Ideas for Trade Show Giveaways

Trade shows present companies with a unique opportunity to showcase their products and services. During these events, customers and clients get to ask questions, interact with your business first-hand and have their curiosity about your brand quenched. Businesses often give away promotional merchandise during trade shows to leave a lasting impression on the people who visit their booths.

Relevant and trendy merchandise attracts potential customers, builds your network and increases brand recognition. Ensuring the merchandise aligns with your brand image and messaging drives sales for your business. The next time you’re prepping for a trade show, take your booth to the next level with top-tier giveaways. To give you some inspiration, below is a list of 10 items you should consider having as giveaways for a trade show booth.

1. Bags

Bags make the perfect trade show giveaway items because most recipients put them to use immediately. Attendees use them to collect and carry other trade show merchandise, which gives you more exposure during the event and encourages more people to visit your booth. Trade show bags come in numerous colors, materials, sizes and styles, giving users ultimate functionality.

They also hold great marketing potential because they offer plenty of space to imprint your company logo, slogan and contact information. There are several types of bags you should consider when looking for the best trade show swag:

• Backpacks: A high-quality backpack is an extremely versatile accessory that can last several years, giving you ample brand exposure. People of all ages and genders can use backpacks for work, school, errands or traveling.
• Tote bags: These causal carriers boast multiple uses and are a good replacement for single-use plastic shopping bags. Tote bags come in various styles, including nonwoven tote bags, canvas-style toles and zippered totes.
• Drawstring bags: These are among the most affordable bags that can be customized for promotional purposes. Drawstring bags are an excellent option when attending trade shows with a huge audience of sporting, hiking, gym and wellness enthusiasts.
• Laptop bags: Laptop bags are useful for students and working professionals alike. They offer a secure way to carry laptops and other gadgets in style. You can find promotional laptop bags in various designs, including backpacks, totes, briefcases and messenger bags.

2. Branded Apparel

Brande apparel is probably the most commonly used promotional merchandise by businesses in all industries. Giving away high-quality custom apparel like hoodies, 1-shirts and caps increases your brand exposure during and after the trade show.

One of the trickiest parts of choosing apparel is selecting the right fabric. Some fabric options for promotional prints include cotton for daily wear, polyester for athletic apparel and nylon for exceptionally durable apparel. Rayon is ideal for casual clothing, while a tri-blend is your best bet if you want soft, lightweight shirts.

Even more important than the clothing fabric is the logo placement. The size and positioning of the logo or company branding on apparel determines its advertising potential. Here are a few options:

• Center chest: Best for landscape-oriented logos or slogans.
• Left chest: Perfect for simple logo designs with minimal wordings.
• Full front: Ideal for busy logos with detailed shapes and vibrant colors.
• Full-back: Works well with large, elaborate designs that draw attention.
• Sleeve: Best when paired with small, simple designs imprinted on the left chest.

3. Tech Gadgets

In this digital age, an easy way to capture the attention of trade show attendees is to gift them tech gadgets. These functional tools boost your brand appeal because recipients can carry them anywhere and everywhere. They also make you stand out by proving you are tech-savvy and trendy.

The best tech gadgets to gift attendees during trade shows are aesthetic, portable and perfect for everyday use. Some top options include:

• Powerbanks: Portable power banks with brand names engraved or imprinted can increase your brand value. The users start associating your brand with convenience and reliability whenever they reach for their charger.
• Wireless charging pads: These are trendy charging devices that people can put to good use on their desks, in the car or at their bedside to charge their devices without connecting them to many wires.
• Flash drives: Flash drives are compact, useful and affordable promotional products that recipients find useful in many ways. Other than adding logos to USB drives, you can also add links to your website or files with contact information to ensure they can conveniently reach you after the first interaction.
• Bluetooth speakers: Branded Bluetooth speakers are giveaway items that help get your brand name out there. This happens when the recipients use them to power a beach party, game night or a casual hangout with friends. A pair of earbuds or headphones are cost-effective alternatives to speakers.
• Webcam covers: Make potential clients feel safer using their computers and laptops by gifting them promotional webcam covers. These can be in your brand colors to grab attention and include your company’s logo.
• Phone accessories: United States citizens check their phones up to 144 times daily. This makes branded Pop Sockets, phone cases, stands, cardholders and mobile ring lights amazing trade show giveaway items.

4. Reusable Drinkware

Reusable drinkware is among the promotional items that give you the most exposure. Regardless of the season, people rely on drinkware merchandise to enjoy everyday beverages, including water, tea, coffee, juices and smoothies. You have many options in this category, but it’s best to stick with practical and sustainable options that people can reuse frequently.

Branded water bottles and tumblers are usable from the moment you hand them out. On hot days, the attendees can use them to get refreshing drinks as they continue visiting other booths. On cold days, they use them to keep warm with some hot chocolate, coffee or tea. Outside of the trade show setting, they’ll use their cups at home, in the office, at the gym and in the car.

Imprinting your company name, logo and artwork on reusable drinkware gives you plenty of brand exposure because they’re frequently used and seen. To ensure people reach for your branded drinkware daily, ensure you get ones with leakproof leads, double-walled insulation and ergonomic mouth openings. More options for reusable drinkware include ceramic coffee mugs, can coolers, travel pouches and reusable straws.

