Back on track
Merchandise professionals were PSI bound for the traditional start of the year in Germany
Despite hiccups caused by demonstrations by German farmers and a national rail strike, PSI, Europe’s main trade show for promotional products, kicked off 2024 on 7 January.
The Düsseldorf show boasted sold-out exhibition space, a rise in visitor numbers and an optimistic mood, underlining the resilience and innovative power of merchandise.
Exhibitors were up from 463 last year to 567, and represented 29 nations, with the entire exhibition space available in Halls 9 and 10 fully occupied. There were 11,003 visitors from 69 countries, compared with 10,509 in 2023 – the figures would have been even higher but for the wider disruption according to the organisers.
“I am absolutely overwhelmed by our exhibitors’ and visitors’ positive response. It shows that we are on the right track with our vision of re-positioning promotional products,” said PSI director Petra Lassahn. “This is only achievable with such an extraordinary network of PSI partners and friends.”
Exhibitors included such promotional hitters as PF Concept, Midocean, Prodir and XD Design, and there were visitor delegations from the US in the shape of ASI and PPAI. The BPMA’s Tom Robey attended the show representing the UK, alongside other UK companies including Sow Easy and Allwag.
Sales optimism
According to data revealed at the show, the European industry looks to the current business year with optimism. The results of the PSI Industry Barometer, an international survey of the PSI network across Europe, found that respondents expect sales to rise by 4.5% on average for 2024.
It also flagged up issues with 70% of participants naming customer price sensitivity as their biggest challenge, followed by excessively high ancillary costs (61%), competition (49%) and supply chain and logistics difficulties (42%).
A mission to educate
At the show PSI also helped its members to rise to these challenges with tailor-made education formats based around hot topics such as artificial intelligence, cyber security, counterfeiting prevention, the new EU Product Safety Regulation, the EU Toy Safety Regulation, and the Digital Product Pass.
Petra Lassahn announced the foundation of the PSI Sustainability Academy, which she said served an ongoing need.
“The topic of sustainability will continue to shape the future of the promotional products industry. We will support the industry in this endeavour.”
PSI plans to offer exclusive masterclasses and workshops for members with international speakers from all over Europe. The PSI Sustainability Awards will also return in a new guise next year, said Lassahn.
Back to the future
As well as thousands of current product trends on show, inspiration from the past was also available in the shape of the Museum of Promotional Articles, which had been collated by Cybergroup International and opened on the eve of PSI by Düsseldorf’s Lord Mayor Dr Stephan Keller.
The special exhibition showed, among other things, historical football fan articles and items bearing political messages such as replicas of the suffragette umbrellas.
“MoPA is a testimony to the development of marketing and the influence of promotional items in our culture,” said Mayor Keller. “PSI testifies to the resilience of the industry, which has overcome the challenges of the pandemic against all odds. The commitment to sustainability and initiatives such as the MoPA reaffirm the industry’s determination to recover.”
The next edition of PSI will take place from 7 to 9 January 2025 in Düsseldorf.
