Leaving an event with arms full of swag is de rigueur, isn’t it?
When you host an event or tradeshow, it’s the perfect time to get branded items into the grateful hands of your attendees.
There are lots of standard items that people at your next in-person event will expect, plus gifts that are a little bit outside the norm.
We’re going to cover the whole gamut:
- Typical swag items you’ll expect at a tradeshow
- Tech focused giveaway items to make your event memorable
- Environmentally-conscious items that’ll delight your green attendees
- Pandemic-related items that people will be truly thankful for
With plenty of promo gifts to get through, let’s jump straight in.
30 Trade Show Giveaways Ideas for Post-Covid Events
Idea #10: Cell Phone Accessories
Trade Show Giveaway Idea #1: Lanyards
Just like Robotemi did at MWC Barcelona 2019, you should consider giving out lanyards at your next tradeshow or event.
Useful for a whole range of things, like marking out your team from your attendees, holding passes and IDs, and even attaching items like hand sanitizer to, the lanyard is a perennial event and conference favorite.
Since lots of offices, schools, and organizations can require ID badges to be on show through the day, the lanyard that you give out at an event can be used again and again by the recipients.
Add your colors and logo to make your lanyards pop at your event.
Price range: Starting at $1 per item
Trade Show Giveaway Idea #2: Water Bottle
Mark out your eco credentials and offer a super handy item by giving away a water bottle at your next event.
There are lots of styles to choose from, such as a silicone collapsible bottle or a stainless steel bottle, so pick one that you think will resonate with your audience.
You’ve got plenty of space to add branding, and with some clever design, you can make a feature of the collapsible nature of the type of bottle in our picture.
Author’s Tip: Having free water dispensers around your event will encourage the bottle’s repeat use, too.
Price range: Starting at $10 per item
Trade Show Giveaway Idea #3: Luggage Cover
Got a global audience attending your post-Covid event? Give them a luggage cover to build community.
Looking at MWC Barcelona 2019, the luggage cover in our image above can brighten up a rolling case.
Your brand gets to take space on a usually blank surface and you don’t need to give away a whole suitcase to do it!
It’s a great gift for a conference, helping people differentiate their bags in busy airports as they travel home from your event.
Price range: Starting at $4 per item
Trade Show Giveaway Idea #4: T-shirt
Who doesn’t love getting a new, cool t-shirt on their visit to a tradeshow?
This funky tee that was given away at the SXSW trade show for interactive gaming, movies, and TV is a great example of how to engage your attendees.
Choose good quality fabric and screen print your design so that people will want to wear your item over and over again.
Get your t-shirt design on point and you should get some user-generated content and tags on your social media profiles, too.
Price range: Starting at $10 per item
Trade Show Giveaway Idea #5: Notebook
Being able to take notes during talks and breakout sessions is vital for conference attendees, so give them a notebook to make this super simple.
If you’ve ever arrived at an event and realized you’ve left all your writing instruments at home, you’ll know exactly why this is a great event promo idea.
Add your branding to the notebook to keep the event fresh in people’s memories for weeks and months to come and consider throwing in pens, pencils, and crayons – particularly if your event is family-friendly.
Price range: Starting at $3 per item
Trade Show Giveaway Idea #6: Hand Sanitizer
The pandemic may slowly be calming down and allowing in-person events to be planned, but hygiene is still on everyone’s mind so hand sanitizer packs will keep your guests happy.
Giving away a small personal care pack that includes hand sanitizer, a hand sanitizer holder that connects to the lanyard we just talked about, and some alcohol wipes is a functional and thoughtful item for your trade show.
You’ll also ensure your trade show site is as hygienic and germ-free as possible when people can easily keep their hands clean.
Price range: Starting at $2 per item
Trade Show Giveaway Idea #7: Pin Badge
Upgrade from simple stickers and consider creating a pin badge for your attendees.
As trade show items go, this is one that works really well to mark out people like your speakers, staff, or VIPs.
A great design could earn your pin badge a regular place on lapels or bags and if you commit to the idea, could become a sought-after item year after year.
Price range: Starting at $2 per item
Trade Show Giveaway Idea #8: Lip Balm
Another personal care item that your guests will appreciate is lip balm.
Add a lip balm to the gift bags for your event speakers, since they’ll likely get dehydrated and experience chapped lips from all the talking they do!
Give away a freebie lip balm when you host an outside event; if you’re anything like us. it’s something you always forget to throw in your travel bag!
Price range: Starting at $2 per item
Trade Show Giveaway Idea #9: USB Flash Drive
USB flash drives can be a simple and very useful item to give away at an event.
There are myriad ideas for USB drives in terms of shape, size, and customization, depending on your event’s theme or cause, as well as your industry or niche.
Whether it’s a virtual trade show giveaway or a trade show taking place in a physical location, this seemingly mundane piece of tech swag can be mounted on a split ring and used by people of all ages.
