This panel discussion will take a frank look at the challenges of being a compliance officer. Panelists will share tips on how to build consensus; how to say no without damaging relationships; how to get buy-in from the top; and how to build a culture of product responsibility.

What does it really take to protect your intellectual property and defend your rights? Copyrights, trademarks, patents abound – the tangible creations we humans want to protect from infringement and misuse are virtually endless. Lessons learned from a real-life experience will make you better prepared should you need to defend your IP rights.

Michael R. Littenberg, an attorney and partner with Ropes and Gray, will review why this issue is still relevant and who is at risk. Littenberg will review what is required to comply with the UK Modern Slavery Act, the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act, as well as emerging regulations in Australia, Canada and other countries.

A panel of standards experts will address how voluntary standards affect safety. It will address how standards are formalized; the struggle to harmonize international standards and the considerations that must be made when selecting a new product that may not have established voluntary standards.

This plastics pioneer will address not only the global problem with plastics, but will lay out solutions as well. Mike Biddle has patented a series of techniques for separating and refining plastic waste to produce quality materials for reuse in the industry. His innovative recycling process diverts plastic waste from landfills and the ocean while negating the need for new oil-based plastics.

Special safety considerations must be made when designing for vulnerable audiences. As Boomers age, the senior market will expand and with it so will the particular safety and accessibility issues for this demographic. CPSC Commissioner Adler will address the unique challenges and responsibilities associated with senior safety.

It’s been a little over 12 months since the new CA Prop 65 regulations went into effect. What can we learn from the notices, settlements and trends? Dan Herling will share what you need to do to ensure your internal procedures and practices continue are keeping up with recent litigation trends.

Many electronic products contain button batteries in the household setting, and these pose a serious risk if placed in the ear canal, nasal cavity, or swallowed. When lodged within the body, they can cause severe, potentially life-threatening injury in a matter of hours. In this session, participants will learn about the spectrum of button battery injuries and mitigation strategies. Medical evaluation and management of other types of foreign bodies of the ear canal, nasal cavity, aerodigestive tract will also be discussed in this session by Dr. Kris Jatana.

Keynote CPSC update by CPSC Acting Chair Anne Marie Buerkle regarding the perspective, realities and priorities of this independent Federal agency.

The recent focus on tariffs has driven many companies to seek new sources for product manufacturing, but it isn’t as easy as it sounds. This panel will address the many issues you’ll need to consider including the regulatory climate of the country, logistics, known human rights issues, availability of raw materials and much, much more.

What drives social responsibility initiatives? What are the key issues our clients need answered?

What keeps our customers up at night? What do our customers expect when sourcing promotional products? We all know what the client needs in order to rest assured when they hand out promotional products to their own customers…or do we? We’ll start with some general insight questions, venture a bit more in-depth, and then let participants ask the questions we may not have considered. Get the inside dish as a panel of end buyers shares their perspectives during this moderated discussion.

Battery safety has become critical as mobility becomes a requirement for common devices used in the home and in the workplace. As the market learns and evolves from past incidences in the field, battery requirements have also been keeping up in addressing potential hazards and risks. As manufacturers develop products for home and the workplace, it becomes most critical that proper battery evaluations are conducted referencing the proper industry standards for batteries as a component and as it operates safely with the end product. Use of lasers in end products can present hazards and concerns for consumers. We will cover basics of laser safety compliance. This session will qualify as an elective for the Product Safety Awareness initiative.

In the promotional products industry, there is a high awareness of how national legislation applies to the goods that are both made and sold. But how does compliance translate into expanding your market to include European countries? This presentation by Jennifer Barbarisi and Melanie Schubert is designed to look into the applicable EU legislation for toys and children’s products, common promotional product categories and will include chemical requirements like REACH, including SVHC and RoHS. This session is an elective for the Product Safety Aware program.

Join Susan DeRagon for this session, where she will share information from the International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization’s 2019 annual meeting and training symposium. This year’s conference included tutorials on social media and consumer product misuse as well as concerns over product safety and privacy in an interconnected world. Some of the breakout sessions included topics such as mitigation strategies related to foreign body hazards and proactive safety engineering. The plenary topics of the sessions included ensuring the safety of products sold online and evolving approaches for innovation and technology. The annual CPSC day included updates on the impact of the new makeup of the Commission and some of the commissioners’ policy views regarding education campaigns, voluntary vs. mandatory standards and a variety of other issues that come before the Commission. This session qualifies as an "elective" under the Product Safety Aware Program.

Increased regulations of chemicals and consumer products containing regulated chemicals continues to significantly impact all industries. This session by Jennifer Barbarisi and Danielle Iverson will focus on state chemical regulations impacting key sectors in the promotional product industry and will provide chemical management strategies that manufacturers can take to mitigate risk. This session qualifies as an "elective" under the Product Safety Aware Program.

