Expo Reimagined
Message From The President & CEO Of PPAI
Important message: On September 24, 2020, PPAI sent out an industry-wide announcement regarding the transition to a virtual live event.
Going Virtual
The PPAI Expo is traditionally the premier in-person event for the promotional products industry, kicking off each new year in classic form. As we look forward to 2021, PPAI Expo Direct-2-You will be the premier virtual live event—providing focused education and thought leadership, networking opportunities, business meetings, and product discovery, with a contemporary twist.
This new opportunity allows the entire promotional products community to safely explore products and share ideas to prepare for business success in 2021. Participate wherever you are and on your schedule.
- Connects promotional products suppliers and their products to distributors, in a variety of engaging ways.
- Provides a flexible schedule with choices to interact in real-time as the day allows, or return later for convenient on-demand session options.
- Presents opportunities to real-time network in the promotional products community, from one-on-one meetings and small group breakouts to large interactive discussions.
- Continues the ever-important role of uniting and promoting the industry through shared experiences and introductions to unique products and exceptional businesses.
FAQs
The conditions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic—including accompanying travel restrictions and federal, state and local governmental regulations—have made it impossible to stage The PPAI Expo 2021 in-person in January without compromising the health and safety of all exhibitors, attendees, participants and the community at large.
From the very outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, PPAI show management, PPAI executive team and the PPAI Board have monitored and carefully considered the progress of the pandemic and on-going regulatory and travel restrictions as key factors in show planning. After exhaustive study, consultation and consideration, transitioning The PPAI Expo 2021 to a virtual live event was an unavoidable action.
PPAI plans to return to the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in 2022. The PPAI Expo 2022 will be held on January 9-13, 2022, with exhibits open January 11-13.
Like most businesses, PPAI looks forward to meeting in-person again, so as soon as it's possible, we'll set our plan in motion. Stay tuned to PPAI member announcements, and you'll be among the first to hear about it.
For general event questions, please reach out to the PPAI Expositions department via expositions@ppai.org, the contact page, or 888-426-7724 ext 3902. Suppliers and business service providers interested in information about awareness opportunities can reach out to their business development account manager.
Contact the hotel, airline or other vendors you booked directly regarding your cancellation.
PPAI Expo Direct-2-You is a virtual live trade show, education and networking event for the promotional products industry. It will be held online on January 11-14, 2021. Discover the latest and greatest products, attend quality industry education sessions, engage with hundreds of exhibitor suppliers and business services and thousands of distributors.
PPAI Expo Direct-2-You will take place online on January 11-14, 2021.
Stay tuned for more details on hours and the daily schedule. PPAI will be posting additional information to this website and communicating with you about them soon.
PPAI expositions are closed to the general public, nonmember suppliers who are not exhibiting, unauthorized personnel of distributor firms and end-users of promotional products.
PPAI Members and PPAI Associates are already qualified and can register to attend PPAI events.
Not a member of PPAI?
Your company can automatically qualify, upon verification, if you are a member of a regional association; a distributor member of DistributorCentral; a franchisee with Proforma, iPROMOTEu, AIA or Fully Promoted; or a member of ASI or SAGE or one of many international promotional products associations. To see the full list of auto qualifiers, click here.
If you are not a member of these organizations, click here to fill out the application to become a PPAI Member or PPAI Associate and a PPAI representative will contact you.
The following qualifiers are required for membership:
- Your company must have a promotional products annual sales volume of at least $15,000.
- Digital documents of membership or affiliation of any of the auto qualifying groups.
- 1-3 invoices of $100 or more (no sample orders) from different promotional products suppliers dated within the last 12 months. Or 1-3 letters of sponsorship from PPAI Member companies.
Suppliers must be exhibiting at PPAI Expo Direct-2-You to gain access to the show. Supplier and business services members of PPAI not exhibiting may attend PPAI education for no cost. PPAI supplier and business services members that are not exhibiting at PPAI Expo Direct-2-You may gain access to the exhibit and networking areas by paying a $500 fee for each registration. Nonmembers and PPAI Associates that are non-exhibiting suppliers are not permitted to attend.
Multi-line reps must be members of PPAI to register with their company name. Nonmember multi-line reps must register under one or all of the companies they will be representing at PPAI Expo Direct-2-You.
Registration will be available in October. Sign up to be notified when registration opens.
Registration will be free for qualified distributors and exhibiting suppliers, business service companies, and multi-line reps.
Non-exhibiting suppliers and business service members will be able to access education. To access the show's networking and trade show components, non-exhibiting suppliers and business service members will be charged $500/person.
As a virtual live event, you will have the flexibility to engage at the times that work best for you. Tune in to participate in the virtual trade show floor, access hours of live and on-demand sessions, live chat, expert engagement and more. Stay tuned for more details on each day's schedule and the start time of our programming.
We understand the value that attendees get from engaging and interacting with members of the promotional products community. We are working hard to build those opportunities into the virtual live event experience, both in live chat on the event platform and supporting activities.
You only need to register one time.
For qualified attendees, exhibitors, suppliers and business service members, education at the virtual live event will be free of charge.
There will be a combination of live stream and recorded education sessions. There will be a live, interactive chat component for most sessions. All sessions will be provided on-demand for the majority of the event.
PPAI has put together options for rolling your commitment to a future PPAI event, including some additional benefits. Contact your Account Manager to discuss the options and benefits of doing so.
Exhibiting at PPAI Expo Direct-2-You will provide suppliers and business service providers the opportunity to connect and do business with thousands of distributors. Your exhibit space will include a platform to share company and product information, and a chat function with or without video. After the event, you will get reporting stats and lead generation from individuals who chose to be scanned. Suppliers and business service companies that exhibit will also have the opportunity to reach distributors through advertising, sponsorship and virtual product pavilions.
Contact your Account Manager to discuss the options and benefits of exhibiting in PPAI Expo Direct-2-You.
Contact your Account Manager to discuss the options and benefits of exhibiting in PPAI Expo Direct-2-You.
Contact your Account Manager to discuss the options and benefits of exhibiting in PPAI Expo Direct-2-You.
Exhibitors will have the opportunity to choose from four booth levels: base, standard, engaged and optimized. All levels will provide exhibitors with a welcome video, place for business materials, featured products, promotion of show specials, chat function (text or video), show statistics, a post-show list of scanned distributors and more.
Contact your Account Manager to discuss the options and benefits of exhibiting in PPAI Expo Direct-2-You.
5pm CST on Friday, January 8, 2021
What To Expect
From the comforts of home or office, registered attendees can experience new and innovative, impactful, timeless and memorable products throughout PPAI Expo Direct-2-You. Search and access exhibitors from around the globe via numerous product and service categories to find solutions for everything from high-end client requests to budget-friendly marketing needs.
For actionable takeaways and thoughtful insights relevant to today’s trends and operating reality, experience PPAI education presented by industry experts. From keynote motivators to industry-focused sessions, build an agenda to fit your schedule and your company’s needs.
Meet live virtually and connect directly with suppliers, fellow distributors, and local associations through our seamless video chat and lounge features.