The first time I received a really cool swag bag I was an attendee at the MTV music awards at Radio City Music Hall. It was impressive. Lots of samples of fancy products and perfumes from designers, in a cool bag. It made me feel kinda special. Of course, I was sitting in the celebrity area so I probably got a better bag than people in the balcony. Either way, that experience made me excited and whenever I attend a party or business event and see a bag on the seat, or at a table, I think SWAG!

When it comes to event gifts the rule of thumb is generally the more useful, the more effective. Below are a couple of suggestions of gift items that don’t immediately get thrown in the trash. Some of these you can make on your own, and some will have to be ordered by one of the vendors I list at the bottom of this email. In no particular order of preference they are:

• usb key chain thumb drive
• bookmarks with action steps or a system that helps them get things done
• t-shirts
• tote bags
• digital downloads (ebooks, video courses, etc)
• books (even placing a sticker inside saying “gifted to you by…”)
• CDs and DVDs with information
• mirrors
• highlighters
• gift cards/discount cards made in plastic
• gift certificates
• candy bars/nutrition bars wrapped in company logo package
• product samples
• bottled water branded with logo
• luggage tags
• bag clip (like for potato chips, etc)
• letter openers
• technology gifts of any kind
• reusable water bottles
• umbrellas
• hand sanitizer

There are a lot of vendors that can provide these items. I recommend checking out branders.com, epromos.com and swagconnection.com