Blockchain was a buzzword in 2018, attend this session with Anne Stone to understand what it is, how it works and why more and more retailers are adopting this model to manage supply chain transparency. This session is an elective for the Product Safety Awareness initiative.

PPAI has enlisted the help of an experienced trade counsel to translate the Section 301 tariff list into a plain language guide about the items that are on the list. The third group of products that were named in the Section 301 investigation listed several items that are prevalent in the promotional products industry, specifically. This session will offer an in-depth look at the products listed and offer best practices for managing the effect of the tariffs.

This session will walk you through the process of conducting a gap analysis on your company’s product responsibility policies and procedures. The architects of PPAI’s 2018 Product Responsibility Summit workbook will provide an outline the framework and implement the necessary processes to close the gaps in your compliance program. The content of this session is designed to deliver actionable tools to improve your company’s compliance efforts.

Are there any practical steps for responsible sourcing and ensuring compliance with the new rules surrounding social responsibility? Yes! This session will cover the realities and challenges of managing social responsibility obligations and help inform key decisions about partnerships and sourcing. This course qualifies as an elective under the Product Safety Aware Program. This webinar will focus on product safety, identifying hazards, product responsibility resources, and an overview on recalls and compliance standards.

The promotional products industry has a responsibility to deliver goods, created in an ethical and responsible way, by people in this country and around the world. Has your company taken key steps and committed to being socially responsible? This session will address the business imperatives of making a difference in the communities where we source, sell and ship our products. By working within industry guidelines and with international labor organizations, as well as building measurable compliance and social programs, we all can make a difference. Making social responsibility a cornerstone of a company’s strategy means key decisions about sourcing, partnerships and product design are all heavily influenced by the company’s commitment to doing the right thing. Lead your organization down the path to social responsibility. This session qualifies as an "elective" under the Product Safety Aware Program.

This session will address the practical implications and applications for blockchain in the promotional products marketplace.

How can you determine if something is a children’s product with confidence? This session qualifies as an "elective" under the Product Safety Aware Program.

This session will walk attendees through the process of conducting a gap analysis on their individual product responsibility policies and procedures. The event workbook provided will serve as a collection point for ideas and act as an outline to framework and implement the necessary processes. The content is designed to deliver actionable tools to improve compliance efforts. This session qualifies as an "elective" under the Product Safety Aware Program.

The new regulations are effective September 2018. Are you prepared for your company’s next move? What are the practical steps companies must consider in order to comply with the new rules? Are there reliable resources available? A list of best practices to cover the basics? Perhaps go-to website companies shouldn’t be without? How does a company prepare when they must establish internal guidelines to meet new regulations? This session is an opportunity for suppliers and distributors alike to share tips, tricks and tactics for compliance. This session qualifies as an "elective" under the Product Safety Aware Program.

Using wireless charging devices as a case study, this session will examine the hazard identification process when taking a new product to market. This session qualifies as an "elective" under the Product Safety Aware Program.

It’s not enough to just get it there…how do you get products into the hands of your international customers? This session qualifies as an "elective" under the Product Safety Aware Program.

There are countless examples of content on social media showing people promoting the misuse of consumer goods, from clothes baskets used as baby baths to toothpick crossbows. Don’t let misguided humor ruin the marketing potential for your line of promotional products. This panel discussion will present specific cases of product misuse, promoted via social media, and offer suggested and necessary steps to help shut it down. Take away ideas to limit the impact on consumer safety and your brand with swift action and sensible responses. This session qualifies as an "elective" under the Product Safety Aware Program.

A professional auditor will share the real story behind factory audits. She will review what is involved in performing social and safety audits as well as tips on how to make those corrective actions stick. This session qualifies as an "elective" under the Product Safety Aware Program.

As more states and countries legalize medical and recreational cannabis, where can you turn for legal and regulatory guidance related to both drug paraphernalia and marketing support for this growing market? This session qualifies as an "elective" under the Product Safety Aware Program.

What are the trends and applications for the internet of things? Where is the intersection between IOT and promo? This session qualifies as an "elective" under the Product Safety Aware Program.

The stepped-up basis, incentives, and treatment for pass-through entities were all hot topics while Congress debated legislation to change the Internal Revenue Act in 2017. Join Maurice Norris for this session and find out what the biggest overhaul of the tax code in the past 30 years means for your business. This session will qualify as an elective for the Product Safety Awareness initiative.

Big changes to Prop 65 take effect in August, and those changes could affect your company’s bottom line. This session will examine the new standards for Prop 65 compliance and provide essential tools to protect your business. This session will qualify as an elective for the Product Safety Awareness initiative.

Product safety is a challenging issue in the promotional products industry because the ultimate use and users of the product are not always known at the time of manufacture. This session will address vital considerations that could help you avoid potential hazards for your business.

