ASI Show 2027: Which City Fits Your Promotional Products Line?

If you sell products that distributors can brand for their customers, ASI Show may belong on your exhibition shortlist. The first choice is which edition to consider: ASI runs a series of promotional products trade shows in Orlando, Fort Worth and Chicago, each at a different point in the selling year.

This guide explains what the shows offer, how the cities differ and which dates actually give you time with distributors on the exhibit floor. You can then choose a show around the products you are ready to sell and the customers you want to reach.

What Is ASI Show?

ASI stands for Advertising Specialty Institute. The ASI Trade Shows bring promotional products suppliers together with distributors who source branded merchandise for their clients. The format combines education, product discovery and industry networking. These are trade events; the general public and promotional products end users are not admitted. ASI event overview, admission rules.

That distinction matters when you decide whether to exhibit. You are helping another business sell your products onward. A distributor considering your drinkware needs to understand the decoration, order quantities and delivery options well enough to recommend it to a client. An attractive bottle can start the conversation, but it cannot answer those questions by itself.

The series makes most sense when you can support that reseller relationship. If your offer depends entirely on selling individual retail items directly to consumers, check the channel fit before reserving space. If you manufacture blank goods but have not worked with promotional distributors, ask ASI's exhibitor team whether your offer meets its approval criteria and what information it needs from you.

When and Where Are the Next ASI Shows?

As of September 8, 2026, ASI is promoting the following 2027 city-show cycle. The three-day headline dates include an Education Day; they do not mean three days of open exhibits.

Sources: Orlando schedule, Fort Worth 2027 floor plan, Chicago 2027 floor plan.

For Orlando, the current Expo Hall hours are 10 a.m.–5 p.m. on January 6 and 10 a.m.–2:30 p.m. on January 7. Earlier times shown under “Exhibit Days” include other programming, so use the separately listed hall hours when arranging booth meetings. Check the current city schedule again before booking travel. Orlando event details.

Orlando: Introduce the Line You Want Distributors to Sell All Year

Orlando places your products in front of the channel at the start of the calendar year. ASI positions this edition around discovering new products and preparing for the months ahead. The January timing gives you a reason to lead with new additions to your range, rather than simply bringing everything in the catalog. ASI Show Orlando.

For example, if you are introducing a drinkware collection, show a finished decorated sample alongside the color and lid choices that change how it can be sold. A distributor should leave knowing which item is suitable for an employee welcome kit and which is better for an outdoor promotion.

January is useful only if your sales team can support the launch. If a new item still lacks a dependable production date or a finished decoration sample, separate it clearly from products available to quote now. Otherwise, the show may create interest that your team cannot turn into a usable proposal.

Fort Worth: Put Spring and Summer Orders in Reach

The Fort Worth edition takes place in Texas in March. ASI presents it as an opportunity for spring and summer business, placing it later than Orlando but still early in the sales year. ASI Show Fort Worth.

This can be the more practical choice if your line will be ready after January, or if you already have distributor relationships you want to develop in the region. Ask those accounts whether they plan to attend; the host city alone does not establish who will be in the room.

Your product conversation should match the time left before the client's event. For an outdoor promotion, a tote or cap sample is more useful when you can explain the available decoration and realistic delivery date. Keep stocked items distinct from special production. A product that needs several months may still deserve a place in your display, but it should not be presented as the answer to a near-term order.

Chicago: Separate Immediate Needs From Holiday Planning

Chicago brings the series to McCormick Place in July. ASI connects this edition with back-to-school and holiday selling, so it gives you a different conversation from a January launch. ASI's Chicago exhibitor overview.

By late July, some back-to-school projects may be too close for a long production cycle. If you want those orders, lead with products and decoration options you can deliver within the customer's actual deadline. For holiday gifts, you may have more room to discuss packaging, sets and higher-value options, depending on the required delivery date.

One useful display would pair a finished gift set with its individual components. That lets a distributor see how changing the contents or presentation changes the offer. Keep the choices manageable enough to discuss at the booth; your full catalog can support the follow-up. Chicago is a candidate for refreshing your second-half offer, not a reason to promise every seasonal deadline.

Are the ASI Pavilion and Hosted-Buyer Events the Same Thing?

The wider ASI event portfolio includes other formats. The ASI Pavilion is a promotional products area within PRINTING United Expo. The 2026 event is scheduled for September 23–25 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, bringing print and promotional products businesses into the same exhibition. It is not a fourth standalone city show with the schedule above. ASI Pavilion, PRINTING United Expo.

If your products complement a print provider's existing offer, the pavilion may be worth a separate look. Assess its exhibitor package and audience on their own terms rather than transferring an Orlando or Chicago plan to it.

ASI also offers fASIlitate and Power House as Hosted-Buyer events built around scheduled meetings. The main trade shows give you an exhibit-floor setting; the hosted format is a different way to have focused distributor conversations. If that is your priority, check the participation criteria and category availability with ASI before planning a booth. ASI event formats.

How Do You Choose One City or Build a Series Plan?

Match the launch date to the city

Start with the line you can confidently present by each show date. Orlando suits a January product reset, Fort Worth gives you a spring and summer checkpoint, and Chicago can support later-year or holiday planning. Seasonal timing narrows the choice; it does not establish which buyers will attend.

Compare the account list with the edition

For each city on your shortlist, ask ASI for the current exhibitor information and available audience details. Use the exhibitor list for that edition to see the supplier mix, but do not mistake it for a list of attending buyers. Compare the audience information with your own target accounts and ask key distributors which edition they expect to visit. Reserve more than one city only when you can identify a useful reason for each appearance, such as different accounts or a new product release.

Build a series only when the display can travel

Once you have chosen the event, make the display serve the distributor conversation. Put samples within reach, show decoration clearly and leave room to compare options without covering the entire counter. A supplier offering apparel might show a completed embroidered garment beside a fabric sample; a gift supplier might need a surface where a visitor can open the packaging. For multiple cities, keep the core story and samples consistent, then change the seasonal products, graphics and meeting plan for each audience.

How Can KingExhibits Support Your ASI Plan?

Turn the product story into a booth route

KingExhibits can help translate the sample sequence into a practical visitor route: a clear first product, a place to compare decoration or packaging, and a table where a distributor can discuss quantities and timing.

Plan for repeat use across cities

If you attend more than one edition, ask for a layout that can be adapted to each confirmed footprint. Reusable graphics, modular counters and protected sample storage can reduce redesign work, while each city still gets the products and meeting focus that matter there.

Keep the quote tied to the confirmed facts

Share the exact city, year, footprint, product dimensions and organizer rules. That lets KingExhibits separate exhibit design and production decisions from ASI space fees and unconfirmed services.

Frequently Asked Questions