Event Essentials: Sensible, but Swanky Swag
Remember getting invited to a birthday party as a little kid and looking forward to the gift bag you left the party with?! You know, the ones that came in a plastic bag that matched the party theme, filled with candy, trinkets like stickers, toys and bubbles? We bet you still remember who gave out the best goodies! A good event swag bag is just the adult version of those classic birthday party goodie bags and we are here for it!
To give or not to give…that is the question…we get a lot, actually! When we get to the part of the project where we are talking about giveaways, our clients frequently look to us for strategy or advice. The main question we get is whether swag or giveaways are a good use of the client's budget. In simple terms, yes, but with a few caveats. In a landscape of over-saturation when it comes to freebies, what do you do to make sure yours does not end up in the garbage but instead creates a deeper emotional connection where attendees are truly taking an unforgettable part of your event with them? The best way we find to ensure this is to choose swag that falls into at least one of three categories -- ultra-useful, ultra-premium or ultra-impactful. Above all, always remember to #MaterlizeTheMessage.
"Approach gifting attendees the way you would approach gifting a good friend – and make it count!" – Rachael Glaws, RGI Principal
So what do these categories mean? To be ultra-useful, you need to find a niche that is not easily filled, not just give away another pen. Recently we had a nonprofit client whose focus was on healthcare disaster assistance. What did they give out? Branded, portable first aid kits! This is a perfect example of something that was minimal cost but made a huge impact AND was extremely useful! Hello, perfect to keep in the car or in your suitcase! Other solid swag classics we see often are reusable tote bags, t-shirts, or branded tech accessories!
Some of our clients go the more premium route and have given out extreme luxury gifts. Recently a corporate client whose annual sales meeting was all about "powering up" their sales team gifted an Apple Watch with pre-loaded apps to track personal performance metrics. It can't get more memorable than that, and it still closely coincides with the purpose of the meeting! The watches served as a good call back and a consistent reminder of the purpose of the meeting and the inspiration the attendees gained to do their personal best.
As for ultra-impactful, this could be anything that truly stands out from the bunch. Whether it is impactful because it closely dovetails with messaging or mission or impactful in its aesthetic, cementing that memory is always worth the money. For example, a long-term luxury brand client of ours gifted engraved Tiffany & Co. necklaces to a select collection of their highest-valued clients at a chic dinner event. The look on their faces when they opened the iconic tiffany blue box certainly illustrated impact!
We are not advocating that your attendee swag has to cost big bucks or that every event needs a giveaway, but if you decide to spend your budget on attendee swag, following the guidelines above is a way to ensure that spend is worth it. And if you'd rather just skip it, we recommend putting your money into the bar. That is never a bad choice!