immersive experience crucial for meeting client needs throughout the year. The annual event embodies the promise of substantial business expansion arising from newly established relationships between suppliers, distributors, business services members and beyond.
Whether it’s discovering the latest product or trend to capitalize on, making connections with peers or learning new tools or strategies, The PPAI Expo offers a plethora of ways for you to improve your business.
RELATED: The PPAI Expo 2025 Preview
PPAI Media has gathered the success stories of several Expo attendees as a testament to the everlasting impact of the largest and longest-running promo trade show.
Creating Partnerships
After more than 20 years in promo, Karie Ballway, executive vice president of Cooley Group, PPAI 100’s No. 72 distributor, finally attended her first Expo in 2024.
The savvy industry veteran took to the trade show floor with a purpose, equipped with a list of key accounts that she was looking for unique ideas to support. “You want to have a good understanding of what your clients’ goals are for the first half of the year,” Ballway says. “Are they rebranding? Is there an anniversary event? Do they participate in employee appreciation? Are they onboarding new employees?”
Karie Ballway
EVP, Cooley Group
After a colleague recommended that she check out new exhibitor Olive & Cocoa’s booth, Ballway introduced herself to Jen Maschmidt, senior national sales manager at the Salt Lake City-based supplier of gourmet food gifts and floral arrangements.
“I’ve never been so busy at a trade show,” says Maschmidt, who returned to Expo after 15 years. “This is a show where we had so many pings back with distributors saying, ‘I have to figure out how to work this into our offering.’ A lot of distributors requested client-facing catalogs and said they’d set us up as an approved supplier, which are always good signs.”
Jen Maschmidt
Sr. National Sales Manager, Olive & Cocoa
Ballway also met Whitney Friesen, sales manager at Lynn & Liana Designs, a Canadian supplier of hand-crafted cutting boards and serving trays. Even though it was the Manitoba-based company’s second year exhibiting, Friesen was still blown away by the response.
“We know someone is serious when we start talking about a specific client and their colors, discussing options, details and more than just a sample, but creating something specifically for that client,” Friesen says. “As a smaller supplier, we have the ability to be more flexible, so we don’t really say no. It’s always like, ‘Let me see what we can do.’”
Whitney Friesen
Sales Manager, Lynn & Liana Designs
Following The PPAI Expo, Ballway worked with Friesen on a rebrand for a client in the financial industry and with Maschmidt on gifts for an architectural commercial client’s customers. During an internal sales meeting, Ballway also pitched both suppliers’ product lines for end-of-year gifts for Cooley Group’s clients. She credits their collaborations for the distributorship capturing new business in excess of $50,000 this year.
“Both suppliers captivated me with their creativity, great colors, impressive packaging and wow factor,” Ballway says. “They’re super knowledgeable, and they both have a retail presence. We’ve established a level of trust in which if I send business their way, I have all the confidence in the world that things will happen to the best of their ability.”
The PPAI Expo has long been a fountain of inspiration for Cooley Group.
In fact, Jeana Nicotera, one of the New York-based firm’s top brand consultants, earned a 2022 Pyramid Gold Award for a Monopoly campaign that raised funds for the city of Saratoga Springs, New York. The city’s landmarks and localisms served as the foundation of the game, which transformed a traditional Monopoly board into one that was customized for the area, serving as a symbol of community pride.
“It was an honor to develop this custom edition for Saratoga Springs,” says Nicotera, who learned of Southern California-based supplier USAOPOLY’s product line while attending The PPAI Expo. “My client was thrilled with the program, which raised over $200,000, all going directly to Adirondack Trust Community Fund to support local initiatives.”
The program has since been replicated in other markets, including Syracuse and Buffalo, where it helped raise over $400,000 for the Roswell Park Oishei Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Program.
Stealing The Spotlight
In a sea of more than 2,000 exhibitor booths, Foxyware was a bedazzled lighthouse sparkling on the trade show floor.
