The Big Gamble Shrouded in secrecy and full of risk, The PPAI Expo moved to Las Vegas in 2003. Twenty years later, the leaders behind the bold decision tell the story of how it happened and how they avoided catastrophe. by Jonny Auping The PPAI Expo 2023 will mark the Association’s 20th year holding the industry’s biggest and most important trade show at Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. Today, many promo veterans have been to Vegas enough time to lose track, but The PPAI Expo has a history that dates back well before it set up its booths on The Strip. In fact, The PPAI Expo’s move from Dallas, where it had been held for years, was one of the biggest decisions in Association history, one shrouded in secrecy and which posed a legitimate risk that the event wouldn’t happen at all. It was a gamble, and rumors were swirling about whether it would work. To create an oral history of the move, PPAI Media caught up with a few of the decision-makers, influential voices and people on the ground leading up to that first event in Las Vegas in 2003. We found out why the event moved west, the enormous risks that came with the decision and how a select few stayed tightlipped regarding “the best kept secret in this association’s history.” What follows is the story of a decision that changed the promotional products industry to this day. FEATURE | PPAI Expo | Twenty Years in Las Vegas 62 | DECEMBER 2022 |
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