With 600 exhibitors, a 10% increase over last year’s show, and 11,062 visitors from 74 countries, the PSI Show proved once again why it’s the premier event in the European promo market. Based in Düsseldorf, Germany, the three-day show ran from Jan. 7-9, and featured the best of design, merchandising, sustainability and product innovation trends.

Spanning three halls, the 62^nd annual PSI Show in Dusseldorf, Germany, is the largest annual promo event in Europe.

“Despite the challenging economic backdrop, the industry is demonstrating its resilience and willingness to leverage opportunities, explore innovative paths and adapt to dynamic requirements,” said Michael Köhler, managing director of PSI organizer RX Deutschland GmbH. “Trade shows such as PSI not only create a platform, but also the prerequisites for the sector to exchange and shape the future with fresh inspirations rather than just react to external impulses.”

The trade show, held in three halls at the Messe Convention Centre, featured inspirations from various areas – ranging from the increasing importance of AI in the promotional product industry to new ideas for sustainable and resource-saving products. “With this broadened perspective we want to make it clear that this industry can be self-confident and proud of its relevance going far beyond the classic promotional product business,” said Petra Lassahn, PSI director. “It’s about a broad field of promotional measures.”

This was also reflected in the wide range of promotional textiles highlighted at the trade show, both in the special Textile Village and displayed by individual exhibitors. “An important market,” added Lassahn, “because for over 50% of our visitors, textiles – be they promotional, team or workwear – are among the key products.”

It bears noting that Turkey, in particular, had a strong presence at the show, with nearly 60 additional booths from Turkish manufacturers of apparel, pens, drinkware, desk accessories and bags, in addition to a huge presence from the Turkish Chamber of Commerce, which has made significant investment, with the backing of the Turkish government, to expand and support Turkey’s manufacturing industry.

The Globalization of Promo

With more Counselor Top 40 and mid-sized U.S. distributors attending the show, most point to an increased interest in the EU market because they have clients with an international footprint who need promo support, specifically in Germany, the UK and France. The PSI Show, U.S. distributors in attendance noted, affords them the opportunity to meet quality EU-based suppliers and perhaps meet distributor counterparts in other countries with whom to partner.

PSI’s logo in this information booth is crafted out of living foliage, further emphasizing the show’s commitment to sustainability, as well as that of the exhibitors – those based in Europe are held to the highest sustainability laws and standards.

As noted in ASI Media’s annual report of the EU and U.K. promo markets, Germany is the largest for promo sales, by far, with the U.K. as the second-largest and oftentimes more attractive of the two due to the lack of a language barrier. Through events like the VIP networking reception hosted by PromoAlliance – the networking and education strategic partnership between ASI, PSI and Sourcing City in the U.K. founded in 2011 – North American distributors and suppliers in attendance were able to cultivate connections with their overseas counterparts.

PSI booths are much larger than those at U.S. events, because selling at European shows is much more consultative, with sitting areas for sales meetings and relationship-building, to say nothing of the in-booth parties some suppliers have when the floor closes – a very common occurrence at European shows.

“The valuable networking among American companies grows every year,” said Debbie Abergel, chief strategy officer at Counselor Top 40 distributor Nadel (asi/279600). “It’s really nice to see the influence of the many great U.S. companies that attend and seeing/sharing growth in the global space. I have to commend ASI for being a valuable resource for first-time and returning U.S. distributors. For me, personally seeing the evolution of the Euro suppliers is valuable. They have always led in sustainability and seeing the efforts on reducing production time and increasing deco capabilities was so enlightening.”

European promo suppliers aren’t nearly as fast as their North American counterparts when it comes to turnaround time, but two areas where they do excel? Product design and the creativity of their booth displays for merchandising.

Dana Zezzo, vice president of strategic growth at Counselor Top 40 distributor American Solutions for Business (ASB, asi/120075) agreed. “I can’t say enough positive things about my experience this year at PSI,” Zezzo said. “This is ASB’s third year attending and the relationships created from the start with the help of PromoAlliance continue to build. The PSI show is a reminder of both the value of constant industry creativity and the personal relationships. The full experience at PSI, including all the networking, is critical to ASB’s expansion to a global footprint.”

For distributors new to the event, the ubiquitous and creative emphasis from exhibitors on sustainability, the retail-inspired way they display and merchandise their products and the sheer scale of the booths was eye-opening and enlightening, not to mention the consultative approach that’s common at European promo shows – no darting in and out of booths to get scanned; in Europe, you sit in an exhibitor’s booth, and have relationship-building business conversations over coffee or a glass of champagne.

Leaning way into its sustainability messaging, this exhibitor’s booth was constructed entirely of recycled corrugated boxes.

“It’s one thing to read about an industry, but it’s another to experience it firsthand,” said Brynn Baker, with the distributor Evo3 Marketing (asi/190628) in Seattle. “The sheer scale of the event and the variety of companies, products and innovations was incredible. I wasn’t just walking through aisles filled with products; I was discovering an entire world of unique solutions in an industry with a shared goal of collaboration to help brands increase exposure in creative ways.”

