Supplier and Distributor Impressions from the Final Day of Exhibits at The PPAI Expo 2012

The trade show floor opened for the third and final day Friday at The PPAI Expo 2012 in Las Vegas. Following a busy week filled with professional development, networking and marketing strategies, distributors walked down the aisles eager to see new products and find solutions to their clients' needs.

Speaking with suppliers and distributors on the show floor, one word cropped up again and again: optimism. "I'm finding the floor to be wonderfully optimistic," said Damian Want, COO of 99CentPromos.com, which won the 2012 PPAI Supplier Star Award as the best new supplier. "The fourth quarter was strong and people are going into 2012 with a real belief that it's going to be a strong year for the industry. Marketing budgets are beginning to expand and we have a lot to look forward to in 2012."

Paul Bellantone, president and CEO of PPAI, reaffirmed Want's observation. "I'm really sensing a spirit of optimism that I haven't seen in the past couple of years," he said. "Whether it's truly the economy changing, or if people are just tired of being tired, we're definitely seeing optimism about 2012. And I think it's about time."

While the final day of any trade show is generally slow, the convention rooms remained busy as attendees tried to take everything in on the 1,000,000 square foot show floor. "This is my first show, and it's a great opportunity to see products I don't think I ever would have seen before," said Katelynn Packham, office assistant for The Logo Shop Inc., Logan, Utah. "You're just exposed to everything there is possible to sell. It's been a really good experience."

Distributors woke up early to attend 7 a.m. education sessions for their industry certification and remained to wander from booth to booth all day, even though many had attended Thursday night's Power of Two Party at LAX Nightclub in the Luxor hotel.