PPB May 2021

PPPC COMMUNIQUÉ by Jonathan Strauss Insights From PPPC’s Fiscal 2020 Annual Report T he Promotional Product Professionals of Canada (PPPC) recently released its 2020 Annual Report. The report contains a detailed summary of PPPC’s 2020 fiscal year from November 1, 2019, to October 31, 2020. Our fiscal 2020 began like any other and progressed as usual with TOPS+ 2020 touring Canada in February 2020, but when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, the trajectory of PPPC’s goals and plans were forced to change drastically. For over a year now, the COVID-19 pandemic has been a deadly disruption in all our lives. Despite the many challenges with which we’ve been faced, the promotional products industry has remained resilient throughout this time of crisis. Many of us managed to pivot and provide valuable assistance to our partners and clients while protecting our businesses, employees and our health. And for this, PPPC was determined to rise to the occasion and provide guidance and support whenever we could. PPPC Chair Max Baer said that the most important question we asked ourselves over the past year was, “How can we make sure that this organization is providing the utmost value to its members, not only during the pandemic but also long-term?” According to Baer, the answer was to learn and utilize technology if we wanted to survive and thrive. The Year’s Events TOPS+ 2020 in February was the last in-person event that PPPC hosted before the pandemic. Once the pandemic hit, the organization was determined to keep members engaged. With the help of PPPC staff, the board and other volunteers, the organization was able to adapt and hold various virtual events over the second half of fiscal 2020. The first of those events was Natcon Virtual 2020 in September, which introduced a new platform to the Canadian promotional product industry. Built by our technology partners at SAGE, the platform became a well-received and respectable substitute for PPPC’s in-person trade shows. The benefits of virtual trade shows quickly became apparent: uninterrupted one-on-one time, on- demand and live education, and the opportunity to safely reconnect with the industry, plus the huge travel savings and an overall less time-consuming operation for everyone involved. Members are now fully adapted to the 94 | MAY 2021 | CONNECT