Promo pros are eager to improve themselves and their business.

Look no further than the attendance at The PPAI Expo Conference, which spiked upwards of more than 55% this year.

  • Meant to elevate branded merchandise businesses with actionable advice from leading professional speakers and industry experts, The PPAI Expo Conference is a day full of promo education in conference format. 


Considering the historic turnout, it’s no surprise that several educational sessions and panel discussions were standing room only. For any attendee disappointed to have missed a particular session, PPAI has promised to make the entire educational lineup accessible via its online education platform once the video material is processed.

“For any room that wasn’t recorded, we are working with the speakers to create recordings so the content can still be available even if it’s delivered in a different way,” says Jessica Gibbons-Rauch, CAS, professional development lead at PPAI.

For any room that wasn’t recorded, we’re working with the speakers to create recordings so the content can still be available even if it’s delivered in a different way.”

Jessica Gibbons-Rauch, CAS

Professional Development Lead, PPAI

Breakout Session Attendance

Breakout education sessions included discussions involving AI, sales strategies and ways to foster a responsible promo world. Speakers from across the industry shared tools that attendees can use to become better promo professionals.

  • Average attendance for all education sessions was up 33% from last year’s sessions.


“Creating a professional development curriculum that will appeal to 1,000+ people of different backgrounds, in different parts of their careers and having different needs and expectations is complicated,” says Gibbons-Rauch. “People showed up starting at 7:30 a.m. We had several time slots that had rooms at capacity and lines to get in. This is something we haven’t seen in a long time.”

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General Session Attendance

The PPAI Expo Conference held two keynote speeches. Tiffani Bova, the former chief growth evangelist at Salesforce and best-selling author of “The Experience Mindset,” led Monday’s keynote session and spoke about leveraging insights to streamline processes and reduce friction in customer interactions.

Tuesday’s keynote speaker was Kristen Cavallo, executive director of the Branch Museum of Design. Cavallo emphasized how advertising can make or break a business.

  • Monday’s general session attendance was up 51%.
  • Tuesday’s general session attendance was up 37%.


“Our keynotes were designed to address the two different sides of this industry: sales and marketing,” says Gibbons-Rauch. “Each one tapped into a different aspect of your business that could appeal to different members or be worked together to support our solopreneurs.”

The Pitch Attendance

And then there’s The Pitch, promo’s version of The Voice meets Shark Tank, which has become one of the most highly anticipated events throughout The PPAI Expo. Jason Lucash, CEO and co-founder of Rupt, as well as a former Shark Tank contestant, won both the audience vote and impressed the panel of judges.

  • The Austin, Texas-based supplier triumphed with “Trinifty,” a product with a removable charger power bank that can charge three wireless devices at once. The Trinifty folds easily, making it a travel accessory for anyone who doesn’t want a tangle of wires in their backpack.


“I was more nervous for this than Shark Tank,” Lucash says. “I think because it was more people I know, and it was a live audience.”

  • Attendance for The Pitch was up 56% from last year’s competition.