Offering a promotional gift increases your trade show display attendance by 50%; this is a compelling reason for using them at trade shows and they can keep your name in the mind of the prospect long after the trade show has ended and we have all packed up and gone home.

Using trade show promotional gifts is a great way to get yourself noticed and attract business but there are some serious “Don’ts!” when it comes to using them.

The biggest mistake is to simply hand trade show gifts out like candy – if you want to give away free stuff there are far better ways of doing it that will cost you a lot less in time and money.  Treat your promotional gift items as your property to be handed out to those attendees you feel are worthy of your generosity.  I only hand out a promotional gift when a meaningful act has taken place such as a business discussion of an attendee’s needs and requirements and how my company can help them solve their problem or after they have particpated in a demonstration.  I do display stacks of free gifts on the display table for people to come and help themselves though a sample is usually on display.

Don’t be cheap!  Free pens that have the company logo on and stop writing after a few days are just a waste of money and your name is then associated with something that does not work and cannot be relied upon.  If I use a pen as a gift I make sure it is a good one and one they will want to use everyday and get a refill for it when it eventually does run out of ink.  Because I am rationing my giveaways, I don’t need so many of them and this means I can increase the unit cost budget for my promotional gifts.

Just think of this; as an attendee, would you like a gift that has no value or utility compared to a gift that they feel they would like but would not necessarily go and buy for themself?

Do not be afraid to say “No!” to an attendee who wants a promotional item but has no business value to your efforts.  If an attendee simply walks up expecting a gift but is not prepared to engage in conversation or a demonstration of your product or service what have you got to lose in saying “No!” – nothing!  Timewasters who are simply not interested in your products but are interested in your gifts have no value to your effort at a tradeshow and you are best to get rid of them in the earliest stages of the show so you can concentrate on those attendees who are ready, willing and able to do business.