Ascending the stairs from Penn Station, I saw a giant Jalen Brunson jersey as Madison Square Garden urged New York Knicks fans to “wear your patch with pride.”

How fitting that Manhattan would host Promotions East – the biggest regional trade show for branded merchandise professionals in the Northeast – just three days after the underdogs won their first NBA Championship in over half a century and two days before the city would revel in the parade?

Excitement was in the air. On my way to the Metropolitan Pavilion, every block shone brightly with Knicks branding: T-shirts, signs, banners, posters, even NYPD cars were plastered in support.

The energy carried into Promotions East, as Sock101 and STAHLS’ greeted entrants with a sock and bucket hat bar, allowing attendees to choose from a collection of designs to be heat pressed onto their preferred apparel.


To my left were a caricaturist, a photo booth and a cotton candy artist creating the cutest sticky sweet animals you ever did see. These activities were integral to the Specialty Advertising Association of Greater New York’s effort to reimagine the trade show experience.

“We wanted to take a step back and see how we could make Promotions East different to engage more people, especially the younger demographic, by moving it to Manhattan, opening it up to end users at a larger scale and supporting it in different areas financially than we had done previously,” said John Cudahy, MAS, executive director of SAAGNY.

Back To The Drawing Board  

Promotions East’s roots in New York date back to Basketball Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing’s arrival in the NBA.

The event was held at the Concord Resort Hotel in the Catskill Mountains throughout the ‘80s, featuring household names as keynote speakers like New York City Mayor Ed Koch and pop culture icon Dr. Ruth Westheimer.

In 1996, Promotions East found a new home in Atlantic City, New Jersey. At its peak, the event featured 1,100 exhibitors and drew 10,000 attendees, according to Cudahy.

Exhibitors are squeezed more than ever to pick which events they want to do.”

John Cudahy, MAS

Executive Director, SAAGNY

But attendance declined in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Cudahy attributes that to a variety of factors, including the economy, the logistical challenges of the location, industry consolidation and the rise of PPAI 100 distributors like Geiger, iPROMOTEu and HALO hosting their own end user events.

“Exhibitors are squeezed more than ever to pick which events they want to do,” Cudahy said. “There’s less of a need for a regional trade show. We didn’t have the buy-in for Promotions East at Atlantic City that we needed for it to be sustainable.”

  • By comparison, trade show revenue rose sharply in 2024 with growth extended across most regional associations, according to PPAI Research.
  • Despite being below early-decade highs, trade shows remain the single largest non-dues revenue source for most regional associations.


As a result of low attendance in 2024, SAAGNY canceled Promotions East in 2025 to focus on building a stronger event for 2026. The board of directors discussed a venue change, inviting end users and revamping the structure of the show.

“The traditional trade show is still a great venue for buying and selling, but an experience is something people want more of,” said SAAGNY board member Josh Goodelman, president of Hauppauge, New York-based supplier Liqui-Mark, a manufacturer of writing instruments for more than 50 years.

The traditional trade show is still a great venue for buying and selling, but an experience is something people want more of.”

Josh Goodelman

Co-Chair of Promotions East Planning Committee

“From a supplier side, I can stand at a tabletop all day, scanning badges and handing out samples. But I want to have more interactive conversations and make it feel more casual and go meet at the coffee cart and drum up a conversation with a distributor I haven’t seen in years.”

Goodelman is co-chair of the Promotions East planning committee along with Josh Nachman, fellow board member and executive vice president of Zagwear, PPAI 100’s No. 48 distributor. Goodelman and Nachman were staunch advocates of Promotions East’s transformation.

“Experiential is where the world is going,” Nachman said. “Typical trade shows are dying. Not The PPAI Expo obviously, because that’s the industry staple. But experiential events are rising. We’ve done stuff for Coachella and South By Southwest. These brands are fighting for position. That’s why we’re trying to switch it up.”

Full-Court Press

Ditching Atlantic City for Manhattan was a gamble, but based on surveys and dialogue with SAAGNY members, the board felt the massive investment was worth it.  

Historically, the association held its Summer Show at the Metropolitan Pavillion in New York City, but COVID nixed that. The event moved to the TWA Hotel at John F. Kennedy International Airport, and then Citi Field, home of the New York Mets.

Neither location proved to be as popular as being in the heart of “The Big Apple.” “Distributors will come from all over the country because they have clients in New York City and it gives them an opportunity to connect,” Goodelman said.

In addition to returning to the Metropolitan Pavilion, SAAGNY leadership decided to expand the length of Promotions East, opening the trade show floor from noon until 7 p.m. to allow end users more flexibility. If they wanted to swing by during their lunch hour or come after work, great. If distributors wanted to bring different clients in intervals to the show, maximizing the time they spent with each, even better.

