The “I” in PPAI represents the reach of promotional products. It’s an international industry. The one universal truth from continent to continent: Promotional Products Work!

Beyond that, promo firms can often face unique challenges based on their regional client base or government legislation. But correlations of course exist. How a company responds to certain legislation can create a roadmap towards solutions for their counterpart across an ocean. Any given trend in one country can portend the same dynamic in another country.

For those reasons and others, PPAI collaborated with the European Associations Cooperative to debut the International Leadership Summit in Brussels, Belgium.

  • The inaugural event took place Monday-Wednesday at the Dolce Hotels & Resorts by Wyndham.
  • More than 70 industry leaders from 13 different countries gathered for the summit.
  • PPAI and EAC organized a full slate of speakers and panels in order to get different geographic perspectives on the biggest issues facing promo.

“As our first entry into the European market, the 2025 International Leadership Summit, a collaboration with the European Associations Council, was a resounding success,” says PPAI President and CEO Drew Holmgreen. “With actionable and relevant content on global topics such as sustainability, workforce development and industry trends, my greatest takeaway was the pride we should feel in the joy that promotional products create and their rightful place in every brand strategy.”

RELATED: Photos: First-Ever PPAI International Leadership Summit Underway In Brussels

On the event’s final day, Holmgreen moderated a panel concerning the future and what comes next for the event and global collaboration within promo. The panelists included:

  • Florence Mosnier – general manager at IPPAG, based in Switzerland
  • Ralf Uwe Scheider – managing director of the German Promotional Products Association
  • Tom Roby – membership director at the British Promotional Merchandise Assocation


In addition to representing Switzerland, Germany and the U.K., the panelists proved to have a diversity of career backgrounds, including IT sales, supply chain/purchasing and finance and distributorship sales.

Drew Holmgreen, headshot
We’re thrilled with the momentum that ILS has created and looking ahead already to its potential place within our international strategy.”

Drew Holmgreen

President & CEO, PPAI

“We’re thrilled with the momentum that ILS has created and looking ahead already to its potential place within our international strategy,” Holmgreen says.

For North Americans in promo, it was an opportunity to see the promo market from a different perspective while growing their network and community.

“As someone who has spent my entire career focused on the North American market, it was truly inspiring and eye-opening to connect with promotional product leaders from across Europe: Germany, France, the U.K., Poland, the Netherlands, Spain and many more,” Samantha Kates, president of Spector & Co., just named PPAI 100’s No. 18 supplier, reported after the event. “The topics were timely, the dialogue was engaging and the sense of community was energizing.

“It was impactful to be able to share my perspectives on what we’re experiencing in the U.S. and reassure our European friends that we are with them and supporting them.”

The topics were timely, the dialogue was engaging and the sense of community was energizing.”

Samantha Kates

President, Spector & Co.

A Forum For Leadership And Legislation Discussions

The event kicked off its content with an Executive Leadership Forum moderated by Ellen Tucker, CAE, PPAI’s chief revenue and experience officer. In addition to Kates, the panel included:

  • Marc Rubi – vice president and general manager, Europe, Middle East and Africa, BIC Graphic
  • Clive Allcott – commercial director, Direct Textiles & Bags Europe and chairman of the British Promotional and Merchandise Association.


The conversation touched on everything from AI and supply chain trends to how the industry can be “more resilient” and “less fragile.” The overarching conversation was a precursor to the rest of the week’s many panels and speakers, all of which would focus on topics such as technology, politics, sourcing and more.

Allcott touched on tech’s future within promo, such as wearable technology and QR codes, while also maintaining what has always worked in this industry.

“We sell relationships, not products,” Alcott says. “Trust is paramount.”

The role of associations was also discussed in terms of not only advocating for meaningful legislation but also preparing firms for what’s coming in that regard. With proper preparation, such political developments will play a part in defining the industry’s evolution.

“Legislation makes you a better supplier, making you constantly up your game,” Alcott says.

  • Later that day was a panel titled Europe “At The Crossroad: Economic & Political Outlook.”
  • A highlight of the summit was keynote speaker Dr. Sam Potolicchio, renowned educator and thought leader recognized for his dynamic presentations on leadership and international relations. His session was titled “The Geopolitical Climate in Europe and North America.”


A Head Start In Sustainability

Europe has been considered to be ahead of North American industries when it comes to sustainability measures. Some argue the continent is a decade ahead in that regard, others suggest less so. But the point stands that getting promo leaders from both continents in the same room makes for great possibilities in a sector of promo that is only becoming more important.

Sponsored by PPAI business services member bluesign was a session titled “Moving Sustainability Forward in The Promotional Products Industry” by Astrid Barlaup, bluesign’s customer relations manager. Barlaup discussed the EU Green Deal, which has the goal of creating a more competitive and modern Europe that increases transparency and traceability in supply chains.

Denise Taschereau, PPAI Board Chair and CEO of Canadian distributor Fairware, moderated a panel titled “The Intersection of Regulatory Compliance & Sustainability.” Panelists included:

  • Steven Baumgaertner, CEO and global director of sales at Cybergroup International, PPAI 100’s No. 34 distributor, and chairman of the EAC
  • Ane Karine Lemstra, vice president of sustainable development at PF Concept
  • Koen Warmerdam, co-founder of Aware


Lemstra claimed that there is a growing interest by consumers in the U.S. toward sustainable products and that the catch-up to the E.U. is accelerating. The panel also discussed the value of KPIs in terms of sustainability goals.

  • Elizabeth Wimbush, PPAI’s director of sustainability and responsibility, was also on hand at the summit, taking notes and networking with the community on strategies, best practices and future possibilities in promo’s sustainability journey.