Did you know that conference gifts and goodie bags account for more than $20 billion worth of business worldwide?! (According to EventMB)
Who doesn't love free “stuff”? Conference “swag” bags have almost become expected from frequent conference-goers, and offer the opportunity to provide your attendees with something that represents your brand and your event partners. They generate excitement and build anticipation for your event and can help set the stage for the incredible experience they are about to embark on.
The quality of your swag reflects your brand. Attendees are inundated with promo products everywhere they go, and it should be your goal to provide them with products they will actually enjoy and use at the event and AFTER in their everyday lives.
And, with the rapid adoption of virtual and hybrid events, the shipped swag box has been adopted as part of the pre-event experience and goes a long way in humanizing the experience and building momentum leading up to the event.
Don’t waste the money put into your event swag bags on items that will end up in the trash. Consider each item in your bag/box and ensure that it is something that’s immediately useful, enhances guest morale, and it's something they will want to keep! A boring bag, with boring products, is just like a boring event- a waste of resources and easily forgotten.
Commonly, we receive bags with a bunch of “junk” covered in logos...which usually end up in the trash. Instead of thinking about YOUR brand, think about YOUR MISSION and what types of products align.
Here are a handful of “Likely to Keep” products you can consider:
Attendee-specific information
Conference programs, agenda, speaker profiles, etc.
Event Survival Kits
Pain reliever, gum, mints, Tide pen, tissues, vitamin C. etc.
Electronics
Mobile ring lights are exciting and encourage people to share their experience on social while at your event, and quality power banks really come in handy at multi-day conferences.
Clothing
Keep the branding to a minimum, and have an assortment of sizes, or better yet, add a field to your registration form to collect t-shirt sizes.
Healthy Snacks
Give your attendees the fuel to focus, and provide them with minimally processed healthy ingredients--that taste good too! Remember to steer clear of items that contain ingredients associated with common food allergies.
Quality water bottles
When was the last time you threw away a Yetti?
Sponsor Product Samples
Think beyond discount codes and promotional offers. Provide tangible product samples.
Books
These are especially popular in the personal growth industry. Have an author speaking at your event, allow them to add their book to the bag. Have a VIP attendee with a new book, highlight their accomplishment and allow them to share, just be sure the book correlates with the event you are hosting,
Location Specific Items
Somewhere sunny, add sunscreen. Somewhere cold & windy, add chapstick. In Seattle, toss in a travel umbrella. At a high-end resort, add in a candle or bath salts.
A Little Something For The Kids
Kids love receiving a little something after their parents have been traveling, how many times have you heard “What did you bring me” after returning home
The Bag Itself
Consider the functionality and the quality of the bag. If you are thinking about the little drawstring bags, you are better off using a paper gift bag and save your money (not that there's anything wrong with that.
The key here is QUALITY OVER QUANTITY. Regardless of your budget per bag, consider fewer higher quality items that are more likely to get used, rather than a bunch of little items that will get tossed or left in the hotel room
MAKE IT AN EXPERIENCE:
Allow Attendees Build Their Own Bag
Imagine walking into a room where you check-in/register for the conference and there are tables set up with baskets of goodies and snacks. When your attendees arrive, check them in, give them their name tag, hand them a bag and allow them to build their own bag “trick or treat style”
DID YOU KNOW that Be Bright Events has access to hundreds of vendors and products, at a fraction of the cost from the mass-produced, online consumer-facing sites?
Do you have an event coming up?
Let us help you select the perfect products for your attendees.
We can even handle the stuffing and shipping of your virtual event boxes too!