In support of the Promotional Products Education Foundation, 112 golfers from 30+ industry companies took a swing at the Bali Hai Golf Club in Las Vegas during the Glen Holt & Fran Ford Memorial Golf Tournament. The tournament raised more than $39,000 in support of PPEF’s college scholarship program.

“Thank you to the golfers, sponsors, volunteers and all those who made this tournament happen through their support,” says PPEF Executive Director Kathlene Brethowr. “It was another momentous tournament honoring the legacies of Glen Holt and Fran Ford."

Monday morning, thousands of promotional products professionals entered the Mandalay Convention Center in Las Vegas for the start of The PPAI Expo, looking to forge new connections and apply new skills and knowledge to their businesses.

Monday night, the PPAI Chair’s Leadership Dinner recognized four men and women who have set a standard for excellence in the world of promo – not only as successful entrepreneurs, but as industry ambassadors who have given back to their profession and their communities.

The night also included a salute to the Promotional Products Education Foundation and 2022 PPAI Rising Stars.

Late in the evening came a traditional ceremony at The PPAI Expo, the passing of the gavel from PPAI Board Chair Dawn Olds, MAS+, to Incoming Chair Kevin Walsh, CAS.

Olds' term will expire at the conclusion of The PPAI Expo. She opened the evening with a welcome to all attendees, and over the course of the night gave way to Walsh, who wished everyone a successful experience at The PPAI Expo 2023.

In addition to the induction of new Hall of Fame members, the night was also a reunion of six previous Hall of Fame inductees and numerous former PPAI Board Chairs. 

S&S Activewear (Booth 5441) is the inaugural winner of “The Pitch,” promo’s version of The Voice in which seven supplier participants tried to win over a respected panel of veteran distributor judges Tuesday morning at The PPAI Expo.

The Illinois-based supplier took first place with its Quickflip Apparel line product the Hero Hoodie, an easily reversible hoodie and backpack.

“We have this bookbag that’s interactive, it’s fun, and it gives us the opportunity to really interact with the audience,” says Meg Erber of S&S Activewear, who helped present the product that wooed judges and the audience vote. “So I picked that, and I asked Rener to help me out because it’s his invention.”

Quickflip founder Rener Gracie is an expert at jiu-jitsu and, clearly, at delivering dynamic presentations. He secured a deal on Shark Tank in 2019 with the Hero Hoodie and wowed another group of discerning judges Tuesday.

Promopalooza was back Wednesday night at The PPAI Expo 2023, bigger and better than ever. Hosted by PPAI and SAGE and introduced last year at The PPAI Expo, the sold-out Promopalooza was the industry’s biggest and most exciting Expo party ever.

Returning to the state-of-the-art Allegiant Stadium – home to pro football, major concerts and more – partygoers enjoyed networking, drinks and heavy hors d’oeuvres at the stadium, which opened its doors in 2020.

Attendees got access to the playing field and locker room, enjoyed entertainment by a DJ, posed with an ice throne embedded with promotional products, and more.

Also, this year more of the Promopalooza fun moved onto the stadium field as drinks and hors d’oeuvre stations were set up right on the turf.

Sponsored this year by HALO, Hirsch and TK Cups-Sorg's. Promopalooza is the biggest celebration of the industry’s largest and most important trade show, an exclamation point on The PPAI Expo 2023 as attendees point toward a successful year ahead.