Our account managers and procurement team are constantly scanning for the newest and greatest products on the market. To help keep on top of the latest product trends and ensure a quality product is provided to our clients, each year members from the CostSmart team attend the annual APPA Roadshow.
The Australasian Promotional Products Association (APPA) is the only tradeshow specifically dedicated to showcasing promotional products in the Australasian region. The tradeshow hit the road from the 19th-27th March and stopped in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth. From our team, we had Jenni and Michael from procurement and Jaymie from sales head down for an action-packed day in Sydney, sampling all the new goodies in the market and talking to current and future suppliers.
We asked Jenni, our Procurement Manager, her thoughts about the day and the benefits of attending a tradeshow like this and here is what she said:
“The are many reasons for attending an APPA show but the most important one is to be able to bring the latest merchandise available to our customers. Whether it be pens and notepads, or reversible umbrellas and sublimated aprons, it’s important that we can help the sales team provide clients with high-level merchandise options that suit the customers’ needs and expectations. It is also a great opportunity for the Purchasing Team to develop good working relationships with suppliers, have the supplier understand our needs and wants and if necessary, work out which suppliers we can trust with urgent requests.”
At the event were over 90 local and international vendors showcasing a variety of promotional items, marketing collateral, print merchandise, decoration options, corporate gifts and other items used for brand marketing and advertisement purposes. Everything from speciality socks and mugs to Akubra Hats was on display!
Some of the stand out products included:
- Magic Beans: A unique and eco-friendly alternative to greeting cards! Just Open, Water, and Watch your message bean grow to reveal the secret message on the cotyledon. The message will emerge in approximately 3-10 days. Can be branded with a logo or a short message to current or potential clients.
- Branded Tea: These loose-leaf packs come with fully customisable labels that will keep your brand at the forefront for 10 cups of tea. Available in a range of breakfast, green and herbal blends. In addition, the supplier offers other organic fair-trade drinks and eats, and Australian made natural bath products – branded to your desire.
- Collapsible silicone coffee cups: Beat the war on waste with these reusable coffee cups. Perfect for travelling and saving space, it can be collapsed and expanded in seconds. It is available in red, blue, back, green, orange, rose pink. Both the covers and the cup holders can be printed with screen print or a full-colour logo.
- Suede Leatherette Luggage Tag: This stylish executive luggage tag has an adjustable metal buckle strap that secures the tag to your luggage as well as a magnetic closure for easily accessing your information. The suede leatherette is made using PU material and is decorated using a special laser that removes the surface colour from the material. A secondary metallic colour has been hidden under the surface layer which is exposed during decoration. Black material reveals a metallic silver colour and the Brown material reveals a metallic gold colour.
- Can coolers: Step away from your traditional neoprene stubby coolers with these unique designs. Lined with 3mm of neoprene to help keep your can cool, the outer of these coolers can be customised with anything from PVC to faux fur and astroturf.
- Glass & Bamboo Bottle: High borosilicate glass body with a bespoke natural bamboo twist on leak-proof lid. Easy-grip protective coloured silicone sleeve comes in black, grey and white. A stylish gift that can be branded with your logo.
CostSmart is an Integrated Product Management Service created to make your job easier. Every day, we help our clients find opportunities to cut costs and create efficiencies through better collaboration with supply chain partners. If you have any questions regarding this content, please do not hesitate to contact us and speak to one of our dedicated and knowledgeable account managers.