PPAI Vegas- Top custom Products Trends 2016

As always, this year’s PPAI Expo that was held between January 10-14th in Las Vegas turned out to be a whirlwind affair. The largest tradeshow of business promotional items in North America, Vegas expo brought together scores of suppliers, guest speakers and marketing professionals. We at ProImprint tried to track the latest trends for the year 2016 as we took a look around the tradeshow booths during those five hectic and eventful days.

The 2016 promotional gift trends suggested that gifts that are practical and functional are likely to be popular this year. Customers are looking for fresh designs and more practical features in products. So the promotional gift items will see a lot of power packing and innovations in the days ahead.

Here are some of the highlights.

Drinkware items: Most tradeshow stalls that we visited highlighted the latest and the healthiest drinkware items including the most trending models in flasks, tumblers, multipurpose cups and bottles among others. So, we think that Custom drinkware will be one of the hottest custom gifts to watch out for during this year. We even spotted a few innovative models including those with removable bottom for ice and the dual wall models that will keep the beverages well chilled for a longer duration.

Another product that grabbed our attention was the Zoom Audio Flask, which brought together the goodness of a tumbler coupled with the functions of a Bluetooth, speaker and phone. This should fit the bills of all the busy travelling executives who can keep up with their work and communication even when they are on their refreshment break. It was great to see technology coming to the aid of the health conscious populace of the country. To be frank, we were really impressed with this one.

It is technology all the way
Multipurpose chargers: Chargers with multiple ports for all the gizmos that people use these days, was another buzzing item in the Vegas tradeshow. We all remain hooked to the phones not just to talk but also to text, check mails, share videos and for many other tasks. These chargers will ensure that they never end up with a phone that conked off. To cater to the demanding customers, suppliers have indeed packed the most functional features into promotional items this year. In Las Vegas, we could see many interesting models including chargers with a strobe light and those shaped like wrist straps. Gone are the days when chargers will have to look like plugs and pins! We remember seeing a powerbank model in last year’s tradeshow that can slice, dice and charge your device all at once.

Phone cases, adhesive-free phone wallets, cleaning clothes and other accessories too left a lasting impression in us with their color choices and fresh designs.

Even apparels underwent a makeover!
So, have you been stuck with just logo T shirts and hoodies as the only promotional items for your sports teams? Explore the treasure trove of apparels that the Vegas expo has unveiled! From camouflage apparels to logo ponchos and scarves, there is a range of innovative options to choose from. The old favorites of caps and hats too were displayed prominently in most tradeshows as we all know these items never go out of trend! The flashy color choices including bright hues and neons will offer more choices for marketers in the days ahead. Neutrals and white could well be on their way out!

Tech products turned a few heads
Tech products have been cruising along the popularity graph steadily for the past few months. The impressive lineup of tech products suggested that the trend is likely to continue. We literally lost count of the many innovative models that were on display including detachable models, floating speakers and those that light up! The noise cancelling headphones is another popular model that grabbed our attention. You can still enjoy the music without straining your ear drums with these futuristic items that hold the answer of reducing the menace of noise pollution.

It has been raining bags in Vegas
Heaps of bags in a range of vibrant hues added up to the aesthetic appeal of most trade booths. Made from various materials and at every price rates, these bags were real show stoppers. We saw quite a lot of innovative material options like denim and even sweat shirt materials unlike the customary options like nylon or cotton. We assume that no other logo gifts have undergone as much change and innovations as custom bags in the last few years. Imprinted liners must have caught hold of the attention of many a guest as these will show off the logo and message every time the recipients open their bags.

As expected, coolers were a rage this time too. The added insulation and irresistible color choices coupled with interesting designs have all made coolers a piping hot gift item. Believe it or not, we even saw a cooler with eyeballs!

Fitness products
People in general seem to be becoming more health conscious going by the popularity of these logo fitness products. From the ever popular pedometers to branded apps and more, there were quite a few items that stood out.

Colors and crayons
Coloring books, highlighters, crayons and pencils were all trending high. Interestingly, the popularity of adult coloring books has hit its peak as these are not just fun but make excellent stress busters too.

As in previous year, there was a lot of activity going on in PPAI Vegas that we may need more blog posts to cover it all. Hoping to be back soon with more points that we could not cover here. By the way, which promotional trend in Vegas did you find the most interesting?

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