Thursday, May 2nd, 2013

Top Trade Show Giveaways

Part of attending trade shows includes visiting vendor booths and getting “swag” giveaways. It can be a fun thing for attendees, but is a serious way for vendors to get their name out there and be remembered long after the show is over. In fact, studies show that most recipients of promotional products keep them for a year or more. So, the question is not really if you should have a trade show giveaway, but what should be your promotional product trade show giveaway? It should be something that is useful to the recipient and representative of your brand or relevant to your company. Of course, the goal is to make it home in the luggage, so here is a list of some of the most coveted or well received trade show giveaways:

  • Pens: A good old standby. They may be a bit mundane, but everyone still needs a pen to have handy.
  • Bags:Everyone always needs something to carry their stuff in. Reusable bags are kept much more often now than in the past for their environmental benefits.
  • Electronic Gadgets: USB or thumb drives always rank among the type of promotional item that people would like to receive. Cases and stylus pens are also quite popular.
  • Cups & Mugs: People get a lot of use out of cups and mugs, especially when travelling.
  • Badge Holders: Even though some might only be used during the trade show, handy ones with extra pockets will often be kept and reused at other events.
  • Folders, Binders, Note Pads: These come in handy both during the trade show and afterwards.

Giveaway Categories from SkyLineTradeShowTips.com:

Giveaway Type

Strength

Weakness
Cheap stuff Doesn’t cost much so you can give them to a lot of people Will not reflect well on your brand if they appear too low in quality, let alone break quickly
Nice stuff Will get you noticed favourably by your clients and prospects Usually can’t afford to give to everyone at a show
Trendy stuff Can get more people’s attention May not get the right people’s attention
Educational stuff Can use to attract only the people who are qualified prospects Takes effort to research and publish, and may not attract all your best prospects
Your stuff Can use to attract only the people who are qualified prospects Will not motivate people who only care about themselves personally; plus may get fewer leads (bad if lead quantity, not lead quality, is your sole metric)
Wearable stuff High perceived value and can put your logo on it If not good looking no one will want it, and it may end up in a drawer; plus “I’ve got enough t-shirts.”
Edible stuff Will attract grateful attendees Prospects are left with nothing that has your name on it, and you may pay double – cost to buy, plus cost to pay show hall a corking fee to giveaway food and drink

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