You are right, we did not go to Las Vegas in 2021. This year the PPAI Expo was held virtually. The largest promo show in the world had thousands of booths and tens of thousands of new products featured. We combed the virtual aisles looking for anything to get our thoughts off of masks and the lockdown we are currently in and this year, like many years before, the suppliers did not disappoint. We saw lots of products that will be great for working at home and lots more that will be great for when we can get together again. So read on and plan to make 2021 a successful year in your company by upgrading your corporate apparel, giving better gifts or making custom kits.
#1
Quick Flip Hoodies: Developed by the Brazilian jiu jitsu family behind Gracie style jiu jitsu. This hoodie has a built in pouch style backpack. So you can pack the hoodie into itself or you can throw in some water shoes or a good book or water bottle. The ultimate in versatility, this hoodie will be really popular with outdoors enthusiasts or people who like to layer their clothing.
#2
Rumpl Outdoor Blankets are taking the world by storm. Made out of the same materials as premium sleeping bags and high end retail jackets, these puffy outdoor blankets are packable into their own little bag. Made of 100% post consumer recycled polyester shell and insulation. They are machine washable and water resistant. I love the clips and loops on this blanket, so you can wear it like a cape or peg it to the ground on the beach or in the forest.
#3
Lip Balm with potato starch plastic tube. Bio resins made from coffee grounds, potato starch, corn starch, wheat straw and more are becoming very popular for plastic production. This new form of resin reduces the plastic content of packaging by upwards of 50%. The resulting product is full recyclable and contains a mixture of bio resin and post consumer recycled plastic…. Plus the lip balm that comes in it tastes pretty darn good too.
#4
Custom footwear was one of our top products last year with 1 piece minimum custom shoes, so this year it’s the same item but we are taking it indoors. Now we are offering 1 piece minimum custom printed slippers! These slippers are sure to please with a plush interior and rugged bottoms, it makes you feel like you are walking on a cloud when it’s just the same loop through the kitchen.
#5
IHome Bedside Sleep Therapy Machine with White Noise. This cool piece of tech will help improve your sleep and can even help you wake up to an artificial simulated sunrise. Sound and light therapy with dozens of settings and options, this system is sure to delight even the most discerning customer or employee.
#6
Modern Sprout Glow Gift Set: give the gift of Allow, Daisys or fresh basil along with an amazing aromatherapy candle gift set. This 2 in 1 cnadle and grow kit is really cool because it starts as a soft scented aroma therapy candle, but once the candle is burned out you just fill the container with the plant seeds and food and now it has a new life as a planter.
#7
Custom Whole Bean Coffee with a Custom Grinder. I know so many corporate clients that are more proud of their coffee solution in the office than they are of their reception area. Coffee is the life blood of almost every office, so if you are able to make an impact there, it will touch most employees almost every day. Our new Burr coffee grinders combined with custom whole bean coffee is an easy layup to impress the receptionist, sales person and CEO all in one fell swoop.
#8
The Gaiter Hoodie. This super comfortable hoodie has a unique neckline because it’s got a built in face gaiter. Great for those people who always forget their masks and or just don’t like wearing them. I predict this hoody will be popular in 2021 and then hopefully fade off into non-existence quickly after, but what a great way to grab attention NOW.
#9
Color your own masks. Made for kids (also available in adult sizes) who want to design their own mask and to help them feel more comfortable in a mask that’s a little more personal than just a logo’d corporate design. This promotion won’t last long because kids lose masks faster than they lose socks, but the impact will be immeasurable as the children turn it into their own masterpiece.
#10
Custom Shaped Pillows. You sell a retail packaged product, turn it into a pillow! You race a car around a race track, turn it into a pillow! You own a building… you got it, turn it into a pillow! We can make just about any shape and colour into a pillow. Made in Canada, this innovative sublimation process puts your favorite brand onto your couch or bed for the ultimate snuggly comfort.
#11
Palapa Style Patio Umbrellas. If you can’t go to Mexico, then let’s bring Mexico to us! Palapa Style patio umbrellas litter the beaches of the Caribbean, Mexico and Hawaii. I wanna see these things pop up on patios starting this spring all over Canada. What a fantastic way to make it feel like you are jetting off to paradise. Fantastic marketing for any bars, hotels, coffee shop or restaurants that want to market to the travelling crowd who is currently stuck at home.
#12
Scrible journals are fully custom journals that just feel great. You can customize the filler paper and the cover as well as add custom tip in pages. I started journaling a few years ago and since then have filled a half dozen journals with random musings of positivity; not to mention the dozen or so notebooks I have filled with business notes, goal sheets and more. As much as computers have taken over things like this blog post, journals have a very personal and important role to be filled, so why not give a premium journal with a premium brand like yours paired with the Scribl brand.
#13
Worlds Most comfortable stress ball. This amazing therapeutic stress ball is filled with what is called Cyber Gel. This semi-solid gel and lycra combination, composed of recycled materials provides unlimited squeezing and the ultimate comfort for your hand and your mind.
#14
Potato sack races are perfect for socially distanced company picnics. They are also super dangerous, but maybe less dangerous than COVID. Let’s just hope we can focus on barbecues and visiting and not socially distanced games by summer…. But if we can’t, keep this in the back of your mind.
#15
Pop Grip Lips: You’ve heard of the pop socket, in fact there is like a 40% chance you have one on your phone right now while you are reading this! But now they have pop sockets with built in lip balm! Available in strawberry or vanilla flavour, pop grip lips is the ultimate product combination. Never get chapped or drop your phone again. Also available are convenient refills, so your customers have to come back to you again and again every time they need a new lip chap refill.
#16
BB snaps. These little snap on plastic charms are great for protecting your ears from mask burn. Just snap them onto your scrub cap or baseball hat or head band and wrap your mask strings or elastic around them instead of your ears. Masks aren’t going away any time soon, so protect your lungs and your ears at the same time with this innovative little product.
#17
Resistance Bands. Home workouts are not going away anytime soon… with gyms being closed and people striving for something to keep them moving there were shortages of dumbbells this year and to order a Peloton takes 10+ weeks right now! These cool colour coordinated exercise bands are a great way to give someone a nice addition to their home workout routine without breaking the bank.
#18
UV Wireless Phone Charger. UV Sanitization has been around for a number of years, but with the pandemic going on right now, the production of UV sanitizing items has been ramped up and therefore the costs have come down. Early in the pandemic a “phone soap” or UV light bath for your mask or keys was upwards of $100 and now as we get deeper into this thing, you can get a little UV light wand for under $20 and a UV-C Chamber for the mid 30’s. Much more achievable as a giveaway than it used to be.
#19
GAMES! Get yourself away from Netflix and put your mind to work with this 3 track cribbage game or other wooden games. Made of real wood and metal pegs, this is the type of game that can be passed down for generations. Whether it be a custom cribbage board with a little more flair or one of these timeless pieces, people are playing more games at home to get away from the screen time, this giveaway will have them thanking you for all of their 15’s, 3 of a kind for 6 and hopefully texting you when they skunk their opponent.
#20
Virtual thought bubbles are great for when you are on mute on a zoom call. Never mind virtually raising your hand, now you can get your message across by raising your sign. Great to build consensus in a new fun way on camera. They come with 6 custom messages in a bag, so have fun with your responses and make your online event that much more memorable.
#21
Retro lunch boxes are a fantastic way to create a lasting memory for your staff or customers. These unique vintage promo pieces are sure to bring the nostalgia to your people at the highest level. With full colour printing available, these could be used to package a giveaway and use something other than a throwaway box or as a standalone gift to someone that brings their lunch to work.
