Best of Expo | FEATURE The promo community’s big ideas were also on display among the presenters taking part in The PPAI Expo Conference’s education programming, and in the accomplishments and histories of the industry luminaries celebrated at the Chairman’s Leadership Dinner. Keynote speaker Simon T. Bailey kicked off of the 42 sessions in the education line-up by urging attendees to take a more purposeful approach to customer service, what he calls “customer love,” in his opening presentation, “Breakthrough Thinking For Breakthrough Sales.” Among the professional development offerings, highly attended sessions were held on topics such as corporate social responsibility and the industry’s digital transformation. At the Chairman’s Leadership Dinner, two industry legends, Sherri C. Lennarson, MAS, retired senior vice president of business development at Bankers Advertising Company, and Cliff Quicksell, MAS+, president of Cliff Quicksell Associates, were inducted into the PPAI Hall of Fame. PPAI also presented its H. Ted Olson Humanitarian Award to Peter Hirsch, MAS, president of Hirsch Gift, and its Distinguished Service Award to Brandon Mackay, MAS, president of SnugZ USA, and David Regan, MAS, vice president of sales and marketing at The Vernon Company. A virtual extension of the experience, PPAI Expo Direct-2You, was held Feb. 22-23. During the virtual event, attendees met with suppliers and participated in exclusive professional development sessions with keynote speakers and industry professionals. The PPAI Expo 2023 will return Jan. 9-12 to the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. Ellis is the publisher and editor-in-chief at PPAI. The Distinguished Service Award was presented to to Brandon Mackay (left), MAS, president of SnugZ USA, and David Regan (center), MAS, vice president of sales and marketing at The Vernon Company. Peter Hirsch (right), MAS, president of Hirsch Gift, received the H. Ted Olson Humanitarian Award. | MARCH 2022 | 37
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