Trade Show Giveaways: Stop looking for the most creative products.

If there’s one thing we know, it’s not the product you’re giving away, it’s the way that product ties into your brand and the subsequent follow up that leaves a lasting impression on your potential customers. These examples of great trade show freebies, got attendees talking and delivered great results.

Water Bottle Lanyards

A healthcare company sent out lanyards intended to hold water bottles to attendees ahead of their upcoming trade show. Each lanyard had a number, attendees were encouraged to bring their lanyard to the booth to collect a water bottle and check to see if their number was the chosen one. The winning number won a cruise!

KFC / Henny Penny Band T-Shirts

Henny Penny are a manufacturer of commercial cooking equipment. As a celebration of 50 years of partnership with KFC, Henny Penny wanted to mark the occasion with something that would get people talking. The annual convention was coming up in Nashville, which sparked an idea; why not combine the musical heritage of their surroundings with a fun idea that demonstrates their brand values? With the concept of “Playing Your Tune for 50 Years”, a theme was formed, with their booth displaying notable “chart-topping” successes of the brand partnership across the 50 years. Branded platinum records featured on the walls and band tour style t-shirts were given out to attendees. The t-shirts were such a hit with attendees that staff were approached about where they could get their hands on one.

eBay Trading Cards

Ahead of NSCC 2021, eBay had a new feature to launch, the Price Guide. Driven by a push from trading card collectors seeking reliable pricing and valuation information, the Price Guide notifies the buyer if the seller's opening bid price is wildly inflated for market value. With this in mind, eBay used this concept to capture the attention of attendees by encouraging the trading and selling of their own branded trading cards. Attendees were given one trading card for signing up to the eBay mobile app, the challenge was then on to trade and sell to complete the set of five.

All of these ideas have a few things in common, they’re relevant to the brand's audience, the concept is strong and the giveaway item was something almost ordinary. Proof that the item itself doesn’t need to be creative, but accompanied by an engaging and relevant campaign, event giveaways can become something exciting and memorable.

Sparked some creative ideas? Take a look at our promo catalogue or get in touch to discuss your ideas.

Need some more inspiration? Take a look at our other blogs for promo merch ideas.

Top 5 Useful Promo Merchandise Items for Events.

Top 10 Corporate Merchandise Ideas for 2023.