It’s All About the Experience: How Top Suppliers Create Memorable Moments with Promo

Promotional products have come a long way since the early days of pins and t-shirts. Sure, those products are still a hot commodity, but today’s consumers are looking for something more out of their products. How does this item fit into their everyday lives? Is the item on trend? Can they add their own spin to it? Today’s popular promotional products aren’t about the products but the experience around them. Attaching an emotional, personal connection to these items makes them last longer and brings a positive association to that brand. 

In-person experiences are on the rise, with suppliers providing elaborate activations to turn your next live event into a memorable one. In this article, we explore three suppliers taking live experiences to the next level, helping add a pop of personalization to your upcoming event.  These three suppliers are just the tip of the iceberg of live activations you can expect to see this year. 

Sock101 and Experiences

Let’s talk about an experience the Facilisgroup Community might be familiar with. Imagine getting the chance to customize your own pair of socks or sneakers down to the patches. Well, Sock101 is bringing these types of experiences to your next event. During the 2026 PPAI Expo Conference, the supplier wowed the judges of The Pitch (the expo’s version of The Voice and Shark Tank, where contestants were given three minutes to pitch their product to a panel of experts) with what Sock101 calls “Experiences”. The concept: have one of their team members down with a heat transfer machine to apply custom patches to a wide variety of products. In just 20 seconds, participants will not only end up with a one-of-a-kind product, but an experience they will be talking about for a while. We had the chance to see these Experiences in action; during last year’s Facilisgroup Summit, we had the lovely team at Sock101 set up a Sock and Shoe Bar, allowing attendees to create their own New Orleans-inspired pair of shoes and socks to match. Head over to Sock101’s website to learn more. 

Par One On-Site Gifting Experience

Talk about making your next golf event even more unforgettable. Premium golf supplier Par One has teamed up with Sunday Golf to transform your next event into an on-site customization station right on the green. Their Sunday Golf representative will travel to a golf course near you, ready to provide seamless service from start to finish. Attendees can choose what name goes on the golf bag and watch as their idea comes to life via their embroidery machines on site. Head over to Par One’s website to learn more about their collaboration with Sunday Golf. 

HPG’s Booth Activations 

Foot booth traffic is the name of the game when it comes to conferences and events, and no better supplier knows how to attract people to their booth like HPG Brands. During this year’s PPAI Expo, the supplier had numerous activations happening at their booth, allowing attendees to create their own emotional connection to the product while leaving with something that is truly their own. This year’s booth included a tote bag activation where attendees ironed on custom patches to create their own bag, a pen activation allowing attendees to sign a giant banner at the booth, and a charm bar activation where folks got to create their own charm bracelets and keychains. Learn more about what into these activations and much more over on their website.