PPB March 2019

What happens in Vegas sets the tempo for the year. Here’s a look at the largest, longest-running and best-attended trade show in the industry. by Tina Berres Filipski Photos by Christine Bedell and Jann Hendry “E xperience Extraordinary”—that was PPAI®’s marketing message and expectation for The PPAI Expo 2019 Las Vegas in January. Based on reactions and feedback frommany of the thousands who filled the Mandalay Bay Convention Center over the four days—extraordinary definitely happened. “I feel compelled to write and let you know what an incredible first experience I recently had at The PPAI Expo,” wrote Tammi Cooper, sales representative at Destination PSP in Palm Springs, California. “I was overwhelmed with the magnitude of opportunity afforded to me, as well as by the vast number of top-notch vendors and floor space I needed to cover in a very short time. Miraculously, I covered every single inch of showroom floor—a completely exhausting experience but so well worth the challenge. I found everything on my two-and-one-half-page list that I was searching for! You have earned my utmost respect and I look forward to attending many more shows in the near future.” She signed her letter, “PPAI Fan For Life.” The Expo, which ran January 14-17, drew a record- breaking 13,000 attendees representing 4,000 distributor companies—the largest attendance in the past 10 years. Best Of Expo | FEATURE | MARCH 2019 | 27