PPB December 2016

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perspectives Tina Berres Filipski
Editor
Eight Ways To Invest In Yourself
If you are likemost industry professionals,
you’ve worked pretty hard this year.
You’ve spent a lot of hours on projects
for your clients, following up on orders,
traveling tomeet with clients, vendors and
factories, brainstorming ways to grow your
company and working with your team
to reach its goals. You’ve kept your head
down and continued ticking off items on
your to‑do list while trying your best to
keep up with new opportunities, resources,
compliance issues and technology.
Time out!
How about doing something to invest in
your most important asset—yourself?
WhenThe PPAI Expo opens at the
Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las
Vegas next month it brings the largest
collection of promotional products under
one roof. Nearly 3,200 booths will showcase
the latest introductions and top sellers
in every category fromawards to zipper
pulls. You can also indulge in your choice
of 100‑plus education classes (most of
themare free) to help you hone your skills,
freshen your perspective and broaden your
knowledge about the business.
So consider taking a few days away from
your day‑to‑day business and immerse
yourself in the best your profession has
to offer. What you learn in Vegas, you
definitely won’t want to leave behind.
Here are eight ways you can reward
and empower yourself to begin a fresh year
of business:
1 Register for The PPAI Expo at
It’s quick and
easy—and you can make your hotel
reservations online as well through
PPAI’s housing partner.
2 Download the free SAGE Mobile™
app to create your walk list for
the show, view an interactive
floor plan and check off booths
as you visit them. You can also
add notes, photos and video and
audio recordings on products
and companies that interest you
for after-show reference. The app
also includes a link to a daily PPB
Newslink@Expo to keep you up to
speed on what’s happening inside
and outside Expo. Download the
app at
3 Arrive in Las Vegas in time to
fully participate in Education
Day starting at 8 am on Monday,
January 9. This is the core piece
of the investment in yourself.
Dozens of free sessions in eight
topic tracks are available all day
long, with the general session
Power Keynotes from 3 to 5 pm.
There’s also an optional keynote
luncheon at 11:30 am. See page
100 for details. New this year is
the aspect of crowdsourcing—a
technique PPAI staff used to let
show-goers vote on their three
most wanted session topics. At
press time, voters were whittling
down the most popular topics
from five to three, with the winning
sessions to be presented at Expo.
4 Relax and breathe. A new, Monday
morning yoga class taught by the
industry’s own Roni Wright, MAS,
will help you do just that. Register
for the free 6:30-7:15 am class when
you register for the show. Namaste.
5 Get an early-bird look at all the products
and ideas on display in five Product
Pavilions: New Products, Green
Products, Made InThe USA and Express
Ship, and—new this year—the First
Time Exhibitor pavilion where new Expo
suppliers will showcase their best. Beat
the crowds by arriving for the Sneak
Peek at 8 amon Tuesday, January 10.
6 Hear America’s No. 1 young
entrepreneur, Johnny Earle, founder
of Johnny Cupcakes, at Tuesday’s
opening general session starting at
8:30 am. In his entertaining style,
Earle will share how he’s grown
his company from what he calls “a
joke” to a multimillion-dollar, highly
exclusive t-shirt brand driven by a
community of worldwide collectors.
7 Power through the show floor on
Tuesday and then get in some valuable
networking at the PPAI Block Party
starting at 5:30 pm in the convention
center. It’s a revolutionary concept for
this show that includes food and drink,
visits with featured exhibitors and
the presentation of PPAI supplier and
distributor awards in four categories.
Then we turn up the dance music for
Expo After Dark. Treat yourself to a
little social engagement by getting
your ticket to this event when you
register for the show.
8 Stop by the newly designed PPAI booth
#2451 to rest your feet and listen in.
We’ll be conducting live interviews
with PPAI award winners, Expo
speakers and subject matter experts
on the Expo Live stage throughout the
show. You never know who you might
see there or what revolutionary ideas
you might pick up.
I hope you’ll plan to treat yourself to
Expo—and I’ll look for you there.
What you learn in Vegas, you definitely
won’t want to leave behind
4 | DECEMBER 2016 |