​Join Susan DeRagon for this session on How To Handle A Recall. This session will guide you through the development of recall policies and procedures. It will address decisions and essential issues relevant to the requirements of an appropriate recall response. This course qualifies as an elective under the Product Safety Aware Program. This webinar will focus on product safety, identifying hazards, product responsibility resources, and an overview on recalls and compliance standards. ​

Join us for an advanced focus on quality audits. During this in-depth learning session, Andy Church will take viewers on a deep dive into what to look for during an audit, and provide practical takeaways for implementation.

This session will address the top product safety issues for the promotional products industry, and it will focus specifically on children’s products and new warning requirements for California Prop 65. This session will qualify for the Product Safety Awareness initiative.

Join Anne Stone for this session on how to communicate compliance to end buyers. A session designed to help you engage your customers in the compliance conversation. It covers how you can start the conversation, what questions to ask and the best practices necessary to back up your compliance talk. At the end you will understand how to use the tools provided in order to deliver the compliance message with confidence. This session qualifies as an "elective" under the Product Safety Aware Program.

Big changes are coming to Cal Prop 65 that could cost you and your business. In addition to the federal regulations that affect the promotional products industry, individual states have passed laws that can affect your company as well. This session is a must for navigating your interstate deals, not just by knowing the rules, but by having strategies in place to manage them.

This webinar shares information from the 25th annual ICPHSO product safety symposium, whose theme was "Accelerated Change in the Exponential Age: Learning from History to Make Safer Products in the Future". With new products continually being developed, this webinar will explore ways to identify potential product hazards and how to mitigate them, how to use emerging technologies to accelerate product safety, and how to make retailers (brands) happy. This webinar will include updates on CPSC programs as well as Prop 65, and how to use social media and technology to reach and protect your customers. This session qualifies as an elective under the Product Safety Aware Program.

Despite many initiatives to improve structural safety in global supply chains, factory fires and building collapses still plague low-cost manufacturing countries, destroying property, infrastructure and human lives. Most of these losses are preventable through proactive assessment, corrective action and education. This webinar, presented by David Feig of AI, focuses on the- current state of structural, fire and electric safety in global manufacturing; the leading causes of safety failures; and best practices for using structural audits to create a safer supply chain. This session qualifies as an "elective" under the Product Safety Aware Program.

Join Kathrin Endress for an overview of the efforts within the consumer products industry to address the need for sound chemical management within the global supply chain. Learn about the industries, associations and committees that are active in the DETOX and sustainability space, and hear best practices and related case studies. Attendees will receive a basic overview of ZDHC and other global initiatives. This session is an elective for the product safety awareness initiative. ​

Undue influence training is an essential element in any product responsibility program and is required by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The session will help you understand what undue influence is and how to avoid it, as well as provide you with tools and resources that are easily shared with the rest of your team. This course is a required element of the Product Safety Aware program.

The consumer products market is becoming increasingly regulated and subject to scrutiny by many government agencies and consumer groups.This course introduces promotional products professionals to the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), specific regulations concerning promotional products and other mandatory and voluntary standards. This course is required to attain the TAS certification, but attendees do not need to pursue a TAS to attend this session.

​The journey from understanding why your company needs a code of conduct to adopting and implementing code standards in your supply chain presents both challenges and opportunities for your company to grow and learn. This session qualifies as a Product Safety Aware elective.​

Who Really Produces The Products We Sell? What are the working conditions like? What sort of expectations should we have of our production partners? An experienced auditor will share the realities and challenges of managing social responsibility obligations. This session qualifies as an "elective" under the Product Safety Aware Program.

Why do products get stopped and how do you get them released? This session will review the current state of port surveillance operations and deliver clear guidance on what you need to start doing, stop doing and the resources to keep products moving through the ports efficiently. This session qualifies as an "elective" under the Product Safety Aware Program.

What is involved in performing social and safety audits? How do you make corrective actions stick? This panel of experienced auditors will share their secrets. This session qualifies as an "elective" under the Product Safety Aware Program.

What do you need to consider at each step in the process? This session will address the role the event binder can play in helping you better manage risk considerations. This session qualifies as an "elective" under the Product Safety Aware Program.

How do you go about managing a quality process from start to finish? How can you effectively monitor that process from afar? Our auditing experts will share best practices related to quality. This session qualifies as an "elective" under the Product Safety Aware Program.

What keeps our customers up at night? What do our customers expect when sourcing promotional products? A panel of end buyers will share their perspectives during this moderated discussion. This session qualifies as an "elective" under the Product Safety Aware Program.

As corporate responsibility continues its rise in prevalence as a major factor in today’s business world, buyers and clients increasingly require their suppliers and business partners to put codes of conduct in place as a condition of doing business. This session qualifies as an "elective" under the Product Safety Aware Program.

