“Are we doing swag bags again?” is a question that many entrepreneurs, businesses, and nonprofit event coordinators are asking themselves when it comes to event strategies. Some are bringing bags back and others are a “heck no!”
Let’s look at the pros and cons I hear from event organizers and sponsors AND what I see as a speaker receiving many swag bags over the past 25+ years of speaking at conferences, events, and corporate functions.
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Event Swag Bags: Cons
- Swag bags can be a great benefit to attendees when they contain items of value to attendees. This is key! When the bag contains paper, postcards, and branded items that no one is likely to use, those sorts of things may get thrown out or recycled, which reflects negatively on the event and the sponsor. Some organizers are requiring an alternative non-paper item or, if paper, it must be something of value and printed on something like card stock (or in an envelope in the bag) to stand out.
- Putting together the bags requires time to find people to contribute, collect items, create the marketing and recognition, and stuff the bags.
Event Swag Bags: Pros
- Getting swag bag contributions can be a great relationship building opportunity with a new potential sponsor who contributes to the swag bag and the next year comes in as a cash sponsor.
Swag bags can offer sponsors the opportunity for logo placement on the bags (however, many people will not reuse bags full of sponsors, so the benefit may be short-lived).
Many people love the thrill of going through the swag bag and seeing what goodies they got.
Swag bags can be great for photo ops that feature sponsor branding.
Event Swag Bags: Alternatives
Create “experience boxes”. People can pick them up on the way out or at a specific location before the events. You can include encouragement for people to take a selfie with the box and post on socials for the opportunity to win prizes. This helps with an event’s typical last week final push of ticket sales. Ensure you have a way for people to sign/confirm that they received them or they have to turn in something that was in their name badge lanyard.
Offer virtual swag bags. Need help with this? Contact us and in the message ask Charmaine for her personal tips with creating virtual swag bags.
Provide prizes throughout the events. This is an opportunity to shout-out the contributors.
Provide gifts of value as incentives. E.g. The first 40 people to buy their tickets today receive a (“insert gift”). They pick it up at the event or are given a link with how to get their gift.
Offer incentives through a feedback form instead. E.g. The first 25 people who complete the feedback survey receive a gift card from “xxx”. You could do this daily with 5 downloadable gifts per day from different sponsors/contributors which could increase your feedback form response rate.
Looking for more ideas? Ask your sponsors their perspective on swag bags and what can work best for them.