Conferences open endless opportunities for learning, professional growth, and networking. These highly specialized events focus on the most specific industry knowledge, making them especially valuable for those interested in that specific niche. As experts in the industry converge to share their experiences, tips, and strategies, so too do thousands of eager listeners flock to take part in the knowledge buffet.
As a conference organizer, ensuring the proper execution of your event – from the program, to the venue, and every detail in between – guarantees a recurring audience that will patronize your occasion as it occurs each year. Of course, there are more ways than one to guarantee conference success. But something as simple as a conference welcome gift can tip the scales in your favour for decades down the line.
Packed with items that enhance the experience and value of your event, a conference welcome gift can be a supplementary learning package and a loyalty retention tactic all in one. Incorporating all the right items can make your conference welcome gift a reminder of your event’s excellence and turn it into a reason to sign up again next year.
What Should a Conference Welcome Gift Contain?
Visit any conference and you’re like to find all the same, recurring items packed into an eco-tote. A reusable plastic tumbler, a branded pen, printed notepads, a program leaflet, and a supplementary guide are the basic necessities you’d find. And although they do serve some purpose, they’re not exactly what you might call enticing.
No doubt, most organizers have lost their zest when it comes to shaking things up and maximizing the retentive power of the conference welcome gift. But you don’t have to fall into the same loop. Refreshing these tired conference gift tropes can breathe new life into your package, making it far more valuable to the people attending your event.
These days, digital trends are taking over, and offering items that leverage that concept can make your package feel more interactive. In fact, studies have found that 95% of printed handouts are tossed just minutes after being received, making them counterintuitive if you’re interested in an eco-conscious conference environment.
Instead, a flash drive containing digital copies of presentations, videos, and other learning materials to supplement the discussions during the event can become a centrepiece for your package. If you want to go the extra mile, an inexpensive yet high-quality music player pre-loaded with supplementary audio files that can add to professional learning can make a highly valuable addition to your welcome package.
And then of course, there are the novelties. Water bottles, pens, and a tote can still find a place in your package – as long as you take the time to consider quality. Anything that feels cheap will almost instantly lose its place. Don’t be afraid to spend a little more on your marketing materials. Sometimes, that’s what it takes to retain a loyal attendee.
Some Pointers on Branding
We all want to slap our logo on our giveaways – it just improves our reach after the event is over. Baseball caps, hoodies, sweatshirts, and other wearables that display your logo front and centre are an opportunity to catch other people’s attention. But the question is – will your attendee opt to wear these items outside of their home?
If you won’t feel comfortable wearing a company branded t-shirt when you’re out and about, odds are, your attendees won’t either. As a general rule, try to keep branding on the downlow. Avoid large logos and company slogans slapped all over your giveaways. This can reduce the wearability of your gifts and push them into storage where they’ll never see the light of day.
if you really want to make sure your gifts are worn and used proudly even months or years after the event, take time to really consider each and every design. Minimize logos, think of a clever slogan or one-liner that relates to your conference without being too specific, and try to rethink your colour palette to create items that exude a premium aesthetic that doesn’t simply represent your brand.
Creating a Gift Worth Giving
They’re not called conference welcome gifts for nothing. While stuffing all of your items into a tote can be an easy and effortless method for package preparation, adding in the extra effort to present your items in an interactive and organized manner can improve each gift’s value.
Instead of choosing the basic tote, opt for a well-designed box instead. You can have your items laying inside the box on a bed of shredded packing straw, or you can make it even more interactive by adding sealed compartments for each item. Printed text on the seals guide your recipient through the contents, letting you present each item and enhance their value by directing your attendees’ attention instead of letting them dig through a bag with no structure.
When it comes to conference welcome gifts – just like any other gift – presentation is key. Don’t settle for a package that might find a place in the bin within minutes after being given. Aim for staying power and wow your crowd to make them want to sign up for next year’s event.
The Warmest Welcome Becomes a Reason to Return
Certainly, a conference welcome gift isn’t the end all be all that determines whether your guests will return next year. But paying attention to all these little details make your event worth the expense and effort, offering your attendees an experience that feels truly enriching.
Your conference welcome gift is what your guests will first see and what they’ll bring home when the conference is over. Making it count by packing it with careful thought and deliberation should help extend the purpose of each item it contains, finding a place in your guests’ daily lives long after your event.
Bookblock offers premium gifting solutions that are developed to ease the entire process for busy organizers like you. Our extensive selection of packaging and gift items help you build the perfect conference giveaway with little effort, ensuring eye popping quality and beautiful aesthetic that won’t disappoint your guests.
Collaborate with us today and find out how we can take care of your conference welcome gift package with our customized packaging solutions that are certain to make your attendees eager to see you again next year.