Last week we visited the PPAI show in Las Vegas, Surely the most important promotional product industry event in the USA, to be compared with the Düsseldorf PSI in Europe.
PPAI did not yet release information about the number of visitors or exhibitors yet, but according to information from the exibitors the attendee was down with at least 20% compared to last year, we could clearly see this at the show, there was for sure activity but it wasn’t hectic as it used to be other years. Same for the number of exibitors, estimated to be at least 10% less than last year, maybe more.
A lot of empty space at the exhibition floors and less people walking around. The echo I did get from friends in the USA industry confirmed the figures I already had for the European market, 2009 turnover was 20% /25% lower than 2008. Especially in the USA the Awards industry has suffered a lot, Business gifts also where far below the 2008 level, only premiums seemed to be stable.
Any new products at the show in 2010 ? Not really, apart from the sanatizing products suposed to stop the spread of I don’t know which terrible germs.
Furthermore nothing really exiting.
Same feeling came from our people who visited the PSI in Düsseldorf this year, PSI itself gave already some results, 11.5% decline in the attendance figures, Registering 16,464 visitors the figures were well below the result achieved in 2009 (18,600) and only 883 exibitors. But people who exhibited and visited the show told me they felt a far stronger deciline in visitors than these 11.5%.
But, please be optimistic all of you around the world, our super President here in France told us everything will be better in 2010, and I really don’t see a reason why not believe this hyper sympatic Sarkoman, no doubt that he’ll save the promotional products industry.