Big News PPAI President and CEO Dale Denham, MAS+, and PPAI’s 2023 Board Chair Kevin Walsh, CAS, kicked off The PPAI Expo 2024 by announcing a new membership structure for the Association, which is intended to make it easier for members to choose the solution that’s right for them. Denham and Walsh also shared that the preliminary 2023 industry sales volume estimate – culled from an annual survey collected by PPAI Research – is more than $26 billion, an increase of more than 3% over 2022. Denham also informed attendees that PPAI has revamped its Trained Advertising Specialist program for employees new to the industry in an effort to expedite onboarding. “By the time we meet at Expo next year, our CAS [Certified Advertising Specialist] education programs will be in the new format as well, bringing even more value to all of your employees, including you,” Denham said. A couple of industry veterans also made headlines: Jason Lucash and Mike Szymczak, co-founders of Origaudio – which they sold to HPG in 2018 – have returned to promo with Rupt, the first supplier whose entire product line is made from recycled materials. Must Read | Best of The PPAI Expo 2024 Learning To Adapt Many attendees took advantage of The PPAI Expo Conference’s all-day education on significant topics pertinent to the industry and overall business-building. As this year’s keynote speakers, futurist Anat Baron provided ideas and insights on how promo firms can leverage AI, and Alex Weber, former contestant and host of NBC’s American Ninja Warrior, jolted attendees awake with some extra motivation to advance their business and make meaningful connections over the following three days. The conference offered multiple breakout sessions on pressing industry issues, such as sustainability and diversity, equity and inclusion. Digital transformation was also a central focus. PPAI Digital Transformation Manager Nick DiNicola led a session on leveraging technology tools to maximize profits. At a certain point in the dialogue, Promo Data eXchange (PDX) – free and available to all PPAI members – became the topic of the room, with all four panelists discussing its potential to eliminate industry friction and attendees asking questions about its progress and implementation. 46 • MARCH 2024 • PPAI
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