The PPAI Expo took place at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas last week, occupying nearly one million square feet of show floor. This event is the world’s largest and longest running promotional products industry trade show and many companies, including Rymax, attend to get a better understanding of what promo items will be trending with consumers for the upcoming year.

The promotional products industry is incredibly robust, consisting of an estimated 30,000 distributor firms. This year, 13,000 distributors registered for the PPAI Expo from over 4,300 companies and 30 countries. In total, over 20,000 industry professionals gather each year for the biggest promotional products event in North America. Additionally, the PPAI Expo offers educational sessions for attendees to take part in with topics ranging anywhere from incentives, recognition and corporate gifting, and how to improve company culture.

Rymax Exhibits

Rymax exhibited at this year’s expo with a new booth, created by award-winning brand experience solutions agency, MC². The new design provided a sophisticated, modern look and allowed for more meeting space for conversations with the Rymax team, while on-site video content allowed attendees to browse through Rymax’s annual Giftstagram gift guide, seasonal rewards catalog and learn more about exclusive R-SITE events.

“We were really excited to bring this new booth to life this year in order to better serve attendees at the show,” shared Brittany Pulido, Events Manager at Rymax. “With an 80-inch panel included within the booth, we were able to creatively showcase our full rewards collection consisting of over 450 brands, while also offering comfortable seating for visitors to come and speak with some of Rymax’s product specialists.”

Highlights from the Product Pavilion

The new Product Pavilion at the PPAI Expo, where attendees go to browse different, trending promotional items, featured an especially popular category this year: Green Products. According to Business News Daily, “more than 80% of survey participants said they felt it was ‘important or extremely important’ for companies to design environmentally conscious products.” Rymax understands this desire and importance for eco-friendly products and has incorporated specific brands, such as Bio-Lite, into the rewards catalog. Bio-Lite products assist with cooking, lighting and charging all while maintaining a sustainable business model.

Rymax entered the Polaroid OneStep 2 camera into the pavilion to showcase the ever-growing, retro-inspired rewards category.  A contemporary take on the classic instant film camera, the Polaroid OneStep 2 features an extended optical viewfinder, built-in flash and a self-timer function, and produces 3.1” x 3.1” images.

The Importance of Personalization

Promotional products have come a long way from business logos being imprinted on every inch of space. According to Retail Customer Experience, “more than half, 63 percent, of consumers expect personalization as a standard of service.” Rymax suggests taking lifestyle and hobbies into account when gifting promotional products to increase brand awareness. For example, a Ban.do luggage tag is the perfect gift for someone who loves to travel, while a Hydrapeak water bottle encourages hydration for those who enjoy being active.

If there is a business meeting or event planned, leave a lasting impression on all attendees by incorporating a product that not only creates brand awareness but fits the desires of the audience at hand.

Benefits of Trade Shows and The PPAI Expo

Trade shows offer a great opportunity to raise brand awareness among industry professionals and the key decision makers that are in attendance. PPAI, Promotional Products Association International, is the trusted leader in the promotional products industry delivering essential knowledge, resources and community to those who manufacture, import and resell promotional products, and the promotional products industry itself.

Rymax believes in the importance and power that promotional products can have on an organization.  The PPAI Expo is an event that Rymax is proud to have been attending for over 15 years!  Each year, Rymax looks forward to exhibiting, speaking with attendees on the show floor and offering best in class brands to meet reward trends.

If your business is looking for the right promotional products to help engage, retain and motivate employees and customers, contact Rymax today to speak with one of our product specialists.