Giveaways are always a key aspect of any trade show; you see exhibitors with free pens, keyrings, post-it notes by the truck load and many trade show displays resemble a candy store or a stall for trick or treaters to come and take what they please.

Giveaways are a serious tool as you are looking to gain attention, draw a prospect in for discussion so you can qualify them and determine if you can transact business with them; if you want to give free pens away you don’t need to rent expensive space in a trade show exhibition and take a day off work to do that – just stand on a street corner with the giveaways and save yourself the time and trouble!

Attendees certainly may have very different ideas about what a promotional gift is there for, and so I have cast through my mind and come up with some of the defnitive types of attendee and their take on a giveaway.

The Sneak Attacker

This attendee will scope out your display with all the skill and cunning of a a special forces recon soldier crossed with a fox.  Once they are sure they are unlikely to be observed they pass by your booth and raid the giveawy goods, sometimes making off with only one prize but often more.  They are usually made bold by their initial success so expect repeat visits from the Sneak Attacker who frequently turns out to be another exhibitor!

The Bag Man (or Lady)

Plastic carrier bags are produced at great expense for many companies to promote their logo and corporate identity.  The Bag Man believes they are supplied at trade shows so as to make acquiring and transporting their giveaways collected at the event easily and conveniently.  The Bag Man is usually seen with several carrier bags full of promotional items, sweating heavily from carrying the load and is also known to dump promotional brochures or marketing collateral out in order to make more room for more swag.

The Loving Dad or Mom

One event I attended had a really neat giveaway in the form of a chrom keychain with a bottle opener, knife and torch attached.  They were really neat!

One attendee came up to the booth and was obviously looking at picking up one of the keychains which soon became apparent from the small talk that had nothing to do with the company I was representing at the time.

Taking pity on the guy, I offered him one of the key chains only for him to finally look me straight in the eye and exclaim, “But I have three children and I couldn’t possibly disappoint the other two!”

The cheek of some people

These are only a small sample of the many types of people who will go hunting for your promotional gifts, and in many instances it makes no difference if they need them or will use them, they simply want them because they are “free”!

Remember, you’re in charge and they are your promotional items that are there to serve a purpose; to attract attention, to act as an ice breaker so you can discuss business and to aid the memory of an attendee who made away with your gift so they hopefully remember you and your business from the hundreds of others they saw at the show.