Join Cory Halliburton for this session on the pillars of independent contractor classification. This session will also discuss the legal and tax pitfalls that may arise in the event of misclassification. This session qualifies as a Product Safety Aware elective.

A dive into the factors, requirements and other business and legal matters affecting employee classifications under the Fair Labor Standards Act. This session qualifies as a Product Safety Aware elective.

Promotional products industry professionals should understand how liability for product defects may arise and flow within the stream of commerce, and how the players in the stream may allocate (or may be statutorily required to allocate) risk through indemnity and other arrangements. This session qualifies as a Product Safety Aware elective.

​Do you have an import compliance manual that works for your company? This webinar will help you address the regulatory compliance of your products before you produce and distribute them. This session is an elective for the Product Safety Aware program.

Promotional products fall under the jurisdiction of a variety of government agencies and their regulations. Learn which agencies and which regulations apply to your product. This webinar will help you address the regulatory compliance of your products before you produce and distribute them. This session is an elective for the Product Safety Aware program.

How is your export manual working for you? Drafting an export compliance manual can be daunting and time-consuming, but the real challenge is often in making it functional. This session is an elective for the Product Safety Aware program.

The new edition of the U.S. Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Toy Safety, ASTM F963-16, was published on October 20, 2016 and supersedes ASTM F963-11. This session is an elective for the Product Safety Aware program.

Join George Kerchner for this session on Knowing the rules and dangers of transporting batteries. If you ship batteries and other technology products this session is a must for you to attend. Shipping regulations, intended to protect against hazards, are different for air, land and sea, international and domestic transportation. This session is an elective for the Product Safety Aware program.

If your company is currently an importer or exporter, you’ll want to attend this webinar. Our featured speaker, Michael Laden, will discuss two incentive-based partnership programs offered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). This session is an elective for the Product Safety Aware program.

Just when you thought you had a handle on all of your compliance obligations, you've got more on your hands. In 2018 new rules go into effect that will change how and where you must post Prop 65 warnings. Key to this update, you now need to warn the purchaser prior to purchase, that means online and catalog warnings will be required. This session will help you get prepared to comply with these new rules. This session qualifies as an elective course under the Product Safety Aware Program.

Tech products are one of the hottest categories in the promo industry—and the most dangerous. UL 2056 is a new product safety standard for power banks that was developed to protect consumers from physical harm and property damage. This advanced session will dive deep into the intricacies of UL 2056 and provide steps for what industry members need to do to ensure compliance.This session is an elective for the Product Safety Aware program.

Tech products are one of the industry’s hottest product categories, but what do you really know about sourcing them? Here you will learn about the critical need for safety and certification when sourcing technology products. This session qualifies as an "elective" under the Product Safety Aware Program.

This course will address the critical need for safety and certification when sourcing lithium batteries. Learn what you need to look out for to keep you and your channel partners on the right side of compliance. This session qualifies as an "elective" under the Product Safety Aware Program.

This webinar provides a breakdown of recent trade legislation and free trade agreements affecting the promotional products industry. This session qualifies as an "elective" under the Product Safety Aware Program.

So you’ve go the whole CPSIA thing down and you are fairly comfortable with Prop 65. But are you aware that there are 250-plus laws and rules across 38 states regulating the use of toxic substances? In addition, 20 state legislatures are considering nearly 75 new proposed chemical safety policies. This session will take a deep dive into the laws and rules that have the most impact on the promotional products industry. This session is an elective for the Product Safety Aware program.

We frequently talk about the requirements for compliance testing related to consumer promotional products, but what does it entail? This is a must-attend session for suppliers and a huge opportunity for distributors looking to stay on the right side of compliance. This session qualifies as an "elective" under the Product Safety Aware Program.

This session will answer your questions for apparel decorators and distributors regarding CPSIA regulations and keeping yourself on the right side of compliance. This session is appropriate for distributors and third-party apparel decorators. This session is an elective for the Product Safety Aware program.

Regardless of its size, every supplier organization can make gradual changes within its operations that will contribute to a more socially responsible business model. There is no one size-fits-all strategy. Every organization is different and each has its own unique challenges. This session qualifies as an "elective" under the Product Safety Aware Program.

As part of the supply chain, distributors have a responsibility and an obligation to ensure the products they place in the market are made in socially compliant factories. Compliance is about more than just product safety. This session provides in-depth guidance for what distributors can do to ensure their suppliers are using socially compliant factories. This session qualifies as an "elective" under the Product Safety Aware Program.

Understanding the environmental footprint of promotional products is essential to having a truly environmentally sustainable business. In this session we will delve into sustainable manufacturing processes and how these processes impact at the footprint left behind by a product centric industry. This session qualifies as an "elective" under the Product Safety Aware Program.

Increasingly, consumers, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other consumer groups are pressuring some organizations to offer transparency into their supply chains. This session qualifies as an "elective" under the Product Safety Aware Program.