PRINTING United Alliance’s Apparelist hosted its first Apparel Decoration Summit in Nashville, Tennessee, this week (June 12-14). The invitation-only, relationship-building event at The Loews Vanderbilt Hotel welcomed apparel decorators for three days of camaraderie, keynotes, case study sessions, 1:1 meetings, and networking opportunities.  

Day 1: Keynotes and Welcome Reception 

The event kicked off with a welcome from The Alliance’s Senior Vice President Josh Carruth, followed by a keynote session by Kornit Digital titled “Seize Every Order” and another by STAHLS’ titled “The Little Heat Press That Changed Fulfillment.”

Kornit takeaways: 

• Change and challenge equal opportunity, including labor shortages, the rise in social commerce, and shortening run lengths. 
• The Amazon Effect is real, and brands and content creators are looking for on-demand products.

STAHLS’ takeaways:

• There’s a rise in e-commerce: Up to 80,000 store closures are expected in the next five years. 
• Heat printing fulfillment can meet demand.  

Both presenters (Don Whaley, Kornit, and Josh Ellsworth, STAHLS’) agree there are print-on-demand (POD) solutions, like direct-to-garment and heat printing, available that meet the moment and needs of the industry.

Nashville Songwriters

Night one ended with a welcome reception and dinner, and attendees and suppliers broke off into groups for a songwriting workshop, which gave everyone a chance to get to know each other before two days of learning and networking together.  

Day 2: State of the Decorated Apparel Industry, Case Studies, and 1:1 Meetings 

Day two started with a networking breakfast, followed by a State of the Decorated Apparel (SODA) Industry Data Presentation and Panel Analysis. PRINTING United Alliance’s Chief Economist Andy Paparozzi led the discussion. He was joined by Ellsworth; Jed Seifert, Stakes Manufacturing; Cassie Stancyk, BELLA+CANVAS; and David Clifton, alphabroder, to discuss the results.  

Paparozzi drove home one point: “The gamut of opportunity is expanding, but the margin for error is shrinking.”

SODA highlights:

• Pressure on margins is building as business slows, operating costs rise, and resistance to price increases stiffens.
• Downturns create opportunity to capture more market share.
• Over 90% of SODA participants said increased productivity is the driver for capital investments.
• Nearly 56% have diversified beyond apparel, and 80% of those that did, stepped into promotional printing.

Following the panel, attendees and suppliers broke off for their first round of case study presentations, where suppliers shared real-life applications of their products and solutions and answered questions. Case studies were presented by several sponsors.

In the afternoon, Justin Lawrence of Oklahoma Shirt Company took the stage for a panel discussion on bringing production in-house versus outsourcing jobs.

In-House vs. Outsource takeaways: 

• Trust can be an issue with contract printing, but networking and industry events can cultivate it and help build a strong foundation for a solid partnership. 
• Panelists agreed that printers don’t necessarily need to share with their customers if they’re outsourcing products. The customer wants the product(s) they asked for, and the details don’t necessarily matter. Although, for many, COVID helped customers better understand a printer’s network and that outsourcing was needed. 
• If a contract decorator messes an order up, make it right with the customer and be a good partner. Remember, mistakes happen.

Attendees and suppliers broke for lunch before heading to more case study presentations.

Chip Danby, EVP of the Promo Marketing Media Group, also led a panel discussion titled “Why Are Promotional Products Important to Apparel Decorators?” The session broke down how decorators can get a piece of the promotional pie. He was joined by Mike Crane, HALO Branded Solutions; Jack Kilian, Sharprint; Jay Busselle, Equipment Zone; and Sean Macilvain, alphabroder. 

Promo and Apparel Decoration takeaways:

• Apparel makes up 39% ($9.94B) of the promotional products industry, with drinkware coming in at 13%. Bags are another simple option for decorators to take on.  
• Decorators can take one of two approaches: contract printing (solution provider adding value) or being a promotional products distributor (order taking vs. order making).  
• Kitting and curating something unique that generates emotion is a good guiding point for approaching this market.

Busselle noted that “convergence is key,” and Crane drove home that point by saying “having alternate products is a must” when filling the need for your customer and their end-user.  

The day wrapped up with 1:1 meetings, where apparel decorators sat down with suppliers to ask questions, learn more about their product offerings, and cultivate product ideas.

In the evening, attendees were able to unwind at Ole Smokey Distillery for dinner and drinks after a big day. 

Day 3: Q&A and Networking

The last day of the summit started with another networking breakfast, where attendees caught up and continued the previous days’ conversations.

Apparelist’s Content Director Cassie Green led a Q&A panel with the brand’s Apparel Decoration Summit Advisory Board and Experts, which consisted of Alan Howe, Easiway Systems; Terry Combs, Equipment Zone; Justin Lawrence, Oklahoma Shirt Company; Val Solomon, Night Owls; and Brett Bowden, Printed Threads.

The session dove into how to accurately price jobs and improve efficiency and had time for live Q&As where attendees asked their burning questions. From there, attendees had one last chance to catch up with suppliers in 1:1 meetings before lunch and closing remarks.

There’s one thing for sure: The first-ever Apparel Decoration Summit wasn’t anything short of amazing, and three words come to mind to wrap these last few days: partnership, excitement, and discovery.

We can’t wait to have the community together again in 2024. Thanks to everyone for making this a huge success! – The ADS Team