PPAI Expo is back. 

Promotional Products Association International, a nonprofit trade association for the promo industry, kicked off the first in-person Expo since 2020 on Monday, Jan. 10, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV.

Dale Denham, PPAI

Monday was conference day, with a keen focus on education sessions for industry professionals. Highlights included a talk from PPAI President/CEO Dale Denham in which he discussed, among other initiatives, a new strategic vision and mission for PPAI that addresses things like corporate social responsibility and digital transformation.

“The interest in corporate social responsibility was strong,” Denham told ASI Media. 

Also garnering ample attention was a keynote from Simon T. Bailey, an entrepreneur, motivational speaker, author and life coach. Bailey shared strategies for developing “breakthrough thinking, which he said is essential to adapting and thriving in today’s always-rapidly-changing marketplace.

Bailey told the audience there are key skills needed to lead as a breakthrough thinker: creativity, adaptability, collaboration, emotional intelligence, storytelling chops, and a questioning mind that asks, “Is there a better way? Why are we doing this? What else can we do?”

“Conference day attendance significantly exceeded expectations, pointing toward high interest in education,” Denham said.

Exhibits opened on Tuesday, January 11. Heading into Expo’s exhibition days, Denham shared that he’s most excited about “experiencing the energy and creativity that comes from in-person discussions on the show floor and watching the success for many months to come as a result of the in-person engagement.”

Expo runs through Thursday, January 13.