Convention/Special Event/SWAG
 

So.... this may not be the precise place this should go, but it's still Greek related.

As you may know, I am the anniversary chairman for my APO chapter. I am planning a few surprises for the Brothers and I'm working hard at good deals, discounts, and corporate sponsorships.

One thing I would like to do is have giveaways at our banquet. I have some ideas on what I'd like to get (as well as what I think I'd be able to secure), but what I am asking you, dear GreekChat, is:

If you were attending a conference or special event for your GLO, what kind of SWAG* would you want to walk away with? Assume that money and budget is no object.




*Stuff We All Get

I always like reusable items that don't have the specific event listed, unless it's a T-shirt. One of the best lanyards I received has just my letters and holds money and IDs. I reuse it every time I go to an event where I am staying at a hotel, so I don't have to carry a purse. Last convention our Foundation gave us all history books. That was a great gift too.

^^^ Thanks for responding! I am definitely all about reusable items!

I just came back from a massive conference for my field that was held in LA. We all got re-usable shopping bags with all the conference info in there (programs of sessions etc), other packets from the sponsors, and then little things of snacks, like a juicebox and some trail mix. I thought that was a nice touch because the conference was a LOT of walking and a bit of food is nice. The sturdy bag was useful because I picked up a ton of packets on grants, services and vendors (and I could put my flipflops in there for my walk back to my hotel).

I guess most importantly, a list of nearby restaurants and an approximation of their cost/style, along with the numbers of any local busses to local attractions and a list of phone numbers for taxi companies.

My sister mother got a music box at our Centennial Convention and I was super jealous.

I would say coffee mugs, particularly the travel kind. That's the #1 thing field employees ask about/try to get when the come into the home office at work (all home office employees have one because there are no paper cups in our office). Notepads are nice too, with a pen attached.

I hadn't considered reusable shopping bags -- my mind was trained on totebags. That's definitely a more economical option that people are likely to use when they get home. Thanks for the idea!

A music box? DAMN! I guess a centennial is pretty special, but still.... wish my centennial was that ballin.

Not being a coffee drinker, I also hadn't thought about coffee mugs. Good idea, thanks!

I'm still jealous over that, and upset that I didn't go, and it was 6 years ago. It was a gorgeous box that played our centennial song, I think.

It's acutally an insulated hot/cold tumbler, I just use it the most for coffee.

It's kindof like this:
http://www.oneinhundred.com/Upfiles/...tu-4875574.jpg

I have one of the coveted centennial music boxes. It does play the centennial song. It's amazing. I keep my badge in it now.

Other very cool things we have received as "favors": every year at the epsilon pi banquet we get a gold charm. Many women now have charm bracelets with all their convention charms on them. One year, they made incredible centerpieces out of Vera Bradley coin purses and we each got a coin purse. I know that sounds crazy, but the centerpieces looked like a flower pot with flowers, but there were really coin purses. So creative.

Key chains with pen lights go over well, so do notepads and pens (you can never have enough of those), jewelry goes great with us :) (we also got a centennial bracelet that was gorgeous). We do always get a tote bag but I really like the idea of the reusable grocery sack. Lanyards are nice. I like refrigerator magnets, but that's just me I think. Picture frames can be nice, they can put a photo from the event in it.

I still can't believe Convention is going on right now and I'm not there. :( :( :( :( :( :(

Hey, no problem! I just looked at the bag (since I use it not only for grocery shopping but to take my lunch to work too), here's the company that makes them: http://www.bagmakersinc.com/nonwoven.html . Looks like it is easy to customize the bag too, so if you wanted to put a logo/letters on there...easy peasy.

I like the shopping bag idea. I use shopping bags all the time for groceries and subsititute tote.... so that'd be a great way to give something useful and "be green". Great idea. And packed with a mini survival kit is just awesome & thoughtful.

A convention pin would also be great. Something nice, classy, & elegant that someone can wear to both represent the org and remember the event.

A nice keychain... I technically would consider mine to be a piece of crap plastic keychain, but I love it because when my heavy keys sink to the bottom of my purse, the plastic floats up and I can find my keys. It's awesome. Completely beat up, but awesome.

I think shirts are hard because it seems like there are only extra small and extra larges left at the end of the day. Ignoring that challenge, a hoodie would be awesome. I would also use a hat, but I know not everyone's a hat person. Here in Seattle you never know if it's going to be rainy or sunny throughout the day, and a hat protects me (and my glasses) from both!

Oh- one of the few formal favors I still use is a small jar like this. We store our dogs' training treats in there to keep them fresh & accessible :D They're relatively cheap, too.

I like the snack idea, to have trail mix, pretzels, cookies, candy, water, juice ect... will keep ppl happy in between meals. Conference goers always seem starved between provided meals or being allowed to break to get something on their own. Plus it keeps folks alert.

Now for SWAG (if money was no object) I'd like a really nice pen/pencil set, the kind that comes in a box lined with velvet..

Cute!


