Nearly 75 international attendees at The PPAI Expo this year highlighted the I in PPAI, from long-time attendees to first-timers looking to grow their business footprints globally.
Members from Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Italy, Ireland, India, Brazil, Spain, Turkey and more made the trek to Las Vegas to experience the largest and longest-running trade show in the branded merchandise industry.
“The international community is vital to PPAI as we work toward the Association’s vision statement: ‘Promotional products are universally valued and essential to every brand.’ We value the collaboration from associations across the globe and individual businesses who made the investment to be in Las Vegas,” says Josh Ellis, publisher and editor-in-chief at PPAI.
Some are suppliers looking to break into the U.S. market, while others are distributors looking to broaden their reach. For most, making new connections and building on existing ties is the main priority, but checking out the latest products and trends is also a big draw.
After exploring hundreds upon hundreds of booths on the trade show floor on Tuesday, attendees gathered for an international reception, enjoying drinks, meeting new peers, sharing ideas and relishing in some much-needed downtime.
“I’m especially excited about the discussions we had regarding future research initiatives,” Ellis says. “There is a great appetite in the global market to show just how important our medium is to any campaign, and that merch matters everywhere.”
