About PSI
For the promotional products trade, the year begins at PSI. The show is a business-to-business event that connects the manufacturers, suppliers and importers of branded merchandise with the distributors, finishers and agencies who sell those products on to corporate clients. Members of the public are not the audience; almost everyone walking the aisles is there to source ranges, compare suppliers or agree terms for the year ahead.
PSI is operated by RX and is closely tied to the PSI network, which describes itself as the leading European network for the promotional products industry. For around 60 years the show was held in Düsseldorf before relocating to Cologne, where it now uses the northern halls of the Koelnmesse exhibition centre. It takes place annually in January.
The product range is broad. Exhibitors typically show textiles and workwear, drinkware, bags, writing instruments, technology accessories and gifts, along with the printing, embroidery and finishing services that turn a blank item into a branded one. Sustainability and compliance have become recurring themes, since end clients increasingly ask distributors how products are made and where they come from.
Suppliers take part because PSI concentrates the European distributor channel in a few days. A single conversation with a distributor can lead to repeat orders across many end customers, so being present and visible at the start of the buying year matters. For finishers and decoration specialists, the show is also a place to demonstrate techniques that are hard to explain in a catalogue.
Next edition
PSI 2027: what to expect
The 2027 edition runs from 12 to 14 January and is the first to be held in Cologne, at Koelnmesse, after the final Düsseldorf show in January 2026. RX has said the move secures a long-term January slot that avoids the 6 January public holiday and gives the show a new layout in the northern halls of the Cologne exhibition centre.
A first edition at a new venue means exhibitors should not assume that previous hall positions, stand neighbours or technical arrangements carry over. Check the Koelnmesse floor plan, service ordering deadlines and delivery procedures from scratch rather than relying on Düsseldorf experience. Opening hours on the official site are 9:00 to 18:00 on the first two days, closing at 16:00 on the Thursday, which leaves a short window for breakdown planning on the final afternoon.