Price range: N/A
Trade Show Giveaway Idea #10: Cell Phone Accessories
When you have a conference or trade show booth that has a tech slant, consider stocking cell phone accessories.
There are plenty of things you can offer with your company logo or colors, such as a new phone wallet, charger, a spare stylus pen, a popsocket to hold a phone stable, and earbuds.
Remember to cater to as many people as possible and have items that can work with both Apple and Android devices or have items for both on hand.
Price range: N/A
Trade Show Giveaway Idea #11: Face Mask
Who’d have guessed we’d be adding face masks to trade show swag lists a couple of short years ago?
Yet, here we are, recommending face masks as ideal promo items!
Opt for high-quality face masks that comply with local health recommendations in the area that you’re hosting your show.
Give these out to all your guests and exhibitors and you’ll get your brand on plenty of faces throughout the event and for days and weeks to come.
Price range: Starting at $4 per item
Trade Show Giveaway Idea #12: Tote Bag
Next on our list of custom promotional products you can add to your next event’s swag is the tote bag.
Everyone loves a tote bag – they’re handy to have around for grocery shopping and are great for the environment because they can be used again and again.
Comic-Con 2020 at Home included a very on-brand tote, along with lots of other goodies for the virtual event, and the idea very easily translates as an in-person gift.
Price range: Starting at $5 per item
Trade Show Giveaway Idea #13: Hat
If you’ve never come back from a promotional trade show with a hat, have you ever been to a promotional trade show?
When you’re looking for promotional giveaway ideas, the humble hat is probably one of the first things you think of.
It’s more than the standard baseball hat, there are lots of hats that you can have customized to suit the needs of your target audience.
Get your design right to make your hat really stand out and get worn plenty more even as the event memories fade.
Author’s Tip: A hat makes a great summer promotional product, too.
Price range: Starting at $10 per item
Trade Show Giveaway Idea #14: Stress Relievers
A jaunt to a trade show, exhibition, or conference is usually relaxing, but the return to the office usually isn’t, so equip your trade show attendees with stress relievers.
This simple, budget-friendly item has lots of space for branding and is a great way to keep your company top of mind.
When people reach for the stress balls and see your branding, you’ll get positive associations as being a thoughtful company that understands the struggles of normal people.
Price range: Starting at $1.50 per item
Trade Show Giveaway Idea #15: Jacket
A jacket may not be the first thing you think of for your trade show giveaway, but hear us out.
It’s more expensive than a t-shirt, but also likely to be seen as really useful – especially if your conference or event is in colder climes.
Comic-Con International had a jacket as part of their swag offering in 2020, with an eye-catching design that makes it a desirable item for virtual and in-person event attendees to get their hands on.
Price range: Starting at $25 per item
Trade Show Giveaway Idea #16: Coffee Mug
Drinkware such as the coffee mug is a staple of the promotional products that you find at events, so give your guests what they expect!
Our picture, from the Toy Fair NY, is a great example of how to do great branded items to appeal to your target audience and create a connection.
Other similar items, like tumblers and stadium cups, go down a dream, too – they’ll get used every day and one day, your swag could be a person’s favorite mug!
Price range: Starting at $5 per item
Trade Show Giveaway Idea #17: Earbuds
We’re over halfway on our list of the best trade show giveaway and swag ideas, and we reach the earbuds.
Whether you opt for the great value wired earbuds or stump for wireless, hi-tech ones, you’ll make your guests happy since everyone always loses theirs!
These are the type of item that easily slips into a person’s pocket and can be used for a long time, keeping your company or event in their memories.
Price range: Starting at $3 per set
Trade Show Giveaway Idea #18: Snacks
All that walking around an expo hall, conference center, or sports stadium can be hungry work; offering out snacks can get you lots of love.
Healthy, energy-boosting snacks like dried fruits, nuts, and energy bars can keep the tempo up and the energy flowing around your event.
As you can see in our pic of the Natural Products Expo East samples, there’s a vast choice of snacks you can include, and you can showcase local suppliers and flavors which can add an extra dimension to this item.
Price range: N/A
Trade Show Giveaway Idea #19: Drinks
Hunger sated, it’s time to quench some thirst at your next outdoor event with some freebie drinks.
Sticking with Natural Products Expo East, chia bubble tea tasting was on the menu at their last event which would have introduced not only new flavors, but new concepts such as bubble tea to anyone passing the stand.
Giving away something new and innovative can generate buzz at an event, and with a cool-looking stand like this one, there’s even a chance of some valuable user-generated content.
Price range: N/A
Trade Show Giveaway Idea #20: Desk Accessories
With working from home likely to continue in some form for years to come, giving away desk accessories will be very much welcomed.
There are lots of items to choose from, such as mouse mats, planners, desk clocks, and more but we love this wireless charging accessory tray.
Since many phones and earbuds are now wirelessly chargeable, offering this type of gift will really stand out.
Having this kit on someone’s desk with your logo on it is a handy way to keep your branding top of mind.
