Promotional Products Professionals of Canada (PPPC) held its 2018 National Convention February 9-13 in Mississauga, Ontario’s International Centre. The annual show brought attendees from across Canada for trade show, professional development and networking opportunities.

The convention attracted almost 1,500 distributor attendees this year, and on the show floor they met with 190 exhibiting companies in 318 booths. On the final day of the show, distributors arrived with more than 1,300 of their clients to give them an up-close look at the industry.

“The 2018 PPPC National Convention was a great success in all aspects,” says Jonathan N. Strauss, PPPC’s president and CEO. “The convention kicked off with two full days of professional development that welcomed a roster of inspiring speakers. The networking party on Saturday night was very well attended by members, and special musical guests, The Misprints, had people dancing all night. The Image Awards, always a popular event with attendees, welcomed close to 550 members for the dinner and ceremony. Booth sales were higher than projected and attendance was up compared to 2017. Overall, the feedback we have received from members has been very positive.”

The event’s professional development schedule included a series of education sessions presented by experts both within and outside the promotional products industry. Education opened on February 9 with a keynote presentation from Renée Bazile-Jones, senior director at the Learning Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion, who spoke on how cognitive diversity can elevate a business. The convention also hosted a roundtable workshop on February 10 that focused on the supplier/distributor relationship.

PPAI was in attendance as well, represented by PPAI Board Chair Dale Denham, MAS+; PPAI President and CEO Paul Bellantone, CAE; and Executive Vice President Bob McLean, CAE, CPA. They took part in the ribbon cutting that opened the trade show floor, and, as has become tradition, walked the floor as judges for the show’s best booth awards, identifying the recipients of the Best Overall Booth Award and the Most Innovative Booth Award.

On February 11, the PPPC held its 38th annual Image Awards dinner ceremony, recognizing the numerous accomplishments of industry professionals and PPPC member companies. David Plummer, president of Toronto, Ontario, supplier Clearmount Plastics Limited, was recognized for his contributions to the industry and the association, and was inducted into the PPPC Hall of Fame. Also that evening, Genumark was presented with the National Distributor of the Year Award, and the Supplier of the Year Gold Award went to Debco Bag, which took home the prize for the fourth consecutive year.

“We’re truly blown away,” says Daniel Baker, Debco’s marketing manager. “To have gained—and retained—this kind of confidence from our distributor partners is the ultimate achievement. It’s a real high-water mark for us, and we’re understandably thrilled.”