PPB March 2019

The 2019 PSI Show Draws A Growing International Audience, New Ideas The PSI Show, Europe’s largest promotional products trade show, was held January 8-10 in Düsseldorf, Germany, in conjunction with PromoTex Expo, the international trade show for promotion, sports and workwear, and viscom, the European trade fair for visual communication. The PSI Show, PromoTex Expo and viscom together accounted for 1,084 exhibitors, with The PSI Show, at 772 exhibitors, comprising the largest share. The 2019 PSI Show drew 17,602 attendees, representing 81 countries, a 1.5 percent increase over the year before. Some 58 percent of visitors travelled from outside Germany, one in seven of them from overseas. The show’s final day was open to end-buyers, with 1,012 industry customers attending as distributors’ guests. At the show, GWW, the umbrella association of the German promotional products industry, released data showing that industry sales in Germany grew two percent over the past year, with industry sales calculated at €3.58 billion ($4.1 billion). GWW President Frank Dangmann says, “Promotional products reach 89 percent of the population over the age of 14—more than any other medium. With this kind of reach, promotional products are the undisputed leader.” 106 | MARCH 2019 | CONNECT