After a two-year break PSI will open its doors for three days at Düsseldorf Exhibition Centre on 10 January 2023. The show will be offering an extensive line-up of supporting events. Broken down into the focal themes “Sustainability”, “Added Value” and “Practical Knowledge” experts will introduce the international trade visitors to strategies for meeting the new developments and current challenges in a targeted manner.
“We are delighted at this vote of confidence from Germany and abroad,” reports PSI Director Petra Lassahn and goes on to explain: “Demand has picked up noticeably and especially the quality or visitors registered so far has boosted our motivation.”
Programme of side events places exchange in focus
Right at the beginning of the new fiscal year the show for the promotional product industry will offer its international expert audience a host of trends and inspirations related to tactile advertising. Above all, however, it will celebrate that personal exchange of knowledge and experience, with just under 400 exhibitors, over 30 guest speakers at the PSI Forum plus high-calibre representatives from the international industry associations aimfap, ASI, BAPP, BPMA, FYVAR, IFEMA, IPPAG, PIAP, PPP, SBPR and Sourcing City in the International Lounge.
Practitioners’ knowledge: leading to success step by step
At the PSI Forum in Hall 10 renowned experts will provide important impulses. Under the overarching heading “Practitioners’ Knowledge” “Step by Step Digital” lectures will be held amongst others. In his keynote “Hybrid Distribution in Times of Digital Change” Dennis Arntjen from KMU Digital will demonstrate how digitalisation can be leveraged for your own distribution success. Michael Bromberger from GERNET Printpack GmbH will describe how standardised workflows contribute to ensuring secure job handling, reliable production processes and binding delivery times in his talk “Digitalisation as a Business Guarantee. This is how Business works in Times of Industry 4.0”
Other interesting topics will be “From Screen to Gift. How Modern Activation with Promotional Products works in Online Customer Communication via Websites” by Peter Beichel, ipm Werbemittel GmbH and the online-marketing presentation “Sales Driver Website in 2023”. Here Thorsten Bastian from web and marketing agency next2brain will explain what web shops need to offer and how to convert website visitors into shoppers.
Knowledge sharing: from the sector for the sector
An important pillar of the PSI line-up of side events is the themed block “Added Value”. Here experts will flag up interesting opportunities on hot topics such as packaging and sustainability. A highlight will be the keynote by Alexander Stork. The Deputy Chief Economist responsible for Energy, Sustainability, Mobility and Logistics at the BVMW, der Mittelstand (German Association for Small and Medium-sized Businesses), will address the question “Sustainability: Boring Sideline Topic or Business Booster? How Companies profit from the Megatrend and secure Competitive Edge”.
“The Road for Print, Material and Finishing and what Sustainable Packaging Production is all about” will be explained by Saskia-Melina Jacobs from Langebartels & Jürgens Druckereigesellschaft mbH. “How Custom Series offer Added Value for Customers” will be shared by Hendrik Habermann from the agency habermann hoch zwei, in his talk presenting best practice for this profitable segment of the promotional product industry.
Work and promotion wear: a plea for sustainability
The Themed Day Textile on 11 January will be all about motivating the textile industry to offer more sustainable promotion and workwear. At 12.30 pm the international expert for Sustainability, Sustainable Textile & Fashion, Bianca Seidel, will present a plea for the transformation of the industry and look to the future with optimism. This will be followed by the panel discussion by “Aka Text Akademie für Textilveredelung” (Textile Finishing Academy). Here Aiko Wichmann from the City of Dortmund will discuss the state of play in sustainability specifications for public procurement with consultant Maike Ewuntomah and Stefan Roller-Aßfalg from Aka Merch und Textil GmbH. A key question here will be: “Do Ecological Criteria like Seals change Textile Tenders and Awarding Contracts?”
Role models showing what is possible
The potential of sustainability will also be scrutinized at the Textile Campus in Hall 10, hands-on and relating specifically to each segment. Here experts will provide valuable input on sustainable textile production, fair and ecological supply chains, eco-design, circular economy, recycling and upcycling, seals, standards and certifications. Available on site will be consultants, universities, initiatives, companies and upcyclers including the Ecosign Academy for Design, the Circular Sweater Project, Pure Waste, Planet Upcycling, HTW Berlin and Niederrhein University, to name but a few. Another highlight in terms of sustainability will be the travelling exhibition ökoRAUSCH Wissenswelt in Hall 9.
Do it yourself: applying knowledge in practice
In addition to the pooled theory trade visitors can acquire practical experience with current labeling and finishing technologies in the Special Show Finishing and Personalisation. In Hall 9 specialists such as Roland DG and Stahls’ Europe will invite visitors to personalise various products ranging from mugs to USB sticks themselves.
Networking globally in the PSI International Lounge
The promotional product industry is a sector that thrives on trading and exchanging across countries and continents. As an international network PSI supports its members in developing new markets and establishing good contacts, not least through close cooperation with industry associations from all over the world which PSI brings to the trade show in 2023.
Not only GWW, the Confederation of the Promotional Product Industry headquartered in Germany, is represented with its own stand at PSI , also high-ranking representatives of aimfap, ASI, BAPP, BPMA, FYVAR, IFEMA, IPPAG, PIAP, PPP, SBPR and Sourcing City will be at attendees’ disposal for personal exchange in the International Lounge in Hall 9. These include Michele Bell (USA), Michel Debout (BEL), Tom Robey (GBR), Gabriel Moese (ESP), Jason Grenham (GBR), Lars Dahlström (SWE), Marijke van Hoorne and Joop van Heelen (both NED).
