Was it one with all the latest gadgets?
The one with all the leaflets?
Or the one with all the sweets?
It can feel like walking a tightrope trying to get your conference goodie bag just right.
On the one hand, you want it to be useful. You want it to be full of practical products you know people need, as well as all the information on your event.
But, on the other hand, you want it to be mindblowing. You want it to be the celebrity of the goodie bag world. You want people queuing up just to meet it.
Conferences are magical places to grow your business and your brand, there’s no doubt about it. They’re a great networking opportunity, they allow you to see what others in your industry are up to, plus they help to get your brand out there.
And for your conference to be a success, you need to create the ultimate goodie bag.
That’s why we’ve put together this list of currently trending conference goodie bag essential items, so you can create the ultimate promotional goodie bag of your branded dreams.
A conference goodie bag is one of the biggest highlights of attending a conference.
Need a new pen? Grab a conference goodie bag.
Forgotten your notebook? Oh, look, a conference goodie bag!
Want the lowdown on everything that’s going on over the weekend? That’s right, your conference goodie bag has you sorted.
Usually gifted by the conference organisers themselves, a conference goodie bag contains branded gifts and giveaways for conference attendees, plus any leaflets or promotional materials from the stands available or event sponsors.
With conference goodie bags being the pinnacle of any conference event, the bar is raised HIGH for getting it right. You want your conference goodie bag to be remembered. To be cherished. To be talked about for years to come.
Before you just chuck together whatever you have left over in your branded stationery cupboard, you need to sit down and brainstorm exactly what you want your attendees to get out of your conference goodie bag. Here are our three favourite questions to ask yourself to make sure your conference goodie bag hits the spot.
1. Are your products practical?
The top reason for major ROI when it comes to branded merchandise? If the product is practical! If you brand an item that’s super useful for attendees whatever their niche, they’re more likely to use it and remember your brand fondly. Don’t fall into purchasing the latest fad, for it to only go out of fashion in 6 months. Everyone loves something they can keep and reuse that’s useful, and your brand will love it, too.
Read more: Want to know the secret to maximising your merchandise budget?
2. Can these items be reused?
If the answer to this is yes, then this piece of promo needs to be in your goodie bag. Something that’s useful and reusable, well, that’s just a double whammy of product goodness.
Read more: Here's 5 easy ways to make your conference more eco-conscious
3. Is your merch fun?
It’s always good to have a little fun with your merch. Studies have shown that 72% of people would choose a humorous brand over a dull one, so experimenting with your merch goodie bag is definitely the way to go. Even though conferences are serious networking events (usually), a light-hearted addition to a conference goodie bag never goes amiss.
It’s not as easy as just picking your favourite items of merch and assuming people will love them just as much as you (do we all remember fidget spinners? …yeah, exactly). You want your branded goodie bag to be a bespoke experience. One that is tailor-made for your attendees and your attendees alone.
With this in mind, here are three things you must do before signing off that branded merch:
1. Decide on your brand’s goal
A conference without a goal is just like any other industry event. Boring. Ensure you have a plan for what your brand wants to get out of hosting the conference and translate these through products with branded merchandise in your conference goodie bags. This will guarantee your brand and event are aligned for that greater brand impact.
Read more: The only conference exhibition checklist you need to succeed
2. Think about who’s attending your event
Depending on who’s attending your event will determine what sort of merch you’ll want in your goodie bag. For example, if it’s a super corporate event, maybe edge on the side of caution when it comes to unique merchandise choices (like this). By keeping your attendees in mind when putting together your conference goodie bag, you’ll ensure your products hit the spot every time.
3. Decide on an event theme
Have you ever been to a themed event and the goodie bag let it down? If your conference has a theme, you want to be big and bold with it. Don’t shy away and ‘forget’ it when it comes to your goodie bag. For instance, if your conference theme was all about sustainability (amazing), then you’d want to put together a conference goodie bag full of the very best in sustainable merchandise. Your goodie bag is there to help bring your event to life - use it!
