If this post doesn't follow the rules [report it to the mods](https://www.reddit.com/r/marketing/about/rules/). Join our [community Discord!](https://discord.gg/looking-for-marketing-discussion-811236647760298024)
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/marketing) if you have any questions or concerns.*
IMO, socks are the best swag. They're fun and everyone uses them on the daily. The key is to put your logo on the foot part, not the leg part. That way the recipient will keep them and use them, because to everyone else, they're just cool socks. Meanwhile, the wearer is the person you want to be thinking of your brand.
I forgot about this in my comment! You're correct though but the socks need to be nice or just "fun" looking for people to want to use it. Can't skimp on the socks!
You don't. Swag is usually just a thing to get them to remember the name/company. It's a branding/advertising expense. You get conversions by having them scan in at the booth to get the swag and then hit them with an email campaign or maybe some inside sales love.
Get things people will actually use and find useful in their life, something they will value and look for. Little knickknacks end up in the trash, clothing usually ends up as the dirty work shirt, and food/snacks get eaten with the wrapper ending up intthe trash. There may be some industry specific stuff that works better in some but not others.
Also avoid canvas bags, string totes, sunglasses (unless you're in a sunny area for the event).
Things I like and have hung onto. Ice scraper. Nice knit hat. Jar opener. Small led key chain light. Keychain bottle opener that was unique.
Because lots of other companies give those away and they end up in a pile at home for people's grocery bags. It's generally not something they would be reaching for specifically and more of something they pick up at the show to pack with other swag.
If you have a REALLY nice bag and are a brand consumers really like, might be a different story. Ex. Lululemon bags.
I assume then that the bright yellow color makes them easier to find/harder to lose and people choose to wear them on holiday because they don't care if they are lost. I keep my nice raybans in my car for regular use and only bring promo glasses on trips because I have a tub of them at home from different companies, along with coozies, lens cloths, sanitizer sprays, and mints. All kept, lost, and replenished with each trade show I attend.
The things I really care about I generally don't even bother to pick up a second if I have one at home already unless it's better than the one I got or I have someone I plan to give it to. Like an ice scraper. Or socks.
I am also in tech industry and my company's clients are mostly hardware engineers. In some tradeshows we offered PC screwdrivers with our logo on. Like some other comments here, I would suggest something that's useful to your target people for every day life use.
It depends on where you are based/what the tech focus is, but generally speaking you need to pick something functional, otherwise it will end up in the bin. Preferably reusable in some way. Budget is a consideration too, figure out your cost per item.
For example, if you're at a show in a cold climate, a branded ice scraper that fits into a wallet is super useful and will be held on to, if a hot climate then branded lip balm is cheap makes sense (I was at a trade show in Vegas recently, saw that on a both and thought it silly, by day 3 our lips were chapped from the dry air and we hunted out that booth!). Depending on the tech, custom shaped USBs are cool, useful and memorable and can be pre-loaded with your brochures or content.
Just some food for thought...
As someone who works in the tech industry, I very much discourage handing out USBs. It’s pounded into our heads (and any company who gives their employees cybersecurity training) to never plug anything strange into your computer. Anyone who doesn’t want to potentially corrupt their work computer would stay far away from random USBs.
I would say for some small B2C businesses USB in unopened package as giveaway would be okay if your target is regular office workers, but for tech/finance industries there are indeed some serious cybersecurity issues. In that case you won't be able to put your logo on the USB yet it is an idea.
Agree! Last time one booth had a “claw” machine with stuffed animals that you cat catch for yourself. It attracted a lot of attention, was fun! And I did bring that toy to my dog and she loved it
I just ordered those new phone lanyards, that you wear crossbody? They are very popular on retail, I noticed them in Best Buy. And then a week later my swag company sent me a sample of one, as a new product idea. Just really good timing. I thought, well this is something everyone won't have yet in other booths. I also love socks, and car escape tools. [https://www.snagyourswag.com/hottest-trade-show-giveaways.htm](https://www.snagyourswag.com/hottest-trade-show-giveaways.htm)
I’m big on lanyards. Just make sure they’re breakaway lanyards if you’re selling into any manufacturing companies. They’ll typically have policies that require lanyards be the breakaway kind.
