Gifts and Give-Aways for Your Family Reunion, Convention or Group Function
Most people will attend a family reunion, class reunion, sporting event or some other sort of group function like a fan run Sci-fi convention or fan club gathering. They are great fun and everyone attending has a great time. They have such a great time that they’d really love to have something to keep and take with them that keeps that memory alive for a log time after the event. That’s where promotional give-aways or sale of gifts with the event name on it help keep that memory alive while enableing you to fund the event or entice more people to attend with a cool free gift. Everyone love souvenirs from places and events they’ve been to. They want to remember and relive the great time they while being there. It’s been proven over and over again, that souvenirs from places and events keep that memory alive well after the event is over. We’re going to give you a few ideas for your next event that can help your event be a success and help people remember what a great time they had while attending. Gifts and Give-Aways are fantastic any time you want some publicity or to remember special events in your life.
We can look at several examples of how having a product made with your event name, group name or more can benefit your event. It’s not just free give-aways, but gifts people can purchase also. Think of these events as big parties and every party needs party favors. Your event isn’t just any party. It’s the party of the year and you want everyone to remember it for years. So what would make it extra special for them to attend and remember it by? Something that will spark amazing memories for a lifetime. Here is a list of 11 things that can help with those memories that aren’t expensive and won’t be thrown out after the event.
Let’s start out with the bags to hold all of their goodies they will either buy or be given as gifts for attending. there are many styles of bags. Plastic, recycled, mesh, hemp, backpacks, shoulder bags etc. Most will go with the standard plastic tote bags as they are the cheapest. They do, however, get thrown out. So why not use a good quality bag that will last with an your imprint on it so it can be used over and over for shopping or going to the pool?
Totes and bags: How big depends on what you want to put in them. There are really thousands of designs to choose from. they are made from all types of materials too. Bags that are made of something other then plastic tend to be held on to for a longer period of time. While plastic bags are cheap, most people just throw them away. This means that you’re branding will never be seen. We suggest non-woven to plastic, They are still cheap enough for small gathering as a “give-away” yet nice enough to want to hold on to. A lot of people tend to take these shopping with them. They’re easy to fold up and carry in a purse or just in your hand.
Other bags are made of polyester. These tend to be waterproof and light weight. There are hundreds of styles of polyester bags and totes from small magazine sized bags to backpacks and duffel bags or even laundry. Polyester is a popular material for bags. Cotton, jute and hemp are other great materials for bags. Heavy duty and also light weight. They are easy to clean and great for the beach or park. As we said the size of the bag depends on what gifts you think people will get at your function or what gifts you plan on giving to them. You can find great prices on bags at Fairway Manufacturing Co. They also have a larger size to fit more goodies in.
Now that we have our bags, we need something to put in them. Here are some ideas for your gathering:
Photo frames in family reunion gift bags will be used for that perfect picture snapped at the reunion! Place your family name on it and it’s a cherished gift. If you’re holding a convention with actors around, you can sell guests these cool magnet photo frames as an addition to the picture they pay for with their favorite star. Place your event name or logo on it and it makes for a fantastic bonus “souvenir” of your convention. Magnet Photo Frames make great gifts.
Coffee Mugs are an easy favorite of everyone’s to have personalized. A nice touch can be to include little samples of coffee, tea or hot cocoa, which you can have imprinted with your company or event name too! Everyone loves getting coffee mugs. They are easy to travel with and fit everyone’s budget. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t use a coffee mug for either coffee, tea, soup or even making cakes. There are hundreds of styles of coffee mugs. Some coffee mugs even come with spoons built right in! We think coffee mugs should definitely be on the souvenir must buy list. It’s not just coffee mugs either. You could get plastic cups, water bottles, stainless steal travel mugs, you name it. Everyone has to drink something, so why not get mugs, cups, glasses and more!
Luggage Tags make great give-aways. Chances are, a lot of your family or guests travelled to go to your reunion or convention, so they obviously need some luggage tags, right? Luggage tags with your family name and crest or your convention or company logo is a fantastic way to keep everyone thinking what a great time they all had. When it’s time for the nest one, they’ll be extra excited to know they can use their luggage tag they received or purchased. Things like this make perfect sense as a give-away gift or a bought gift. Everyone at some point travels. We like this idea because it’s not a throw away gift and is easily used at airports. Luggage tags make great gifts and we have some cool ones to choose from.