The Port St. Lucie, Florida-based supplier of blinged-out apparel and accessories turned heads at The PPAI Expo 2024 with strategic marketing and eye-catching product displays. Co-owner Tammy Cimperman didn’t just hold up her rhinestone tumblers and cross-body bags, which were showcased in the New Product Pavilion. She created a full sensory experience with her booth backdrop, a shimmering wall of sequins, and her team of “Foxyware Vegas Boys” – decked out in hot pink sequin jackets – and “Sparklenistas” – in equally glittering attire.
Adding to the glitz and glamour was Foxyware’s brand partner, Vegas Golf, run by Tammy’s husband Wayne Cimperman, who was wearing a gambling-themed suit and inviting attendees to check out his “On The Course” golf game, “Need Beer” golf towels and golf ball cigar holder. It’s no surprise that the pair’s booths were consistently packed with attendees eagerly snapping photos and videos of the spectacle.
“This was our most successful show,” says Wayne, adding that Foxyware’s sales increased by 50% this year. “We were inundated with calls for two months immediately following The PPAI Expo 2024. The nice part about this show is the fact that orders are still coming in. We still have distributors saying that their client wants something specifically for women that will be used over and over again, something with lots of perceived value.”
How Sweet It Is!
Perhaps the biggest success story to come from The PPAI Expo 2024 was Stacy Stahl, founder of St. Louis-based supplier Sweeter Cards.
Stahl won “The Pitch” – promo’s version of The Voice and Shark Tank combined – after her fully customizable greeting card and chocolate bar combo convinced all four judges to turn their chairs in approval while taking 55% of the audience vote.
- One month after The Pitch, Sweeter Cards was named Rupt Ventures’ first strategic investment in the promotional products industry.
- Jason Lucash and Mike Szymczak – co-founders of Origaudio, which they sold to HPG in 2018 – came out of retirement at The PPAI Expo 2024 to introduce Rupt, the first supplier whose entire product line is made from recycled materials, and its VC arm Rupt Ventures.
It was also at The PPAI Expo 2024 that Stahl met Jodie Schillinger, MAS, executive vice president at Maple Ridge Farms – the No. 60 supplier in the PPAI 100. Although M&A was never a focus for the Mosinee, Wisconsin-based gourmet food company, Schillinger says she’s always on the lookout for the next big thing. While a local candy maker or ice cream provider may have caught her eye over the years, nobody has had a more compelling story than Stahl, Schillinger says.
- As a woman-owned enterprise, Sweeter Cards prioritizes fair trade-certified chocolate, recyclable card packaging and the employment of adults with disabilities.
“When I read her story, I thought it was brilliant,” Schillinger says. “She’s a fascinating entrepreneur, thoughtful but fast-moving, and knows how to incorporate fun in her design work, which our marketing team and I absolutely admire and love.”
Of course, Stahl was well aware of Maple Ridge Farms’ dominant presence in the promo industry, praising it as the “shining example of how a food company can be great in this space.” But she was blown away by Schillinger’s warmth and open arms, especially considering they were competitors at the time.
Schillinger followed up a month or so later to see if they could collaborate on any projects and learn from each other. After finding complementary strengths in their personalities, dedication to their customers and the ethos of their businesses, Stahl says an acquisition seemed inevitable.
“From the moment it was on the table, it felt like it was the perfect match,” Stahl says.
The deal came to fruition in July, when Sweeter Cards became Maple Ridge Farms’ first acquisition in its 45-year history.
New Perspectives
Hexa Custom, an integrated technology/outerwear manufacturer in Boulder, Colorado, has greatly benefitted from being a repeat exhibitor at The PPAI Expo. For example, the company has been able to change its perception as having a “seasonal” product line by launching bags and laptop sleeves at Expo in 2023.
“The marketing opportunities that are offered at The PPAI Expo really help us get the word out, specifically through the New Product Pavilion. Distributors see products that they love and come find us to learn more,” says Sue Timbo, CEO of Hexa Custom.
