Promotional products are an industry with a worldwide reach. From international supply chains to North American ad specialty firms expanding into Europe, and vice versa, the industry is becoming ever more global.

With that in mind, Counselor asked two veteran leaders of the European promo market, Michael Freter and David Long, to provide a look at how the market there is faring amid the coronavirus pandemic – a particularly timely perspective as certain lockdown measures in some countries start to lift.

Podcast Chapters
1:22: A look at how the promo business is currently doing in Germany/continental Europe and the United Kingdom.
4:46: How will the rest of the year play out for the promo products industry in Europe?
12:08: Will COVID-19 lead to increased consolidation, through closures and mergers and acquisitions, of the European promo industry?
16:46: European promo companies and the pivot to selling personal protective equipment.
21:37: When, if ever, will in-person promo trade shows and the like return in Europe?
27:12: Silver linings, lessons learned, and a forecast for the future.

Freter is managing director of Germany-based PSI, Europe’s largest network of promotional products companies. David Long is CEO/executive chairman of Sourcing City, a trade service organization that provides a suite of solutions to the United Kingdom’s promo market.

David Long, left, and Michael Freter, PSI

In this podcast with Counselor Executive Editor Christopher Ruvo, they discuss COVID-19’s sales impact, ways some companies are adapting, the prospect for a promo bounce-back in the months ahead, the future of live in-person promo trade shows, and some reasons for optimism. The insights pertain to Europe, but in some respects, the perspectives these two leaders share could apply to and foreshadow developments in North America.