The PPAI Expo 2016
When The Industry Comes Together, Big Things Happen
Building The Best. Expo. Ever.
It’s not just a tagline to promote the industry’s largest and longest-running trade show—it’s PPAI’s promise that this show is designed to help industry professionals build the best businesses possible.
The PPAI Expo returns January 10-14, 2016 to the spectacular Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas where a $66 million expansion was completed this fall. The biggest change show attendees will notice is they will no longer need to ride the escalator or try to remember on which floor an exhibitor is located. For the first time in 40 years of Expo history, all exhibits are on one level in 870,000 square feet.
The trade show kicks off on Tuesday, January 12 with live music, big prizes and early-bird access at 8 am for all registered attendees to the four Product Pavilions, including New Products, Green Products, Made In The USA and Express Ship. PPAI’s brand., featuring premium and incentive products, opens at 9 am in the new Hall F along with supplier booths in the new Hall E. At 10 am the entire show floor, showcasing more than 3,200 booths, opens to foot traffic.
From dozens of powerful education sessions to thousands of new products and promotional ideas, The PPAI Expo has it all covered. Read on for a glimpse of what’s in store January 10-14, 2016, in Las Vegas.
General Session
Monday, January 11, 2:30 – 3:30 pm
Mandalay Bay Ballroom
Hear 10-minute presentations from three world-class presenters: Melinda Doolittle, Casey Gerald and Josh Tickell, then choose one speaker for a more in-depth power keynote presentation.
Power Keynotes
Monday, January 11, 4 – 5 pm
Mandalay Bay Ballroom F, J and H
Based on the 10-minute presentations beforehand, attendees will choose one session for a more intimate discussion on one of these key topics:
Beyond Me: Finding Your Way To Life’s Next Level
Speaker: Melinda Doolittle
Make A Life, Not Just A Living: Overcome Fear, Harness Failure And Tap Into Our True Mission To Solve The Big Problems Of Our Time
Speaker: Casey Gerald
Secrets Of The Millennials Code
Speaker: Josh Tickell
Keynote Session
Seth Godin: From Invisible To Remarkable: Dancing On The Edge Of A Revolution
Tuesday, January 12, 8:30-9:50 am
Mandalay Bay Ballroom
Seth Godin, the wildly popular marketing expert and master blogger, is author of 18 books that have been best-sellers around the world. He writes about the post-industrial revolution, the way ideas spread, marketing, quitting, leadership and, most of all, changing everything. PPB spoke with Godin about his latest book, What To Do When It’s Your Turn, fears, failure and what makes him happiest.
PPB: In your book you talk about how someone may reject an idea based on their worldview. What are some ways to influence someone’s perception to get them to say ‘yes’?
Godin: Actually, it’s almost impossible to change someone’s worldview, and bribes don’t work. What does work is creating (and living) a story that matches the worldview that the person already has. [For example] if someone has the worldview that they don’t trust strangers, for example, then become a non-stranger before you ask them to trust you. It sounds simple, but too often marketers are selfish, and we focus on what we want and what we believe, not what the prospect believes.
PPB: You also talk about overcoming fear of failure. What specific actions can someone take in a typical day to start thinking differently about fear and risk?
Godin: You can’t make risk disappear. And you can’t make fear go away. What you can learn to do, the same way you learned to ride a bike, is to practice dancing with fear. Fear isn’t the enemy; fear is a compass, a pointer to which direction you need to go to do something worthwhile. Look for the fear, don’t flee.
PPB: How did you become fearless?
Godin: I’m not. I don’t know a sane human who is. I’m always around fear. The difference is that I use it to ship my work, to focus my energy, to keep score.
PPB: What did you dream, for readers, for yourself, when you set out to write this book?
Godin: Books are powerful indeed. Shared books are more powerful still. A shared book gives us something in common, something to talk about. The goal of the book is to inspire, not to reassure. We have a magical moment in time, and I fear we’re wasting it.
PPB: Your strength is that you think differently than the masses. Can you pinpoint an ‘aha’ moment in your life that changed or began to change the way you think?
