No one can fully predict the future, but we’re all going to face it just the same. PPAI’s North American Leadership Conference was curated to prepare the promotional products industry for tomorrow.
Held at Chicago’s Sofitel Magnificent Mile this week, NALC combined executive networking with content to create insights for navigating some of the most complicated business questions facing the industry today and into the years to come. More than 175 industry pros took in data and perspectives on global economic uncertainty, trade disruption, technological change and the evolving marketing landscape.
The event began on Monday at Chicago’s Adler Planetarium with an exclusive sneak peek of the 2025 PPAI 100 results.
Photos: NALC Kicks Off With 2025 PPAI 100 Sneak Peek
The results of the annual measurement of industry leadership will roll out to the rest of the industry over the next two weeks, with suppliers unveiled in PPAI Newslink on May 20 and distributors on May 27.
“I love the PPAI 100,” said Kate Nash, director of business development at Raining Rose. “We really love that it’s a lot more nuanced and considered look at the leaders in the industry. What a great night celebrating it at the planetarium. It was a really beautiful moment, and a really creative and clever way to announce the winners.”
Kate Nash
Director of Business Development, Raining Rose
Conference sessions got underway on Tuesday morning with an opening keynote by Shazam founder Chris Barton, who wove the tale of the innovative app’s up-and-down early years and how they can relate to the journey of any entrepreneur or leader facing multiple pivot points along the way.
The key, Barton told execs, is something he calls creative persistence – the ability to summon the energy and courage to continue iterating in the face of any obstacle.
“When you’re living in this world of crazy uncertainty right now, with tariffs and challenges, what new idea will you come up with? Question assumptions, and build from basic truths,” Barton said.
Tuesday’s sessions continued with PPAI Board Chair Denise Taschereau hosting a panel on PPAI 100 companies’ ability to drive revenue because of – not in spite of – their organizational values and purposes. After lunch, Ellen Rissman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago provided data on underlying trends driving the economy in the near and medium term.
“It’s a gift to be able to get someone from the Federal Reserve to share perspectives directly,” said Aaron Hamer, CEO of Boundless. “She’s sharing the same insights with us that she’s sharing with the president of the Chicago Fed. Those have a significant impact on shaping monetary policy. Knowing what she’s sharing and her perspective is an experience you don’t get every day.”
Aaron Hamer
CEO, Boundless
Two panels of industry leaders Monday afternoon provided fellow attendees with insights on navigating organizations through change ranging from acquisition to the AI revolution already in progress.
Thoughtful networking sessions were held throughout the week, including dine arounds on Tuesday evening.
Wednesday’s opening keynote was futurist Crystal Washington, who delved deeper into the theme of foresight in a time of change, teaching the audience to recognize societal and technological signals for insights into the promo market’s future. The better we are each able to recognize the signals, the better our ability to define our outcomes.
“We are living in a time of constant change,” Washington said. “We are waiting sometimes for people to tell us what to do. We have to put on our own capes, because no ones is coming to save us. We have to be the innovators. We cannot wait for any particular leader in the industry or any one person to lead us through this, because no one has been through similar times.”
Among the new wrinkles facing today’s promo leaders is a dramatically altered approach to international trade in Washington, D.C. As Wednesday’s sessions continued, PPAI Board member Kara Keister, MAS, interviewed Association lobbyist Chris Lamond of Thorn Run Partners, updating attendees with policy forecasting in light of this week’s developments regarding tariffs on imports from China.
In the afternoon, Ron Insana, the CNBC senior analyst and commentator, described his take on the most likely outcomes of current economic policies and tech innovation on the stock market and macroeconomy. These concerns were almost universal for industry leaders in attendance.
Amid the changes facing the industry itself, PPAI has been in its own period of transition. First-year CEO Drew Holmgreen delivered remarks to both open and close his first NALC, sharing his excitement for attending the event and meeting many industry leaders for the first time. In the final session of the event, he sat down with Bennie F. Johnson, CEO of the American Marketing Association, to discuss the opportunities for promotional products to be a centerpiece part of every brand’s marketing portfolios – a key component of Holmgreen’s vision for what PPAI can achieve.
“It’s not just skills, it’s approaches to problem-solving. Merch, swag, promo, they’re all a part of a marketer’s toolkit. The marketers that are winning are the ones that are pulling in all of these components…. What is the combination of merchandise I leave behind, tied to the digital component, tied to the experience I put together? What we’ve seen with our research is that marketers that are open to new ideas and approaches, take tangible things and the intangibles of a brand are the ones that are winning.”
Bennie F. Johnson
CEO, American Marketing Association
Numerous industry companies contributed to the success of the week’s event.
Diamond Sponsor and Technology Partner
Platinum Sponsors
Gold Sponsors
DelegateCX
PCNA
Perry Ellis International
Silver Sponsors
BEL Promo
eXtendTech
Hit Promotional Products
Carbon Offset Sponsor
The dates and location for next year’s NALC were announced as sessions concluded on Wednesday. The event will be held Tuesday-Thursday, May 12-14, 2026 at The US Grant, a historic hotel in San Diego, California. Registrations will open early next year.
