Curt Difurio, owner of Warminster, Pennsylvania-based distributor Top Results Promotions & Apparel, never misses an end user show.
He can’t afford to, not since he attended his first one in the ‘80s. He was tending to a group of clients when he heard someone yelling his name at the top of their lungs.
He turned around to see one particular client, a hospital administrator, decked out in a business suit with yellow high heels, running up the show floor aisle, clutching a small metal flashlight.
“Curt, can you get me this flashlight? This is perfect for the EMTs and paramedics,” Difurio recalls her saying. They went back to the table she retrieved it from, and within five minutes, Difurio secured a $900 sale.
Curt Difurio
Owner, Top Results Promotions & Apparel
“It was a decent order, but what sold me about the end user show model is the excitement she showed and how touching and feeling the item made the connection with the client – and the sale – so easy,” Difurio says.
On The Scene
In September, Difurio invited his clients to the Philadelphia Area Promotional Products Association’s Fall Promotions Client Expo at The Drexelbrook in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, about 8 miles from the heart of Philadelphia.
Three members of the same educational company – a client of Difurio’s for nearly 30 years – took him up on the offer:
- Kathy, executive vice president, who has worked with Difurio for years
- Justin, director of strategic partnerships, who has attended a couple PAPPA shows
- Kathryn, director of school-based services, attending her first merch event
The company recently completed its seventh rebrand in 40 years. As a result, the trio sought gifts for in-school counselors, employees and students, as well as promotional items for community outreach.
“The budget is driven by the project they’re working on, as they all vary in scope,” says Difurio, currently serving his second term on the PAPPA board of directors.
Kathy and Kathryn arrive first, perusing an aisle before connecting with Difurio. They bring him over to a toy that instantly captured their attention: the A-Mazing Wood Mini Maze Game from SnugZ USA, PPAI 100’s No. 17 supplier.
It’s like mini golf for your desk. You shimmy the pocket-sized puzzle to get the stainless-steel ball into the various holes. It’s a game and a stress reliever, which the clients believe would appeal to students.
“I love meeting the end users because they’re buying the product,” says Jonathan Holt, regional sales rep at SnugZ. “It’s much easier when they explain who they’re looking to give these products to. ‘This will be great for our students. Let’s get it.’ I cover six states and can’t see all these customers, so these shows are great because they come to you.”
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Difurio introduces them to supplier reps he’s familiar with, assisting or providing clarification when needed, but he’s mostly along for the ride. A 43-year veteran of the branded merchandise industry, he trusts the exhibitors will answer most questions and convey the impact their products can have.
If the products intrigue his clients, he pulls out his notebook and pen, jotting down item numbers.
‘It’s A Tool, Not A Toy’
Fidget products, including tactile tools and sensory items, are No. 1 on Difurio’s client’s wish list.
“We teach teachers about the neuroscience of learning,” Kathryn says. “Fidgets are a part of that training. Students should have a calm place to go when losing their temper. They should have fidgets available to them. We say it’s a tool, not a toy.”
Kathryn and Kathy marveled at a Fidget Pen from Hit Promotional Products, PPAI 100’s No. 3 supplier, asking if it comes in different colors. They were also interested in a 16-Piece Colored Pencil Set from Hit.
“The colored pencils are just fun and have good packaging, especially being eco-friendly with the cardboard box,” says Makenzie Stritzinger, territory sales manager at Hit. “Depending on which state we’re in, there’s greater demand for sustainable products.”
Across from the Hit table, Kathryn was mesmerized by Super Sand from New York-based supplier WOWLine. The hourglass is filled with colorful putty to stretch or squeeze for a relaxing tactile experience.
“It’s not a timer, but it’s aesthetically pleasing to watch,” says Nicholas Bombarderie, regional sales manager at WOWLine. “We brought it in this year, and it has been a pretty stable seller as a popular self-promo.”
Difurio often recommends WOWLine’s products to clients and especially enjoys working with Bombarderie. “One of the things I like about this business,” Difurio says, “is if I have a problem, I can call one of the reps and they’ll say, ‘What do you need?’”
Weighing The Variables
Justin arrived about an hour before the show ended, surveying the scene before catching up with his colleagues and Difurio.
“I love to come here to see the newest, hottest items,” Justin says. “Over time, you start to see the same thing, but that’s why you need to build rapport and understand the exhibitor’s stories. I ask where the products are coming from to understand the cost associated with them and the turnaround time.”
Hackey sacks, fidget balls, handheld fans and slap bracelets also piqued the trio’s interest. Kathryn tested each product to see how loud they were.
“If I’m a teacher and have 10 kids in a room making noise with this, will it bother me? We can’t give away something that will likely be good for the students but will annoy the teachers,” Kathryn says.
“I was interested in hacky sacks – they’re trending and they get people doing bilateral stimulation. I could present why this is a useful, attentive tool, but Kathy mentioned how students could throw it at each other.”
Impressed with the variety of fidget options, Kathy added that this was the best end user show she had ever attended. The trio had plenty to discuss on their way back to the office, armed with samples of what could eventually be branded with their new company logo.
“Suppliers are a lot more lenient with sharing spec samples when you come to these shows,” Difurio says. “Cellphone pictures can only do so much in illustrating a product’s quality and impact. The goal is to bring spec samples back to the office to convince the powers that be.”
About two months after the show, as Difurio waited to see which products were chosen by the powers-that-be, he learned that his client had just implemented a spending freeze. Ah, the struggles of being a distributor in the branded merchandise industry.
The last names of the clients have been omitted at Difurio’s request.
