Swag Bag Ideas
Reusable water bottles keep guests hydrated
As the nation becomes greener and more health conscious, reusable water bottles are unbeatable swag bag ideas. They’re relatively inexpensive to produce and easy to customize with your company and conference logos. Reusable water bottles are also the kind of thing most of us want, since we know how many disposable bottles end up in landfills, but many of us don’t purchase them for ourselves.
If your conference has a theme of sustainability or environmental stewardship, so much the better. These reusable drink containers will send a clear message to your attendees that your company takes its eco-friendly stance seriously.
Reusable water bottles are very durable, so your attendees are likely to use them long after your corporate event. Every time they go to the gym or travel, your water bottle is likely to be by their side, promoting your conference and company to anyone that sees it.
Promotional notebooks for taking notes during lectures
It might seem a bit old school in this digital age, but you might be surprised how many people still like to jot down notes while they’re watching conference lectures and presentations. Make things easier for your attendees by adding a promotional notebook to their swag bags.
Note-taking has a host of benefits. The practice actually reinforces memory, so your gift will help your guests get more out of your conference. Note-taking also improves alertness by encouraging listeners to take a more active role in the conference and engage more with your speakers. The last thing you want is dozing guests, and notepads help combat that fatigue.
While there’s nothing wrong with old-school paper notebooks, Moleskine has a more high-tech solution. If you have the budget to splurge, consider these innovative notepads that integrate with Evernote’s note-taking app.
Gourmet treats help guests feel pampered
A good swag bag should make your conference attendees feel pampered. What better way to do this than with a gourmet treat? Cookies, chocolate, popcorn, and other foodie delicacies can really strike the right note with your conference attendees. Try to choose artisan products, rather than run-of-the-mill snacks. The better they taste, the better the impression you’ll leave. Attendees will also appreciate that you’re giving them a taste of your conference destination rather than a more generic snack food.
You may be able to strike up a deal with local food makers, as the goods will promote their business as well as yours. Reach out to providers as early as you can to arrange this cross-promotional opportunity. They’ll likely appreciate the chance to showcase their wares to a new audience. Try to add your logo to the packaging to improve awareness of your brand.
Flash drives add value to your conference event
We all use flash drives for storing and transporting files, which makes them an excellent piece of marketing swag. Put a branded flash drive in your swag bag and you can count on your attendees bringing it out time and time again at home and business events. Every time they do, they’ll recall your company and its conference.
A formatted flash drive is a good start, but why not add extra value and load some files onto this storage stick? Add content that’s relevant to your conference, like any of the multimedia presentations your guests are using or their handouts. You could also include biographies on your speakers and more information about your company. All these resources will be appreciated by your attendees, who can use them to learn more or reinforce information that might have slipped their minds.
A handwritten note Adds a personalized touch
Your swag bag ideas don’t always have to cost money. In this consumer-driven world, there’s something so refreshing about a handwritten note that simply expresses your gratitude for your guests’ attendance.
A handwritten note is especially appropriate if you’re a charity organization, as your attendees will appreciate you conserving costs and directing money to more worthwhile channels. Any business should benefit from the personalized touch a handwritten thank you note provides.
Write your note on a corporate branded card or stationery to reinforce your company’s involvement in your conference event.
Marketing Swag
Well-designed coffee mugs for their caffeine fix
America is a nation of coffee lovers. More than half of us drink coffee every day, and those java junkies typically drink more than three cups daily, according to the National Coffee Association. So why not appeal to the caffeine habits of your attendees with a well-designed coffee mug?
The design is key to ensuring your coffee mug gets used. We’ve all received promotional coffee mugs over time, and most of them languish at the back of our cupboards. If you can come up with a witty design that promotes your conference, your company, or ideally both, your coffee mug could become a prized possession.
Your guests are also likely to use their coffee mugs during the conference, as good mugs make a welcome change from Styrofoam cups. Many conferences spaces, like WeWork Tower 49 in New York City, offer complimentary freshly roasted coffee to all attendees.
Quirky T-shirts will get worn
A T-shirt that simply features the logo of your company or conference isn’t likely to get worn. However, if you design a quirky T-shirt for your swag bag, it could be one of the most effective pieces of marketing material you’ll ever create. A good company T-shirt is like a walking billboard, advertising your business to everyone the wearer passes.
Think outside the box and create a shirt that celebrates your conference’s theme. That theme is what encouraged your attendees to sign up, after all, so it’s likely to be something they’re passionate about. Software company InVision showed how to make company T-shirts right, with the words Design Makes Everything Possible beside its logo. That slogan resonated with consumers, creating demand so strong that InVision actually created an e-commerce store to sell the shirts.
Smartphone pockets are useful tech-themed gifts
Resist the urge to give your guests a smartphone case. Too many businesses think smartphone cases make great swag bag gifts because almost everyone has a smartphone. While this is true, there are a couple of reasons why smartphone cases don’t make great swag bag ideas. There are so many smartphones on the market, so a case that will fit the latest iPhone isn’t likely to fit a new Samsung Galaxy or Microsoft Lumia device. The decision about which case to choose is also as personal as which smartphone to buy. Chances are, your attendees would rather have a case that expresses their personality rather than your branded one.
Before you abandon the idea of a smartphone accessory altogether, consider a smartphone pocket. These adhesive pockets can attach to any smartphone case, regardless of the phone’s model. They can hold credit cards, loyalty cards, licenses, and paper notes. There’s also space for your branding on the front, making a smartphone pocket a great piece of corporate swag, especially for a conference focused on technology.
Mobile device chargers keep your attendees’ batteries full
Mobile device chargers are also great techy marketing swag. These gifts are incredibly useful during a conference, when many people use their smartphones to take notes and photographs and add the details of other attendees to their social media profiles. All this activity depletes smartphone batteries quickly, so your mobile device charger could be a real lifesaver. This conference gift will also encourage more attendees to engage with your conference, since they won’t be so worried about their smartphone batteries running low.
After your conference is over, you can expect your attendees to keep using your gift. Mobile device chargers come in handy during long commutes and business trips. Every time one of your attendees reaches for the charger, they’re likely to remember your conference and your business.
Unfortunately, iPhones take different chargers than Android and Windows phones. You could decide to get chargers that fit most Android phones, the dominant smartphone platform, or perhaps get a mix of chargers to please smartphone users with a variety of phone types. Whatever you do, remember your branding. Most mobile device chargers will have space for a company logo, so make use of it!
A swag bag leaves an impression on your conference attendees long after they return home. Consider the items you’ll put inside your swag bag carefully for maximum impact.
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