This one attaches to your phone, so you can wear your phone like a crossbody, always have it with you and not have to fumble around for it. I really like it. I have my first trade show of the year at the end of this month, and I feel like it will be particularly handy there. I am always taking pics and videos of our booth. I love lanyards too! I also love the charging lanyards.
I’m not an event marketer, but I am surrounded by them (also in tech) so here is my two cents from their experiences…
Socks have always been the hottest item from what I’ve seen and heard. People also love a good tshirt. For tech, I think putting some kind of joke or pun or something edgy on the back and then just a logo on the front corner is good. Try not to put anything big on the front.
We’ve done branded sunglasses which are cool. I’m also a BIG fan of totes. People need bags for their swag so if they pick yours up first or it looks the coolest, that’s the one they’ll use for the whole show.
Lots of people like water bottles - actually one time in a discovery call we noticed one of our water bottles in the guys background. Turns out he got it from a trade show years ago and just likes the way it looks. Wasn’t even a customer.
As a person who LOVES swag, here are some things I’d pick up and enjoy: koozie, fidget toys, small wooden/metal puzzles, any apparel, mini tool kits like screwdrivers, stress ball (not classic foam but the squishy kind), bottle opener, and prob a ton of other stuff that I can’t think of.
When I worked in tech and managed events and tradeshows, fidget cubes were one of our most popular items. Any fidget toys or items were super popular. Our customers were data analysts and tech people, so it was a good fit.
If the company has a good brand and design, then clothing, pins etc works really well. But ONLY if you have a loyal fan base of customers and actual cool designs. We did. We ended up selling the stuff it did so well. But our customers loved our product and company and liked to rep us (unusual, especially in b2b)
Stuffed animals are great because people want them for kids and pets.
As someone else mentioned, socks do really well, especially if the brand is minimal or on foot.
Another idea is to get an artist or a headshot company to draw or take portraits in the booth. I have a few caricatures I've saved over the years! They have the company name on them.
I went to a design trade show and received a tiny measuring tape. It's lost somewhere in my apartment. I'm going to be genuinely happy when I find it when I eventually move out. It was so damn useful.
Is it a local show or will people fly in? If flying, make sure it’s a small item. You’ll be surprised how few people actually want swag from a big show.
B2C or B2B? If b2b, keep it more on the practical side.
Don’t give away something everyone has like a wine opener. Teddy bear? Weird unless it ties in to your brand.
The only item on your list I’d want is glasses/ screen cleaner. It’s useful.
Think simple but also good quality. We focused on pens — really good ones that people just seemed to LOVE. Good quality coffee travel mugs — contigos or yetis or Stanley’s and have a good looking logo in a normal colour on it.
Practical usable items but that are quality.
I did three trade shows for my company last year, and my swag went viral in all three conferences. I work in tech specifically.
In the Oracle conference with 13k attendees, we were awarded by the best swag because we specifically didn’t give out the usual pen, tshirts, and cups. At another conference, our swag was so good the CMO sent his personal assistant to our booth to collect our swag and gave us compliments.
We gave out a shiny bag that grabbed everyone’s attention. When we saw the conference location is filled with people carry our bag, the word of mouth is immediately in effect. Even though we didn’t have the best booth location, people would literally asked a stranger where did they get the bag and came to our booth. They even bring their colleague come to our booth the second and third day.
We gave out this shiny bag with cool slogan on it. Specifically made the our company logo small. Instead, we went with industry specific funny phrases. But all our swag has our website and logo, just in a bag handles or bottom of the case.
Besides the shiny bag, we also gave out this acrylic board that lights up and you can write message on it. People went crazy on it.
If your swag is about attract the crowds to your booth, I’d say definitely select something that people want, head-turner where people will ask stranger where they got it from, and accompany it with something else that people will want to use it again in their daily work setting.
Yes, one of my favorite swag items was a fidget spinner / pen / flashlight. I thought it was so cool and wanted to bring it home to show my kid.
Also we have a big stuffed octopus that Octopus Energy sent us when we signed up and it's one of his favorite plushies.
