Product Hub January 20, 2026
PPAI Expo 2026: 4 Trends From the Show Floor
Onsite activations and micro-versions of regular products were among the notable sights.
Key Takeaways
• Personalization and experiential marketing were prominent trends at PPAI Expo, with suppliers showcasing onsite decoration, mix-and-match components and AI-assisted activations.
• Product trends included tech-forward items with added functionality and miniaturized versions of popular products meant to boost appeal and accessory-style use.
• On the apparel side, “everyday luxury” was on the upswing, with nods to retail trends, elevated fabrications and affordable price points.
There were plenty of products to surprise and delight at last week’s PPAI Expo, held from Jan. 12 to 15 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. More than 10,000 distributors attended the show, which spanned roughly 1 million square feet and featured nearly 1,000 exhibitors.
The show’s Education Day featured a keynote address from Abigail Posner on the power of creativity and classes on a range of topics, including tips on storytelling in sales, how to incorporate AI tools into your business and the importance of vetting suppliers for sustainable and ethical practices.
On the show floor, several key trends emerged, from personalization activations to miniaturized products to everyday luxuries. Here are four of the most notable.
1. Experiential Marketing & Personalized Products
Continuing a trend that has been growing for years, many suppliers incorporated live decoration and hands-on activities in their booths or showed off products that encourage personalization and brand activations.
Multiple suppliers allowed distributors to choose a shirt and several designs, then direct a heat press operator on graphic placement to make the garment their own. Allmade Apparel (asi/34341) took it up a notch by pressing patches onto hoodies. The activation proved so popular, the supplier said, that they had to order more hoodies partway through the show to keep up with demand.
Counselor Top 40 supplier HPG (asi/61966) included a neon wall attendees could sign, among its many brand activations at PPAI Expo.
But the experiences went beyond apparel. Counselor Top 40 supplier HPG (asi/61966) offered a variety of activations at its booth, encouraging attendees to “make their mark.” Featured prominently was a black tunnel through the middle of the booth where visitors could sign their name or leave other messages in neon inks on the wall. Other activations included the mixie scent bar, where distributors could create a custom fragrance by dropping various scents onto a card to create something new.
Numo (asi/74710) introduced a “Pen Bar Experience in a Box,” providing a variety of pen components in various colors, so that people could mix and match to create a personalized writing instrument. The barrel, clip and plunger of the pens were all made from recycled plastic.
Swanky (asi/90303) incorporated AI into its onsite activation, dubbed “character creations.” The supplier took participants’ photos, ran them through AI to transform them into Vegas-themed cartoon drawings, then lasered the results onto poker chips. Mark Hanratty, founder and CEO, said the supplier has more than 30 products that can support its character creations, including luggage tags and leather-wrapped whiskey glasses. The supplier can also create different themes for the AI-generated image.
Experiential marketing is so powerful, he added, because it creates a lasting feeling, more so than when receiving an already-decorated piece of promo – and the memory of that good feeling is directly associated with the brand that facilitated it. “People just love new and fresh experiences,” he said.
2. Tech With a Twist
Technology-focused products continue to be popular. Cosmo Promos (asi/46755) introduced AI translation earbuds, which enable real-time translation of dozens of languages. Calverley (asi/43261), a premium business gift supplier that offers the Tile brand to the industry, also introduced Brick, a digital wellness tool that attaches to a phone to block distracting apps and enable deeper focus. There were also plenty of power banks and charging cables on display from a variety of suppliers.
But suppliers also incorporated tech into more everyday, utilitarian items. Counselor Top 40 supplier Logomark (asi/67866) showed off topl drinkware, a double-wall, vacuum-insulated travel cup made of recycled stainless steel that features a 360-degree sipping lid made from recycled polypropylene. The lid allows users to drink or fill from any angle without removing the lid and has a secure locking system to prevent leaks. Built into the bottom of the tumbler is a reprogrammable NFC chip, which users can tap to scan and get new information from the brand who gave them out. “The cup continually advertises, and you keep getting those impressions forever,” said Lee Simerly, regional sales manager for Logomark.
Thread Farm (asi/91145), a supplier that offers fully custom apparel, introduced a hard goods product called the Coveride. The custom iPhone case includes a high-definition video screen that can be programmed, via app, to play various photos and videos. A brand can add a commercial to the screen, but the end-user has the ability to later customize the screen with their own content. “It’s an Instagram world that we live in,” said Nilo Jones, co-founder and head of design at Thread Farm. “Everybody wants to be an influencer and show off where they’ve been and what they’re doing. This right here is the ultimate flex.”
3. Low-Key Luxury
LAT Apparel (asi/65948) showcased its Versatile Luxury collection, which featured a heavyweight fleece hoodie with retail touches, meant to provide structure without stiffness.
Apparel and accessories suppliers showed off retail-inspired pieces and trend-forward touches, whether it was rope hats made of corduroy fabric or hoodies without drawcords and kangaroo pockets. Ditching those elements gives the hoodie cleaner lines, and incorporating deep side pockets and a better-designed hood shape retains the piece’s functionality, suppliers said. LAT Apparel (asi/65948) offered one such hoodie in its new Versatile Luxury collection. The collection features a 10-ounce heavyweight fleece and 7.3-ounce micro-rib, both engineered to provide structure without stiffness and substance without bulk, according to the supplier.
“With Versatile Luxury, we set out to elevate the everyday,” said Tami Miller, creative marketing director. “Our heavyweight fabric is a true differentiator – designed to deliver polish, comfort and performance without compromise.”
Eric Simsolo of Next Level Apparel (asi/73867) lauded the brand’s Ideal T line as being an affordable luxury.
Counselor Top 40 supplier Next Level Apparel (asi/73867) debuted a new trade show booth meant to mimic the typical shopping experience, with open entry points all around and retail-inspired merchandising cues. President Eric Simsolo noted that the supplier’s brand story is “effortless luxury.”
“We’re very much a California brand; it’s in our DNA,” he added, “But we don’t want to make it too unapproachable.”
A piece that exemplifies that ethos is the brand’s 1810 Ideal T-shirt, which has a more fashionable cut than a classic promotional tee, but comes in at a lower price point than higher-end apparel. “This is going to be for someone who needs something nice, but can’t necessarily afford all the bells and whistles,” Simsolo said.
4. Mini-Products for Maximum Effect
Miniaturized products, like these clip-on micro-boat totes from Banaka (asi/38243), were trending at PPAI Expo.
Many suppliers went oversized with their booth presentations. For example, Sock101 (asi/88071) featured a giant inflatable shoe in its display, and Uinta Design (asi/92416) showed off a larger-than-life quilted bag that people could walk inside for a fun photo op.
But some of the true standouts were miniature versions of regular products, playing up the cuteness factor and tying into the personalized accessories trend that was Counselor’s 2025 Product of the Year. Banaka (asi/38243) offered a micro-sized boat tote that could be clipped onto a matching mini-version for tote bag inception. Counselor Top 40 supplier PCNA (asi/66887) showed off a micro-Hydro Flask that holds 6.7 ounces of liquid and can be stowed in a pocket or clipped onto a bag. AdNArt (asi/31518) topped off tumblers with mini-baseball cap lids.
The miniaturization trend also sparked totally new product ideas. Kevin Thomas, founder of FattyPack, demonstrated his product, which he described as a “fanny pack for your hat.” Essentially a trifold pocket with a hook-and-loop closure that wraps around the back of a ballcap, the product is designed to store emergency items like a key and spare cash without the hassle of a purse or wallet. “I live in a beach town, and I’m always on the go,” Thomas said of what spurred the invention. “I don’t like having things in my pockets.”
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