Exhibition tour: Politics at the PSI

On the first day of Europe’s leading trade show for the promotional products industry, PSI emphasised its political ambitions. Right after the opening ceremony, the invited FDP members of parliament Markus Herbrand and Manfred Todtenhausen completed a tour of the trade show lasting several hours. They were accompanied by representatives of the press and the trade fair organiser RX Deutschland GmbH. Manfred Schlösser from PSI Journal summarised what the politicians saw at the exhibitors’ booths and what topics were discussed.

At elasto, Marcus Sperber informed Markus Herbrand and Manfred Todtenhausen about the Bavarian family business, which has been producing, importing and distributing promotional products since 1980. The company employs 350 people worldwide and has 1,400 items in its shop, of which well over 600 are manufactured in Germany. Marcus Sperber underlined at the opening of PSI that the industry is suffering greatly from bureaucratic regulations. At his booth, he emphasised his statements with product examples.

Volker Griesel, Managing Partner at FARE, had already hosted Manfred Todtenhausen at his company. A political activity that should set an example. At the PSI, which took place from 9 to 11 January, Griesel once again pointed out the need for politicians to give promotional products the importance they have long had for the marketing industry.

The politicians were also given the opportunity to see the importance and technical progress for themselves at UMA, a renowned manufacturer of writing tools since 1949, where writing instruments could be custom-branded with the names of the two MPs in a very short space of time – much to their amazement.

“What we’ve seen and experienced here, we will certainly take with us,” said Manfred Todtenhausen with obvious appreciation as he looked around the PSI booths.

The politicians were also impressed by the Museum of Promotional Articles (MoPA), which was installed at PSI by Cyberwear International. Who knew that the history of the promotional article goes back to the 18th century, but only really took off in the second half of the 19th century with growing industrialisation. A story that emphasises the fact that the promotional product was born as an important tool for advertising that has since made its triumphal march around the world.

Almost no company, whether traditional or highly technical and digitalised, operates on the market without this advertising tool. It would be nice if the majority of German politicians in Berlin saw it the same way, said PSI Director Petra Lassahn during the tour of the MoPA.