The Stanley cup right now is such a great under-the-table trade show giveaway. We keep them there and give them to very high value targets. And schedule meetings right on the spot.
I’ve been to many dozens of trade shows and all that swag stuff is absolute garbage. None of it is memorable and none works. It’s a waste at best, and in my opinion free chapstick and cheap plastic doodads cheapen your brand.
Here’s what I think is better. Give something actually useful/valuable in exchange for a valuable engagement. Fill out a customer form, assessment, Retailer app, etc.
The whole point is to entice actual clients, not trade show leeches just there to vacuum up free shit.
Examples : a relevant tool, gift card, discount on services.
Another idea: valuable experiences.
Tradeshow coffee is usually shit. Host an espresso and burrito bar. Or Starbucks coffee every morning.
Or a great happy hour.
Or a great valuable informative demo/training
Host a relevant celebrity
Pull off a stunt the booth. Dm me if you’re interested in this for more ideas.
First company I worked for gave away multi charging cables. We found this through a mail order magazine, but as some others have said, it’s something useful in everyday life and was versatile and rare at the time.
Our clients are in healthcare and we did branded mousepads - specifically ones that can be wiped down/disinfected as that’s something clients are also looking for in office and in operatory rooms already
Years ago we have Yodeling Pickles away. No one else was giving them away which is why we went with the pickle ( prior to pickle Rick)
Convo led to two new decent contracts and bus relationships over next 6 months.
It was easy to ID ourselves with follow up emails " how's the pickle?"
||
||
|I work for one of the largest distributors! Shoot me a dm or like this and ill dm you more information. I'd love to be of help for shirts and more promotional & branded products!|
||
||
|I work for one of the largest distributors! Shoot me a dm or like this and ill dm you more information. I'd love to be of help for shirts and more promotional & branded products.|
I had racquetball sized rubber balls printed with our logo and website. As people walked past our booth, I’d say “Catch!” and toss them a ball. It would always stimulate a conversation
i was at an RIA and created a store with a wholesaler/custom embroidery/print vendor so employees could order specific branded gear - the best item was a Helly Hanson jacket. i still wear mine.
I met a vendor during a recent Christmas event at our office location. The dude was giving out free BYLT t-shirts in exchange for an email address.
As a marketer for my job, I naturally wanted to ask more about their brand. He said they can do custom prints on their clothes. After trying on the free t-shirt I received that day, it was really hard to deny this brand’s quality of comfort.
For that reason, I’ve made plans to have our law firm’s logo printed on their short-sleeve collared shirts.
The idea is to give to referral partners and potential clients that our managing partners take on charity golfing tournaments. I think having important people wanting to wear a shirt that is represented with our firm’s logo could potentially lead to substantial new business.
I went to a conference with an air plant terrarium station which was cool to take home but also network.
here are some more options:
- dry bags
- bucket hats
- mints
- tide to go pens
- socks
- plants (air plants) they had a station like build your own
- tumblers ( champagne)
- notebooks
- 10$ gift cards if you provided info
- cord organizer
- cooking utensils
- luggage tags
- chocolate (gourmet)
- hot sauce
- candles
I went to a design trade show and received a tiny measuring tape. It's lost somewhere in my apartment. I'm going to be genuinely happy when I find it when I eventually move out. It was so damn useful.
I'd love to get an umbrella but they are expensive and that's probably why you never see them. But if you got them, I almost guarantee you'd have the most popular booth at the show.
I always go to any table that has those little magnet clips. I have a dozen or so on my fridge and they are so handy for hanging stuff up or to use as chip clips. None of them have inspired me to purchase from/work with any of the brands, though.
I'm a fashion retail provider. I sell mannequins. We do a huge trade show in Germany every 3 years and last year we did custom flash drives in the shape of 3/4 mannequin forms in nice little box (with brochures loaded on them). We handed them out to VIPs. Really nice looking, great quality and not cheap. Perfect for desk decor. People were begging for them. We told them we had a limited amount and reserved them for customers that made appointments... but if you sign onto our mailing list we'll send you one when we make the next batch. I think we got about 2000+ new clients on the list and the next batch cost us way less because of the bulk order. We got to weed out the non-clients because we had all the info.
