I am often asked what are good promotional items for exhibitions, to give away to visitors and attendees. It is a very good question, because how can you stand out from your competitors, or be memorable, if you are offering a similar product as lots of other exhibitors?
Here are some suggestions on how to make your promotional items for exhibitions stand out from the crowd.
You may have purchased thousands of low-cost pens to use in your marketing, but you will probably see a similar, if not the exact same model on other exhibition stands. You can rectify this by either asking a professional to come up with a range of options (still at a low cost), or by adding say 20p to 30p to the unit price of the promotional pen you order. This will really help and will allow you a much wider choice of pens to select from. You will give away a pen which will not only be admired and used by the receiver, but which will also be a great ambassador for your company.
Another good way to be different with your promotional items for exhibitions it to give away some merchandise that you like personally – something that you have received in the past at a similar event. What have you always remembered being given, and have had on your desk or in your pocket, ever since?
It’s always a good move to give away something closely related to the service or product you offer. This makes your promotional item more relevant and therefore memorable. If you are an engineering firm, you may want to use a pen which is multifunctional, with a built in light, or mini tool kit etc. If your company is in the health, beauty and well-being sector, then a pedometer, compact mirror or relaxing bath salts may be appreciated.
Even simply adding a printed QR code to your promotional item, is a great way of leading customers to your website, which may avoid them having to deal with lots of literature.
This is very much the way forward when it comes to promotional items for exhibitors, who want to be seen in this commendable and progressive light. Reusable branded bags continue to be given away at exhibitions – they are very much a key product to use, and so, bags which are environmentally friendly will be the way to go.
Also, more and more of the products offered in the promotional sector have great green credentials – maybe a pencil that grows cherry tomatoes, of a pen or beanie hat made of recycled plastic bottles.
Bottles and travel mugs have grown massively as a merchandise idea, simply because of the move away from disposable drinkware.
I have already touched on this, but understandably, there are promotional items for exhibitions which are more relevant to certain sectors than others. The professions will often give away a smart pen, or a notebook, whereas the safety sector may want to use products that light up, or are fluorescent.
Travel firms might like to use low-cost sunglasses, sun-screen, and luggage tags, while the events sector are more likely to go for bottle openers, cork screws, and travel mugs.
Property companies have lots of house shaped promotional item options, such as trolley coin holders, and meter cupboard keys, and for those working in education, and services to children, there is an abundance of choice.
Be Seasonal
Think about the time of year of your exhibition and what promotional items are going to be of use for your visitors. If you are exhibiting in the spring, consider a water bottle or frisbee. Then in the autumn you might consider ice scrapers, beanie hats and hi-vis wear. Coming into Christmas there is the obvious promotional confectionery, but how about a printed Christmas bauble, or wooden Christmas tree desk top item?
I can also give some tips about good practice and clever ways of managing your exhibition stand and your promotional items.
1. Save the Best for the Invested - Have lower-cost promotional items for the counter or table top – for example, mass give away pens and logoed sweets. But have some other/better products to keep back, to give to visitors who have spent time on your stand, and expressed interest in what you are offering. You could then source fewer, but more expensive (and much more desirable) merchandise – such as a thermal bottle, a high capacity power bank, and even a good quality golf umbrella.
2. Avoid Bulky Items - Unless you have a really wonderful, but large item to give away, which will be much sought after, I would avoid bulky items. This will be better for you logistically, when preparing your stand, and a lot easier for your visitors to carry away.
3. Get Your Logo Out There with Your Promotional Items - Bags, maybe overdone, but are still crucial at an exhibition – and you want them walking around with your one! Long handled bags can go over the shoulder, but some may prefer short handles, so they may be hand held. Maybe you could consider a drawstring bag with your give-aways in, as well as literature. This could even be pre-filled, to make life easier.
Popular promotional items will in some cases be obvious, but I am sure there will be some ideas that you haven’t thought of. These may have already been mentioned elsewhere in this piece, but I believe great ideas to be:
· Pens
· Mugs
· Mints
· Notepads
· Keyfobs
· Small bottles of Hand Sanitizer – which were popular, long before the pandemic!
To really make an impact, and to stand out from the crowd, some items (which due to their unit cost will more likely fit the idea of ‘tiered items’, covered above), I can suggest,
· Better Pen (say £1.50 – to £3.00)
· Clothing (like a Polo Shirt, or Baseball Cap)
· Rucksack
All of the above mentioned products are available to view on my website – if you have any ideas or would like to discuss promotional items for exhibitions or for any business requirement then please contact me.