5. Stationery

Stationery like journals, notebooks, planners and writing accessories are among the most common merchandise brands give away at trade shows and conferences. Stationery items provide ample space to imprint your company logo, artwork, marketing message and slogans. The recipients will be reminded of your brand every time they use these items. Aside from notebooks and planners, you can give away the following stationery items:

• Sticky notes
• Desk organizers
• Mouse pads
• Office supplies like staplers and table dispensers
• Calendars

High-quality pens are a good option if you’re looking for affordable merchandise. However, today, you can make a greater impression and stand out from competitors with a stylus pen. A customized stylus gives attendees more uses — they can use it to write on paper and as a germ-free solution when controlling touch-screen customer interfaces.

6. Eco-Friendly Merchandise

Environmental awareness is important for young people, and four out of five people are more likely to choose a brand with a positive approach to environmental sustainability. You can appeal to people looking for ways to minimize their carbon footprint and observe sustainable practices by gifting eco-friendly or sustainable promotional merchandise during trade shows. This strategy could drive more sales to your business because people associate your brand with eco-consciousness. The products could be made from recycled and organic materials or be recyclable themselves.

For example, canvas tote bags made from woven hemp or thick cotton are good alternatives to plastic. They are made from renewable, reusable and biodegradable materials that give long-term use and are easier to dispose of. Eco-conscious clients also appreciate tote bags made from post-consumer or post-industrial materials because they reduce the plastics in landfills.

Branded apparel made of organic material, such as organic cotton or cotton-blend fabrics, also makes the cut for sustainable merchandise that clients will rock with pride. Other good options include biodegradable plastic water bottles, reusable straws and kraft paper notebooks.

7. Wellness and Self-Care Items

Wellness and self-care merchandise are among the best trade show giveaways because they enrich people’s daily lives. Gifting such items proves you care for the health and well-being of your clients and are not just handing out conference swag for marketing purposes. It also creates a positive brand image and ensures recipients keep engaging with your brand.

Wellness items are also unique, trendy and relevant to many people today. The best kind of merchandise in this category are items that help people relax, refresh and unwind. Here are some examples:

• Lip balms
• Hand sanitizers
• Lotions and soaps
• Sleep masks
• Stress balls
• Fitness trackers
• Sunscreen

8. Swag Bags

Swag bags are gift sets curated using several promotional items. They’re creative and cost-effective but make a huge impression on the recipients because they receive several functional and trendy items that they can put to diverse uses.

When curating swag bags, assemble items that align with your brand and fulfill your marketing goals. You can pair items from the same categories, but it’s usually better to combine distinct items that are used in differing settings. For example, a swag bag can contain a t-shirt, cap, water bottle and tech gadget like a wireless charging pad.

Another option is to give a tech-only swag bag with several tech gadgets, like a Bluetooth speaker, charging pad, screen cleaner and webcam cover. To promote wellness further, you can put together a swag bag with several wellness products and maybe even some delicious treats like candy and chocolates. Eco-friendly swag bags are also a good option that could help your booth stand out.

Your options are unlimited when choosing the right swag bag contents. Just ensure you include items that your audience finds useful and practical.

9. Home and Kitchen Products

Many trade shows are frequented by families. However, finding the perfect promotional item for every family member, including their fur baby, may be challenging and expensive. An alternative is to gift them customized home goods the entire family can enjoy.

These include scented candles, planter kits, diffusers, photo inserts, Christmas stockings, fridge magnets and ornaments. Kitchen products such as apron kits, cheese boards, oven mitts and barbeque sets are also a hit among families attending trade shows together.

Families with pets will be happy and impressed when you are one of the few businesses at the trade show that think about their fur babies. Some pet accessories you can give as promotional giveaway items include pet bowls, pet accessory bags, collars, leashes, toys and treats. These items warm the hearts of pet owners and etch your brand in their minds for a long time.

10. Travel Accessories

Want to ensure trade show attendees take your brand far and wide? Consider investing in branded travel accessories imprinted with your company logo and, if possible, bearing your brand colors. This means they’ll flaunt your brand as they walk through airports, catch trains and traverse the universe.

Small and inexpensive travel accessories you should consider giving trade show attendees include eye masks, neck pillows, luggage tags and compact toiletry bags. If you have a bigger budget, consider duffle bags and backpacks. They impress clients and boost usability for personal and professional trips. They also provide more advertising space to print your logo and other company details.

Duffle bags can also provide the base for a swag bag. Create a travel-themed swag bag by filling the duffle with items like lip balms and sanitizers to ensure the users’ comfort during their travels.

Order Your Trade Show Merchandise From ePromos

When you’ve narrowed down the perfect trade show giveaways, the next challenge is to find a an experienced company who’ll bring your brand’s vision to life, like ePromos. We’re a promotional product business that can supply high-promotional merchandise to help you create a lasting impression on trade show attendees.

Our brand assistants are ready to help you with every step of the production process, from designing to developing the best promotional merchandise that helps you create brand awareness and meet your sales goals. They will also advise you on the best printing methods to achieve your desired results on apparel, drinkware, tech devices and other promotional merchandise.

Browse our huge collection of promotional products and trade show supplies, and place your order online today! You can also contact us to speak to a representative to get started.