Showcasing at The PPAI Expo also allows the Hexa Custom team to demonstrate its software in person, educating distributor partners on new and more advanced ways that the supplier can serve them and their customers.
“When it comes to networking, I can’t imagine a better forum,” Timbo says. “Given the duration of the show, there are plenty of opportunities to connect with current distributors and meet new ones. This face time is invaluable for our business.”
Finding Solutions
In addition to discovering the latest products on the market, distributors flock to The PPAI Expo for a multitude of reasons, including building relationships with suppliers.
Shawn LaFave, MAS, president of Alpharetta, Georgia-based distributor North Georgia Promotions, says his team’s goal when attending last year was to meet with specific suppliers to discuss the possibility of getting end quantity pricing, even though the firm isn’t in a buying group.
- Suppliers tend to offer several levels of pricing based on the quantity of the item being purchased, and EQP refers to the lowest published price of a promotional product.
LaFave credits SAGE Mobile – the official show planning app of The PPAI Expo – for making the journey much easier.
“The map feature was a huge time-saver, as we just left the app open when we walked the show and it told us the next booth number for the suppliers we had marked down,” LaFave says. “As a result, we were able to get EQP with three different suppliers, as well as some free self-promo items to kick off our new partnerships.”
Welcome To America
Gary Elphick and Chris Bailey started supplier Disrupt Sports 12 years ago as just two dudes making surfboards in Australia. As is often the case, they just so happened to fall into the promo world. After racking up awards from the Australasian Promotional Products Association, they decided to exhibit in the United States at The PPAI Expo.
“PPAI was about 30 times bigger than we anticipated,” says Elphick, CEO of Disrupt Sports, which is now headquartered in Santa Monica, California, and has facilities in the United Kingdom and Australia. “We were blown away by distributors’ reactions, especially how they had never seen a range like this. They were amazed that we could make just one piece, but we didn’t know any better as we came from a place where people only wanted one surfboard, not 500.”
As a result of the buzz from Expo, Elphick decided to move to the U.S. to open a new location. Since then, the event has served as the annual launching pad for Disrupt Sports’ new year, as employees from around the world come together to socialize, meet with distributor clients and set their intentions going forward. Elphick enjoys walking the trade show floor, meeting with vendors and checking out what adjacent suppliers are showcasing to see which trends his firm can capitalize on.
“The PPAI Expo serves as not only a conference, but a centralized meeting point for the industry for ideas, innovation and social interaction,” Elphick says. “I love that it’s the start of the year, as we all have energy after the holiday break to hit the ground running.”
Two years ago, The PPAI Expo became a similar turning point for Disrupt Sports’ sister company M.i.A. Merchandise, a print-on-demand firm that integrates into the back end of e-commerce stores for customers in the U.S., U.K. and Australia.
After noticing a greater emphasis on sustainability from suppliers and distributors alike, Elphick decided that M.i.A. would enter the promo market. After all, the company’s business model removes the carbon footprint from international shipments because it manufactures in the countries of its end users.
“We really believe this model is the best for all parties,” Elphick says. “Distributors of all sizes can offer company stores without asking clients to commit to 500,000 products in inventory and without the distributors needing to do their own [third-party logistics] fulfillment.”
Register Now
Don’t wait any longer – register and book your trip to The PPAI Expo 2025 right now.
PPAI member distributors may have their registration fees waived based on their membership tier. It’s $50 per person for additional registrants.
Qualified nonmember distributors may access the exhibits and conference for $250 per person if they register by December 5 and $350 per person after that date. Members of industry regional associations but not PPAI can receive a code from their executive director for a discounted rate.
Suppliers and business services providers who are members but not exhibiting will be charged $750 per person for access to the exhibit hall but may attend The PPAI Expo Conference for no additional cost. Nonmember, nonexhibiting suppliers are not permitted to attend The PPAI Expo.
