Promotional Products Professionals of Canada (PPPC) held the Holiday Showcase in Toronto on Oct. 20, the association’s first in-person event since before the pandemic.

According to the PPPC, organizers welcomed 39 exhibitors and 215 attendees for the one-day event. They were also visited by Ontario Premier Doug Ford; Toronto City Councilman Michael Ford; Ontario Associate Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction Nina Tangri; and Ontario Legislative Assemblyman Deepak Anand, who were on hand to express their appreciation that events are returning to the province after many months of lockdowns and restrictions.

“I had the opportunity to thank Doug Ford and Nina Tangri, which was an unexpected treat,” says Cindy Chapman, founder and brand builder at Plan-It Promotions in Concord, ON. “They’ve championed for our small businesses throughout the past 20 months, and I was thrilled to see them on the floor today supporting our industry and our return to national in-person events.” Chapman says she was eager to get back to trade shows, along with many of her promo peers.

From left to right: Nina Tangri, Ontario Associate Minister of Small Business; Cindy Chapman, Plan-It Promotions; Michelle Merrifield, ASI Canada; Doug Ford, Ontario Premier; and Lindsey Alcorn, BAMKO Canada, at the PPPC Holiday Showcase in Mississauga. (Credit: Michelle Merrifield)

“It was a sensory delight,” Chapman says. “The show floor was a hub of activity and absolutely rejuvenating, and it was fabulous seeing the products and experiencing being with amazing colleagues after so much time apart. We’re seeing quality, retail-inspired and name brand products continue to gain market share, and there’s no better way to appreciate those than seeing them in person. I’m so glad I went.”

Melanie Langille, vice president of sales for St Regis Group (asi/84592; Canada, asi/84595), witnessed the same interest in retail brands at her company’s booth. “The show exceeded my expectations for sure,” she says. “We weren’t sure how many distributors were ready for in-person events, but I was pleasantly surprised. Our industry is a family; even though none of us had seen each other in 20 months, we were right back where we left off. And Doug Ford’s visit made the first show back extra special.”

We were pleased to have had @fordnation , @DeepakAnandMPP, @ninatangri, @MichaelFordTO join us at the Holiday Showcase Toronto today to celebrate Promo Products Work! Day. #PPPCHolidayShowcase pic.twitter.com/53kGSWltNO

— PPPC (@PPPCInc) October 20, 2021

Leslie Priest, a promotional marketing specialist with Talbot Promo (asi/341500), says she appreciated the health and safety guidelines in place, like reserved time slots on the floor to mitigate crowding. “It was nice to talk to people, as well as see new products and even a few new suppliers,” she says.

Christian Juteau, national sales manager for DML Creation (asi/48031), says the traffic was “steady but slow,” which gave him time to attend education sessions and catch up with GTA clients. He’s been attending in-person shows in other provinces, but the Holiday Showcase “was more to rekindle with a few clients, which is still good,” he says.

Sales reps with STORMTECH (asi/89869) speak with attending distributors. (Credit: Michelle Merrifield)

Reps with Spector & Co. (asi/88660) were finally able to present their new products in person, particularly ORA, a new line of drinkware. “We got a fantastic response,” says Jennifer LeBricon, VP of sales enablement and chair-elect of PPPC’s National Board of Directors. “Adding to the excitement was Premier Ford coming to the show to see the latest trends in promo. It was truly a wonderful day. Spector is so happy to be back and all the attendees seemed to share that same feeling.”

Paul Wieleba, owner of multi-line firm {WE} Promotional Advertising and vice chair of PPPC’s National Board of Directors, says a few suppliers flew across the country to exhibit their products in person after months of virtual calls. “What stood out was sustainable products, and the growth of name brands, packaging and Canada-made,” he says. “It was also exciting to see many new suppliers attend, and our exciting guests created quite a buzz on the floor.”

Stéphane Maurais, president of Alco Prevention Canada (asi/30166), calls the show “exceptional” and a welcome change of pace after months of Zoom meetings.

“I finally met customers with whom we’ve been doing business for the last 20 months,” Maurais says. “People were interested and listening. And I met Doug Ford, who told me he will be ordering single-use breathalyzers. His assistant actually came back after our initial meeting for contact information. The show took a lot of leadership to organize. Thanks a million.”