Why Conference Gifts And Trade Show Giveaways - What Works

Selecting the right conference gifts and trade show giveaways can make a world of difference in your marketing efforts. It's so common to give away something at your exhibit booth or conference table, that all too often, marketing managers simply order some random item - or an assortment of them - so that they can hand out something printed with the company name. Taking a little more time to coordinate your conference gifts and giveaways with your main marketing message can turn your giveaways into give-backs - as in, giving back to your company in a big way.

First, why are you giving something away? If you're only answer is "because we're supposed to", think a little deeper. Your conference gifts should be designed to DO something for you. They may:

- attract people to your table

- make your brand more memorable to people

- promote your product as an alternative

- educate and inform customers about your product

- promote goodwill for your company

- entice a few, select customers

Things to Remember About Conference Gifts

The most successful promotional items are those that follow a few key principles. An effective promotional item:

- is fun or eye-catching and/or

- provides something of value or interest to your prospective customers and

- can be easily linked to or identified with your company

Putting The Principles Together

Now that you know the basic rules about choosing free giveaway items and you've thought about what the purpose of your giveaway is, let's put it together in a way that's helpful for you.

If your aim is to:

Attract as many people as possible to your booth or table:

You'll need to choose conference gifts that are inexpensive, fun and can be easily carried away. The more useful the gift, the more likely it is that your prospective customers will take them home and use them. Gifts that fit this category include refrigerator magnets, keyrings and imprinted pen. Every one that is taken away from your conference table has the possibility of passing through several more sets of hands, or being used by its recipient and keeping your logo and name in front of their eyes for weeks or even years.

Prequalify sales prospects

A good way to have your prospective customers prequalify themselves is to offer a gift that is in tune with their interests and needs. You'll still want a relatively inexpensive gift, but by targeting a particular interest, you're drawing in a specific type of client. Some examples of more targeted conference and trade show giveaways include imprinted golf tees, miniature first aid kits, sewing kits or tool kits.

Educate the public about your product

If your intent is to bring people to your booth to hear about your product and learn its advantages, try a little advance publicity. By sending out a mailing before the conference with "half" the promotional items, you'll bring interested people to your booth to listen to your sales pitch and redeem the other half of the gift.

Increase Brand Name Recognition

The key word here is splashy. If your main aim at the conference is to increase the name recognition of your brand, opt for high visibility conference gifts that people will carry or wear throughout the day. Invest in carrier bags into which people will tuck the gifts and promotional items they pick up at other tables, or caps or t-shirts that people will often put on immediately.

For more ideas on how to make the most of your conference gift budget, visit one of the many UK suppliers of promotional gifts and corporate gift items by browsing the internet.

Gareth Parkin is the co-founder of Ideasbynet, the UK's leading online conference gifts and promotional items supplier based in the north of England. Established in 2001, he has taken the UK gift market by storm by the application of modern business thinking and the latest search engine marketing techniques. For more details visit http://www.ideasbynet.com

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