Walking your brand at meetings

An important line item in the preparation for most association conferences and many corporate meetings is the provision of branded items recognising sponsors, as well as providing a sense of shared experience among delegates.

In a business world where everyone is cutting back on costs, the meetings and events industry has been more receptive to the concept of quality customised satchels, which have a life well beyond that of the conference.

Suppliers of conference equipment are finding that sponsors see value in having their logos appearing more discretely and thereby prompting the delegate to use the satchel in their day-to-day business life. For orders over 300, organisers can have customised zip-pulls and the interior lining of the satchel done in the logo of the sponsor. Twelve weeks is sufficient time to have a customised bag made, which includes the provision of a production sample.

The current trend in premiums and executive gifts is towards information technology items, such as a USB port with customised logos, as well as a portable mouse. Some sponsors are loading all their information on the USBs and cutting down on the level of collateral print information, which is expensive to produce and is often thrown away. Speaker
gifts – especially for international visiting presenters – should be as lightweight and portable as possible. It’s all very well to give bottles of wine, but the added weight is not appreciated on a business trip.

Also, non-woven tote bags are proving popular for trade-show visitors and gives the sponsor excellent branding throughout the show. Mark Ward at Promotions Only in Sydney says many conferences are opting for the enviro-friendly bags in line with those supplied by supermarkets.

“At the end of the day, the bulk of demand is for the tried and tested products such as customised caps, pens, stubby holders, mouse pads and the like,” says Ward. His company can turn a standard order for customised products around in two weeks or less.

In other quarters, there’s a demand for the “mobile office” – a briefcase with wheels and a drag handle. Conference and tourism shows like ATE, AIME and Dreamtime are going for good-quality bags that hosted buyers can use for all their documentation. Items such as conference bags, polo shirts and corporate gifts for trade shows and conferences have to be there on time, and suppliers are constantly working with freight companies and couriers to make that happen.