The promotional products industry has begun 2023 with a strong indicator that it has moved on from of the COVID-driven doldrums as the field’s largest trade shows report strong returns to form. Last week, attendee levels at The PPAI Expo neared their pre-pandemic strength, while The PSI Show – Europe’s leading promo trade show held annually in Düsseldorf, Germany – returned for the first time since 2020 with strong numbers.

A Welcome Return

The PSI Show, which was held January 10-12, featured 487 exhibitors and 10,509 visitors from 75 countries, this year. In 2020, organizers reported that the show drew 720 exhibitors and 16,367 visitors.

“Our expectations were exceeded especially by the international attendance with visitors coming not only from Europe but also from North America, the Middle East and North Africa. One in two visitors travelled to PSI from abroad,” says Barbara Leithner, chief operating officer at RX Austria & Germany, the PSI Show’s organizer. “Particularly impressive was the innovative power and agility with which companies used the time to adapt their products to the current requirements and trends using sustainable materials and modern technologies.”

Uwe Thielsch of exhibitor koziol »ideas for friends» Gmbh, says, “The exciting sense of new departures at PSI was just as great as the joy we felt to be able to meet on this platform again. We know what we have been missing over the past years.”

Industry Optimism

The potential surrounding promotional products and rising optimism in the industry were evident at The PSI Show. To showcase the rebounding industry, show organizers invited several members of the German government to attend. These included Markus Herbrand, spokesman for financial policy of the Free Democratic Parliamentary Group; Manfred Todtenhausen, also of the FDP, and Maik Außendorf of the Greens Party, who represent the interests of small- and medium-sized businesses in the Economic Committee of the Bundestag.

“With the comeback of PSI we have laid an excellent foundation for working together with the industry to address issues of the future,” says Petra Lassahn, director of PSI. “These include continued promotion of international exchange, promotion of sustainability and further emphasizing the importance of promotional products vis-à-vis policymakers.”

Benedikt Binder-Krieglstein, CEO of RX Austria & Germany, says, “Relations thrive on building confidence and shaping the future together. As the organizer of PSI we will also provide the setting for doing so in future.”

The Talk Of The Show

Sustainable promotional products were a popular trend at the 2020 show and remained a major presence in 2023.

“Promotional products have become the most relevant communication channel for many companies again,” says Steven Baumgärtner, chairman of the General Association of the German Promotional Product Industry. “As many as 39% of companies already use promotional products for communicating with their customers again. This was the result of our ‘WA-Monitor’ survey.”

The WA Monitor also indicated widespread understanding in the market of sustainability’s value. It found that sustainability played a significant role in 91% of companies’ promotional products purchasing decisions.

Suppliers are seeing the sustainability trend in their orders. Oliver Leykam of exhibitor Staedtler says, “Producing in a resource-saving way and selling products with a longer useful life has to become the norm.”

Another development highlighted at The PSI Show was a growing awareness around the quality of promotional products. Daniel Jeschonowski, managing partner at exhibitor Senator, says, “The factors associated with tactile advertising such as origin, certificates, manufacturing conditions as well as the brand behind it have all gained in priority.”

Looking Ahead

The PSI Show will return to Düsseldorf on January 9-11, 2024.

RX and Messe Düsseldorf, the PSI Show venue, announced at the 2023 show that they have extended their existing agreement to host the show through 2026.

“For decades the promotional product industry and the trade fair location Düsseldorf have been closely interlinked and we are delighted that PSI will also kick off the trade fair cycle in the years to come,” says Wolfram Diener, president and CEO of Messe Düsseldorf.