Giving away a promotional gift does help attendees to remember you.

That is the simple message you need to understand; give a freebie and people will remember you.

BUT

Is this the right question to be asking to begin with?

Personally I use giveaways that have some useful function and will be used long after the show or exhibition is finished and I’ve made the trip back home to base.  I don’t bother myself with free gifts that have absolutely no utility outside the trade show event; stress balls for instance were great when they first made an appearance but now, their only use is for attendees to squeeze when they are getting stressed out with the frenetic exhibition schedule and more than likely they will end up in juniors toy box back home.

I aim to choose promotional gifts which will continue to retain the attention of the prospect long after the show has ended and here are some good examples:

• desk blotters
• calendars
• desk clocks or office “furniture” such as caddies, pen holders and the occasional executive toy
• yardsticks (I kid you not – yardsticks are hard to come by and are eminently useful)
• branded CD’s – we put a compilation of driving music together and created our own CD, every day our prospects played the CD on the way to and from work or had the CD in their collection they got to see my name and contact information
• something very novel and unique – if you happen across something truly novel you’re onto a winner so pay attention to what the fashion trends are.