The PPAI Expo Team The Dream Team The PPAI Expo isn’t built in a day, and it doesn’t happen without these hardworking staff members. by Jonny Auping If it takes a village to raise a child, then The PPAI Expo is the Association’s baby. There isn’t a person on PPAI’s staff who doesn’t contribute tomaking it one of the biggest trade shows in any industry and easily the largest andmost impactful in promotional products. But there are a few select people who work tirelessly on the countless details that lead to the January event that the promo world is anxiously anticipating. By that time, though, the talented people whomake up that teamhave put in thousands of hours of work on the event. In fact, they’re already working on the one after that. “I think a lot of people assume that production for The PPAI Expo begins when registration opens,” says Alan Peterson, PPAI senior vice president. “We actually start the production – sales and operations andmarketing and more – about 16 months prior to The PPAI Expo in any given year.” Ellen Tucker, vice president of revenue and expositions, says, “Everything seems busier during Quarter 4 because there’s a lot you’re thinking about for 2024 already. But you’re also dotting all the i’s and crossing all the t’s for 2023. It’s the most stressful time, but you get used to the balance.” There isn’t a stretch in the calendar when Peterson and Tucker aren’t working on making sure The PPAI Expo becomes the must-attend event that brings the industry together. As part of the Association’s leadership team, they do so much more than make big, consequential decisions regarding The PPAI Expo; they stay constantly attuned to the details required to execute those decisions and come up with solutions to unexpected obstacles. As you’re reading this, they likely could tell you Plan A, B, C and D for a potential issue you might never consider. The PPAI Expo now puts a priority on executing a sustainable event, which means working alongside Mandalay Bay Convention Center and MGM, adding logistical challenges when it comes to internal planning. It takes a dedicated team. According to an internal analysis, Peterson says that, factoring in on-site labor from contracted vendors and internal work from within PPAI’s walls, an estimated 70,000 hours go into producing The PPAI Expo. Supported and led by Peterson and Tucker, this is the team that makes the industry’s largest and longest-running trade show happen. Khristopher Harris Show Manager, Expositions For a trade show the magnitude of The PPAI Expo, success comes in the preparation. This is the space where Khristopher Harris thrives. Harris provides budgeting, research, concept design, and mentoring to the rest of the Alan Peterson Ellen Tucker Khristopher Harris Melissa Massey Ashley Van Der Stuyf Vicki Sypien 18 | DECEMBER 2022 | INNOVATE
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