As an event professional, you know that the success of your event depends on many factors, including attendee engagement, brand recognition, and creating a memorable experience. One way to achieve these goals is by providing event swag – promotional items or giveaways that attendees can take home with them.
In this blog post, we'll explore the power of event swag and provide tips and examples for event professionals to create memorable and effective swag for their events.
What is event SWAG?
Event SWAG (Stuff We All Get) refers to the promotional items or giveaways that are typically handed out at events or conferences, such as pens, keychains, tote bags, t-shirts, and other branded merchandise. The purpose of event SWAG is to increase brand awareness and recognition, as well as to create a memorable experience for attendees. Event SWAG can be customised with logos, slogans, or other messaging to promote the event or the organisation hosting it.
What are the benefits of Event Swag?
Event swag can provide numerous benefits for events and organisations. It can increase brand awareness and recognition by featuring the organisation's branding. Additionally, providing high-quality and useful event swag can create a positive association with the event or organisation. Event swag can also encourage engagement with attendees and lead to word-of-mouth marketing, as attendees who receive swag, they like are likely to share it with others and promote the organisation.
Types of Event Swag
There are many types of event swag that you can provide to attendees or potential new customers. Here are some popular examples.
Branded office supplies
Pens, notebooks, and other office supplies with your businesses' branding can be useful for attendees and provide a constant reminder of your organisation.
Clothing
T-shirts, hats, or other clothing items with your organisation's branding can create a sense of fellowship among attendees and promote your brand outside of the event. This success however is due to personal preference if people would wear clothing swag and would require a larger investment if you want to cater for all sizes.
Tote bags or backpacks
These items are very useful for carrying around other event swag on the day and can also be used after the event.
Tech gadgets
Items such as USB drives, portable chargers, or smartphone accessories can be useful and desirable for attendees as again they can use these during the duration of the event, or after and be reminded of the event every time they use their tech device.
Food and drink
Perhaps one of the most fun event swag item, and the most wanted, food! Providing snacks, drinks, or other refreshments can be a welcome treat for attendees and create a positive association with your organisation. It may also encourage other attendees to come visit your organisation through word of mouth and people carrying round your branding.
Tips for Choosing Effective Event Swag
Now that we've established why event swag is important, let's dive into some tips for creating effective swag for your event.
- Know Your Audience: Your swag should be tailored to your attendees' interests and needs. Consider their demographics, industry, and interests when selecting swag items.
- Quality Over Quantity: Rather than handing out a bunch of cheap and generic swag items, focus on a few high-quality and useful items that attendees will appreciate and use.
- Unique and On-Brand: Your swag should be unique and on-brand. It should align with your event's messaging and be a reflection of your brand's personality.
- Functional and Useful: Your swag should serve a purpose and be useful to attendees. Think about items that they'll need or use in their daily lives, such as a reusable water bottle, phone charger, or tote bag.
- Packaging Matters: The way your swag is presented can make a big impact on how it's perceived. Consider creative and branded packaging that makes your swag stand out.
- Plan for Distribution and Storage: Consider how you will distribute event swag and where you will store it before and during the event. If you have little room to store giveaway products, smaller items such as pens may be easier for storage.
Final Thoughts
Event swag provides a unique opportunity for event planners to increase brand awareness and recognition, as well as to create a memorable experience for attendees. By providing high-quality and useful event swag, event planners can encourage engagement with attendees and lead to word-of-mouth marketing.
However, event planners need to be strategic and thoughtful when choosing the swag items, considering the attendees' interests and needs, the quality and usefulness of the items, and the alignment with the event's messaging and the brand's personality. By following the tips provided in this blog post, event planners can create effective swag that will leave a lasting impression on attendees and potentially attract new customers or clients.
For more helpful tips for event planning, visit ExpoBeacon Insights and news.