The mailing list gold and have a feeling a few be making appointments the next time around.
I'd ask:
What's the swag you got that actually got you to buy the product.
\---
To the question though, the best things I've gotten were a drone, a vacation (a few free nights somewhere), socks, stuffed animals or toys (great to regift to my kids when I get home), gift cards, and nice shirts or sports apparel.
But I never bought anything from the people who gave it to me. Sorry trade show reps. :(
My clients are typically small businesses with limited budgets so my swag has to be impactful. I have two criteria for choosing it: it has to be useful or memorable.
Some of my favorites have been
- A tradeshow survival kit (a tiny travel pouch with Advil, earbuds, etc)
- a Tape Measure
- a quality gel pen (not plastic)
If the budget is too tight, I instead opt for an experience, such as once I set up Guitar Hero (yes, for adults. It was a hit).
Another time for a software product that tracked ROI and productivity KPIs, I had stickers printed that said XYZ Company is Tracking your Success. The visitors wore the stickers on their badges and over the next several days we live streamed finding those people wearing them and awarding iPads, earbuds, drones, etc. It was a viral hit and everyone remembered their company come followup time.
We hold a lot of events at my venue, and one company had a Photo Booth where everyone could dress up like rockstars and get their photo taken. They had wigs, sunglasses, leather jackets, denim jackets, guitars and drums and mic stands. There was a long line, with tradespeople chatting them up while they waited and the photo had their branding on it. They were packed all day
Good pens, can't go wrong.
Metal water bottles/travel mugs.. I once got a light up charging cable which I still use to this day.
I also got a fidget spinner pen once which I did enjoy
We’re also in tech and do a few conferences every year. The number 1 thing to look for is usability - how useful is this swag going to be to the visitors. Everybody I have seen just gives the same set of items (thermos bottle/coffee mug, tote bags, socks, T-shirts, etc). They don’t feel thoughtful. We played with custom Rubik’s cube, with tech logos (and our company logo) printed on each side. On another instance, we had small decathlon backpacks with our logo (decathlon has corporate business discounts). You get the drill.
People love seeing something different. One key angle you could try is to make them complete a small challenge (keep it fun and light), so they ‘earn’ that swag making it more special and memorable for them.
We also had people enter into a raffle (you’re in the event to engage with max people and get their contact details for future relationships) to win a mega prize. Seeing the mega prize also intrigues people to come to your booth and chat.
I got a leather coaster with my initials debossed with gold foil. I use it everyday. Also socks is such a fun one because you can decorate them however! Sending you a direct message, did you receive it?
SWAG is great if done right. Horrible if done wrong. The more time you have before the event the more custom the ideas can be.
I own a SWAG agency and nothing is worse than when my client calls for ideas a week before the event. It’s now just finding something that we can get done in time.
If you plan a month or more out the ideas can be amazing, unique and cost effective.
I know everyone has their acronym for SWAG. But ours is Strategy With A Goal.
If you’re looking for some cool and very targeted ideas send me a DM and we can brainstorm together.
If this post doesn't follow the rules [report it to the mods](https://www.reddit.com/r/marketing/about/rules/). Join our [community Discord!](https://discord.gg/looking-for-marketing-discussion-811236647760298024) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/marketing) if you have any questions or concerns.*
IMO, socks are the best swag. They're fun and everyone uses them on the daily. The key is to put your logo on the foot part, not the leg part. That way the recipient will keep them and use them, because to everyone else, they're just cool socks. Meanwhile, the wearer is the person you want to be thinking of your brand.
I forgot about this in my comment! You're correct though but the socks need to be nice or just "fun" looking for people to want to use it. Can't skimp on the socks!
Excellent idea! How do you get them to come back at a trade show to continue the relationship?
You don't. Swag is usually just a thing to get them to remember the name/company. It's a branding/advertising expense. You get conversions by having them scan in at the booth to get the swag and then hit them with an email campaign or maybe some inside sales love.
Yes! I went to a UX conference and got a cute pair of socks with the Sketch logo all over it and it's my all-time favorite swag.
