Chipply hosted its annual Chipply Summit this month in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, drawing nearly 200 attendees for two days of education, networking, and industry insights. The 2026 event was the largest in the Summit's history and continued to solidify its reputation as a must-attend event for decorators, dealers, and distributors in the decorated apparel and team sports industry.
The Summit was held at Saint Kate the Arts Hotel in downtown Milwaukee — a larger venue chosen to accommodate the event's growing attendance. Milwaukee serves as more than just a backdrop for the Summit; attendees were given exclusive access to tour Chipply's headquarters and the facilities of its sister company, Burghardt Sporting Goods, offering a behind-the-scenes look at operations that few industry events can replicate.
The two-day program opened with facility tours, followed by an evening reception at the Arc Theater inside Saint Kate's. The Chipply Merch Store returned as one of the event's most popular features where attendees could select items from a curated selection of Chipply-branded merchandise, including tech accessories, drinkware, apparel, and more. Day two featured a full slate of sessions and panels covering Chipply best practices, industry trends, print on demand, web store customization, new products and features, and the company's roadmap for the year ahead.
New to the 2026 Summit, several sessions incorporated expert panelists — spanning apparel decorators to top vendors — fostering more interactive and collaborative discussions throughout the day. "Hearing how others utilize the platform was very insightful. Every company has different values, goals, and needs that Chipply assists with. Getting to hear what others do similarly or differently makes you evaluate your own processes and steps moving forward,” said one attendee.
The event concluded at Lakefront Brewery, where attendees enjoyed a brewery tour alongside food, drinks, and continued networking. Chipply President Lynn Burghardt stated, “The Burghardt tour and the sessions are the backbone of the Summit, but what happens after hours is just as important. The closing event is where conversations deepen and real relationships are built — and in an industry like ours, those relationships are everything.”
This was also the first year that Chipply welcomed sponsoring vendors to the Summit floor. SanMar, Pearsox, and Momentec each presented product displays and delivered 15-minute presentations to attendees. The response from both attendees and vendors was overwhelmingly positive, and Chipply will be expanding sponsorship opportunities for the 2027 Summit for vendors interested in connecting with this engaged and growing audience.
As the Summit continues to grow, Chipply has made the deliberate decision to cap future attendance at approximately 200 — ensuring that the event retains the intimacy and personal access to Chipply leadership and staff that attendees have come to value. "I've attended a lot of conferences, and it's rare to see a leadership team as present and accessible as Chipply's. They weren't just there to present; they were there to listen, connect, and have real conversations,” said an attendee.
The next Chipply Summit is already in the works, returning to downtown Milwaukee on May 3 & 4, 2027. Full event and registration details will be announced in the coming months.