PromoEQP August 2026 — Supplier pricing, unbundled

PromoEQP's Mission is the Distributor

Which is why you get exclusive time to talk shop with PPAI HOF Distributor Rod Brown.

PromoEQP is proud to announce our Industry Mission Statement

Thirteen years of operating on a specific set of principles has defined PromoEQP through action, not just words. With the changes happening in the marketplace, it is time to finally put into writing what PromoEQP has demonstrated it stands for.

The PromoEQP Mission Statement, now published on the new PromoEQP.com, doesn't ask you to trust us. Rather, it lays out the three-part test we hold ourselves to:

Disruptive without being destructive:

PromoEQP will actively disrupt industry behaviors that seek to harm and abandon the traditional distributor. What we will NEVER do is engage in a behavior that destroys the foundation of what makes this industry remarkable and necessary.

Responsive to the market while respecting the industry:

Relationships in the industry are sacred — not transactional. Every order strengthens a connection, builds trust, and provides for a buyer's needs. Respecting that has been the cornerstone of PromoEQP from day #1.

The distributor is indispensable:

The distributor is the buyer-facing representation of the industry – not a product for other companies to trade, bypass, or strip profitability from. Knowing and respecting that sacred truth is PromoEQP's Northern Star.

Click HERE to read the full PromoEQP Mission Statement

Our industry is at its best when success is measured on MERIT above all else. PromoEQP is dedicated to making sure that the field stays level so that YOU can serve your buyer.

Distributors require modern resources to support their business, and PromoEQP will always partner with resources that meet the distributor's needs AND can live up to these 3 ideals… What is not acceptable are the thinly veiled attempts to use new resources to bypass a distributor to get directly to a buyer.

On that, PromoEQP will fight for the distributor all day, every day.

Thanks again...

Jeremy Chacon
jeremy@promoeqp.com
312-392-1064

Introducing: PromoEQP ProDev

Roadside Attraction, featuring Rod Brown, Episode 1 now available.

Roadside Attraction -- Ep.1: The Lost Order

Strategic Supplier Spotlight

Regional Association UPDATES

Where PromoEQP will be:

PromoEQP will be wherever you need us during the SAAC Show.

From a booth on the SAAC Show floor on Wednesday, August 12th....

To sponsorships of the SAAC Networking events:

Long Beach Line-up (Networking Party)
Young Professionals Happy Hour (at the Networking Line-Up)

Not a member of SAAC, but still want to go to the show for free?

While registering here: www.saac.net/event/saac-expo-2026

Use promo code: promoeqplovessaac

Young Professionals Happy Hour at the Long Beach Line-up

Sept. 21st -- PPAS Golf Outing & Leadership Conference HAPPY HOUR(s)

Where we have been...

Only one things can beat a good HAPPY HOUR(s)...

TAILGATING with PromoEQP

PromoEQP went to the ballpark with MiPPA!

It was a night of Food | Drinks | Networking | Socializing with one of the most vibrant and remarkable Regional Associations in the Industry: Michigan Promotional Professionals Associations

Click HERE to learn more about this incredible work being done by the incredible folks at MiPPA.

Special thanks to Sydney and the entire MiPPA team!

Casino Night at Blackhawk

Friday, May 22nd

Social Gathering & Networking
Drinks and Appetizers
Suite Party in the Monarch Casino

PromoEQP, in support of RMR (Rocky Mountain Association) hosted a HAPPY HOUR(s) Event at the Monarch Casino in Blackhawk!

In conjunction with RMR’s Casino Night, PromoEQP presented a gathering and networking event location PRIOR to the kick-off of the RMR Event. The night included bites and refreshments — AND a SOCIALIZING QUIZ that drew on attendees knowledge of the Industry, Pop Culture, and Colorado.

Rocky Mountain Region Promotional Product Association (RMR)

PromoEQP / RMR Quiz Questionnaire

HAPPY HOUR(s) — San Antonio & Austin

Partnering with PPAS & HPPA

Featuring a catered Socializing and Networking event for Distributors and Strategic Supplier partners, PromoEQP went on the road to celebrate Texas. Stary tuned to Nadia’s updates on social media — but these events have set the table for all of PromoEQP’s upcoming events.

Short Story, Big Picture:

Back-to-School and Campus Swag

Back-to-school season is more than a retail moment. It is a reset point for families, schools, colleges, and the corporate clients that want to stay visible during a busy, high-attention time of year. For distributors, this is a strong opportunity to help clients choose products and plan campaigns that feel relevant to the end of summer break and the start of a new school year.

Today’s Short Story is a piece to help you achieve your long-term goals, aka the Big Picture.

The best back-to-school promo programs do more than hand out items. They help brands show up in places where people are already paying attention: orientation events, parent nights, employee family days, campus activities, and community celebrations tied to the start of the school year.

1. Match the products to the audience

Back-to-school is not one audience. It includes young students, college students, teachers, parents, school staff, and corporate clients trying to connect with all of them. The more clearly you define who the product is for, the easier it is to recommend something useful and memorable.

Tactics:

Separate school-age, college, and family-focused use cases
Focus on products people will actually carry or use
Build event-specific recommendations

2. Tie the swag to seasonal moments

Back-to-school works because it naturally creates events, deadlines, and emotional momentum. Corporate clients can use that season to support employees, customers, students, or communities in a way that feels timely rather than forced. Your job is to connect the product to the right moment.

Tactics:

Plan around the school calendar
Use “fresh start” messaging
Offer branded ideas for both visibility and utility

3. Create campaign ideas around events, not just products

The strongest back-to-school sales conversations go beyond “what do you need?” and move into “what are you planning?” That shift helps clients think in terms of events, touchpoints, and brand moments instead of random one-off items.

Tactics

Suggest mixed budget level back-to-school event ideas
Bundle products into simple packages
Help clients extend the campaign beyond one event

Back-to-school and campus swag are powerful because they connect with a season full of transitions, routines, and attention. For distributors, that means helping clients choose products that fit the audience, match the moment, and support a real event or campaign.

The best approach is simple: pick the right audience, tie the swag to a seasonal moment, and build around the event instead of the product alone. That gives your corporate clients something useful, timely, and memorable as summer ends and the school year begins.