From Standards to Adoption:
The Work Shaping What's Next at PromoStandards
The future of industry connectivity is being built through collaboration.
Across PromoStandards, member volunteers, committee leaders, and industry experts are working together to strengthen standards, improve adoption, and create new opportunities for innovation throughout the promotional products ecosystem. Recent committee discussions highlighted significant progress in key initiatives that are helping shape a more connected, scalable, and efficient future for the industry.
From advancing REST standards and implementation readiness to improving onboarding experiences and building momentum for Tech Summit, PromoStandards Committees continue to transform ideas into action and standards into business value.
Bridging the Gap Between Standards and Adoption
While standards provide the framework, successful adoption depends on making them practical, understandable, and easy to implement. That work continues through the Best Practices Committee, which remains focused on helping organizations get the most value from PromoStandards.
A key priority is improving the onboarding experience for new members and implementers. Feedback gathered from the community reinforced the need for clearer onboarding resources, FAQs, and implementation guidance that help organizations understand where to begin and how to successfully adopt standards.
Beyond onboarding and implementation guidance, the committee continues to identify common operational workflows that would benefit from additional best practices. One area of focus is the Purchase Order (PO) process for contract decorating, including scenarios where separate purchase orders are submitted to decorators and blank product suppliers. The goal is to document practical guidance that helps organizations implement these workflows more consistently and efficiently.
Artificial intelligence remains another strategic focus area. The AI Best Practices initiative is exploring opportunities to support data quality, automation, standards compliance, and implementation efficiency, ensuring the PromoStandards community is prepared to leverage emerging technologies responsibly and effectively.
The committee is also evaluating the future direction of the Supplier Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ), helping determine how it can continue to deliver value and support implementation readiness throughout the industry.
The Best Practices Committee is helping bridge the gap between standards development and real-world implementation by creating resources, guidance, and industry collaboration opportunities that make adoption easier and more impactful.
Advancing the Standards That Connect Our Industry
The Standards Committee continues to make progress on several key initiatives designed to strengthen industry connectivity and support the next generation of PromoStandards. As work advances across multiple projects, the committee is focused on ensuring that testing, validation, and implementation efforts are completed thoughtfully and collaboratively.
Several important milestones are currently in progress, and the committee is preparing more comprehensive updates as work reaches the next stage. Additional details on standards development, testing activities, and implementation resources will be shared in future updates.
Stay tuned for more updates as the committee continues to move these important initiatives forward.
Building Awareness, Engagement, and Momentum
As industry initiatives continue to advance, the Membership & Marketing Committee is focused on ensuring members remain informed, engaged, and connected.
A major area of focus is the continued momentum surrounding Tech Summit. Sponsorship opportunities are nearly sold out, demonstrating strong industry support and the growing value organizations see in participating in PromoStandards events and initiatives.
The committee continues to support event planning efforts while working closely with staff, volunteers, and workgroups to create an engaging experience for attendees, sponsors, and industry partners. These collaborative efforts help ensure Tech Summit remains a valuable gathering place for education, networking, and innovation.
Strengthening PromoStandards’ visibility through ongoing branding and messaging initiatives remains a priority for membership growth. The committee focuses on communicating the value of standards, connectivity, and collaboration to both technical and business audiences. By connecting strategic communications with member engagement, the committee continues to help expand awareness of PromoStandards and create meaningful opportunities for organizations to participate in the community.
From Tech Summit planning and sponsorship growth to strategic communications and member outreach, the Membership & Marketing Committee is helping build a stronger, more connected PromoStandards community.
Looking Ahead
The work happening across PromoStandards committees reflects a shared commitment to advancing standards, improving adoption, and strengthening community engagement.
Whether it’s building the technical foundation through REST standards, helping members successfully implement those standards, or creating opportunities for industry connection and collaboration, each committee plays an important role in shaping the future of the promotional products ecosystem.
As Product Data, Webhooks, onboarding resources, AI initiatives, Tech Summit planning, and other strategic efforts continue to move forward, one thing remains clear: the momentum across PromoStandards continues to grow.
Together, PromoStandards members are doing more than developing standards. They are creating the frameworks, resources, and relationships that will help drive the next generation of connectivity across the industry.
Get Involved
The progress highlighted across each committee reflects the expertise and dedication of member volunteers who are helping shape the future of the industry.
Whether you’re a supplier, distributor, service provider, technology partner, or industry professional interested in improving connectivity and efficiency, there are opportunities to contribute.
Join a committee, participate in work groups, attend Tech Summit, or become a member to help drive the next generation of standards and innovation across the promotional products ecosystem.