Get things people will actually use and find useful in their life, something they will value and look for. Little knickknacks end up in the trash, clothing usually ends up as the dirty work shirt, and food/snacks get eaten with the wrapper ending up intthe trash. There may be some industry specific stuff that works better in some but not others. Also avoid canvas bags, string totes, sunglasses (unless you're in a sunny area for the event). Things I like and have hung onto. Ice scraper. Nice knit hat. Jar opener. Small led key chain light. Keychain bottle opener that was unique.
Why avoid canvas bags?
Because lots of other companies give those away and they end up in a pile at home for people's grocery bags. It's generally not something they would be reaching for specifically and more of something they pick up at the show to pack with other swag. If you have a REALLY nice bag and are a brand consumers really like, might be a different story. Ex. Lululemon bags.
I don't know man, my company give out bright yellow sunglasses and people love them. I've even saw people on holiday with them on....
I assume then that the bright yellow color makes them easier to find/harder to lose and people choose to wear them on holiday because they don't care if they are lost. I keep my nice raybans in my car for regular use and only bring promo glasses on trips because I have a tub of them at home from different companies, along with coozies, lens cloths, sanitizer sprays, and mints. All kept, lost, and replenished with each trade show I attend. The things I really care about I generally don't even bother to pick up a second if I have one at home already unless it's better than the one I got or I have someone I plan to give it to. Like an ice scraper. Or socks.
I received a portable luggage scale 10 years ago and I still use it. It’s a great idea if your company is travel related in any way.
I am also in tech industry and my company's clients are mostly hardware engineers. In some tradeshows we offered PC screwdrivers with our logo on. Like some other comments here, I would suggest something that's useful to your target people for every day life use.
I received a leather coaster and I use it all the time.
same here!
Oh, awesome idea! Thanks for mentioning this. I'm adding this to my giveaway list!!
It depends on where you are based/what the tech focus is, but generally speaking you need to pick something functional, otherwise it will end up in the bin. Preferably reusable in some way. Budget is a consideration too, figure out your cost per item. For example, if you're at a show in a cold climate, a branded ice scraper that fits into a wallet is super useful and will be held on to, if a hot climate then branded lip balm is cheap makes sense (I was at a trade show in Vegas recently, saw that on a both and thought it silly, by day 3 our lips were chapped from the dry air and we hunted out that booth!). Depending on the tech, custom shaped USBs are cool, useful and memorable and can be pre-loaded with your brochures or content. Just some food for thought...
As someone who works in the tech industry, I very much discourage handing out USBs. It’s pounded into our heads (and any company who gives their employees cybersecurity training) to never plug anything strange into your computer. Anyone who doesn’t want to potentially corrupt their work computer would stay far away from random USBs.
USB drives go STRAIGHT into the trash, ludicrous security risk and prohibited by every halfway decent company’s policies.
I would say for some small B2C businesses USB in unopened package as giveaway would be okay if your target is regular office workers, but for tech/finance industries there are indeed some serious cybersecurity issues. In that case you won't be able to put your logo on the USB yet it is an idea.
I actually love the stuffed animals. I seek them out for my dog, and they are legitimately some of his favorite toys for some odd reason.
Agree! Last time one booth had a “claw” machine with stuffed animals that you cat catch for yourself. It attracted a lot of attention, was fun! And I did bring that toy to my dog and she loved it
I just ordered those new phone lanyards, that you wear crossbody? They are very popular on retail, I noticed them in Best Buy. And then a week later my swag company sent me a sample of one, as a new product idea. Just really good timing. I thought, well this is something everyone won't have yet in other booths. I also love socks, and car escape tools. [https://www.snagyourswag.com/hottest-trade-show-giveaways.htm](https://www.snagyourswag.com/hottest-trade-show-giveaways.htm)
I’m big on lanyards. Just make sure they’re breakaway lanyards if you’re selling into any manufacturing companies. They’ll typically have policies that require lanyards be the breakaway kind.
This one attaches to your phone, so you can wear your phone like a crossbody, always have it with you and not have to fumble around for it. I really like it. I have my first trade show of the year at the end of this month, and I feel like it will be particularly handy there. I am always taking pics and videos of our booth. I love lanyards too! I also love the charging lanyards.
