Secret to Successful Exhibition Give-aways…

It’s one of the busiest times of the year for tradeshows and exhibitions.  So now is a GREAT time to step back and think ‘What makes Promotional Merchandise great for this type of event?’.  There are no hard and fast rules, it just totally depends on your marketing strategy…

Marketing Director Steve Burge suggests “If you are exhibiting on a stand, the question has to be who you are trying to attract?  If your product or service is aimed at everyone, then a lower cost ‘scatter’ item such as a bug, promotional keyrings or mint-cards may suffice as a reminder of who, what and where you are.  If your market is more focussed, it may be wise to invest in better quality corporate gifts with a higher perceived value such as a Parker Pen, USB Memory stick or conference folder, this will offer them the reassurance that their business is valuable to you.  It sounds obvious, but if your audience is split… do both!  Low cost give-aways at the front of the stand, with some more selective items retained for key clients”.

Sales Director Chris Witt says “What ever you give-away will represent your organisation.  So if you are an edgy Advertising agency you should be looking for a creative gift such as a Rubik’s cube or colour change Latte Mug, if you are a Finance company you may lean towards the practicality of a world time alarm clock or calculator.  As a general rule of thumb, if your target market is office-based, you can’t go wrong with desk top items, such as printed mugs, printed mouse mats, promotional coasters or mobile phone holders are all winners”.

Having been involved in exhibiting ourselves and from hundreds of orders passing through our system, BH1 knows that stress balls and personalised pens will always be popular, but the smart gifts are the ones that give that little extra appeal to the ‘lateral thinker’…  The good thing is, there is plenty of choice…  BH1 can supply over 75,000 promotional products and best of all, promotional gifts offer a better ‘return on investment’ with the added advantage of being the ONLY method of advertising capable of stimulating all 5 senses, which will help attract the traffic you want. 

Promotional gifts are very effective, especially at tradeshows and exhibitions, but you have to remember that when your visitor gets home they may well have a bag stuffed with goodies and your gifts have to be ones that stand out from that crowd.  If you would like any FREE advice, please contact our experienced sales team on 0845 2261701.