I've stood at enough booths to know the moment a giveaway fails. Someone walks up, picks up the pen, looks at it, and puts it back. That's money you spent to be ignored.
Here's what we've learned from helping companies stock booths for everything from small regional expos to the big shows at McCormick Place.
Start with the bag, not the trinkets
By noon on day one, every attendee is juggling brochures. The first company to hand them something to carry it all in wins the rest of the day, because their logo walks the floor for hours. A sturdy custom tote bag costs more than a stress ball, but it gets seen by hundreds of people who never stopped at your booth.
Skip the thin non-woven bags if the budget allows. Handles tear once people load them up, and a ripped bag with your logo on it isn't the look you want.
Drinkware travels home
Most booth swag gets tossed in the hotel room before the flight. Water bottles and tumblers don't. People use them on the plane, then at their desk. Branded drinkware is one of the few categories where clients tell us they spotted their logo months later.
A tip: keep the nicer insulated tumblers behind the table and give them to people who actually stop and talk. Put cheaper items up front for the walk-bys.
Tech gets used, if it works
Chargers, cable organizers and power banks are great when they work. A dead power bank is worse than nothing. If you go with tech giveaways, ask for a sample and test it. Charge it, drain it, charge it again.
Don't forget the booth itself
A lot of people put the whole budget into giveaways and show up with a wrinkled tablecloth. Your table cover, banner and signs are the first thing anyone sees from thirty feet away. We keep a full section of trade show and event items because this gets overlooked so often.
How many to order
The rough rule we use: take expected attendance, assume 10 to 20 percent will come by your booth, and order for that plus some extra. At a 5,000-person show, 600 to 800 low-cost items and around 100 premium pieces is a reasonable start. Leftovers aren't wasted. They become client gifts or staff swag.
Timing
Most decorated items need 7 to 10 business days after you approve the proof, plus shipping. Order four weeks out and you're comfortable. If the show snuck up on you, there are 24-hour rush items that ship the next business day, though the selection is smaller.
Ship to the hotel or the show's advance warehouse, not the venue, unless the organizer says otherwise. Boxes sent straight to the hall have a way of disappearing.
One last thing
Put something on the item besides your logo. A website, a short line about what you do, a QR code. Six weeks later, when someone finds your tumbler in a cabinet, they should know who you are without having to remember.
If you want help putting a booth package together, Trendy Promo is based in the Chicago area and ships to all 50 states. Browse the full catalogs or call (888) 806-8809.
Related reads: A Year-Round Calendar for Branded Merchandise and Branded Gear for Nonprofit Fundraisers and Volunteer Days.
Comments
Post a Comment