Ideas for Building the Best Swag Bag on A Budget

Compiling the best swag bag in town can take your event and sponsors to the next level. The level that gets people gushing, returning to your event and supporting your sponsors.

How many times have you been to a conference where your gift bag was filled with literature and useless things you threw in the hotel garbage? Creating a great swag bag does not have to break the bank, you just need to put some thought and time into making a positive impression.

Presentation

• First impressions are important. A cheap bag will not be enticing to open.You do not have to break the bank to find a nice bag. Look at different sizes or even non-traditional items, instead of a bag. What about a nice sponsored backpack in a neutral color with the sponsor’s perfectly placed logo inside. Yes, I said inside. People are not always keen on sporting logo’d bags, but what if they had a high quality bag with the logo inside where they will see it every time they open it. Suddenly the bag is the coolest part of the swag!

Balance

• Make sure you have an appropriate mix of gift items and literature. No one is going to get excited over a bag of sales pitches.
• Yes, your sponsors want to get their name and product(s) in front of people, but work with them to find creative ways to accomplish this. Are they promoting a new product that appeals to the masses? If it is too expensive to include the actual item, is there a related item you can include with a small piece of literature attached artfully?

Quality Over Quantity

• A small budget does not equal disaster or a lackluster bag. You do not however want to load your bag with a bunch of cheap trinkets that even the kids at home will not want.
• Electronics and technology is all the rage, but you do not have to give 1,000 people a $500 gift. Consider something smaller, but just as useful, such as a portable charger or earbuds.

Usefulness

• Know your attendees and their demographics to help figure out what they would find useful. Work with your team and customers and ask them their advice on what things they would most enjoy receiving. A quick internal survey could prove very helpful.
• Balance usefulness with desire. Is there something that people would love, but would not normally purchase that you can include? This could range from a couple of high quality truffles to a bottle of Champagne.

Local and Sustainable

• People love trying new specialty items when traveling. Is the location of your event famous for something? Almost every city has a specialty, whether it is a microbrewery, cheese factory or candy company, look locally for something special to include.
• Not everything has to be recyclable, but it is a good idea to keep sustainability and environmentally friendly options in mind. This could be as simple as researching options like organic cotton totes or shirts.

Seasonal

• Work with Mother Nature and take some cues on gift ideas based on the time of the year.
• Think umbrellas during the rainy season, slippers in the winter, lip balm in the summer, or a cozy scarf or gloves for the cold.

Transportability

• Keep in mind how your recipients are traveling. If most people are flying, how feasible are your gifts for a carry on? Offer people an option to ship the items home at your expense.

Everyone loves a great gift, make sure yours is something to remember and be treasured.

Related Resources:

Fill Conference Bags With Things People Won’t Throw Away