Attendees at PPAI’s Expo East show who expected a coddling, uplifting message from keynote speaker Larry Winget were in for quite a shock. The self-professed “Pitbull of Personal Development” delivered straight talk in his speech, “The Cold, Hard, Ugly Truth About Success” during the show, which was held in Atlantic City in mid-May.

“Success does not come down to passion and happiness,” said Winget, a six-time best-selling author. Happiness in your job, according to Winget, is about finding things you enjoy to offset what you don’t like. Hard work and excellence ultimately determine how successful someone is in business. “Our moral compass is off kilter in some ways,” Winget said. “People don’t want to talk about hard work. They want to do as little as possible.”

Winget said there were only “18 good ideas in the world” that have become overcomplicated in today’s business environment. According to Winget, businesspeople must balance responsibility with having fun, and they must have flexibility – a key to delivering excellent customer service. Even as he labeled many clients as “idiots,” Winget cited a number of bad, and funny, customer service experiences he endured. “You give me bad service? I will never forget it,” he said

Besides Winget’s keynote, more unusual approaches were at the heart of the show – particularly among products on display. Hampton Technologies LLC (asi/59475) and promopong.com showed off branded corn hole and beer pong boards, but “it’s not just for drunken college kids,” said Partner/COO Steven G. Gallagher. “We do so much work for charitable events where they auction off the items at the end of the night.” It’s also a great ice breaker for networking events and a fun activity for corporate retreats, he said.

Watches, too, are finding versatility outside of traditional corporate gift programs. Showcased as well was the chill watch from Intelligent Galaxy LLC (asi/62731), an item featuring a silicone band, which makes it ideal for the health-care field. “Because the band is silicone,” said Intelligent Galaxy President Vito Ciaravino, “germs won’t adhere to it, unlike a metal band.” Doctors and nurses can wear it and simply wash it with hand sanitizer. It’s available in 13 colors and is water resistant up to 150 feet, Ciaravino said.