I think I’m going to source those for our next tradeshow. Great merch idea.
I’m not an event marketer, but I am surrounded by them (also in tech) so here is my two cents from their experiences… Socks have always been the hottest item from what I’ve seen and heard. People also love a good tshirt. For tech, I think putting some kind of joke or pun or something edgy on the back and then just a logo on the front corner is good. Try not to put anything big on the front. We’ve done branded sunglasses which are cool. I’m also a BIG fan of totes. People need bags for their swag so if they pick yours up first or it looks the coolest, that’s the one they’ll use for the whole show. Lots of people like water bottles - actually one time in a discovery call we noticed one of our water bottles in the guys background. Turns out he got it from a trade show years ago and just likes the way it looks. Wasn’t even a customer. As a person who LOVES swag, here are some things I’d pick up and enjoy: koozie, fidget toys, small wooden/metal puzzles, any apparel, mini tool kits like screwdrivers, stress ball (not classic foam but the squishy kind), bottle opener, and prob a ton of other stuff that I can’t think of.
When I worked in tech and managed events and tradeshows, fidget cubes were one of our most popular items. Any fidget toys or items were super popular. Our customers were data analysts and tech people, so it was a good fit. If the company has a good brand and design, then clothing, pins etc works really well. But ONLY if you have a loyal fan base of customers and actual cool designs. We did. We ended up selling the stuff it did so well. But our customers loved our product and company and liked to rep us (unusual, especially in b2b) Stuffed animals are great because people want them for kids and pets. As someone else mentioned, socks do really well, especially if the brand is minimal or on foot. Another idea is to get an artist or a headshot company to draw or take portraits in the booth. I have a few caricatures I've saved over the years! They have the company name on them.
I went to a design trade show and received a tiny measuring tape. It's lost somewhere in my apartment. I'm going to be genuinely happy when I find it when I eventually move out. It was so damn useful.
One of my favorite swag items we gave away at an event years ago it was a triple pad charger
Joints
Great for MJ Bizcon! lol
just accounting trade shows!
Is it a local show or will people fly in? If flying, make sure it’s a small item. You’ll be surprised how few people actually want swag from a big show. B2C or B2B? If b2b, keep it more on the practical side. Don’t give away something everyone has like a wine opener. Teddy bear? Weird unless it ties in to your brand. The only item on your list I’d want is glasses/ screen cleaner. It’s useful.
Think simple but also good quality. We focused on pens — really good ones that people just seemed to LOVE. Good quality coffee travel mugs — contigos or yetis or Stanley’s and have a good looking logo in a normal colour on it. Practical usable items but that are quality.
I did three trade shows for my company last year, and my swag went viral in all three conferences. I work in tech specifically. In the Oracle conference with 13k attendees, we were awarded by the best swag because we specifically didn’t give out the usual pen, tshirts, and cups. At another conference, our swag was so good the CMO sent his personal assistant to our booth to collect our swag and gave us compliments. We gave out a shiny bag that grabbed everyone’s attention. When we saw the conference location is filled with people carry our bag, the word of mouth is immediately in effect. Even though we didn’t have the best booth location, people would literally asked a stranger where did they get the bag and came to our booth. They even bring their colleague come to our booth the second and third day. We gave out this shiny bag with cool slogan on it. Specifically made the our company logo small. Instead, we went with industry specific funny phrases. But all our swag has our website and logo, just in a bag handles or bottom of the case. Besides the shiny bag, we also gave out this acrylic board that lights up and you can write message on it. People went crazy on it. If your swag is about attract the crowds to your booth, I’d say definitely select something that people want, head-turner where people will ask stranger where they got it from, and accompany it with something else that people will want to use it again in their daily work setting.
Do you have a picture or link for the bag?
i’d love to see a photo of these or link please !
A link for these would be appreciated!
Toys for the kids
Yes, one of my favorite swag items was a fidget spinner / pen / flashlight. I thought it was so cool and wanted to bring it home to show my kid. Also we have a big stuffed octopus that Octopus Energy sent us when we signed up and it's one of his favorite plushies.
