Stop shaking the Magic 8 Ball and get “Crystal” clear on the future of the promotional products industry.
Futurist Crystal Washington is coming to PPAI’s North American Leadership Conference (NALC) to show attendees exciting, practical ways that technology will rock their world over the next decade.
- NALC 2025 will be held May 12-14 in Chicago. Register now.
In her session “The Future is NOW: Technology & Trends That Will Revolutionize,” the hall of fame speaker will identify buzzworthy human behavior that impacts how organizations innovate and share the top five technologies that could interrupt or revolutionize promo.
Washington has already shared one of these trends with PPAI Media: On-demand, AI-driven, mass customization.
“We’re already seeing that we can leverage AI for design tools, like Canva, that allow brands to customize artwork in seconds,” Washington says. “We’re also starting to see more automated personalization even in emails. So, there’s going to be a greater need for more customizable elements when people are looking to get items for particular clients or events.”
Crystal Washington
Futurist, NALC 2025 Speaker
On-demand production goes along with that. “It’s super important that the promo industry ensures clients have the tools to do things on demand without having to fill out a lot of forms or make a lot of calls because DIY is the new service,” Washington says. “It doesn’t mean clients don’t want to do business with you when they need something that’s highly complicated, but for simple stuff, they don’t want to have to go through extra steps anymore.”
Social Media Savviness
As a technology strategist and certified futurist, Washington makes complex artificial intelligence (AI), social media and app technology easy to understand and accessible for everyday people.
- Her clients include Fortune 100 companies, including Google, American Express and Pfizer.
- As one of Forbes’ 50 Leading Female Futurists, she appears weekly on season two of the Emmy-nominated show Life 2.0.
- She’s also the author of One Tech Action and The Social Media Why.
In terms of social media platforms that promo pros should be mastering to meet their customers, Washington says that LinkedIn remains the top social media platform for professionals, but that YouTube is an increasingly important option.
RELATED: The 2025 #Online18 (Part 1): Promo’s Best Organizations On Social Media
“You can showcase ‘How To’ videos for using your technology to create these products, or more importantly, tell the stories behind what you’ve created for your clients and how they’ve impacted their businesses and the community,” Washington says.
Alleviating AI Worries
Of course, AI can instill fear in some workers about whether their jobs will be replaced. When it comes to implementing AI strategies without worrying employees about their futures, Washington says there’s nothing you can do to keep people who are luddites from being scared of technology.
But you can show them how to leverage technology to be better at their jobs. For example, desktop computers didn’t replace administrative assistants or different positions. But the people who refused to use desktop computers rendered themselves obsolete.
ICYMI: Promo’s AI Challenges And Opportunities
“It’s super important to help employees understand that AI is like their superhero armor,” Washington says. “If they refuse to put on the armor, they’ll be the only regular person in an industry full of superheroes. We can see how that could be problematic.
“So, make the training easy and fun. Give them permission to experiment because there will never be a point in AI, especially generative AI, where you’re all caught up. It’s always updating and doing something new.”
Register Now For NALC 2025
NALC features engaging sessions and exclusive speakers tailored specifically for top-level executives and industry visionaries. NALC 2025 will provide insights and strategies aimed at fostering innovation and entrepreneurship within the promotional products industry.
This year’s conference will be held May 12-14 at the Sofitel Chicago Magnificent Mile.
- The registration fee for members is $2,500 and $2,900 for non-members.
- Registrants have until April 10 to register for the host hotel. Make your reservation here.
- PPAI has introduced a new scholarship that will help one member of a regional association attend a PPAI event, such as NALC, this year.
Click here to register.
