One common key element of any corporate event, team-building meeting, company party, or industry conference is the swag. Promotional products introduce fun layers of attendee engagement that today’s event guests come to expect. But there’s a right and a wrong way to do promo products. And if you want to be smart, budget-conscious, and effective in planning what products you introduce and how you share them, check out this list of do’s and don’ts.
The Swag Should Complement the Event Environment
Do: Make sure the gift bags, wearables, and promotional products you offer at your corporate events align with the event theme. If your conference, for example, is rooted in eco-friendly and sustainable efforts, your swag should also be green and environmentally friendly.
Don’t: Avoid selecting generic swag or promo items as an afterthought. Choosing a lackluster product or out-of-touch item won’t be effective as an engagement and value tool.
It’s Ok to Get Seasonal
Do: Choose promotional products and swag bag gifts that align with the season. Summer outings, for example, are perfect events to offer branded beach towels. And corporate holiday parties are great engagements to share the branded Christmas ornament.
Don’t: Avoid choosing promotional products that are tone-deaf to seasonal celebrations. Nothing says, “we didn’t spend too much time planning this gift,” quite like a generic mug or branded clicker pens.
Choose Useful Products
Do: Introduce products that are actually useful to your corporate event guests. Give them something they’ll be willing to use. Get them excited about their swag by giving innovative new tech products or super-handy tote bags.
Don’t: Don’t send your guests home with a mesh ball cap they’ll never wear or a desk paperweight they’ll end up throwing in a drawer.
Offer Promotional Products with Lifespan
Do: Consider building out your swag bag with items that have longevity. High-quality, branded water bottles, for example, are items that promote healthy lifestyles and inspire guests to use them daily.
Don’t: As fun as branded candy and food items are, once they’re eaten, they’re gone. Avoid investing in branding items that don’t have a shelf life or usefulness beyond the event.
Present Promo Products As Gifts
Do: How you share your promotional products with event guests will impact how effective those items are. Build suspense, offer swag as a surprise, and package them with unique bags and bows. When event attendees feel like it’s a gift, they’ll be more likely to keep it, use it, and value it.
Don’t: Don’t make the mistake of just setting up a swag table with self-serve access to promotional products. There’s nothing exciting about visiting a table. And if you don’t show enough care to share it thoughtfully, guests won’t care enough to take anything.
Get creative with your corporate event swag bags and New York conference promotional products. How you choose these items and how you share them can be impactful to your event’s engagement. And you’ll get more mileage out of them for your brand or the brands of your event sponsors when you’re thoughtful and deliberate about what you have to offer.
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