Godin: I would guess that most people think differently from the status quo, but they’ve been brainwashed into not speaking up. The emperor and his clothes. I decided many years ago that it was more powerful, more leveraged and more fun to see things a little differently. When I ignore that, I regret it. I held back during the early days of the internet, because I didn't ‘see it.’ I think we lull ourselves into not seeing, because it feels a lot safer. It’s not.
PPB: What is the root of your passion for nonconformity?
Godin: I have a passion for humanity. Humans don’t conform--machines do, systems do, cogs do. When we are human, we’re connected, charged up, alive. Why would we trade that in?
PPB: What are some of your biggest failures and what did you learn from them?
Godin: I’ve had a few failures of commission. Books rejected (800 proposals in one year), sales calls aborted, employees that didn’t work out. I’m much more focused on the failures of omission: the ‘thank-yous’ I failed to say, the opportunities I failed to see or worse, move on; the lessons I’ve failed to learn and the things I’ve failed to teach. The person who fails the most, wins—at least the first kind of failures. Small failures we learn from.
PPB: How do you measure your own success?
Godin: I’d like to be measured on what my students teach their students. And I think the best way to make that happen is to be trusted, to treat that trust with respect and to use it to make people uncomfortable enough that they’ll leap to the next level.
PPB: What makes you happiest?
Godin: My kids. My wife. Watching someone grow into the generous leader they are capable of becoming. Pulling a nice shot on an espresso machine. A special batch of dark chocolate. Going for a walk with my mutt. Paddling a canoe in Algonquin Park on a calm, cool evening around sunset.
Networking Checklist
Purchase tickets when you register for the show at www.expo.ppai.org
Chairman’s Reception & Dinner
Monday, January 11, 6:30 – 9:30 pm
Mandalay Bay Ballroom, Level 2
$125 Member / $175 Nonmember (Advance ticket price)
PPAI Awards Presentation & Reception
Tuesday, January 12, 6:30 – 8:30 pm, doors open at 6 pm
House of Blues at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino
Live music by Midnight Soul Patrol
$50 Member / $100 Nonmember (Advance ticket price)
PowerOfTwo Party
Wednesday, January 13, 7:30 – 10:30 pm
LIGHT Nightclub, Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino
$25/person—includes two drinks and light hors d’oeuvres
Must be 21 or older, valid photo ID required, dress code enforced.
Get Ready, Get Set, Get The App
Plan your show-floor coverage in advance and keep it at your fingertips with the new app from SAGE. In 2016, SAGE Mobile™, the most comprehensive show planner available, will be replacing Expo PlanIt.
• Create a walk list prior to the show and SAGE Mobile will guide you to each booth on your walk list based on the most efficient route
• View the interactive floor plan to help you navigate the show floor and see the exhibitors’ booths you added to your walk list
• Sort your walk list by your preferred method (Company Name, Booth Number, Zig-Zag Walk Order, One Side Walk Order)
• Search for exhibitors by company name and quickly find their booth number
• Add notes, pictures, video and audio recordings on products and suppliers that interest you for easy reference after the show
• View the education schedule to plan out your day, then take notes during the sessions and email them to yourself or your colleagues
Download the app from the App Store or Google Play, or find the Get Started link at http://sageworld.com/sage-mobile-expo.
Register Here
Find the full schedule, program details, hotel information and airline discounts, and register online at www.expo.ppai.org. The PPAI Expo is open to exhibiting and member suppliers and qualified industry distributors with a valid UPIC or PPAI number. For more specifics, click the Registration tab at www.expo.ppai.org.
Schedule Overview
Sunday, January 10
Committee Meetings
Paid Education
Monday, January 11
Education Sessions
General Session
Power Keynotes
Chairman’s Reception & Dinner
Tuesday, January 12
General Session
Show Floor Open
Education Sessions
PPAI Awards Presentation & Reception
Wednesday, January 13
Show Floor Open
Education Sessions
PowerOfTwo Party
Thursday, January 14
Show Floor Open until 3 pm
Education Sessions