Like everyone else at The PPAI Expo 2025, PPAI Media staff were eager to get on the show floor and get a first-hand look at the latest and greatest the promotional products industry has to offer. Here are a few of our finds from branded merchandise’s largest and longest-running trade show.

Custom Video Brochures (Booth 6137)

Burbank, California-based Ideal Content is revolutionizing snail mail with custom video brochures. Instead of static photos or text, these high-end print materials come with interactive videos that you can play, pause, fast forward, rewind or control the volume of.  “We’re going above and beyond in a little different vertical,” says Ryan Kugler, president of Ideal Content. – John Corrigan, Deputy Editor

Golf Head Covers (Booth 5978)

Golf products were a hot trend on the show floor, perhaps in anticipation of Happy Gilmore’s return to screens this year. A first-time exhibitor at The PPAI Expo, Tennessee-based Sunfish presented a wide variety of custom leather golf club headcovers. They’re meticulously hand-cut, and then hand-stitched to fit all modern drivers on the market. “Most things in promo are blank product with a logo applied to it,” says David Riggs, co-founder of Sunfish. “But for our golf headcovers, you have to make the embroidery first and then you make the headcover around it.”– John Corrigan, Deputy Editor

Chocolate Centerpiece (Booth 6132)

First-time exhibitor Biens Chocolate Centerpieces, a New Jersey-based firm, is putting a spin on chocolate surprises. Instead of selling a chocolate that’s only edible, the company has created a tiered chocolate centerpiece meant to draw eyes at any gathering, from holiday parties to corporate events. The chocolate pieces can even be customized to match a corporation’s logo or colors. “We’re able to create a company or corporate logo, and then we’re able to actually color our chocolates to match the customer’s brand guidelines,” says David Hillman, sales and marketing for Biens Chocolate Centerpieces.– Arianna Johnson, News Editor

The Doggo Umbrella (Booth 3240)

If you have a dog that’s anything like mine, he or she hates going outside in the rain. It can be a pain trying to bait them outside to do their business, and lugging around an umbrella to cover them while you get wet and rained on is no fun. This neat product seems like a lifesaver, as it has an umbrella and built-in leash that can attach to harnesses, which means both Mojito—my pup—and I can stay dry. “This is the most stopped and looked at product in our booth this year,” says Johanna Meyer, sales and marketing coordinator for Peerless. – Arianna Johnson, News Editor

ExtremeMist Water Bottle (Booth 6336)

The best promotional product is one you’ll keep and use. This one gets my vote for the novelty and ingenuity. On hot Texas days at the golf course, the ExtremeMist water bottle would be coming with me. It keeps liquid cold like all of the best drinkware, but also sprays a fine, cooling mist. I’m not a distributor, so I don’t know about the mass appeal of the product, but it does solve my very specific problem. And that’s cool.– Josh Ellis, Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

EcoStiks Patches (Booth 1520)

I’m down to decorate that misty new water bottle, or repair a hole in my backpack, with the leak-proof patches from EcoStiks. With branded decoration, these can extend the life of any product. More keeping, more using. Plus, the patches themselves are made from recycled plastic, and the company is a member of 1% for the Planet.– Josh Ellis, Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

Surprise Cake (Booth 5971)

This product was an experience. It starts off as a box. You pull a tab, and it opens up into a personal size cake. Not only that, but confetti shoot up in the air. Part of me wishes I hadn’t seen the word “cake” so that I could have experienced the actual surprise. I could immediately imagine sending it to a friend to celebrate an accomplishment. It doesn’t hurt that I have a sweet tooth. I wouldn’t mind being on the receiving end of the surprise. – Jonny Auping, News Editor

Blue Planet Eco Eyewear and Blue Gem Sunglasses (Booth 511)

It’s always nice to pass promo products that you know you would take advantage of. I’m in need of a pair of sunglasses and these immediately caught my eye. It’s even better when the company is doing something good with its profits. For every pair of sunglasses sold, Blue Planet donates to help restore sight for visually impaired people through the Visualize Change program. The supplier says that it has helped more than 400,000 people with preventable or treatable vision impairment. – Jonny Auping, News Editor