Evo3’s owner and CEO, Amy Wolf, conducts business overseas in both the promo and event spaces and was equally impressed with her first visit to PSI. “As an American promo company, traveling to PSI in Düsseldorf was well worth the investment,” Wolf said. “The pulse on trends in product design was well matched to the innovative sustainable product lines. The only things superseding these tangible marketing items were the human connections. European culture is a natural elixir for genuine business discussions while developing long-term relationships with suppliers and other distributors.”

This food gifts exhibitor created a full-on candy “bar” where attendees could sit, chat with reps, peruse the catalog and eat sweets to their hearts’ content. Needless to say, it was a very popular meeting spot.

Adell Means, president of the Indianapolis-based distributor Resource & Supply, had no real expectations heading to the show other than meeting new suppliers. “Instead, I was pleasantly surprised by the strong presence of U.S. companies at the event, their openness to sharing ideas, the unique presentations from suppliers, and the valuable manufacturing and logistics insights for navigating Europe,” Means said. “The emphasis on sustainable products was particularly noteworthy, making it a show well worth attending in the future.”

“As an American promo company, traveling to PSI in Düsseldorf was well worth the investment. The pulse on trends in product design was well matched to the innovative sustainable product lines.” Amy Wolf, Evo3 Marketing (asi/190628)

Counselor 2024 Distributor Entrepreneur of the Year Joseph Sommer, owner of Whitestone Branding (asi/359741), also attended the show for the first time, due, in part, to his company’s expansion into European markets through a recent acquisition. “Our success is built on the strength of our partnerships and the incredible people behind them,” Sommer said. “Since planting roots in Europe last July, attending PSI was essential for our team to connect and collaborate with the vendors and industry leaders who will play a key role in our growth. The trip exceeded our expectations, both in fostering valuable relationships and in experiencing the exceptional hospitality and support that the PSI community is known for.”

Exhibitors Go Big, Bold & Green

The 600 global suppliers exhibiting their offerings at the show had their presentation and merchandising creativity on full display, and reaped the benefits of distributor attendees wanting to spend time in their expansive, colorful, welcoming booths.

“It was another good PSI show and start of the year with many good talks with clients, partners and industry friends,” said Tobias Roesch, CEO of Elasto-Form (asi/51817), one of PSI’s most popular exhibitors each year. “PSI is the best way to present our products to our customers. The demand for new products made in Germany was particularly high. All in all, it felt like there were slightly fewer visitors, but the quality of the discussions was very good.”

Goldstar’s Heather Smartt and Kenny Ved – both members of Counselor’s Power 50 list – with their colleagues in their new booth showcasing their new, subtle, refined, sophisticated branding to Dana Zezzo, vice president of Counselor Top 40 distributor ASB (asi/120075).

For Lisbon-based Heather Smartt, the American managing director of Counselor Top 40 supplier Goldstar (asi/73295), PSI was a chance to test-drive the company’s new booth and initiatives, such as ramped up sustainability offerings and the ability to track a product’s origin story in the production cycle. “PSI was the perfect platform to introduce Goldstar’s refreshed brand and product lineup,” Smartt said. “Getting to meet with industry leaders, share our vision, and talk about how we’re pushing boundaries made it an unforgettable experience. And with our international client base, we’re proud to provide the same quality and product offerings, no matter where they’re located. Being at the PSI Show felt like a true celebration of Goldstar’s transformation. Launching our rebrand and new products on such a global stage was thrilling, and it reinforced just how important our partnerships are in shaping our future.”

This exhibitor of textiles used individual display cases to illustrate how their items are constructed from discarded ocean debris (first case), then turned into cleaned plastic pellets (second case), then thread (third case) and fully-formed fabric (fourth case) used for fabric for T-shirts, towels and bags. To see the sustainability progression was a powerful message.

Alexander Ullmann, the CEO of top German pen supplier UMA (asi/92469), noted that the third-generation company has been attending PSI as exhibitors for 60 years. “As a European leading manufacturer of promotional writing instruments, PSI is the ideal trade show to connect with our long-standing national and international customers,” Ullmann said. “In a great atmosphere, we not only present our latest models but also discuss the past year and future prospects with our clients. This exchange at the beginning of the year is an important indicator for the course of the business year.”

Ullmann shared that UMA had a team of 18 employees at the show, and that it was wonderful to see that personal interactions have significantly increased again after the COVID-19 crisis. “For our industry, the ‘face-to-business’ element is essential and forms the basis for long-term, partnership-based business relationships. For this reason, we’re already looking forward to a successful 2025 with our customers and to the next PSI in 2026.”

PSI Director Lassahn noted that what impressed her was the spirit of cooperation and dialogue between everyone involved. “This gives me hope for a positive future for our industry, even in difficult times,” she said. “It was a testament to quality and collaboration at every level.”

Dates for the 2026 PSI Düsseldorf Show are Jan. 6-8. For more information, contact Michele Bell at mbell@asicentral.com; for more information on PromoAlliance, go to www.promoalliance.com.

Click through gallery below for more images from the PSI Show.

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