Read more: 8 eco-friendly branded products that’ll refresh your conference merch
You’d think choosing the products for your conference goodie bag would be easy. Fun, even. However, with so many wild and wonderful goodies that could be included in said bag, it’s a merchandise minefield of how to narrow down what to include.
From our many, many years in the industry of creating mindblowing conference goodie bags, here are three things we’ve learnt NOT to do:
1. Do NOT print your event date on your products
We cannot stress this enough. If you want your goodie bag merch to be reusable, DON’T PRINT DATES ON THEM. This includes having the year in your event branding or literally anywhere when it comes to your merchandise. Please, just don’t. Don’t put dates on anything, and make sure the colours and logos are subtle (this will encourage people to reuse their items at a later date).
2. Make sure your items are NOT heavy
You want your goodie bag to be SEEN. And to be SEEN, people need to be carrying it around all day. Be kind, make sure the items you put in it are as light as possible. Think of your attendees' shoulders.
3. Don’t put anything breakable in your goodie bag
Conferences can be crazy places. From ad hoc networking to lots and lots of travelling. If your items are breakable, there’s a high chance that they will break, no matter how much protection you pad them in.
Read more: Our favourite UK-made merch: event giveaways
Now, the part you’ve all been waiting for: Here are the top trending best branded products that you must include in your conference goodie bag this conference season! From bags to bottles and stationery, we’ve got everything you need to create the best conference goodie bag, ever.
Bag
Picking the perfect branded bag for your conference goodie bag has to be the most important step in the construction process. If you get the bag wrong, well, you’ve lost your attendees before they’ve even flung it over their shoulders.
It’s the first impression of what they can expect out of your goodie bag.
That’s why we LOVE a printed tote bag for your conference goodie bags.
It’s got a great branding area
They’re relatively cost-effective to produce in large quantities
Their reusability makes them a popular pick when it comes to spreading brand awareness long after the conference is over.
Currently trending branded tote bag: Odessa cotton tote bag
This cotton tote has plenty of space for attendees to store all the conference goodies they're bound to collect.
Stationery
Stationery is the backbone of any conference goodie bag.
From branded pens and printed notebooks, you can’t go wrong with a little bit of stationery.
And bonus: it’ll probably be something they’ll keep, your logo front and centre.
Currently trending printed stationery: Recycled paper notebook and pen
This eco-friendly notebook and pen set comes in several colours which will look amazing with your branding.
Conference essentials
We’ve all been there. Rushing out the door, don’t want to miss the keynote speaker. On the train - oh, no! You’ve forgotten your lanyard.
Make sure your attendees aren’t left without the conference essentials by putting a few in your goodie bag. And they’ll be repping your brand throughout the day, too!
Currently trending conference essentials: RPET lanyard
This lanyard is made from recycled plastic bottles, you can’t get better than that.
Water bottles
Networking is thirsty work. Make sure your gift bag buddies have the perfect hydration companion of a promotional water bottle, even if their beverage of choice is coffee.
Currently trending promotional water bottle: Utah Tritan bottle
This stunning bottle is BPA-free and won’t leak in your bag. Perfect
Giveaways
It’s a fact that promotional giveaways in conference goodie bags are what make conferences great. They’re perfect for creating that lasting impression with potential new clients, building your brand image, as well as drawing people to your stand.
Currently trending event giveaways: Skittles eco midi pot
For that little sweet treat conference pick-me-up, you can’t go wrong with an eco midi pot full of sweeties.
Read more: 14 sustainable giveaways to get REALLY excited about
Trust us, you’ll be set for a day of smooth-sailing brand-building fun thanks to your awesome goodie bag.
With your conference goodie bag sorted, it’s time to get thinking about the other merch you’ll need for your event.
And thanks to our awesome range of brandable conference essentials, your conference is in the bag (literally).