How to Pick the Perfect Attendee Gift for Your Next Meeting or Event
When people sign up to attend your event, it’s with the understanding that the price of admission includes access to workshops, panels populated by industry luminaries, lectures delivered by expert speakers, and/or an exhibition hall, as well as extras like meals, cocktail hours, networking events, and so on. That said, you and your corporate meeting planner can go above and beyond to offer added value as a way to impress guests.
One great option is to work with your global meeting planner to pick the perfect attendee gift. Says Chelsea Litos, VP Account Management at AMI,
“Swag bags are a great way to kick your event off right. You can provide necessary items like an itinerary, a site map, water, and snacks, and also give every attendee a branded gift that reminds them of your event and leaves a positive and lasting impression.”
The difficulty for any host or corporate meeting planner, of course, is choosing the right attendee gift, one that is relevant to the event, useful to attendees, and relatively affordable, just to name a few concerns. How can you and your global meeting planner pick the perfect attendee gifts for your next meeting or event?
Work with Your Corporate Meeting Planner to Set a Reasonable Budget
Attendee gifts are giveaways, so your first inclination may be to save money with a cheap item like a branded pen, a simple canvas tote, or a mug – something that can be ordered in bulk for little expense. However, if you want to impress attendees, you should probably think about upping your budget and the quality of gifts.
This doesn’t mean you have to spend an arm and a leg on Swarovski crystal studded keychains, but you should put a little more thought into the items you’re offering. For example, instead of a cheap, plastic pen, consider something nicer like a Space Pen. Instead of a canvas tote, how about a messenger bag? Don’t offer a mug when you could give attendees a reusable water bottle that is likely a lot more useful.
Consider the Relevance of Items
Use value is important since you want attendees to keep these items and use them, perhaps displaying your branded messaging in public and raising awareness of your company and/or event. While there are plenty of items that deliver use value, however, you and your global meeting planner also have to choose gifts that are relevant to your industry or event.
If your event focuses on food, a robust canvas grocery tote could be the perfect gift, whereas attendees at an automotive industry event might enjoy something like a branded sun visor for the windshield (what a great way to get some free advertising!). Think about what makes sense for your event, as well as what attendees could really use.
Ask Your Global Meeting Planner to Create an Attractive Presentation
It’s not enough to give attendees a freebie – it must be attractive if you want to make a good impression and ensure attendees will actually use it. Form may be secondary to function, but it’s still an important consideration.
Consider Personalization
You don’t have to personalize attendee gifts, but small details like this can grab attention and really impress recipients. You and your corporate meeting planner could add names or monograms to attendee gifts, but if this is too pricey, think about adding a short, handwritten note to each attendee with their gift, thanking them for coming to your event.