Icon Award Winners During The PPAI Expo Conference on Monday, PPAI celebrated the 2024 recipients of its most prestigious awards with two distinctly special events to bring more significant awareness to their accomplishments. PPAI Hall of Fame inductee Dave DeGreeff, MAS, and PPAI Distinguished Service Award recipient Bill Petrie participated in a networking luncheon – along with 2023 PPAI Rising Stars Chelsea Williams and Nadav Raviv – that was attended by almost 400 industry professionals. “When I got into this industry, the word was that it was founded on complete paranoia and mild alcoholism,” Petrie said. “There’s some truth to that, but I’m backing off on the paranoia part. We used to be so worried about competition, but now I see far more collaboration. That’s a testament to people looking at things differently and being open to sharing. We can really raise the entire industry.” DeGreeff added, “I’m the oldest one up here, so I’ve done more evolving than maybe everybody else. And I feel that as you go through life, you become part of the people you are close to or come in contact with. They become part of you, and they mold who you are.” Monday concluded for the 2024 PPAI Icons with the Chair’s Appreciation Dinner, an invitation-only event at Rivea, atop the Delano Hotel overlooking the Las Vegas Strip. Best of The PPAI Expo 2024 | Must Read The Pitch Returns Back by popular demand, The Pitch – promo’s version of The Voice mixed with Shark Tank – featured seven supplier participants having just three minutes to win over a panel of veteran distributor judges, as well as the audience, in a packed Mandalay Bay Convention Center ballroom. St. Louis-based Sweeter Cards took first place with its flagship product, a fully customizable greeting card and chocolate bar all in one. All four judges – Amanda Clay, MAS, president and co-owner of WalkerClay; Danny Rosin, CAS, president and co-owner of Brand Fuel; Memo Kahan, CEO of PromoShop; and John Vo, MAS, owner of WHOOPLA – turned their chairs to signal that they liked the product. Sweeter Cards founder Stacy Stahl also earned 55% of the audience vote. “It was incredible,” Stahl said. “I was so shocked. And to win both, my heart exploded.” Other exhibitors in the contest included HPG, Hirsch, Disrupt Sports, Threadfast, EZRI and Flyga. PPAI • MARCH 2024 • 47
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