800-square-foot booth andwas awarded the 2022 PPPCAward for Special Effects or Multi-Media Decoration on Textiles for its 3D FloaterMouse. Cutter & Buck Canada CEO Shane Brett, a five-year veteran of NATCON, also finds the opportunity to engage and connect in person with distributors and their clients as being a key benefit to the event. The company featured a 400-square-foot booth at the trade show. “We attend as a supplier to engage on a personal level and hear unfiltered feedback fromour customers and clients. Direct feedback is critical to our continuous improvement as a supplier,” says Brett. “NATCON provides an in-person opportunity to share ideas and opportunities that are otherwise difficult to do through phone or video.” Max Baer, owner of Just in Case Promos and the immediate past chair of PPPC, confirmed the ability to see somany quality distributors and their clients in just two days makes the showworthwhile for his business. He enjoys the social aspect of it for meeting clients in person, attending the PPPC Awards and after-party. He found this year’s attendance strong. This NATCONmarks his 23rd show and he added it is “a great way to strengthen relationships with clients, showcase products and build your brand.” Just in Case Promos featured a double booth at the show. AlanMoscoe, CEO of distributor TPS Promotions & Incentives, says, “NATCON was a huge success for TPS. We were particularly pleased to host over 60 clients at the show. There is simply no substitute for the value that comes from in-person interactions. NATCON is unique amongst industry shows withmeaningful education, recognition of our industry’s best and brightest and an incredible end-user day that delivers exceptional value for distributors, clients and suppliers alike.” TPS was one of seven distributors to host hospitality suites at the show. Moscoe, who has attended NATCON since its inception, added that this type of interaction can only happen in an environment of mutual trust. “It is that exceptional level of trust, and a partnership mindset, that makes the promotional products industry in Canada a great place to be. Additionally, while we see many supplier reps throughout the year, the opportunity to engage more broadly with suppliers’ management teams and CSRs drives a higher level of engagement between our companies. It’s also nice to catch up with friendly competitors – we’re all peers.” That level of comradery among attendees extended well into the night during the first full day of the trade show on September 14, as attendees braved Toronto traffic to head to one of the city’s hottest venues, the EglintonWest Gallery, for the 2022 PPPC Awards &Networking After-Party. Tickets were free to this year’s awards ceremony and after-party thanks to the generosity of sponsor Debco | hpg, which also received several PPPC awards. During the awards, attendees raised a glass and celebrated all the award winners. There was a lot of fanfare for the design of the prestigious awards sponsored andmanufactured by St Regis Group. Over 25 awards were handed out throughout the evening, including the posthumous 2022 Hall of Fame Award recognizing the late Rosalind (Ros) Fraser Plummer, MAS, which was presented to her daughter, Kate, and husband David by Kurt Reckziegel, PPPC’s Hall of Fame Committee Chair and previous inductee. The 2022 Humanitarian Award was given to Needham Promotions Inc. Post-awards, attendees enjoyed some delicious beverages and canapes and showed off their dance moves as the DJ played some favorite tunes well into the evening. “The awards night was such an energizing event and really set the tone that we are back as an industry,” says Brett, who took home a 2022 PPPC Award for Medium Supplier of the Year. The PPPC now looks toward other notable events coming this fall and in the new year, including its WEE event in Niagara-on-the-Lake in Ontario and the return of TOPS+2023, Canada’s longest running, five-city, traveling promotional trade show tour starting in January 2023. For more information on PPPC, visit pppc.ca. Chopra is a communications specialist at PPPC. | NOVEMBER 2022 | 73 CONNECT
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