what should we give away at our trade show booth?

Question

Our branding right now is 'get ready to evolve' so we are looking for suggestions on something cheap that we can give away to people who visit our booth at a trade show that has something to do with 'evolution' or 'evolving'. Potentially something we can put branding on that is not ultra-expensive. We are a software company.

Answer 1

How inexpensive? It helps to know your final budget for something like this. But without that information, here goes:

When it comes to premium incentives perceived value is critical. The specific items tie in to your product or promotion really is not.

I have in the past given out thousands of pens or caps or t-shirts and even yardsticks. I would give these out at specifically scheduled intervals and my booth would be completely overrun with crowds demanding their item.

To my boss I was a hero, but in fact I was an idiot.

Here's the problem with low cost premium incentives: The only people they motivate are people who are willing to waste their time for a pen. Generally, that isn't your target demographic.

Allot depends on what you are trying to accomplish with your give-aways. Are you trying to drive traffic to your booth? Are you trying to build awareness of your new product / campaign (my guess it that this is your primary objective). Are you trying to put something in peoples hands that will lead them back to your company well after the show is over?

If it is the latter, then I must tell you I have seen very few companies achieve success with this, despite what the premium incentive vendors will tell you. It doesn't matter if I have your company address tattooed to the inside of my eyelids. Your odds of me calling you are really not that much greater.

I would focus on top of mind and complete saturation of awareness at the trade show. I like to call this “owning the floor”.

To do this, print badges with your campaign message and arrange for them to be distributed at the entrance. On these badges in smaller print note " Ware this badge for a chance to win "XXXXX". One (2,3... what ever you can afford) attendee wearing this badge will be selected at random from the show floor every (half hour - hour again what you can afford) to receive a XXXX. ## Prizes will be awarded.

These badges by the way could be CD's with a demo version of your software on them. What is most important is that your campaign message be big and bold on the badge.

At the very beginning of the show have one or two of your most attractive sales people or product representative waiting at the entrance. The first person they see wearing one of those badges they should approach and QUITE loudly announce that that person has won what ever the prize is because they were wearing the badge. If the incentive you select is fairly attractive (i.e. people want it) you will be pleasantly surprised by what happens next.

In my experience (using mp3 players typically) 1 out of 5 to 1 of 2 people at the tradeshow will be wearing my badge. I have seen my competitors’ sales associates wearing my badge. The entire show floor looks like a walking billboard for my campaign. And foot traffic? You will have badge wearing stalkers literally hovering around your booth.

Do NOT select prize winners from those near your booth by the way. They should be from random places on the show floor. Literally tell the associates who award the prize go here, and at this time, the first person with the badge you see, loudly award them the prize. If you are feeling truly nasty award them a few times near your competitor’s booth and then the stalkers will hover around them with your badge.

If at all possible, don't pay full price for your incentive product. Give some space on that badge to note "prizes provided by X Company Name" and solicit either free product or discount from your chosen incentive provider to bullet them there.

Don't bother branding the give-away. Get it directly from the manufacturer so that you can get the discount from them for promoting their brand.

Something along the lines of an MP3 player has a perceived value of around $100.00 and can be sourced in volume (say 20)from the actual manufacturer for probably $50 or less, and with the manufacturer giving you a discount or donation for promoting their brand it could go lower. These are loose numbers but you get the idea.

Let's say you spend $1,400 on 28 mp3's (enough to give out one every hour of the show) and another $1000 on badges to hand out at the entrance. You've spent a total of $2400.00 and the show floor reads like your private ad space.

How many semi decent low cost incentives could you get branded for that amount? Maybe 6 to 12 hundred? And most of them would end up in the garbage after the show.

It takes more leg work to arrange something like this. You will have to work out permission (and probably pay) to distribute your badges at the entrance. You will have to find a sexy product to give away (MP3’s and MP4’s always seem to get the traction) and you will have to petition the manufacturer for promotional contribution. This last item can take time, because the person selling the merchandise usually doesn’t have the authority for this. They have to talk to the promotions department. The big companies actually have departments that do nothing but spend money to cross promote, so don’t be daunted. In selecting an incentive product partner, look to companies your company already does a healthy amount of business with. It makes it easier to get more from them.

Hope this helps.

Best Regards

Answer 2

LOOK FOR SOMETHING WITH LIGHTS THAT FLASH. See if you can find an online store and click through it. I am thinking lighted key chains that the logo and name flashes. Lighted pens could work too. Pass them out at the trade show with serial numbers so that people can come to your website to check if they won a prize.

To enter your website, the guest need an e-mail address. Qualified guest and non Qualified guests. Non Qualified guests win a calender with the company logo, website address, phone number, and E-mail address. Qualified guest win a Software program from your company that does something on their computer and shows your website address. Q vs nQ is determined by the E-mail address is it real or fake?

What type of software do you make, what type of software does your customers need?

Answer 3

A CD considering you are into software
A mouse pad with some sort of evolution on it (19th 20th 21st century or abacus to calculator to PC etc)
Relatively inexpensive and always at their finger tips with you number and logo.

Answer 4

I don't know who makes it, but a few years ago one of the water providers gave away a little foam rubber personal computer you could squeeze to relieve tension.

I still have mine. I keep it right next to my real computer, which sometimes gives me tension I need to get rid of.

Answer 5

Everyone loves a stuffed monkey! Much better than a swag bag filled with t-shirts and calendars.

Answer 6

You might try a stress toy monkey. Here's one I found on-line: javascript:LargePics('http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/yhst-2396371344735_1936_29654452','Monkey Stress Balls')

It's pretty cute, but maybe a little cliche. Finding a little Darwin head might work better, but who the heck knows what he looks like. Good luck!

Answer 7

a plant evolves a umbrella evolves into a shelter a jacket that evolves into a vest