Grabbing Swag for Organizers and Exhibitors
Speakers, events, exhibitors—there’s a lot to juggle when organizing a conference. You want to keep the attendees entertained; you want them to leave happy and informed. More importantly, you want them to remember the event and engage with your brand. For that, you need premium conference swag.
Exchanges are quickly forgotten. Banners are easily overlooked. And flyers usually end up in the trash. But good conference swag will spark conversations, drive traffic, and create memorable connections. More importantly, it’ll still be there, driving exposure for your brand long after the event is over.
Every time an attendee puts on a branded tee, uses a branded pen, or carries branded drinkware to the office, they are advertising your brand. That’s the power of good conference merchandise, and it’s effective for both brand organizers and exhibitors.
The best swag for conferences provides all the following benefits:
As an event organizer, you have thousands of potential customers all in one place. They’ve bought their tickets and engaged with your brand today, but what about next year and the year after? You need to keep your brand fresh in their minds, and that’s where conference swag comes in.
If they keep using the swag, they’ll keep promoting your brand, and as they’re in your target demographic, they‘ll likely be exposing your brand to colleagues, clients, and partners who also fit that niche.
With hundreds of booths, thousands of products/services, and endless voices vying for attention, you need something that helps you to stand out. Good conference swag isn’t just a freebie; it’s a freebie that offers more than the usual cheap pens, tees, and tote bags offered by competing booths.
If one person takes a branded tee, every person they encounter will see it. You’ll get free, event-wide advertising without worrying about sponsorship costs. It’s one item, one expense, and yet it can drive organic brand exposure during the event and beyond.
Attendees will be more inclined to interact if you give them something for free. They’ll want to reciprocate by leaving their information or agreeing to a meeting. What’s more, if they leave with branded swag, they’ll have something to remind them of that interaction and encourage them to give you a call.
The best conference merchandise depends on the event, industry, and demographic.
Typically, though, anything can work as long as it’s well-made. Attendees don’t want another cheap, scratchy tee, but will happily take a comfortable hoodie with an embroidered logo. They don’t want more plastic pens or cups, but won’t say no to well-made stationery and drinkware.
Whether you’re hosting an event or exhibiting, keep the following in mind to create the best conference swag.
It doesn’t matter how good something looks; if they can’t use it, they’ll just stuff it into their bag and forget about it. Give the attendees something they can use on the day, ideally something they need at that moment. They’ll use it throughout the conference, and may continue using it when they get home.
Make Your Branding Visible, But Keep it Simple
Your branding should be clear, without being garish. Keep it clean and subtle. Rather than large, blocky branding and excessive colors on your apparel, stick with a simple embroidered or printed logo.
Are you targeting young techies or older real estate professionals? Some items will work regardless, including power banks and chargers, but it’s hard to get an older real estate professional excited about colored wristbands or fancy notebooks.
You won’t be the only exhibitor offering conference swag, so do something creative to stand out. It should grab their attention and draw them to your booth. At the same time, it needs to stay practical. Don’t be different just for the sake of it.
Name-brand apparel and other luxury goods should be reserved for devoted loyal customers, as well as lucrative prospective clients. Branding isn’t as important here, as it’s more about showing your appreciation or trying to win their business. However, you should still include a subtle hint to your business to remind them where the item came from.
Kit out your employees in branded merchandise. Give them branded stationery and tech to use throughout the event, and make sure they’re wearing lanyards with your logo and their name. It creates a sense of cohesion and uniformity among your employees and looks more professional to attendees.
Conference swag includes branded items, such as apparel and tech, given out for free by event organizers and exhibitors.
It depends on the conference and audience, but the best swag should be practical, memorable, and high quality.
At Foxtrot Marketing, we help companies select, design, and source conference merchandise. Contact us today to learn more or check our case studios to see how we’ve helped previous partners.