The Global Executive Network (GXN), a networking group for senior leaders in the international promotional products industry, held its fourth annual conference at the Altis Grand Hotel in Lisbon, Portugal, from Sept. 24 to 26.

GXN held its fourth annual conference in Lisbon, Portugal, from Sept. 24 to 26.

With a sharp focus on leadership, technology and transformation, the three-day event brought together more than 120 top-level executives from around the world for cross-border dialogue and curated networking.

“The exchange and discussion with entrepreneurs representing a total volume of over $15 billion is unique,” said Marcus Sperber, CEO of Germany-based elasto GmbH & Co. (asi/51817). “The annual GXN conference has established itself as the most important global event in the industry.”

During the event, GXN gave out its first-ever lifetime achievement award, recognizing ASI President and CEO Tim Andrews. The newly established award honors outstanding contributions to the global promotional products industry and reflects GXN’s commitment to recognizing long-term leadership and innovation. Andrews, who recently announced that he would be retiring next March, has been at the helm of ASI for 23 years.

“Tim Andrews has not only led ASI with vision and purpose – he has shaped an entire generation of professionals in our industry,” said Michael Freter, founder of GXN, during the awards ceremony.

Other highlights of the event included an opening keynote, delivered by Freter and Conference Moderator Florian Rotberg, which provided a comprehensive status update on the promotional products industry – addressing geopolitical market pressures and the need for stronger international collaboration.

Andrews also served on a panel about promo industry trends, and Michele Bell, ASI senior vice president for content and global alliances, moderated a panel on resilience in extreme situations.

Julian Phillips, a U.S.-based futurist and author of LevAIthan, shared the stage with his AI co-author Athena, in an interactive session illustrating how artificial intelligence is redefining leadership, decision-making and creativity, not in theory, but in executive reality.

Participants lauded the thought-provoking discussions and high-level networking at the event, which featured insights from over 25 speakers from Europe and North America.

“We realized we have become part of an incredible global community,” said Sarah Howarth, sales and commercial director for U.K.-based distributor Wild Thang (asi/360233). “GXN wasn’t just an industry conference – it was a hub of leaders, ideas and, for us, reassurance on our direction and approach.”

ASI is one of the founding members of GXN.