Thanks for the link....very helpful.


I like the pin idea. I also like the jar -- I have given candy jars with jelly beans in the colors of the fraternity before.

Please do! Our event is not until Spring 2011.


That would be cute. Your sorority gave me a mug and a snow globe the year that I came to speak :)

Messenger bag with the Shield on it.

I second the jar idea - fill it with appropriately colored candy, and once that's gone the guest can use it forever.

How about umbrellas? One of the nicest favors I received at an organizational banquet was an umbrella with the org's logo on it. I also have a bad habit of losing umbrellas, so I would totally covet umbrella swag.

And since we have time, I will also report back after convention in August!

Whatever you do.... no knick knacks. Especially since APO is for guys too. Most guys are not into knick knacks. Which you probably know though being a guy yourself.
Although I love the sorority "stuff" I have received from various conventions/ events, and I do display it around my house, at this point in my life I'm trying to declutter said house. I have no where to decently "get rid of" sorority stuff, until a new chapter is started!

I love the grocery sack idea, or any tote. Also like the to-go mug.

I have seen customized/ printed flash drives before. That would be very useful, and small so as not to take up a lot of room in the suitcase!

More knick knacky is a Christmas ornament, though not everyone celebrates Christmas.

Good luck with the decision. :) Always fun to plan stuff.

FLASH DRIVES!!!!!

Since I'll be there *smile* I am voting for the mug, reusable bag, and the flash drive.

Weeelll, here's my personal take.

I like event t-shirts, if the event is atleast 2-3 days long, and I could wear the t-shirt at the event and afterwards. I like polo shirts, but they are more pricy then t-shirts, so don't necessarily want them at all events, just the major ones.

I do like small mementos of the event. I have several glassware items and the like. I really don't care for coffee mugs, as I don't drink coffee. I do have a few plastic drink mugs (both insulated and not), and these get used.

I like bags that I can re-use. A briefcase style bag or knapsack style bag may be fine at the event, but probably won't reuse it. A canvas style shopping bag style WILL be reused by me.

Give away items can be nice. I've gotten pens and pencils. They get used. Food items can be nice. I've gotten notepads, which get used. thumbdrives are also getting popular. Lanyards, while nice, will ususally only get used at the event for the event id. But I'll keep that as a memento.

I do like pins and patches for events, but that's me.

One of my co-workers uses an Alpha Xi Delta mousepad that she got at their convention a few years back. I think anything like that that can go on a desk is a great idea.

I've been to a good number of events where I got my SWAG on. I'm sorry if some of these are listed, some of my favorites have included:

• travel coffee mug--I got a Viagra one!
• nice pens--Mercedes sponsored one of our events and gave pens, keychains, and money clips. One year we all got teddy bears with MB sweaters
• Swiss Army knife
• trial-sized hand lotions or hand sanitizers
• depending on the location, something specific to the location, or even the philanthropy. For one event in New Orleans, we got mini-bottles of Tabasco and boxes of Zatarain's
• a small container of mints/gum
• a teeny-tiny flashlight
• a bag that's actually reusable
• an emergency poncho

All of these things can have the shield, or not.

Good luck! I have loaded up many a gift bag in my day. The charities I've been involved in are very lucky to have had great sponsors (The US Army, Mercedes-Benz, Nivea, Pfizer, etc.) donate items.

I've gotten a couple of flash drives from work and it's amazing how useful they are. I like that idea a lot.

As someone who's allergic to fragrance, I would recommend against getting lotions (and even hand sanitzer is bad)- people will open them & use them in the confined & crowded space, and people like me will be miserable and/or have to leave.

The swiss army knife idea is kind of fun- I actually don't have one. And flashlights are always good too- especially if they're nicer, like mini mag-lites or something.

Past SWAG I've received (best containers are reusable shopping bags, or even a zippered tote):

Loved:
-flash drives
-map of city, especially with guidebook
-coupons
-soccer balls that play that "ole, ole, ole, ole" song. Four World Cups and most are still going strong!
-first aid kit

Liked:
-reusable mugs or glasses
-pens
-pencils
-notepads
-ruler
-lanyards
-mints
-special Pez dispenser

Hated:
-t-shirts (use for 2-3 days then donate to charity)
-kazoos
-chocolate that was melted
-toys for very small children (I gave mine to the housekeeper's children, she loved it!)

Bottom line: anything someone's going to leave at the hotel isn't worth giving.

Omg, I never realized that SWAG was an acronym! Btw, not all of my suggestions are from Kappa events. I won't identify the guilty parties for lame things.

Absolutely no:
- antenna topper (srsly?)

Ditto:
- tote bag
- something specific to the area
- lanyard (if it says something generic like "Kappa Kappa Gamma" not something weird-ish)

Love the reusable shopping bag idea- my school has started using those for its events and they are cheap, easy to personalize, and everyone has a use for them. Plus they're great to have at conventions or events when you're away from home so you have a handy place to put all your miscellaneous things.

