Promotional products, quite literally, got the red carpet treatment at this year’s PRINTING United Expo, held over three days in September at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The ASI Pavilion at PRINTING United Expo brought together more than 60 suppliers in one space dedicated to opportunities in promo.

2026 marked the inaugural year of the ASI Pavilion, a “show within a show” concept that brought more than 60 suppliers into one concentrated area, along with a robust presence from ASI, which demarcated the pavilion within the rest of the massive trade show with ASI-red carpeting and plenty of directional signage pointing the promo-curious in the right direction.

Suppliers ensconced in the ASI Pavilion said they were happy with the quality of the conversations on the show floor. Aamir Madha, director of sales at Smart Blanks (asi/87811), said the expo “brought out a great crowd.”

Amanda Maynord, director of national accounts at Counselor Top 40 supplier Hirsch (asi/61005), also expressed enthusiasm.

“We’ve had opportunities to meet a lot of people that don’t normally sell promo,” she said. “If they’re already selling print, they might as well be selling promo to their clients too.”

In addition to bringing suppliers together in one area, ASI also provided plenty of educational and networking opportunities throughout the three days of the expo, including conversations over espresso in the morning and hot dogs in the afternoon. There was also a cocktail hour one afternoon, where attendees could mix and mingle while enjoying a beverage and light refreshments.

Meanwhile, on the ASI Pavilion stage, attendees could take advantage of a slew of free educational sessions on topics that ranged from sustainability trends to strategies for turning print sales into promo revenue. Read on for highlights from those conversations.

Translating Print Sales Into Promo Revenue

For printers who already have a foot in the door with clients, there are plenty of opportunities to expand into promo, Mike Malinowski, vice president of sales for Counselor Top 40 supplier Gill Studios (asi/56950), told Brendan Menapace, content director for Print & Promo Marketing. Stickers and labels, for example, can be a nice entry point, helping companies onboard new employees. They’re “an easy way for you to introduce your company vibe, your company culture, to new employees,” he said.

Another opportunity for adding promo is safety training, he said. Providing branded notebooks, along with other printed materials, would be an ideal upsell for an employee training session, he added.

The bottom line? “Say yes to more,” Malinowski said. “You always want to say yes to your customer and just broaden that experience.”

The Sustainable Promo Clients Really Want

Dan Pointer of PCNA (asi/66887) spoke with Theresa Hegel of ASI about sustainability trends in promo.

Dan Pointer, senior marketing manager at Counselor Top 40 supplier PCNA (asi/66887), discussed sustainability trends, the importance of third-party certifications and how to create promo campaigns that have a lower environmental impact – paired with a high emotional impact.

“If you have something that’s fully thought out from square one all the way through the campaign, that’s when you can have a really impactful campaign,” he said.

To combat promo’s “brandfill” reputation, Pointer recommended focusing on higher-priced items, perhaps from a respected brand name that may already have giveback initiatives and sustainability certifications baked in. Or, if the budget requires a lower price point, choose something meaningful and pair it with “phenomenal decoration” to add to the perceived value.

“Give them something awesome … so that folks are more likely to hang onto it,” he said.

Design & Deco Trends in Promo Apparel

Davis Slagle, vice president at apparel decorator BeeGraphix, shared some of the biggest trends in promo apparel and decoration. Oversized prints, moving beyond the standard 16 x 20 platens, are hot right now, a trend that might require specialized equipment to achieve. The vintage aesthetic, with distressed prints and concert-style graphics, are also popular.

Slagle also pointed to a trend he called “corporate casual,” where companies will have apparel decorated with a simplified version of the company name – maybe rendered in a script font – rather than using the official logo. “It takes the brand down a little bit, but still lets employees wear their branded merch,” he added.

It’s important to note, however, that trends vary, depending on markets and demographics. “Find out who your customer is,” he said. “Whatever they’re buying, pay attention to where they shop and see what’s showing up for them.”

A simple trend-tracking method, Slagle said, is to sign up for marketing emails from the stores where your clients are likely to shop, having them routed directly to a special folder in your inbox, then asking your AI program to tease out common trends from the messages.

How a Clever Self-Promo Campaign Leads to Sales

In another session, Michele Bell, ASI senior vice president of editorial, education and global alliances, chatted with industry veteran Jay Busselle about opportunities available for creative promo salespeople. Bell shared a story of a distributor who sent 20 prospective clients a pizza cutter with their name engraved on the handle. He tracked the items via UPS, and once they were delivered, he had fresh pizzas delivered to each of them. The distributor ended up landing all 20 clients, thanks to the attention to detail.

“Engraving the handle of a pizza cutter is not challenging,” Busselle said. “That’s an easy win.”

He added that promo is so powerful because it evokes emotion and cuts through the noise: “You get to declutter everything that’s digital and say, ‘I demand your attention.’”