Agenda

The SODA survey has grown to encompass a large selection of decorators providing essential insight and data into the state of the decorated apparel industry. From feedback and numbers from industry peers, to global economic influences and resources, this data is invaluable to your business. Lisa Cross, Principal Analyst for Alliance Insights, will present key findings from the State of the Decorated Apparel (SODA) survey, offering an in-depth look at the current state of the apparel decoration industry. Learn how global economic factors and feedback from other decorators can impact your strategy, plus gain insights from a panel of industry peers.

If you’re still focused on churning out left-chest logos, you’re leaving serious growth on the table. This panel challenges decorators to rethink their role in the promotional products space — moving from transactional printer to strategic brand partner. We’ll explore how to break into hard goods, where print-on-demand fits into a modern promo strategy, and what it takes to deliver premium, high-impact solutions that clients actually value.

Looking for ways to meet your workforce needs and create a safe and positive environment where people want to be? Adriane Harrison, VP of human relations consulting at PRINTING United Alliance, will share strategies about forging recruitment pipelines, creating a supportive and positive culture, and staying compliant with laws and regulations.

This is not a generic AI panel. It will open with a clear framework for using AI safely and strategically in your shop — what you can outsource to AI, where you must keep humans in the loop, and what should never leave your four walls.

From there, the session shifts into practical, show-and-tell style examples. You’ll see how real apparel decorators are using AI to:

• Build creative pipelines from existing art libraries
• Automate proofing and reduce errors
• Connect AI to sales, marketing, and e-commerce data to drive better decisions