Attendees of The PPAI Expo Conference on Monday flocked to technology and digital transformation sessions, particularly those focusing on AI.

Panelists for “Real-World AI Tools Reshaping Promo Today” included PPAI Chief Marketing Officer Melissa Ralston; Eric Granata, CAS, founder of PromoPilot; and Abby Burke, national account executive at Walker-Clay, PPAI 100’s No. 76 distributor.

The session brought together industry innovators who are using AI right now in practical, creative and surprisingly simple ways. They explored tools, workflows, real outcomes and the “I tried this and here’s what happened” stories you won’t hear anywhere else.

Bobby Lehew, chief content officer at commonsku, led the “AI + Promo: Trends And Tools Every Pro Needs Now” session. From smarter product search to hyper-personalized B2Me marketing, the biggest shifts in technology are already reshaping how promo pros sell, source and scale branded merch. Lehew cut through the hype and focused on the AI trends that actually matter for distributors and suppliers.

ICYMI: PPAI Media’s 10 Most Popular Innovation Stories Of 2025

In another AI-tailored session, “AI: Friend Or Foe? Leveraging Technology For Growth,” Andy Evans, senior corporate account manager at SAGE – PPAI’s technology partner – explained how curiosity can be a competitive advantage and offered practical ways to use AI to drive innovation, improve processes and fuel business growth.

There was also “AI In Action: Practical Applications for Promotional Products Companies Using NetSuite,” in which Morgan Krupinski, industry solution architect at NetSuite, and Diego Ramos, solution architect at Bryant Park Consulting, discussed real-world use cases tailored to promotional products companies to demystify AI integration and highlight achievable benefits.

There were several sessions centered on NetSuite, including “Powering Growth: NetSuite Innovations For Promotional Products Companies” and “Supercharging NetSuite For Promo Operations.”

In the former, Krupinski; Adrianne Cozart, practice manager at NetSuite; and Kate Daniels, head of franchises, associations and buying groups explored the latest NetSuite developments designed specifically for the promotional products industry.

In the latter, eXtendTech Founder and Principal Sam Hornstein explored how promo firms are enhancing everyday NetSuite operations using eXtendFiles and eXtendMobile. Examples included using AI to convert PDF payloads into sales orders, capturing stitchout photos directly from the production floor and supporting timekeeping, job tracking and work-center activity in live production environments.

RELATED: Smarter Systems, Stronger Business: How BPC Helped Foxtrot Marketing Optimize With NetSuite

Don’t forget “Beyond Go-Live: How Leading Promo Companies Optimize And Scale Their ERP.” Bryant Park Consulting’s Randy Tiwana, principal consultant, and Mark Zapata, engagement manager, gave a practical look at how promo companies continue optimizing NetSuite to get more from their investment. The duo walked through how to stabilize Phase 1, build a realistic long-term roadmap and show what’s possible through customer use cases.

Sponsored by commonsku, “Connecting Your Workflow: Maximizing The Power of commonsku” was packed with insights to empower attendees to leverage commonsku to its fullest potential. Aaron Kucherawy, vice president of customer success at commonsku, and Charlie Moscoe, vice president of product management at commonsku, provided a comprehensive overview of how the platform helps promo teams enhance collaboration and streamline their work.

  • SAGE Founder and CEO Eric Natinsky unveiled the latest SAGE releases, and Matt Parisi, SAGE distributor account advisor, led a session on creating a strong online presence.


Sponsored by Brand-Driven Tech, “Growth Mode – Landing And Scaling Company Stores” instructed attendees how to identify and grow profitable company store program opportunities, red flags to avoid and how to keep yourself relevant with your customers.  

Last but certainly not least, Nick Lateur, vice president of revenue at Merch.ai, led “Influencers In Action: The Humans Behind The Hashtags.” The session featured four of the most engaging voices from PPAI Media’s #Online18 breaking down simple, doable social media strategies.