PPB August 2018

to face with suppliers we have projects with was time saving, and we got some new ideas through networking.” Distributors came through Expo East’s doors this year to meet with 325 exhibiting companies. They also got a close look at products in some of the show’s most popular categories—Top Sellers, Green Products, Made in the USA and Express Ship—at Expo East’s Product Pavilion. Murray Seigel, marketing director for supplier Towel Specialties, says, “It was a great show day. We had a lot of traffic from the time the show started to the end of the day. We still had people walking in at 4 pm, so that’s always a good sign. People were very engaged, and it was great to have this kind of exposure.” Professional development sessions designed within eight learning tracks were offered on the show floor (left) and in session rooms at the Atlantic City Convention Center. Find more photos from Expo East 2018 at expoeast.ppai.org and plan to attend next year’s show, June 3-5, 2019 in Atlantic City. PPAI has launched its Strategic Foresight Playbook, a step-by-step guide to implementing strategic foresight and operational excellence for promotional products industry businesses. Strategic foresight is the capacity to look at the future and spot potential disruptions and emerging trends so they can be proactively addressed. Strategic foresight enables companies to prepare for success in the days ahead. Developing and leveraging strategic foresight is one of the four goals in PPAI’s Strategic Plan. “The playbook is an integral part of how promotional products businesses can use engagement strategies, competitive intelligence and measurement when making decisions today while supporting and shaping our industry’s future for tomorrow,” says Paul Bellantone, CAE, PPAI president and CEO. “We expect this book to be an essential resource for promotional products companies in achieving their strategic goals. It includes not only an introductory overview of strategic foresight but also discusses many complex business issues and provides practical plays for future success.” The playbook represents the culmination of PPAI’s work with focus groups and interviews with hundreds of promotional products distributors and suppliers, volunteer leaders—including the PPAI Board of Directors—and PPAI staff. It is designed to give promotional products industry business leaders information and tools to develop and implement strategic foresight. The 70-plus-page playbook includes a collection of activities to help companies spot emerging trends, prepare for disruption and plan for change and innovation to succeed in the future. It includes an introduction to strategic foresight, a four-step process for company positioning and finding a market niche, as well as plays—a group of useful tools and how-to approaches for planning, execution and investment measurement. Download a free digital copy or purchase hard copies ($18 for PPAI members/$25 for PPAI associates) at www.ppai.org/strategic-foresight-playbook. To order 10 or more hard copies or to request a speaker on this topic, email playbook@ppai.org . An excerpt of the book is the basis for this issue’s cover story starting on page 26. Look for this symbol in every issue of PPB . It designates articles that reflect the principles of strategic foresight. New Strategic Foresight Playbook Readies Companies ForThe Future | AUGUST 2018 | 79 CONNECT