Things to avoid: candles, pencils (most people use pens over pencils), anything that might trigger allergies, knicknacks (like snowglobes or ornaments), long lanyards, bookmarks, and other things people are likely to leave behind.

A key fob could be nice if it's in metal or leather- I don't like cheap plastic ones but a nice, well-made one would get a lot of use. Same for pens- most pens you get at events are cheap but they do make really nice ones- I got one at a conference that is metal and writes better than any other pen I've had, and it is absolutely indispensable! I like the coffee mug / insulated tumbler idea too. Glassware doesn't seem to fare very well for older people (we always seem to have alumnae bringing back old formal and convention glassware that they want to get rid of) but mugs and water bottles (nalgene or sigg type) would probably get more use. You could also present them in a nice way, filled with M&Ms or with a few sticks of rock candy and a pen stuck in.

Good luck!

A pen (and a notepad) can be nice for use at the conference and that alone makes them worth putting in, but I'll agree that the pens you usually get are cheap and not worth keeping after the conference. But I'm going to be the voice of dissent on "nice" pens -- I think they're a complete waste of money. I've never understood why anyone would want them, and that includes the umpteen Cross pen sets I got when I graduated from high school. They never left the boxes.

These ideas are really good..... I knew I could rely on GC to do my work for me. I mean, help. :)

Old Bay tins? Mini bottles of mumbo sauce?

Another good reusable item would be those Kleen Kanteens with shield/letters/etc. printed on it. I like the mouse pad idea as well.

I'd rather have a not-so nice pen than a nice one. I use pens all the time and would rather leave a ballpoint pen at the bank than anything else.

The boy belongs to a professional union, and for every event, they pass out these really handy notepads with small pens. He has a zillion of them and they fit in pockets, glove compartments, kitchen drawers, etc. Something like that would be ideal, I would think.

I got one of those when I went to the preview weekend of my grad school and I love to grab it and bring it along when I'm going to something where I won't need a legal pad-sized notebook but still might want to write something down.

ETA: I now see that you all are using the term "knick knack" to refer to freebees with no utility like ornaments (although some people love free ornaments). I agree but don't think it has anything to do with gender. I have never attended a Delta or professional org conference or a meeting that wasted money on freebees that serve no utility. Oh well...LOL....

Regardless of the gender of the attendees, only give a couple of things that are commemorative (for lack of a better word) but that people can actually use. My favorite Delta and professional organization freebees have been pens (I have some that were cheap but wrote smoothly and lasted a long time), note pads, calendars/organizers, and (perhaps more costly) longlasting conference bags that can be used for laptops, etc.

Bumping because I just reread the thread and noted the ideas I liked.

I like the Kleen Kanteen idea - I got one for live-in for his birthday and he absolutely loves it. If you go the metal water bottle route, make sure it's BPA free not only in construction but in the lining for it as well (if it's alumninum). :)

I've attended conventions that give cheaper laptop bags (then they have vendors who sell the more expensive/longer lasting ones to members) and also lug-a-mugs/beverage bottles that were cool.

I saw some of the swag handed out at Kappa's Convention a few weeks ago. The person who showed it to me was most excited about the reuasable shopping bag- blue with a big fleur de lis design. She also mentioned a charm (which she wasn't as in to, she said she only sees the point if you always go to Convention and make a bracelet or something- this was her second one). She also showed me a bunch of the materials, but no other swag- so I'm not sure if she got rid of it, consumed it, or just didn't mention it.

Moral of the story: reusable bag = good swag! Not only useful but also great branding & marketing for long after the convention ends.

ETA: Senusret, you better give us a nice post detailing everything you choose- ideally with pictures! After all, we are doing the work for- I mean helping- you :D

Absolutely!

Ok, I am a little late to the party as I was at Theta convention the first time this went around.

I want to echo everyone's positive reaction to the reusable shopping bag, but add an aspect that has not yet been mentioned (at least not in my quick scan through the thread).

I went to a local charity event a few months ago and a reusable shopping bag was the favor that night. Since then, grocery clerks, other people in line, people at the pool when I carry it there, etc have asked about that specific charity. Therefore, if you make the logo easy to see/identify from more than 2 feet away then it also makes for great marketing!

As for our Theta convention last month, we also received the Vera Bradley coin purses. These were perfect for holding Drivers Licenses, Room Keys and a little cash so that we didn't have to deal with carrying purses around all week. Obviously something like Very Bradley would be just for the women, but maybe there is something a little more gender neutral? Or maybe guys would just use their wallet. However, for women this was really welcomed. We also were given tote bags, and the coin thing just attached onto it.

Pens? Yes, a few for convention, and I am fine if they never work again.

Love the flash drive idea. Filing that one away...

Shirt? nah, since sizes are so difficult to match up

I once received a office organizer that had various sizes of sticky notes and the little sticky arrow tab things. The plastic case had our logo on it. As an office supply nerd, I LOVED this.

^^^Thanks Blondie! Great suggestion about the bag.