It’s a show built on community, where connections are stronger and the takeaways are something you can actually use.”

Sara Levinson, MAS

President, SAAGNY

“Our intention is to think about the end user’s experience at the event,” Cudahy said. “Because if the end user has a great experience, the distributor has a great experience, which means the exhibitors have a great experience.”

For an educational component to the event, Jenna Quaranta, director of sales training and development at HPG, PPAI 100’s No. 7 supplier, condensed her Field Sales Method training program into three 20-minute sessions focused on broad topics, such as relationship management and prospecting on LinkedIn, that end users could benefit from.

Sparing no expense, the night before Promotions East, SAAGNY held a networking party full of dancing, karaoke and bowling at Dimes, a members-only speakeasy located within the Gansevoort Meatpacking hotel in NYC.

As if that wasn’t enough to attract a crowd, the association announced that Daymond John, founder and CEO of the global lifestyle brand FUBU and star of ABC’s Shark Tank, would be the keynote speaker.

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“Promotions East reflects where our industry is going,” said Sara Levinson, MAS, founder of Englewood, New Jersey-based distributor Hola Promos and president of SAAGNY. “It’s not just about product anymore. It’s about ideas, partnerships and how programs come together. As a regional association, we’ve been intentional about creating an experience that brings all of that to life.

“From meaningful supplier engagement to a strong lineup of speakers and real learning opportunities, everything is designed to be interactive and valuable. It’s a show built on community, where connections are stronger and the takeaways are something you can actually use. We’re proud to have SAAGNY leading the way in how our industry shows up.”

‘I’d Be An Idiot Not To Come’

Megan McWeeney, executive sales partner at Geiger, PPAI 100’s No. 9 distributor, was thrilled with the venue change.

“This is so much easier to get to because it’s a quick cab ride or the train and you’re here,” said McWeeney, accompanied by her client. “It’s a great facility with serious vendors and this year SAAGNY has elevated the event with so many neat experiences.

“These end user events are important for distributors because it makes you look like you’re not just some person behind a computer. You’re a professional branded merchandise salesperson and consultant.”

These end user events are important for distributors because it makes you look like you’re not just some person behind a computer.”

Megan McWeeney

Executive Sales Partner, Geiger

Fellow Geiger representative Wanda Levy was also impressed with the array of exhibitors and the spacious layout of the show floor.

“You can never bring everything to your client,” Levy says. “There may be something that you wouldn’t have thought of that they like, so this is a good opportunity for them to see everything.”

Levy’s clients are in the technology market, so, naturally, NFC products caught her eye. But what really stood out for her were the AI Translation Earbuds from Duarte, California-based supplier Cosmo Promos.

Cosmo Promos, which rebranded from Cosmo Fiber at the beginning of the pandemic, has been around for 37 years. The company, whose top-selling categories are drinkware, writing instruments and tech accessories, used Promotions East as a coming out party for industry veteran Michelle DeMayo, who recently joined as territory sales manager.

“From a supplier perspective, end user shows give us the chance to pitch products directly to the end user, and we also get to learn case studies,” said Charles Palko, national sales manager at Cosmo.

“When a law firm comes through, you’ll see if a certain product resonated so when you go to another trade show, you can say, ‘Oh, you’re a law firm. I was just showing another one this product.’ If end users have ideas for the item, we’ll think about incorporating that for the next generation of the product.”

Promotions East also signified a new chapter for Grossman Marketing Group, PPAI 100’s No. 34 distributor, which acquired New York-based distributor Larick Associates earlier this month.

They’ll see products I wouldn’t have ever considered showing them.”

Eric Mohr

Marketing Representative, Larick Associates

Co-president Ben Grossman, marketing representative Eric Mohr and a group of their clients rolled squad deep down the aisles of the show floor. “They’ll see more products in one hour than I’ll be able to show them in a year,” Mohr said. “They’ll see products I wouldn’t have ever considered showing them.”

Some of those products, like a deck of playing cards, appealed to Mohr’s client, Jenna Pagnotta, senior associate director at Fordham University School of Law.

“A lot of universities give the same sort of things out, so we’re looking for new ideas, like this plush animal of our mascot wearing a branded shirt,” said Pagnotta, who had never attended a merch trade show before. “Getting to see all the products in person, being able to touch the material of a shirt, has been great. It’s hard to just look online and get an idea if it’s high quality.”

Conversely, Gaina Collis, a marketing and event coordinator, has been coming to promotional trade shows for eight years. Invited by Geiger, she was fond of the open space, diverse vendors and lack of pushiness.  

