You're already mapping your route, mentally preparing for three days of sensory overload, and digging out your most comfortable shoes. But here's the thing: a good booth map and comfy sneakers will only get you so far.
The distributors who actually get ROI from Expo? They do the prep work before they land in Vegas.
Here are 3 ways to make commonsku your secret weapon at PPAI Expo 2026.
There are 1,200+ exhibitors at Expo. Attempting to visit them all is how you end up delirious at an apparel booth at 4 PM, wondering if you've already been there. (You have. Twice.)
So, where do you actually focus your time, especially if you're on the search for your most critical partners?
Your Supplier Spend Report gives you the answer. This report shows exactly which suppliers you're spending the most money with and where you might be approaching major spending milestones.
Click into your Dashboard (Sales, Production, Finance, or Management), scroll down to the reports bar, and select Supplier Spend. Filter by date range (the last 12 months is a solid baseline), then click Get Report.
Sort by total spend to see who's getting the most of your budget (Screenshot it or print it). When you're walking the floor, you'll know exactly which booths deserve your attention—and you'll have the data to back up any pricing conversations.
The Supplier Spend Report is a feature exclusively available to our Advanced and Enterprise teams. Want to unlock these insights for your business?
Reach out to your Customer Success Rep to learn more!
The classic Expo move: See a product. Take a photo. Take another photo of the spec sheet. Write down the sku (somewhere?). Grab a catalog. Move to the next booth. Repeat 847 times. Get home. Open your camera roll. Stare at an ocean of identical-looking photos. Do nothing with any of it.
Total waste.
The better move: Create a Marketing Shop called "Best New Products of 2026" (or whatever name works for you). As you walk the show floor and spot products you love, add them directly to this Shop using commonsku's product search integrations.
Pro tip: Organize your Shop by category (Apparel, Drinkware, Tech, Eco, etc.) so clients can navigate easily. And don't forget to add notes about why you picked each product, because that personal touch makes all the difference.
You're at Expo. You find a product. It's perfect. Your client is going to love it. Except—hold on.
Do they only buy eco-friendly products? Or was it USA-made they cared about? Or do they hate that decoration method? Or maybe they'd want this but in a different material or their brand color?
This is where AI Product Recommendations becomes your on-the-ground research assistant.
commonsku's AI Recommendation tool analyzes your client's purchase history, the project type, and even the project name to suggest products that would be of most interest to your client. So if you spot a cool tumbler at a supplier booth but your client only buys eco-friendly merch, you can pop open commonsku, check AI Recommendations, and instantly see comparable products that match their preferences.
When you're building presentations or adding products to your Expo Inspo Shop, click the AI Recommendations button. The system will pull suggestions based on your client's past merch projects and preferences, giving you smart alternatives and complementary products in seconds.
Expo isn't just about products, it's about people. You'll meet distributors facing the same challenges, suppliers with innovative ideas, and industry pros who "get it."
But here's the problem: Once Expo ends, those connections fade. Business cards get lost. LinkedIn requests go unanswered. And by February, you've forgotten half the conversations you had.
Enter the skummunity Forum: commonsku's exclusive community of 2,000+ distributors and suppliers. It's where the Expo energy doesn't have to die.
The skummunity is built for collaboration, not competition. It's where distributors share what's working, troubleshoot what isn't, and keep learning long after the show floor lights turn off.
PPAI Expo is one of the biggest opportunities of the year to see new products, build supplier relationships, and bring fresh ideas back to your clients. The difference between a decent Expo and a game-changing one? It's not luck.
It's strategy.
That's how you turn 3 days in Vegas into 12 months of competitive advantage.
Heading to Expo? Make sure you're leveraging commonsku's full suite of features to make the most of your time.
Not using commonsku yet? Book a demo and see how a connected workflow platform can transform the way you work at Expo and beyond.