Community | PPPC Communiqué PPPC’S TOPS+ 2025 Was A Trade Show Triumph Katrina Derksen, DES, MAS, event and membership manager at PPPC and Marina Muvira, bilingual association coordinator at PPPC, work the PPPC booth in Winnipeg. THE PROMOTIONAL PRODUCT PROFESSIONALS of Canada once again set the benchmark for industry networking, professional development, sales and innovation with the success of its TOPS+ 2025 traveling promotional trade show tour in February. The TOPS+ tour spanned across five Canadian cities in just three weeks, including Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary and Vancouver. Each tour stop was hosted by some of the country’s top venues and provided members with the convenience of doing business on their own home turf. This year’s tour broke registration and attendance records thanks to a 60% year-over-year increase in registration and attendance for the tour stop in Winnipeg, Manitoba, at the RBC Convention Centre. Each year, TOPS+ brings together PPPC’s supplier, multi-line representatives and distributor members to connect, share knowledge and expertise and ultimately do business. As a membership perk, distributors can invite their clients to the show to meet with top suppliers and preview the latest promotional products and innovations to be inspired for their upcoming campaigns. PPPC chapters in Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba and British Columbia held networking events for members to gather on the eve of each tour stop or post-event to mix and mingle and celebrate the show. Sponsors for this year’s tour included SAGE, Trimark (apparel and bag sponsor), DML Creation (lanyard sponsor), All American Writing Instruments (pen sponsor) and Jay-Line (signage sponsor). Professional Development At TOPS+ Prior to the trade show opening at each tour stop, PPPC offered members insightful education sessions. Some even offered a community give-back component. For TOPS+ Montreal and Toronto, PPPC’s strategic technology partner and valued sponsor SAGE hosted a 60-minute education session on its newest innovations and key Canadian features. In Winnipeg, Botanical PaperWorks CEO and cofounder Heidi Reimer-Epp presented a sustainabilityfocused educational session titled “Boost Sales with Sustainability: The Green Bottom Line,” where attendees discovered how environmental responsibility can drive customer loyalty, unlock new markets and opportunities and elevate their overall sales game. PPPC brought its Coffee & Conversation series of panel discussions to the Calgary and Vancouver tour stops, featuring a casual setting to converse and share ideas and expertise on the current state of the promo industry, tariffs, the economy and other key issues. Those attending the session were This year’s multicity event broke registration and attendance records. By Margaret Williamson Batuszkin Photo courtesy of the RBC Convention Centre 58 • APRIL 2025 • PPAI
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