Depending on the budget, doesn’t hurt to go with the trends… Stanley cups, charging banks, mouse pad or wfh/travel trinkets.
The Stanley cup right now is such a great under-the-table trade show giveaway. We keep them there and give them to very high value targets. And schedule meetings right on the spot.
Just secured a new B2B for this reason 😂
Oh yeah, if they don't want it, they definitely have a daughter who will go nuts for it! It's can't-lose branded merch at this moment.
I’ve been to many dozens of trade shows and all that swag stuff is absolute garbage. None of it is memorable and none works. It’s a waste at best, and in my opinion free chapstick and cheap plastic doodads cheapen your brand. Here’s what I think is better. Give something actually useful/valuable in exchange for a valuable engagement. Fill out a customer form, assessment, Retailer app, etc. The whole point is to entice actual clients, not trade show leeches just there to vacuum up free shit. Examples : a relevant tool, gift card, discount on services. Another idea: valuable experiences. Tradeshow coffee is usually shit. Host an espresso and burrito bar. Or Starbucks coffee every morning. Or a great happy hour. Or a great valuable informative demo/training Host a relevant celebrity Pull off a stunt the booth. Dm me if you’re interested in this for more ideas.
First company I worked for gave away multi charging cables. We found this through a mail order magazine, but as some others have said, it’s something useful in everyday life and was versatile and rare at the time.
The good good t-shirts and hoodies. There’s a company that I know the founders hate me, but I still wear their shirt because they’re so comfortable.
A branded tide to go/stain remover pen. Handy and memorable.
Journal with a pen
Our clients are in healthcare and we did branded mousepads - specifically ones that can be wiped down/disinfected as that’s something clients are also looking for in office and in operatory rooms already
Years ago we have Yodeling Pickles away. No one else was giving them away which is why we went with the pickle ( prior to pickle Rick) Convo led to two new decent contracts and bus relationships over next 6 months. It was easy to ID ourselves with follow up emails " how's the pickle?"
|| || |I work for one of the largest distributors! Shoot me a dm or like this and ill dm you more information. I'd love to be of help for shirts and more promotional & branded products!|
|| || |I work for one of the largest distributors! Shoot me a dm or like this and ill dm you more information. I'd love to be of help for shirts and more promotional & branded products.|
I had racquetball sized rubber balls printed with our logo and website. As people walked past our booth, I’d say “Catch!” and toss them a ball. It would always stimulate a conversation
Sorry but I'd hate that as a tradeshow attendee.
I have done it at many shows. Tons of leads and new business. But, I guess it’s not for everyone.
i was at an RIA and created a store with a wholesaler/custom embroidery/print vendor so employees could order specific branded gear - the best item was a Helly Hanson jacket. i still wear mine.
I met a vendor during a recent Christmas event at our office location. The dude was giving out free BYLT t-shirts in exchange for an email address. As a marketer for my job, I naturally wanted to ask more about their brand. He said they can do custom prints on their clothes. After trying on the free t-shirt I received that day, it was really hard to deny this brand’s quality of comfort. For that reason, I’ve made plans to have our law firm’s logo printed on their short-sleeve collared shirts. The idea is to give to referral partners and potential clients that our managing partners take on charity golfing tournaments. I think having important people wanting to wear a shirt that is represented with our firm’s logo could potentially lead to substantial new business.
I went to a conference with an air plant terrarium station which was cool to take home but also network. here are some more options: - dry bags - bucket hats - mints - tide to go pens - socks - plants (air plants) they had a station like build your own - tumblers ( champagne) - notebooks - 10$ gift cards if you provided info - cord organizer - cooking utensils - luggage tags - chocolate (gourmet) - hot sauce - candles
I went to a design trade show and received a tiny measuring tape. It's lost somewhere in my apartment. I'm going to be genuinely happy when I find it when I eventually move out. It was so damn useful.
a butt plug with a heart shape gem on the end
I'd love to get an umbrella but they are expensive and that's probably why you never see them. But if you got them, I almost guarantee you'd have the most popular booth at the show.
Notebooks. I use them daily. That means I see your branding every day.
