Vantage Apparel (PPAI 113235) brought associates from its sales, marketing, project management, merchandising, quality assurance and IT teams together at its Avenel, New Jersey, headquarters on November 7-9 for its national sales meeting. Built around the theme “Accelerate – Collaborate – Transform,” the meeting focused on the strategic foresight and business skills necessary for navigating today’s high volume of information and fast-paced changes.

PPAI President and CEO Paul Bellantone, CAE, also attended the meeting to deliver the keynote address which included an update about the state of the promotional products industry and the importance of identifying emerging trends to best prepare for the advantages or the disruptions they may bring.

The program also included sessions on the company’s 2019 line, a review of new styles and decoration trends, and a panel of in-house experts who discussed embroidery, digitizing, customer service and inventory sourcing. Vantage Apparel President Ira Neaman also spoke on the meeting’s “Accelerate – Collaborate – Transform” theme.

Attendees partook in a promotional apparel poetry slam to break the ice—competitors faced off with original poetic verses about their favorite Vantage items. They also recognized their peers’ achievements in 2018, honoring Allison Marconi as Vantage Sales Representative of the Year and Justyn Caldwell as Project Manager of the Year.