The corporate meeting. While it may always be something that makes employees cringe ("16 hours of forced teambuilding, yay!"), from a promotional products perspective, corporate meetings should always turn your sales-slump frown upside-down.
From T-shirts and jotters to electronics and photo-frames, there are tons of promotional products out there fit for meetings and events. Need a little help brainstorming? Check out the quick list below to get the ideas flowing.
1. Room Service
A small "welcome to the conference" package delivered to an attendee's room can be a great way to put them in the mood for a successful meeting. A few treats are a must, but don't forget to include some handy utility items as well. Breath mints, local maps, or hand sanitizer and other toiletries are all great choices for a gift bag.
2. Signage
Make sure your client knows that along with the standard promotional products, decorations and display items are within your offerings. Decorated balloons, displays and other signage can be a solid sales opportunity. Printing services for any necessary pamphlets or other meetings handouts is also a good option.
3. Utility is Key
Focus the purpose of your items on the activities planned for the meeting. Lots of notetaking? Try a journal. Outdoor team building? What about a water bottle with a carabineer clip? A few days of long conferences? How about some coffee or energy drinks?
4. Teambuilding and Memorabilia
If a meeting is going to emphasize teambuilding, it can be a great opportunity for you to provide products. The items can be as obvious as crystal awards to commemorate specific achievements, or a little more of an offbeat item such as some picture frames and gift cards for photo development.
5. Environmental Protection
Bad weather can disrupt even the most well-planned meetings, but there's a lot promotional products can do to offset the potential harm. Umbrellas and ponchos are always good if rain is on the way, sunscreen and fans can help if the heat is going to be too much, and even hooded sweatshirts or blankets are welcome if a conference hall or hotel is known for being especially cold.
6. Remember Mobile Technology
We all know the road warrior's toolkit has shifted greatly these last few years with the recent leaps in mobile technology. Smart phones and tablets have become a critical tool for the traveling businessperson, and also created a niche where you can provide some much-needed (and appreciated) accessories. While most travelers will likely already be covered in the case department, there's plenty of other gear you can provide. Screen cloths and cleaners, styluses, headphones and charging kits are all easy options, but you could also consider high-quality device cases likely to be an upgrade for most users (marquee cases, offering luxuries such battery backup, can be over $80 at retail and would be a great boon for most travelers). Other travel-friendly items could be productivity tools like an iPad keyboard attachment, or perhaps items fit for use at the hotel gym, such as sports headphones or phone arm straps.
7. ... and Social Media
Because of the ubiquity of mobile computing, things like custom apps, Facebook pages, Twitter hashtags and other social media networking tools are becoming corporate meetings communication mainstays. Does your client need any of these channels promoted at the event? Consider decorating some items with the appropriate URLs. Or, consider a mailer to promote the channel before the event even starts.