Roll out the red carpet – it’s time for your business to be the star of the trade show! A cool display is one thing, but if you really want to get the crowd’s attention it’s all about having awesome promotional swag.
You’ll find the best trade show promotions right here! Below is list of ideas that are guaranteed to attract a ton of visitors to your booth.
Is Trade Show Swag Worth It?
You only have so much money in your marketing budget, so you’ll be happy to know that the ROI alone makes trade show promotions 100% worth your time.
80% of people keep their trade show swag if they think it’s cool and/or useful. So you may be spending $500 on giveaways now, but these items are going to stay with visitors long after the convention center’s lights are off. Your brand needs exposure in order to be memorable.
What Are the Best Trade Show Promotions?
The best promotional items are trendy, useful to have at home or the office, and exciting to receive. Be inspired by any of these trade show swag ideas!
1. Campfire Coffee Mugs
Set up a complementary coffee station with personalized camping mugs next to the pot. Trade shows are exhausting, and attendees spend an average of 8.3 hours walking from exhibit to exhibit. Your booth will be the one to visit if you offer free caffeine and a cool mug giveaway to go with it.
2. Unique Stress Balls
Come up with a unique theme for your trade show display – like “deserts” for a company from New Mexico or “under the sea” for a water park. You can then order custom stress balls that fit with the vibe (in the case of the examples maybe cacti and tropical fish). 52% of attendees are more likely to visit an exhibit if it’s offering some kind of promotional giveaway. Cute stress balls are impossible to resist!
3. Colorful Gel Pens
Black ink pens are fine, but if you really want to kick it up a notch, try gel pens that write in your company colors. Color recognition increases brand recognition by 80%, so just imagine how much exposure you’ll get every time someone uses one of these promotional pens. It’s the perfect trade show swag!
4. Personalized Bamboo Notebooks
You don’t want your trade show giveaways to end up in the trash. It’s horrible for the planet, and you’re not getting a branding boost. It’s a lose-lose! Avoid that issue with bamboo notebooks, which have a natural cover and 70 sheets of recycled paper. 46% of customers have a favorable opinion of a company that gives out eco promotional products, so this swag idea is a no-brainer!
5. Push Pop Bubble Toys
Fidget spinners had fame in 2017, but now it’s the push pop bubble toy’s time to shine! Draw a crowd to your booth by ordering a bunch of these bubble toys and using them in a game. For example, the first person to pop them all wins! The #PopIt hashtag on Tik Tok has over 3.3 billion views, so you know these will be best trade show giveaways for a young audience.
6. Sweet & Salty Snack Mix
Adults can’t go trick-or-treating, but you can bring the fun to the trade show floor by handing out treat bags, no costume required! Print your company’s name or a funny quote on front, and fill the bags up with pretzels, chocolate, popcorn, and assorted candy. The average person snacks 3 times a day, and with a majority of trade shows going all weekend, visitors will be thankful for these promo giveaways when they get the munchies!
7. Insulated Water Bottles
1 in 10 people have experienced a dehydration headache at some point. With all the noise and crowds, it could definitely happen at a trade show! While there’s probably a water cooler and Styrofoam cups somewhere in the convention center, nobody wants to go back and forth for refills. Keep everyone hydrated by handing out insulated water bottles. Everyone will be drawn to your display like ducks to, well, water!
8. Custom Sleeping Masks
56% of trade show attendees travel more than 400 miles for the expo. People are coming from all over the country, which means sleep may be lacking. You don’t want your display to be a snooze, so wake up the crowd with custom sleeping masks. These promotional items will be handy at the hotel, and your brand might just show up in everyone’s dreams!
9. Coloring Books & Crayons
You’re never too old to love coloring! If you need an activity that keeps visitors at your trade show display, lay out a few custom coloring books and crayons or colored pencils. You can even have a contest and offer a grand prize to the best artwork. Some experts believe consumers come into contact with 5,000 brand messages every day. Make sure your advertising and trade show swag is the most colorful!
10. Promotional Pot Holders
Even if you’re not in restaurant or food, you can still use custom pot holders as trade show promotional items. Just be unique and creative! Print your logo and a funny saying on the front like “What’s Cooking?” or “Some Like it Hot!” Your brand will be part of every homecooked meal, and with 36% of people making meals at home on a daily basis, that means a ton of exposure.
11. Clip On Ring Lights
In the dark about which trade show giveaways to order? Try the Clip on Ring Lights! Zoom has seen a 2900% increase since 2019 with 300 million daily active users. Remote working is now the new normal, and these ring lights will help light everyone up! Connect them via USB to your computer, and you’ll have a spotlight during your virtual meetings. PS – this is great trade show swag for a virtual event!
How Swag Improves the Trade Show Experience
Swag makes a trade show more exciting and engaging. The key, however, is for the promotional items to be unique and valuable to a visitor’s everyday life. It also doesn’t hurt to distribute the swag creatively, whether it’s part of a game or an overarching theme for your display.
Overall, people are never going to say “no” to free business advertising products. They may even take pics of their goodies and share them with their loved ones on social media. Every “like” is another positive association with your brand, and when you consider that 83% of Americans are more interested in a product or service when they receive a recommendation from a friend or family member, that’s a pretty big deal!
Final Thoughts
If you’re going to do swag, do it right! After all, the unique trade show promotions are what cause people to pause and pay attention to your brand. You don’t have to stay on the beaten path. Buy promotional products that make you look awesome!
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