PPAI to Create Global Strategy Council; Promotes Bellantone

The Promotional Products Association International is seeking to set standards for promotional products through the creation of a new Global Strategy Council.

“It’s really focused on any and all types of products being used in the marketplace,” said Steve Slagle, PPAI president and CEO. “It’s hard to predict what might be an issue with a particular product at a particular time.”

The council, to be comprised of about 15 of PPAI’s 7,500 member companies, will hold its first meeting on Aug. 12. Initially, it will seek to establish an agenda and determine the scope of the initiative, Slagle said.

“It’s good timing because the awareness of a lot of our members has been heightened by recent product recalls,” he said.

The PPAI estimates that upwards of 60% of all promotional products are currently imported, with many of those products coming from China or Pacific Rim manufacturers

The organization has established five primary objectives for the Global Strategy Council:

*Creating short- and long-term plans for global marketplace opportunities
*Establishing education curricula for manufacturers and suppliers
*Establishing industry standards for social and environmental responsibility, intellectual property protection, human rights advancement, product safety and quality and manufacturing certification
*Developing venues for dialogue between manufacturers and PPAI member suppliers
*Developing global opportunities for PPAI members to export products, services, knowledge and distribution networks

“Companies have a lot at stake with their brands, and a strong interest in assuring that wherever they put their name, those products are safe,” Slagle said.

The creation of the council has been under discussion at the PPAI over the last several months.

In a separate development, PPAI has promoted Paul Bellantone to executive vice president.

In the new role, he will be responsible for the management and supervision of the program services areas of expositions and meetings, professional development and certification and regional relations, while continuing management of marketing, membership and business development.

He will also assume the management and supervision of industry relations.

Bellantone was promoted from vice president for marketing and business development and as director of expositions for PPAI.

Previously, he was the vice president of conventions and exhibitions for the International Association of Exposition Management and a director for Miller Freemen, Inc., an international B-to-B publishing and tradeshow company.