Trade Show And Conference Giveaway Ideas: Items With The Most Impact

There are a variety of great trade show and conference giveaway freebies out there, but not all are created equal. The key is to give out good-quality, practical items that won’t break within a week.

Here are ten of our favorites:

1. Pocket Hand Sanitizer

Here’s one every trade show and conference visitor will appreciate: a small pocket hand sanitizer.

Let’s face it: there’s nothing more annoying in a busy event hall than needing to freshen up when the only bathrooms are on the other side of the room. It’s a long walk, and you waste time that could be used for networking. And yet, walking around with dirty hands all day isn’t an option either, especially after all the handshakes you’ll have had.

By handing out small hand sanitizer bottles, you can eliminate the spread of germs while making your guests feel better at the same time. Go for it!

2. Lint Rollers And Brushes

What you wear to a trade show or conference is integral to your professional business identity. Depending on how long you’ll attend the event for, there’s a chance your blazer or trousers can end up covered in loose hair or dust.

To help keep your guests looking their best, lint rollers or brushes are the perfect functional giveaway. They allow guests to keep their clothes neat throughout the event, and can be reused again and again.

3. Quality Tote Bags

Tote bags are a huge hit at the moment, and for good reason. You’re bound to receive many items at trade shows and conferences, from other giveaways to business cards and samples. Tote bags are a great way to store these items and reuse later, but here’s the problem: not everyone makes a good quality tote bag.

To really make a lasting impression, invest a little more in a higher-quality branded tote bag that your attendees will love. Fill them up with other giveaways to create a unique conference “swag bag”.

Say “no” to thin, single-use tote bags that break within a week, and your guests might just say “yes” to your business offerings!

4. Cellphone Holders

Practical and useful items are always the ideal options for conference swag giveaways. A simple phone holder is an incredibly versatile desk accessory; most people only appreciate one after receiving it. They’re usually cheap and durable and make mobile video calls a breeze when you need both of your hands for another task.

There is a wide variety of styles and designs available, making phone holders an attractive giveaway choice for those with small and large budgets.

5. Power Banks

Considering the average attendee will spend a few hours at the event, there’s a real possibility their devices will be low on battery life by the end. Gifting branded power banks to guests means they can charge their devices on the go, giving them real value throughout the conference or trade show.

Like other entries on this list, power banks are also reusable and provide value over the long term. The only downside is the potential cost compared to other giveaways, so work carefully with your budget.

Lastly, don’t forget to charge all your giveaway power banks before you give them out!

6. BPA-Free Reusable Bottles

Studies have now confirmed it: being dehydrated can reduce your mental capabilities significantly. Despite this, many of us go about our busy lives without remembering to drink enough water. With so much going on, this happens often at trade shows and conferences, too.

A high-quality reusable water bottle is fully customizable and an efficient event giveaway solution. In addition to preventing dehydration, you’ll also help save the planet by dissuading guests from single-use plastic bottles.

There are a variety of different designs and styles available to choose from, but we recommend BPA-free plastic or stainless steel. You could also include a handy bottle brush as part of the giveaway for an even larger impression.

7. Climate-Specific Swag

Trade show and conference attendees are sure to appreciate climate-specific swag clad in custom branding. Next time you have an event in a hot or cold climate, consider these useful freebies:

Beanies And Socks

Clothing is a must-have giveaway if brand visibility is one of your key event objectives. The idea is simple: your visitors will end up wearing your branded clothing swag, exposing your business to everyone else on the show floor.

Unfortunately, two major difficulties arise when it comes to clothing giveaways: sizing and the weather. What use are branded t-shirts at a winter UK trade show?

Here’s the good news, though: you can solve both of these problems with one-size-fits-all knitwear:

• Beanies keep heads warm and can be decorated with subtle branding.
• Socks are a classic choice and work well as a marketing gimmick.

Since they always come in pairs, you can go around the show floor handing out single socks to guests. Tell them they can visit your booth to receive their matching partners, and see how your foot traffic skyrockets!

Sunscreen

In warmer climates that receive a lot of sun, sunscreen is another useful giveaway that people love. While it may not be immediately useful inside a packed conference venue, guests can take it with them outside later. We found it very popular as a giveaway at Florida trade shows.

Even in colder climates where the sun still shines, sunscreen can still be a relevant gift idea at outdoor events.

Travel Umbrella

Whether you’re walking to your next event or hiking up a mountain, a small branded umbrella is the perfect travel companion. Give these out to guests so they can protect themselves from rain, sun, and wind in style.

Ice Scraper

An ice scraper is a small tool used to remove frost from a vehicle’s windscreen in snowy weather. They’re usually made out of plastic or metal, but are durable enough to be reused.

Although useless in many warmer parts of the world, a branded ice scraper can impress conference guests in a cold climate where it snows. No more hot water defrosting disasters!

