Convention/Special Event/SWAG

[TinyDancer98]

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!

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by TinyDancer98

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!

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.

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

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.

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.

[agzg]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

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.