Here’s What Happened at the 2026 Facilisgroup Summit

We hosted our highly anticipated Facilisgroup Summit in Chicago, IL, bringing our community together for connection, collaboration, and continued growth. For those unfamiliar, the Facilisgroup Summit is our four-day event designed for our community to come together, share industry insights, reconnect with old colleagues, and see the latest and greatest products emerging out of the promotional products industry. The attendees truly immersed themselves in this year’s Summit, from hands-on sessions to interactive experiences. Here’s what went down during the 2026 Facilisgroup Summit.

Day 1: July 12

Our attendees were greeted with smiling faces, hugs, reunions, and a plethora of in-kind gifts provided by our Preferred Suppliers. The souvenir station was filled with a variety of items, so our community could walk away with the Chicago-themed products of their choice.

Once everyone made it to their rooms, our OKMs freshened up and reconvened in the hotel lobby to head out for our supplier-sponsored Dine Arounds on the town. As they hit the streets of Chicago for an evening of fine dining and intimate conversations, the sales reps had their own sales socials at the hotel, gearing up for the jam-packed week ahead of them.

Day 2: July 13

The Summit officially kicked off with our State of Facilisgroup, where our Chief Product Officer, Matthew Cromar, announced several advancements and updates to Syncore, our 360° promotional products platform. Some updates include a new product search experience, SOC 2 Type II compliance, and their vision for human-centric AI in Syncore, led by our newly appointed SVP of Technology & Head of AI, Liam Conlan. Find out what else was shared during the State of Facilisgroup HERE.

From there, our attendees split off for their own dedicated sessions. The sales reps entered the Ultimate Sales Arena, our dedicated workshop led by our Director of Professional Development, Terri Harland. There, reps got hands-on training, shared strategies on the entire sales cycle, and got into the competitive spirit.

Back in the Crystal Ballroom, the OKMs got an honest look into the industry and leadership tips from our panel, which included the likes of Tej Shah from Overture, James Armijo from Inktavo, and Ashish Mittal from ASI. After the panel discussion, SVP of Sales for PCNA, Mark Gammon, touched on the importance of selling through uncertain times and building strong relationships with your suppliers.

For our lunch and learn portion of the day, we were honored to have PPAI’s CEO, Drew Holmgreen, who gave us an outlook on where the industry is headed. One key takeaway? The shift from “promotional products” to the broader concept of “branded merchandise,” transforming the industry into a powerful marketing medium.

“We connect brands to consumers; we just do it through merchandise,” Homlgreen said during his keynote.

Once done, the sales reps headed back to the Ultimate Sales Arena while the OKMs broke off into their Sized Solution sessions. These small groups are built for conversations, allowing our OKMs to gain industry insights and understanding. Our afterparty soiree capped off our official day one of the summit, as our community came together to celebrate a handful of our Preferred Suppliers and our over 70 Amplifi graduates.

Day 3: July 14

The next day began with a fireside chat from Gemline’s Chairman, Jonathan Isaacson. He and Chris Lee discussed navigating the industry through uncertainty and what Isaacson has learned along the way.

By 10:00 AM, the main event finally opened up! Our attendees flooded the tradeshow with new connections and ideas. This year’s layout was updated, allowing more conversations to happen in the booth. The energy on the floor was palpable, thanks in part to some of the interactive pieces on this year’s show floor.  Maple Ridge Farms provided the on-the-floor snacks thanks to their build-your-own charcuterie station. Gemline inspired creativity with their custom tote bag and notebook activations. HPG Brands had not one, but THREE activations, leaving you with merch you’ll remember months down the road. And over in our Achiever’s Lounge, this year’s Achiever walked away with some stellar shades, courtesy of Maui Jim!

As the tradeshow came to a close, our attendees headed back up to the main ballroom for an insightful session from CEO and Global Head of Goldstar, Heather Smartt, about creating a global experience that works for both you and your clients.

By 6:30, we traded in our walking shoes for Sperrys and got in the yacht-rock spirit as we ended the night at Offshore Rooftop. The Chicago skyline and dreamy sunset were the perfect backdrop for a memorable evening.

Day 4: July 15

Attendees had one more day of sessions before heading back to the office and trying out their new skills firsthand. We capped the last day of the summit with a powerful and insightful fireside chat with Fran Hauser, former Fortune 500 executive and best-selling author. She spoke about leading with kindness and how to utilize it as a source of strength.

And with that, the 2026 Facilisgroup Summit has officially wrapped. A huge thank you to everyone able to make it to the Windy City. We hope you left the Summit feeling refreshed, reenergized, and ready to tackle the second half of the year. Catch us in Las Vegas at the 2027 Winter Summit during the PPAI Expo.