Have the Best Trade Show Schwag

Schwag, when done right, can reap big rewards. Here are the three things to keep in mind when preparing for your next conference.

 

I’ve been going to Dreamforce, the annual cloud computing event put on by Salesforce, every year since 2004. Over the past few years, the convention has blown up into one of the biggest technology events in the B2B industry.

Dreamforce 2012–which was held a couple of weeks ago here in San Francisco–was the biggest one yet, with 90,000 registered attendees. It was great for my email marketing software company, VerticalResponse, because we were a Salesforce AppExchange partner and, as a sponsor, we had a slick booth on the expo floor. In the weeks leading up to the event, our trade show hero was insanely busy coordinating not just logistics but another very important part of trade shows: schwag.

Companies spend a lot of time and money on trade show schwag, especially at a big conference like Dreamforce. You’re not only competing for attendees’ (dwindling) attention, you’re also competing with the other exhibitors.

Schwag, when done right, has lots of marketing benefits. Here are the three things you should ask yourself for your next trade show:

1. Is it useful?

At Dreamforce, one company was giving out branded silicone speakers that you can attach to your smartphone to amplify your music. My marketing team loved it! Another company was giving out Skullcandy headphones, and there was a line at its booth the entire time. I also heard that shakelights (mini flashlights that don’t require batteries, just a good hard shake) and luggage tags were “must haves.” If I heard about them through the grapevine, I bet others were talking about them, too.

If what you’re giving out is useful, people will get exposed to your brand over and over again every time they use it. There’s a reason why there will never be a shortage of backpacks, bags and pens at any trade show.

By Janine Popick

http://www.inc.com/janine-popick/have-the-best-trade-show-schwag.html