Some moments are filled with portent.

Even though you’re within them, you have a sense of being outside yourself, a spectator to the seconds as they’re unfolding, aware that you’re at the precipice of something, even if the present circumstance itself is mundane.

So it was when my boss Michele Bell, the head of ASI’s editorial department, approached me about a year ago and asked, “Have you heard about this virus situation in China? I think it’s something we should look into.”

With a killer logo created by Creative Director Hillary Glen, this Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas-themed mug from ETS Express (asi/51197) was a gift from ASI’s Michele Bell to our department at ASI, but the sentiment of surviving the craziness together applies to how our editorial team felt toward the industry in general this year.

As it turned out, we were in sync.

The prior day I’d jotted on my to-do list: “Virus in China…supply chain issues?” I was planning an article on how the new virus might impact promo, given our industry’s deep reliance on China for manufacturing the products we sell here in North America.

As I told Michele I was checking into the virus, an ominous sense of foreshadowing – that portent – hit me. I remember thinking this might be a watershed moment – that months from now I’d look back and see this as the start of a time of massive significance.

I had no idea that “significance” would be more appropriately described, in retrospect, as calamity.

On the eve of 2021, I’m reflecting on that short talk with Michele from a world transformed by the virus. COVID-19 has, as of this writing, killed more than 1.7 million people globally and infected nearly 80 million. It’s plummeted economies around the world into recession, prompted societal and business restrictions that were previously unthinkable in free societies, and wrought historic devastation upon sales in the promotional products industry.

Despite the heartbreak and towering challenges, the promo industry has demonstrated an incredible ability to adapt – an almost superhuman resilience.

For instance, this year firms stepped up in a huge way to provide much-needed personal protective equipment – a pivot that met society’s rampant demand and kept business moving for the industry.

What does 2021 have in store for the #promoproducts market? Some of the brightest minds in the industry weigh-in, with these 21 predictions for promo's 2021. https://t.co/iSoSCOG6is @ASI_MBell @asicentral @Tim_Andrews_ASI @geigergetsit @alphabroder @epromos

— Chris Ruvo (@ChrisR_ASI) November 12, 2020

What’s in store for promo in 2021? Check out the article above for insights.

As the pandemic has persisted, promo has continued to weather the roundhouses and keep coming forward, notably shifting en masse to providing kitted/drop-shipped solutions, which have been instrumental in clawing back business in the third and fourth quarters. Companies have done this while also fueling countless initiatives that support their hard-hit communities through everything from donations and food drives, to special merch-driven campaigns to raise money for hurting local businesses.

Here in ASI’s editorial department, we’ve adapted, too.

During the earliest days of the pandemic in North America, we pledged to become a resource of objective, carefully researched information on how the coronavirus is affecting promo.

With that in mind, we launched a web home dedicated solely to covering COVID and its intersection with the promo space. Daily, we’ve populated that page with new articles. They’ve addressed everything from emerging COVID-related challenges and business strategies for navigating the pandemic, to the future of the industry, mental health maintenance, and so much more.

In addition to that daily news and strategy coverage, we’ve consistently produced podcasts, videos and social media content that has delved into the topics that matter most to promo in this unprecedented year, while occasionally providing a bit of much-needed levity. You can check out our most viewed articles, top podcasts and more here if you like.

With our coverage, we’ve strived to provide honest, clear-headed perspective and insight for the promo industry at a time when it’s been needed like never before. We’re proud it’s served the industry. Because just like you, we’ve been through a lot this year: Colleagues laid off due to the unavoidable economic realities of the coronavirus, sickness and death among our families and friends, and the general grind of pandemic weariness.

But, also like you, we’re looking ahead to something better – that hoped-for post-COVID reality where life again starts to resemble something approximating what we once called normal. With vaccinations starting to roll out, that reality could begin to emerge in 2021. And when it does, we aim to be here, documenting what we hope will be a powerful resurgence for the promo industry – a sales ascent that will, eventually, rise so high that 2019’s record of $25.8 billion in annual distributor revenue will be surpassed. Better days are ahead. Keep masking up. Keep doing your best. Keep moving forward. #PromoOn