PSI trade fair
The PSI trade fair is the leading European trade fair for the promotional products industry. It took place for the first time in 1963. Since 1966 the PSI trade fair has been held annually at the beginning of January at the Düsseldorf exhibition center . It is organized by Reed Exhibitions Germany .
history
The decisive factor for the establishment of the fair was the lack of a promotional products network with a clear list of dealers and suppliers at a time when promotional gifts were becoming increasingly important in the industry . Initially, it was customary for sales representatives to exclusively offer certain branded products in certain regions. However, a complete offer from a single source was soon required, which required an exchange between dealers and suppliers.
Following the American model, Walter Jung built a membership-based directory of dealers and suppliers - the PSI - in the 1960s. In addition to a list of dealers and suppliers, this directory also contained an overview of which suppliers had which products on offer. There was also a change on the supplier side. Companies offered ever larger portfolios and thus replaced the dealer system with its brand representatives. By becoming a member of the PSI, companies benefited from this new directory and began to network more and more.
founding
A growing network quickly built up. In order to give the members the opportunity to organize and exchange ideas, Jung founded the PSI trade fair in 1962 and in the same year brought the individual members together for the first time at the “Salon de Cadeau” in Paris . A year later the trade fair took place for the first time in Bad Soden im Taunus with 56 exhibitors and around 280 visitors. The products were presented on wallpaper tables and, due to excessive demand, even on grand pianos. In the following year, the PSI trade fair moved to Bad Homburg vor der Höhe near Frankfurt am Main , where it took place twice. The last move to Düsseldorf followed in 1966 .
The industry experienced an upswing in the 1970s and 1980s. The result was specialization, while the idea of network thinking remained constant.
In 1989 the PSI Institute and the PSI trade fair were taken over by Blenheim International Germany in Düsseldorf, a predecessor of what is now Reed Exhibitions Deutschland GmbH. This served the globalization of the fair and institute. Since then, the PSI has networked over 6000 promotional products dealers and suppliers across Europe and actively promotes the services and profitability of the industry. As a result, the PSI trade fair has developed into the leading European trade fair for the promotional products industry. In 2019, the trade fair presented itself for the first time in conjunction with the PromoTex Expo and viscom trade fairs. A total of 1,804 companies exhibited at the trade fairs and 17,602 visitors from 81 nations visited PSI.
Membership model
When PSI was founded, Jung decided on a membership model that gives its members various competitive advantages and creates an industry identity and cohesion. This model still exists today, offering members a high density of high-quality contacts. While initially the product verification with information about manufacturers and products was one of the services of PSI, the portfolio has now expanded. In addition to the right to participate in the PSI trade fair in Düsseldorf, members receive support with sourcing and access to the Product Finder - a further development of the analog product verification and a database with over 130,000 promotional items. Various print products are also available exclusively to members.
Representing the industry, PSI also takes a stand on current industry issues such as product quality , legal compliance or corporate social responsibility and uses various channels to educate people, provide up-to-date information and, in cooperation with associations such as the GWW or EPPA, take initiatives to promote the market strengthen. One example is the development of a Germany-wide code of honor that members have to sign.
Promotional products market
In 2009 PSI joined the Central Association of the German Advertising Industry (ZAW) as an associate member. The first empirical studies on the advertising effect , the usage behavior and the performance comparison of promotional items by the General Association of the Promotional Products Industry (GWW) followed after joining. The results of the promotional product monitor and the promotional product impact study are presented annually at the press conference at the start of PSI. Since 2014, sales of promotional products have also been included for the first time in the Advertising Yearbook published by the ZAW , which means that the overall market for commercial communication in Germany is represented even more comprehensively. The sales volume of the promotional products industry is 3.4 billion euros annually.
subjects
Since its foundation, the PSI trade fair has provided an overview of new trends and offers. In addition to the promotional item itself, topics such as advertising, printing and finishing techniques as well as inventions and innovations are taken up and deepened. New products are of particular importance at PSI. In 2012 there was the first concept for HALLE 13, which focuses specifically on innovations. Young companies producing in Germany and inventors have the opportunity to present their products to the market and to be supported by product sponsorships from PSI suppliers. In 2014 the PSI FIRST Club followed for the first time, in which 50 exhibitors were given the opportunity to introduce their product innovations at the trade fair and thus find a broad specialist audience at the premiere.
PSI Promotion World
PSI PROMOTION WORLD has also been part of the portfolio of PSI organizer Reed Exhibitions since 2014. The trade fair for haptic advertising and multi-sensor technology is organized jointly with Deutsche Messe AG . The fair is regarded as a platform for important business contacts between industry and the promotional products branch and will in future take place alternately in parallel with the Hanover Fair and CeBIT .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ psi-network.de - podcast - A contemporary witness remembers ( memento of the original from September 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ https://www.psi-messe.com/de/Home/Abschlussbericht-2019/2800/
