What are the gift options for conferences?

By Samantha O'Rourke

Generally, the best gift options for conferences are going to have three common attributes:

• Portable: Anything that can travel easily and conveniently
• Useful: An item that conference guests will want in their day-to-day life
• Memorable: Something to associate with and remember your brand

For any brand or organization, the best promotional swag to promote you is less about what you give away, and more about why and how you give it away. The three key traits above—portable, useful, and memorable—all relate to the “why” and “how” swag is a great promotional strategy at conferences. Portable swag can ride along on the plane ride home, useful swag will still be in the person’s life well after the conference, and memorable swag will give each person an easy way to remember you.

But rather than just following the same event swag ideas that most companies do, being strategic about your choices gives you the best chance to stand out. The right conference gifts for your attendees will be different depending on the conference, your brand and who those attendees are.

Learn more about picking the right conference swag items for your next event. Unique conference giveaways that have practical use are the best way to make a lasting impression, and with a little planning you can have good conference gift ideas—without needing to reinvent the wheel.

Regardless of what event swag you’re looking for, at 4imprint we are here to help you forge meaningful connections with all who come across your brand…and that starts with picking the right swag. Let’s get into it!

What is a good giveaway for a conference?

The best conference gifts are portable, useful items that will inspire and delight the person who gets it. For conferences, some go-to choices include:

• Tote bags: These are probably the No. 1 gift most people think of when it comes to conference swag. While this isn’t exactly surprising, it’s important to understand why tote bags are great for conferences. Not only can they hold things gathered from the conference (including more swag items), but also they are a very visible branding opportunity.
• Travel mugs: Although traditional mugs are a good swag option, travel mugs have a key advantage that comes back to one word: travel. While a traditional coffee mug will live in a person’s house and maybe their office at best, a travel mug can go anywhere and become a daily fixture in the recipient’s life. And similar to tote bags, drinkware provides a lot of real estate to place branding—which is especially great if the person takes it with them everywhere.
• Tech accessories: Here is a type of swag item that comes in clutch for multiple reasons. How many times have you forgotten your phone charger on a trip, or realized you didn’t have the right cable to connect a device to your laptop? Tech accessories and gadgets can be a real sleeper hit in your swag repertoire, especially in a world where technology is ever-present in our work lives.

If you’re wondering what to give conference attendees, the items above are a few of the best starting points. Other unique items to help set yourself apart from the norm are things like portable speakers or auto accessories. A few staple choices with maybe one or two unique items will be more than enough to engineer a successful marketing push with your swag.

How much swag should I bring to a trade show or conference?

Generally, you should plan to have enough swag for about 70%-80% of attendees opens in new window for a small conference, or as little as 25% if it’s a large conference. But aside from the main answer of “it depends on the conference size,” also consider the goal of your swag and why you’re giving it away.

Is your goal lead generation or general awareness? If so, you may want to bring more swag—ideally, items that attendees would want to share with their peers after the conference. Are you more focused on direct sales or conversions? In that case, you probably won’t need as much swag. Of course, budget is also something to factor in. If you want to reach a large group of attendees, consider going with less expensive items or possibly a greater variety of items. The more you consider your goals with conference swag, the easier it is to make confident decisions in what you get!

Need good giveaways for events? Check out 4imprint!

No matter what your conference needs are, we at 4imprint have you covered. Whether you’re looking for tote bags, travel mugs or custom apparel, we’re here to help you find the right swag for your bag. More than that, we pride ourselves on top-notch customer service—from our 360° Guarantee_® on every product to our 24-hour product line for urgent requests.

Want to learn more about what 4imprint has to offer? Visit our website today and check out our wide range of products. We look forward to helping you stand out at your next conference!