PPB November 2020

PPPC COMMUNIQUÉ by Victoria Peers The Success Of PPPC’s Natcon Virtual Leads To More Virtual Trade Shows T he Promotional Product Professionals of Canada’s (PPPC) first virtual trade show, NatconVirtual, held September 16-17, successfully earnedwidespread approval among its 800 attendees and 33 exhibiting suppliers. Utilizing the virtual platformthat was developedby SAGENatconVirtual delivered a unique and valuable experience for all involved. The trade showkickedoff with the Stateof the International Industry openingpanel, led byPPPCPresident andCEOJonathanStrauss. Thepanel brought together promotional products leaders fromacross the globe to discuss the impact of theCOVID-19pandemic on the industry. Inaddition toStrauss, thepanel consistedof Paul Bellantone, CAE, president andCEOof PPAI;Wesley Fawaz, CEOof AustralasianPromotional ProductsAssociation (APPA); andCareyTrevill, CEOof British PromotionalMerchandiseAssociation (BPMA). The executives exchangeddiscourse on personal protective equipment (PPE), its role in the promotional products industry and how it is different around theworld. They also discussed the importance of building and maintaining relationshipswithmembers and customers. “We are seeing the importance of building relationships and loyaltywith customers and showing appreciation for staff,” Fawaz said. “We are all stressed about the future, so liftingmorale is a key component to doing business in the present state of theworld.” As it turns out, PPPC’s virtual national conventionwas a great way to boostmorale. In the general showdiscussion chat room, attendees sharedpositive and constructive feedback about feeling inspired andproud as a community. AlisaNickel, director ofmarketing at 3MPromotionalMarkets, attended the event and said she loved the platform. “It was souser-friendly, easy to connect with anyone and easy to findproducts, explore and connect,” she said. “It was so amazing to see how the trade-showworldhas transitioned so quickly. Adaptation is so important in the worldwe live in.” The supplier booths simplified the trade-showprocess for both suppliers and visitors.With the opportunity for suppliers to customize their boothswith information, featuredproducts and video content, it was easy tomake connections and fulfill the needs of their customers. In addition to the 33 boothswhere attendees could connect with exhibitors via virtual chats and video calls, attendeeswere provided various opportunities for professional development fromthe 17 on- demand educational sessions. These sessions offered educationondesignprocesses, brand communication, webdevelopment andmany other topics. Strauss says he couldnot be happier with the success of NatconVirtual. “Everything about this event was a first for us and for the industry, and the feedback has been amazing,” he says. “Our internal projectionswere for 500–750 attendees over two days andwe exceeded that. NatconVirtual showed that PPPCcontinues to be a glue that keeps the Canadian industry together.” Given the success of PPPC’sNatcon Virtual, theCanadianorganization is already planning its next virtual endeavor. TOPS+ 2021 has also gone virtual andwill be taking place in early 2021. Visit topsplus.pppc.ca for more information. Victoria Peers is communications specialist for Promotional Product Professionals of Canada, www.pppc.ca . SHOW STATISTICS 800 TOTAL VISITORS TO 33 BOOTHS AND 206 SUPPLIER REPS 11,515 BOOTH VISITS 9,097 BOOTH CHATS 386 VIDEO CALLS 17,783 PRODUCT VIEWS 16,512 BOOTH MATERIALS 1,499 EDUCATION SESSIONS Rost9 / wacomka / Shutterstock.com 98 | NOVEMBER 2020 | CONNECT