Backstage 2026: Custom Promotional Products, Right from the Source

Exclusive Vendor Access, Trend Forecasts, and Production Up Close

Some things are better experienced than explained. That’s the whole idea behind The Backstage, our annual event where B2B buyers touch the materials, meet the suppliers, and watch their custom promotional products take shape on the spot, with access to vendors most companies simply can’t get to on their own.

Our Portland facility’s parking lot came alive with vendor booths, the smell of food trucks in the air, and guests swapping ideas over samples, all in the middle of a firsthand look at what goes into great branded merch. Branded coffees too pretty to drink, the hiss of heat presses, conversations spilling from one booth into the next. It felt less like an event and more like a block party built entirely around possibility.

Access You Won’t Find Anywhere Else

Vendors lined the lot with what’s new across paper, tech accessories, apparel, drinkware, and more. With the exception of Portland Gear, every one of these suppliers works exclusively through Premier. Guests moved booth to booth, holding fabric, testing finishes, and talking directly with the people behind the product, a level of access that simply isn’t available anywhere else.

It’s one thing to see a swatch or a spec sheet. It’s another to feel the weight of a blanket, watch a design get pressed onto a hat, or hear a vendor explain exactly why a certain fabric holds color better. That’s the entire point of Backstage: strip away the guesswork and put custom promotional products directly in our clients’ hands.

Getting Ahead on 2027 Gift Trends

Backstage doubled as a trend forecast. Guests got a first look at what’s shaping corporate gifting and branded merch heading into 2027, from new materials to fresh takes on apparel and drinkware, well before those trends hit the mainstream. For companies planning next year’s client gifts or employee swag, that head start matters.

Personalized Down to the Last Patch

The real magic was in the details. Every guest was greeted with custom promotional products curated entirely from Premier’s vendor network: coffee mugs, portable chargers, notebooks, and customizable shirts, hats, and socks, each one designed and branded by the Premier team.

Guests could stop by the patch bar and pick their own items and patches, then watch our team customize each piece on the spot with the heat press.

It’s a small detail that says a lot about how we think about branded merchandise: not just something to hand out, but something personal to keep and use long after the event ends.

A Dedicated Team, Start to Finish

Custom promotional products take more than a good catalog. Every Premier client works with a dedicated Account Director and Project Manager who guide the process from first concept to final delivery, the same team from start to finish.

That guidance extends into production, including apparel decoration. Screen printing and embroidery are handled entirely in-house. Guests got to see that capability firsthand, watching decoration happen in real time rather than waiting on it to come back from a third party.

Fueled by Portland’s Best

No Backstage is complete without the food. This year’s lineup brought in some of Portland’s favorites, with Intentional Espresso Coffee Cart, Retrolicious, and Pepe Caliente keeping guests fueled and the networking going strong. The lot buzzed all afternoon with conversation, samples, and a genuine sense of community among clients, vendors, and the Premier team.

Behind the Scenes of Custom Promotional Products

Guests also got a birdseye view of Premier’s production facility, a peek at the equipment, process, and people that turn ideas into finished products every day. For clients who work with us on paper and packaging, seeing the floor buzzing connects the dots in a way a proposal never can. It builds concrete confidence in what Premier can deliver, at scale and on deadline.

None of this happens without our network of partners who bring products to life. A huge thanks to this year’s vendor lineup for showing up with their best work and making Backstage an experience worth remembering.

This reaction from our vendor says it best:

That was one of the best end user shows that I have ever been to for sure!”
Corin Carroll

Meet the Vendors Behind The Backstage 2026

None of this happens without our network of partners who bring products to life. A huge thanks to this year’s vendor lineup for showing up with their best work and making The Backstage an experience worth remembering:

See You at the Next Backstage

Backstage is proof that great custom promotional products start with exclusive access and a team that sticks with you. If you missed this year’s event or want a look at what’s possible for your next project, contact us. We’re ready for you!