8. Drawstring Bags

Like tote bags, drawstring bags are useful to attendees who’ll need the extra space for other event giveaway goodies. They’re completely customizable and look good with your company logo digitally printed on the outside.

Use canvas as your material of choice for a stronger bag that lasts longer. Cheaper material bags tend to break easily and aren’t worth the hassle.

9. Travel Toiletries

Small toiletry sets are another giveaway companies can use to set themselves apart from the competition at events. Some of the largest US conferences and trade shows frequently attract foreign attendees who have a genuine use for travel-oriented gifts, such as small toiletry sets.

Inside each bag, you can include:

• Comb
• Travel-size hand lotion
• Travel-size shampoo
• Toothpaste
• Toothbrush
• Dental floss
• Small deodorant
• Shaving razor
• Face wipes

If you really want to go the extra mile, try making your toiletry gift bags sustainable. You can:

• Replace plastic toothbrushes with bamboo or wooden ones.
• Use natural ingredient shampoos, soaps, and conditioners.
• Use cardboard packaging instead of plastic.

10. Custom Notebooks

Quality notebooks are highly customizable and popular as event freebies. They are particularly popular at conferences where attendees often take down notes by hand.

Notebooks come in a variety of sizes, and their covers can be made of different materials. These include:

• Cardboard
• Leather
• Cloth
• Cork
• Plastic
• Canvas

Hardcover designs feel the most premium, but you can opt for softcover notebooks too if your budget is limited. You can add your brand logo to each page as a watermark for a more premium effect.

What Trade Show And Conference Giveaway Should You Avoid?

Many businesses find themselves wasting money on bad conference giveaway ideas that attendees have little use for. In cases like these, giving out freebies can harm your company’s performance at a trade show or conference more than it helps.

Here are five bad giveaway ideas you should stay away from:

1. USB Flash Drive

Once a norm at any tech-related trade show or conference, flash drives have now fallen out of fashion. The cybersecurity risks of random flash drives are now too great for USBs to have much value to anyone working in tech. Many tech companies even prohibit staff from inserting unknown flash drives into their work computers nowadays.

Unless your attendees are just regular office workers, USB flash drives are now best avoided.

2. Cheap Branded Pens

Perhaps the oldest freebie in the book, branded pens are now well past their prime. Clad in cheap plastic and available somewhere at almost every event, branded pens are lacking in real value.

Most of them write quite badly, too. If you want to go the pen route, try investing in higher quality ones to give out.

3. Cheap Charging Cables

Another useful giveaway, now made redundant by rapid tech advancement, is cheap charging cables. Most modern cellphones come with proprietary or near-proprietary chargers with quick charge capability, rendering cheap third-party chargers redundant.

There are better, higher-quality products for your attendees’ mobile devices out there.

4. Kids’ Toys

Are children your brand’s target audience? We suspect your answer to be a resounding “no”, unless you do happen to work in the toy industry. If adult professionals are what you’re after, then children’s toys are unlikely to make a big impression. Since children typically won’t make the final decision to invest in your company, you shouldn’t spend exorbitant amounts on freebies just for them.

Even if you did plan on targeting children to get their parents’ attention, candy is usually a more cost-effective option.

5. Branded Keychains

We get it: keychains sound like a fantastic idea. Your very own portable piece of conference swag! But just like cheap branded pens, keychains are everywhere. They’re easy to make, and chances are that more than a few of your competitors will be handing them out.

But besides their ubiquity, keychains have two more problems. Firstly, they offer little practical value, often ending up discarded in a drawer somewhere. Secondly, they’re tiny, which makes for a small branding area most people won’t end up seeing.

Overall, there are better options out there.

Summary: How To Have The Best Swag Gifts At Conferences And Trade Shows

Thinking of giving out some freebies at your next event? Keep these three characteristics in mind:

• Quality: Your giveaways should be of high enough quality to last long and not break easily.
• Value:Your giveaways should provide some real utility to your guests.
• Brand alignment: Your giveaways should reflect the mission or values of your business.

The Best Trade Show And Conference Swag Ideas In Action

Giveaways and freebies are a trendy way to grab attention at conferences and trade shows, but not everyone knows how to do them effectively. Common, cheap, and irrelevant swag items are dead, and the time has come for exhibitors and organizers to think more about what they give away.

Thoughtful, relevant, and high-quality giveaways are the key to having event swag that inspires, attracts, and impresses attendees. Robust branded tote bags, a thoughtful mini toiletry set, or a sustainable BPA-free water bottle could be the missing link in your event marketing strategy.

With everything else in place, the only other thing you’ll need is a world-class trade show or conference booth. Whether you go for a modular booth design or a custom showstopper, Booth Exhibits™ has what it takes to elevate your game.