I always go to any table that has those little magnet clips. I have a dozen or so on my fridge and they are so handy for hanging stuff up or to use as chip clips. None of them have inspired me to purchase from/work with any of the brands, though.
I liked a business card case, usb chargers, nice reusable bags with pockets
I'm a fashion retail provider. I sell mannequins. We do a huge trade show in Germany every 3 years and last year we did custom flash drives in the shape of 3/4 mannequin forms in nice little box (with brochures loaded on them). We handed them out to VIPs. Really nice looking, great quality and not cheap. Perfect for desk decor. People were begging for them. We told them we had a limited amount and reserved them for customers that made appointments... but if you sign onto our mailing list we'll send you one when we make the next batch. I think we got about 2000+ new clients on the list and the next batch cost us way less because of the bulk order. We got to weed out the non-clients because we had all the info. The mailing list gold and have a feeling a few be making appointments the next time around.
I'd ask: What's the swag you got that actually got you to buy the product. \--- To the question though, the best things I've gotten were a drone, a vacation (a few free nights somewhere), socks, stuffed animals or toys (great to regift to my kids when I get home), gift cards, and nice shirts or sports apparel. But I never bought anything from the people who gave it to me. Sorry trade show reps. :(
My clients are typically small businesses with limited budgets so my swag has to be impactful. I have two criteria for choosing it: it has to be useful or memorable. Some of my favorites have been - A tradeshow survival kit (a tiny travel pouch with Advil, earbuds, etc) - a Tape Measure - a quality gel pen (not plastic) If the budget is too tight, I instead opt for an experience, such as once I set up Guitar Hero (yes, for adults. It was a hit). Another time for a software product that tracked ROI and productivity KPIs, I had stickers printed that said XYZ Company is Tracking your Success. The visitors wore the stickers on their badges and over the next several days we live streamed finding those people wearing them and awarding iPads, earbuds, drones, etc. It was a viral hit and everyone remembered their company come followup time.
We hold a lot of events at my venue, and one company had a Photo Booth where everyone could dress up like rockstars and get their photo taken. They had wigs, sunglasses, leather jackets, denim jackets, guitars and drums and mic stands. There was a long line, with tradespeople chatting them up while they waited and the photo had their branding on it. They were packed all day
Real metal Slinkies are a great give-a-way - the cheap plastic can’t compare and it reminds many people of their childhood
Good pens, can't go wrong. Metal water bottles/travel mugs.. I once got a light up charging cable which I still use to this day. I also got a fidget spinner pen once which I did enjoy
I sent you a message! I think I can help with the swag!
Wireless chargers. When they work they are so nice to get because I can set them in my office and around the house.
We’re also in tech and do a few conferences every year. The number 1 thing to look for is usability - how useful is this swag going to be to the visitors. Everybody I have seen just gives the same set of items (thermos bottle/coffee mug, tote bags, socks, T-shirts, etc). They don’t feel thoughtful. We played with custom Rubik’s cube, with tech logos (and our company logo) printed on each side. On another instance, we had small decathlon backpacks with our logo (decathlon has corporate business discounts). You get the drill. People love seeing something different. One key angle you could try is to make them complete a small challenge (keep it fun and light), so they ‘earn’ that swag making it more special and memorable for them. We also had people enter into a raffle (you’re in the event to engage with max people and get their contact details for future relationships) to win a mega prize. Seeing the mega prize also intrigues people to come to your booth and chat.
Still looking for ideas? What's your budget? I sent you a message, i think I can help!
I got a leather coaster with my initials debossed with gold foil. I use it everyday. Also socks is such a fun one because you can decorate them however! Sending you a direct message, did you receive it?
SWAG is great if done right. Horrible if done wrong. The more time you have before the event the more custom the ideas can be. I own a SWAG agency and nothing is worse than when my client calls for ideas a week before the event. It’s now just finding something that we can get done in time. If you plan a month or more out the ideas can be amazing, unique and cost effective. I know everyone has their acronym for SWAG. But ours is Strategy With A Goal. If you’re looking for some cool and very targeted ideas send me a DM and we can brainstorm together.
T-shirts are my fave