T-shirts: If you’re having t-shirts made, a cute idea for your family reunion is to make ones that say “Survivor of 20xx family reunion!” EVERYBODY Loves T-Shirts! It’s just a fact of any function. Conventions, family reunions, trips, sporting events whatever…. everyone wants a t-shirt! We have a company that does fantastic graphic work on t-shirts for all kinds of events. Anything you can dream up, they can design it for you. We believe that the number 1 gift give-away or something that everyone will buy is a t-shirt. It’s also the best advertisement. A walking human billboard. You could also get custom embroidered polo style shirts. These are a bit higher priced then a t-shirt, but they are well worth the price. Polo style shirts look great with an embroidered logo on them.
There are so many products that we can list here it’s just amazing. Hats, pens, koozies are all fantastic gift items that people tend to keep and not throw out. They are still among the best gift items on the market. Hat’s are a fantastic way to advertise as people wear them all year round. Some have mesh on the back for summer wear while some are made of 100% or a green blend of hemp or jute and cotton. Visors are another form of hat and they are very popular for hot summer months when most family reunions are held. Beanie hats can be embroidered with logos or words and are perfect for winter months when you really want a hat on to stay warm. Custom design hats are great for your family reunions as everyone will wear them to show they are in the family. Custom designed hats and t-shirts really make that family portrait extra special. You can spot a family reunion in any park as see that they all have matching hat, t-shirts or both.
Pens with your family name, event or convention will be used. I’ve gotten pens in my gift bags and used them on the spot to write down information that I might not have been able to if not for that pen. Pens get used. They are really cheap and easy to imprint with a company name or logo. Keep in mind, there’s not a lot of room on a pen, so it you want a big design on it, think twice. Highlight pens or markers make great freebies to throw in a gift bag. When at a meeting, you can highlight areas that are discussed or that you’re interesting is getting more information on later. It’s nice to give a pen and a portfolio or notebook together. It will be handy to get a relative’s phone number and address that you’ve not met before so you can keep in touch. It’s great for an unexpected chance to get an autograph. Note taking in meetings is a must and with a pen and a note pad, you are covered if you’ve forgotten one. Pens are our #1 gift for meetings and conventions.
Magnets: A simple, small and very useful item to have. Magnets can be moulded into any design. They are a fantastic way to advertise and are perfect for holding that special photo you took at your family reunion. Did you get your photo taken with an actor at a convention or maybe a group of friends at an annual meeting? The photo with a frame magnet printed with the event name and logo can be placed on any appliance with the magnet they received from the convention. We already spoke in depth about frame magnets, so if you don’t remember what we said, scroll up. This time we’re taking custom moulded magnets with two to four colours. These can be a fancy script of your family name or how about the state your country your ancestors came from with your name written in the middle of it. Maybe even a state flag or country flag with your name on it. A family crest, the name and logo for your event with a date on it. The ideas and possibilities are endless. Magnets are on our number two list for must haves for conventions or family reunions. They are cheap to make and can be a great advert for any company, event or family reunion
Remember, Being organized will make your job easier, so fill and label the bags ahead of time, then store them alphabetically. The swag worth investing in is the type of items that attendees will find useful. If you’re at a conference for pet owners, give away branded leashes, or portable dog bowls. Think of the items that people at the conference will need, but might have forgotten to bring, and give them something like that. You’ll not only be a hero, but they’ll remember your brand too. Care About your care packages. The best type of swag is the type that provides value. Convention attendees are on their feet all day, spending hours running around to different panels, we’ve found that the best way to make a statement is to offer a branded care package, complete with aspirin, bandages, a quick snack, pen, notepad and a maybe a USB drive with your company information. Remember you don;t need big items you can go small to pay off big. Give-aways are expensive and bulky to carry sometimes. For example, at a Doctor Who convention, a hundred individually-wrapped tea bags can work wonders for your gift table in the dealers room. We can stamp your business information and a coupon on each wrapper, the fans will love them! Dealers get in touch with us today!! Make more sales with a small give-away that shows you care. Everyone feels great after a hot beverage. Just ask Sheldon Cooper.
One More Free Idea
Use conference bags to encourage early registration. Create a special swag-bag version that includes high-end items like gift cards, or next years t-shirt. You know how this works. Then offer these exclusive conference bags to the first 100-500 people who register. You are building the perception that your conference bags are valuable before the event.
In Conclusion
Whether it’s the family reunion or convention bag or the items you fill it with – make it matter. The conference bag is the first gift you give an attendee. Same thing for the family reunion. when your family arrives at the hotel, or wherever the are staying, have the bags in their room already or as the front desk staff to hand them to them upon arrival. It’s a great surprise for them upon arrival! These events are personal. So make your gifts or give-aways too good to throw away. Just imagine how it could increase the image of your organization and the impact of your convention if the attendees loved your bags and considered them filled with unique, exclusive, valuable items and information? Maximize the potential of your next bag. Make it part of your overall communication strategy and use it to support and enhance your event message.