“This is a big deal for me because this is where I come for ideas to give our team about onboarding projects and other things,” Collis says. “I like talking to the supplier directly because you can ask them all kinds of things and really find out what they can do for you.”  

Perry Halawani, founder of Newark, Delaware-based supplier Premium Branded Solutions, joined SAAGNY solely because of Promotions East.

“A lot of my customers told me I had to attend,” says Halawani, whose company is backed by a large consumer electronics distribution firm that’s authorized by Apple, JBL, Sony, Beats and other major retail brands to provide customized products.

“I looked it up and it was only five blocks away from my apartment, so I’d be an idiot not to come.”

Having been in branded merch for only four years, Halawani is glad that being part of his regional association will further acclimate him to the industry and introduce him to fresh faces. “I’m not selling anything new,” Halawani says. “I’m just trying to create relationships, and they’re made on the trade show floor.”

It comes to the point where you can’t miss an event because you don’t know who’s going to be there and who you might meet.”

Stephen Franco

COO, Branded Originals

Not everybody was a fan of Promotions East leaving Atlantic City.

“It was one of my best shows,” said Stephen Franco, COO at Brooklyn, New York-based supplier Branded Originals, which specializes in from-scratch custom apparel.

“From an ROI perspective, it cost me $2,000 to be there. We probably attributed more than $100,000 from that show. We’re very strict with sales attribution tracking at trade shows – we track it to the minute.”

However, regardless of where the event would be held, Branded Originals would maintain a presence.

“Our main goal is brand recognition,” Franco said. “We’re three years young in this space. It comes to the point where you can’t miss an event because you don’t know who’s going to be there and who you might meet.”

Daymond John Isn’t Out On Merch

The main event of Promotions East was an hour-long conversation between Daymond John, Nachman and Danny Rosin, CAS, co-founder and co-president of Brand Fuel, PPAI 100’s No. 42 distributor, and PPAI Board Chair.

An admitted “couch fan,” John acknowledged the Knicks’ championship victory before fielding various questions about Shark Tank, marketing, entrepreneurship, AI and, of course, merch.

“Product will get you in the building, but your reputation will keep you in the building forever,” John said. “People want to be around people they like. Get in the room, grab that palm and talk about what you have in common: your children, your parents, your health.”

John also emphasized that there’s only three ways to grow your business: acquire a new one, upsell or make your customer buy more frequently. “It’s 21 times harder to acquire a new customer, though,” he added.

Hosting a session about negotiation, Quaranta helped set the table for John’s discussion about the research, preparation and qualification that must happen before a successful pitch.

“One of my biggest takeaways from the event was hearing directly from end users,” Quaranta said. “The few in attendance told me how much they value the relationship-building tactics I teach sales reps. In fact, one end user personally thanked me and said the frameworks I shared would help them work more effectively with suppliers moving forward.

“Sometimes, we assume customers only care about products, pricing and presentations. What I continue to learn is that customers are craving stronger partnerships, better communication and more intentional relationship-building from the people who serve them.”

Slam Dunk

Promotions East drew nearly 100 exhibitors, 268 distributors and 239 end users, exceeding SAAGNY leadership’s expectations.

“The show floor was buzzing all day with great experiences,” Goodelman said. “The supplier presentations were informative, Jenna Quaranta did a phenomenal job with her education segment and, of course, Daymond John added an incredible element to the event. He continued to walk the show floor, which elevated the experience for all.”

One of the most rewarding parts of the event, Nachman added, was the “tremendous feedback” the board received on its vision of making Promotions East more than just a trade show.

It’s gratifying to hear how much attendees appreciated the experiential elements and overall atmosphere.”

Josh Nachman

Co-Chair of Promotions East Planning Committee

“We wanted to create an experience that brought people together in a different way, and it was gratifying to hear how much attendees appreciated the experiential elements and overall atmosphere,” Nachman said.

Of course, bringing Promotions East back was no easy feat. It required vision, creativity, perseverance and an extraordinary amount of teamwork, Levinson says.

“New York City is the natural home of Promotions East – a vibrant hub where the SAAGNY community can come together to connect, collaborate and celebrate our industry,” she adds. “This year’s event provided an incredible opportunity to showcase not only the products and services we offer, but also the strength, passion and professionalism of our community. 

“Our supplier partners truly brought their A-game, creating an engaging and inspiring show floor experience.  Throughout the day, attendees forged meaningful connections, strengthened relationships, exchanged ideas and learned from one another.  The energy was palpable, and the enthusiasm was contagious.”

Only one question remains: Will SAAGNY – and the Knicks – run it back next year?

“We’d definitely love to,” Nachman said.