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2015 PPAI EXPO REVIEW
“The PPAI Expo once again met the highest expectations
of our nearly 20,000 exhibitor and attendee guests,” says
PPAI President and CEO Paul Bellantone, CAE.
“Education sessions were at capacity and daily functions
and events were well attended and energizing. The PPAI
Expo is more than just a trade show. It is the industry’s pre-
mier event where tens of thousands of professionals come to
learn, network, source product, recognize and reward profes-
sionalism, build relationships, have fun and start the year off
right. This year’s Expo will be regarded as one of the most
successful in the event’s long history.”
The show marked the first time the show-day pattern
had changed; this year the show floor opened on Tuesday
and closed on Thursday, allowing exhibitors and attendees to
get back to work or home before the weekend. In past years,
the show opened on Wednesday and closed on Friday.
Distributor Marie Motschman, owner of Marie’s Solutions
in Anchorage, Alaska, traveled 3,423 miles to attend the
show—just as she’s done for the past 10 years. “I don’t believe I
could be in business very successfully without PPAI and going
to the Expo,” she says. “This was absolutely the most success-
ful Expo I’ve ever been to because I got to all 101 suppliers I
wanted to see.” She worked the show with a detailed plan
starting at 10 am every morning beginning Tuesday and work-
ing through the show’s close on Thursday afternoon. “I worked
it hard,” she laughs, adding that the follow-up after the show is
the critical part two of the process for successful distributors.
Debbie Willsmer, managing director of U.K. distributor
Willsmer Wagg, based outside London, made the most of
her first trip to the U.S. by attending Expo. “I’ve so enjoyed
the show,” she says. “Everybody in the stands has been excep-
tionally friendly, the service has been great. We are very con-
fident that we will come away and do some business. It’s
given us a really good perspective about partnering with
somebody globally.”
Another first-time attendee, Sandy Marlow, owner of
Spark Laser Creations and a new PPAI member, says, “We
have been really overwhelmed not only by the breadth of
products available but the depth within each category. It’s been
a great experience of meeting with new suppliers and finding
out who we can build relationships with within the industry.”
From an exhibitor’s perspective, the show also had a lot to
offer. Paula Anderson, director of national accounts for Wall
Street Greetings says, “I’ve been amazed at the breadth of the
offerings and the number of companies here. There are some
creative and fun products, and great quality products too. It’s
been interesting for me to see some of the other suppliers
and a great opportunity for us to meet with our distributors.”
Harvey Mackler, MAS, president of Tampa, Florida, sup-
plier Gempire and a long-time Expo exhibitor, says, “We
always like to find a reason to ‘touch’ a (prospective) cus-
tomer. The PPAI Expo is the best forum, and this year
brought us another wonderful opportunity—our social media
footprint has increased substantially. As a result, many
Facebook friends made it a point to learn more about us
face-to-face. It was phenomenal for all involved.”
Read on for highlights from this year’s PPAI Expo.
–TINA BERRES FILIPSKI
INNOVATE
24 •
PPB
• MARCH 2015