Price range: N/A
Trade Show Giveaway Idea #21: Backpack
No one wants to drag around piles of swag at an event, so offering a backpack will be immediately useful, as well as used in the long term.
There are lots of options when it comes to branded bags, but we love the simplicity of the backpack.
It can be used by all ages and has plenty of space to add your custom printed company logo to get your brand name traveling all over.
Price range: Starting at $16 per item
Trade Show Giveaway Idea #22: Recycled Pouch
Phones, maps, tickets, room keys; the stuff that we need handy at an event or conference is myriad, so giving away a recycled pouch to keep it all makes plenty of sense.
It can complement or be an alternative to the backpack we just saw, keeping things like a flash drive, notepads, and every business card that gets collected all in one place.
Making sure you get one in a recycled fabric is just the icing on the cake!
Price range: Starting at $7 per item
Trade Show Giveaway Idea #23: Webcam
Another remote work accessory that can be used by just about anyone is the webcam.
From school kids to chief executives and everyone in between, webcams are now a part of everyday life.
Since the world experienced a shortage of webcams during the pandemic, having one as a promotional item at your event will leave you with thankful attendees who will definitely value the gift.
Price range: Starting at $50 per item
Trade Show Giveaway Idea #24: Swag Bag
When you want to give a welcome or goodbye gift bag, offering a coordinated swag bag is a great option.
You can gather all the standard event swag, including some of the items we’re covering here, and put it all into one handy pack.
Tailor your swag to your target audience and include some quirky and fun items and you could get yourself featured on peoples’ Insta feeds and TikTok videos.
Price range: N/A
Trade Show Giveaway Idea #25: Powerbank
It’s so annoying when your phone battery dies in the evening, just when the event entertainment is getting good, so a power bank will be well-received.
Choose a power bank that can hold a decent amount of juice so it can get used multiple times before needing charging again.
You’ll get extra brownie points with your recipient when USB chargers come as part of the power bank package – everyone appreciates a good charger cable, after all.
Price range: Starting at $10 per item
Trade Show Giveaway Idea #26: Wristbands
Still searching for cheap trade show giveaway ideas? Look no further than the trusty wristband, which by the way is a great piece of swag to get you into special trade show sessions or VIP areas.
For eye-catching swag that’s great value, this item will do the trick for sure.
It’s super accessible since it can be worn by kids and adults alike – you just need to get the colors and your branding right to make people feel compelled to wear it.
Traditionally, wristbands would have been rubber – and they still totally work – but they have matured to be fabrics as well.
Price range: Starting at $1 per item
Trade Show Giveaway Idea #27: Bluetooth Speaker
Music, podcasts, and the audio for a movie all sound better through a proper speaker, so consider giving your trade show attendees a Bluetooth speaker.
A much-loved tech swag item, this speaker is handy for anyone who travels or uses their handheld devices for content streaming.
Having a long battery life will be something the recipients look for and is also a sign of quality, which is definitely something that you want to be associated with your brand.
Price range: Starting at $10 per item
Trade Show Giveaway Idea #28: Lunch Box Container
Declare your eco-friendly credentials at your post-Covid event with a lunch box container.
Encouraging people to take their food to work rather than buy pre-packaged meals is one great benefit of this item – the other is that it’s made of bamboo.
Bamboo is one of the most sustainable materials and you can get lots of environmentally friendly items made from it, and we love this lunch box with the utensils included.
If your company wants to let event attendees and your wider audience that you care about the planet, offering sustainable swag is one way to get the message across.
Price range: Starting at $10 per item
Trade Show Giveaway Idea #29: Socks
Coming to the end of our list of promo goodies to give away at your next event stand, and we present you: socks.
Everyone needs socks, and having fun pairs to dig out of the draw can make your brand really memorable.
Take these ones from High Point Market – the cool design with fun graphics and unique presentation makes them stand out from the crowd.
Socks come in all types of designs, sizes, and fabrics, so there’s sure to be a style that’ll resonate with your event-goers.
Price range: Starting at $4 per pair
Trade Show Giveaway Idea #30: Keychain
Last on our list of trade show swag is the eternal favorite – the keychain.
Think about all the key tags you’ve had in your life – you can get key lights, a key ring plus bottle opener, keychains made from all types of material – the list is endless.
What’s the same is your brand awareness; keys are carried wherever we go and that means your company logo will always be there, reminding the user of what you offer or how much they enjoyed your event.
Keep it small and unobtrusive enough that it’ll actually get used – no one wants cumbersome keychains that tangle in their pocket or bag.
Price range: Starting at $1 per item
Now Over to You
We’re done!
That’s our 30 picks for the best promotional items for trade shows and events in the world after the pandemic.
There’s a lot to think about here – your audience, your budget, the message you want to convey – but we’ve hopefully covered all the bases you’re aiming to hit.
Are you ready to start pulling together your event swag bags and boxes?
Decades of industry experience mean we know exactly where to source everything you need.
Enter your details in the form below and we’ll get right back to you to discuss your needs.
