In the latest episode of the PPAI PromoTalks podcast, celebrated speaker and author Simon T. Bailey opens up to Pamela Brown-Matthis, PPAI’s professional development manager, about the concept of breakthrough thinking and how it can wholly transform a company’s customer experience. Bailey’s insights in this podcast pave the way for a deeper dive on the topic when he takes the stage to open The PPAI Expo Conference at 9 am on Monday, January 10 at Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. Listen in as PPB Presents: The Shift In Breakthrough Thinking, a free 23-minute podcast available here and on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Find all PPAI PromoTalks podcasts here.

Bailey’s session launches an impressive lineup of educational presentations by experts, industry leaders and influencers designed to offer a curated learning experience at The PPAI Expo. Following Bailey on the main stage are two panel discussions. At 10 am, PPAI President and CEO Dale Denham, MAS+, will moderate a conversation, “Leading Through Adversity,” with Dawn Olds, MAS, senior vice president of operations at distributor HALO; David Nicholson, president of supplier Polyconcept North America; Tom Goos, MAS, president of distributor Image Source; and Rosanne Webster, chief information officer at supplier SnugZ USA. The panelists will discuss the challenges that confront leaders running a business and share insights on how to lead through difficult decisions.

At 12:45 pm, the second general session panel, “Building A Framework For Diversity, Equity And Inclusion In The Workplace,” brings together Kathy DiFrancesco, CAS, vice president of sales at SnugZ USA; Elise Lindborg, CEO at Brand|Pride; Latisha Marshall, vice president of operations for ePromos Promotional Products, LLC; and moderator Johanna Gottlieb, vice president of sales, Midwest, for distributor HALO. Their conversation will examine diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), an important topic in the promotional products industry considering changing demographics, globalization and the competition for talent, and discuss the challenges and opportunities of creating and sustaining an inclusive culture.

Conference attendees can choose from 16 breakout sessions throughout the day to tailor their education experience to their needs. The PPAI Expo Conference is free to PPAI members and $99 for PPAI Associates and nonmembers. For more information, click here.

For more information on The PPAI Expo 2022, visit expo.ppai.org and to register, click here.