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Are you like most Trade Show Managers; you can't wait to get to the part of planning for a show where you can start thinking about all the cute and funny 'give-aways' you can hand out in your booth?! Yeah, I thought so - that's exactly why I am providing you with some planning questions and guidance to make sure your selection is linked to your objectives!

I'm sure you remember strolling through a trade show and grabbing a massive collection of 'give-away' items, as we all do when attending a trade show! But have you ever taken a moment to look closely at the item(s) to understand why the particular item was chosen and what the company was aiming to achieve?

Often times businesses such as yours make their promotional item purchases based on emotion and overlook many crucial factors that contribute to the success of reaching your target audience through your marketing, branding and promotional campaign, such as:

' Clearly understanding the type of attendees and their interests

' Defining the Target Audience you want to reach

' Setting Objectives

' Measuring the success of the promotional item; for future shows, as well as other marketing campaigns

SO - Take The TradeShow Teacher's Advice and ALWAYS remember to...

' Take the time to define "WHO" you want to reach at your shows; Show the Sales team the show demographics and ask them "WHO" the best type of lead is for them. Trust me, they'll be very direct with you and appreciate that you asked them; after all, they are the people who's livelihood depends on quality leads from marketing initiatives!!!

THEN you can evaluate the Key Prospect's profile; What type of person is this? What type of interests do they have? This data will aid you in determining the type of product they will be most memorable to them, what they will be intrigued by and what they will be most likely to keep.

' Take the time to set relevant Goals and Objectives: Always remember that promotional items have to tie to your Goals and Objectives; it is crucial to the effectiveness and success of the promotional product campaign! Also be sure to share your Show Goals, Objectives, Budget and Key Prospect information with your promotional product expert.

The TradeShow Teacher always suggests that you don't start off the conversation with a determined item in mind, start by telling the promotional product expert details about your Goals, Objectives and Key Prospects and I can guarantee that you will be impressed with the suggestions they offer!

Keep reading to learn the TOP 10 HOTTEST Promotional Product items for Trade Shows!

1. T-shirts

Always popular, always unique, the screen-printed t-shirt is the promotional favorite. Why not? A great design can be seen by hundreds of people each time your shirt is worn. A good t-shirt is a cool, comfortable, walking billboard. Make a larger impact and compress your t-shirt into a meaningful shape such as a house, bottle, airplane, pizza, or anything!

TradeShow Teacher Advice: Have an incentive for the Trade Show attendees to wear the T-shirt while walking around the show floor!

2. Promotional Pens:

Another traditional and effective favorite; pens are extremely affordable and travel well! The life of a pen could be a year or more while it travels through the hands of 25 or more people. We leave our pens in restaurants, banks, store counters, and more. You probably have a drawer at home with a couple dozen pens and yet you always need one to sign a credit card receipt!

TradeShow Teacher Advice: Buy a unique pen; check out the Post It note pens, Fan Pens, Highlighter Pens, Bendy Pens and more -- just have fun, there are so many to choose from!
Note to self: If you fight the urge and stay away from the standard pens that have been around for years, you'll be much more memorable!

3. Mugs and Travel Mugs:

Affordable and effective; people get attached to their mug! Mugs reflect personality too - a great mug can be a conversation piece or a subtle, conservative accessory. The popularity of travel mugs is growing with modern cars seeming to have 16 cup holders each. Even better, people never throw mugs away; they have incredible life spans.

TradeShow Teacher Advice: Have a Drink Station in your booth; the attendees will walk around the show floor drinking from your mug and be promoting your company and brand - for FREE!

4. Key Chains:

Yes, key chains are still popular, even the good old classic #1. However, the most popular key chains have useful tools such as safety whistles, flashlights, bottle openers, tape measures, compasses, and thermometers.

TradeShow Teacher Advice: Consider having a Booth Activity that is related to keys; have the attendees choose a box to open with a key attached to the promotional key chain you are giving away - for a chance to win a prize! OR have a key chain containing your logo, with a key that says "your key to success"! The "key" is to be creative! ; )

5. Bags:

Bags are a traditional trade show favorite. They come in all sizes and varieties from the ever-popular plastic bag with the die-cut handle through affordable, reusable cotton and polyester bags. A great plastic bag design will get into the hands of almost every show attendee producing tremendous visibility and brand awareness. A good reusable bag will have a long lifespan beyond the two or three days of your show.

TradeShow Teacher Advice: If your budget allows for it, sponsor the Attendee bags, which EVERY attendee gets upon registration & walks around the show with! Massive Exposure! If you can't fit that in your budget, there are creative ways around that ; ) in which you can get the attendees excited about showing off your bag on the show floor - call me for more details, you'll love these ideas!

6. Golf accessories:

Golf items are popular across industries and geographies. It seems that everyone can use balls, tees, divot tools, and more. There are a wide variety of golf items to choose from at affordable prices.

TradeShow Teacher Advice: Have a putting green game in your booth! BUT make attendees listen to some information about your product and gather lead data, THEN give them their golf ball to take their turn putting; consider giving them the opportunity to win a bigger prize if they get a "hole in One"!

7. Food Items:

Food and beverages are popular giveaways at trade shows. Candy and cookies come in individual servings in a variety of clever packages and containers. You can put your logo on the wrapper or container or shape the product to fit your needs! Bottled water is a traditional favorite too'with your logo on the bottle label or the plastic cup. With bottled water selling for $4 or more at most convention centers, your booth could be popular! Don't forget the ice.

TradeShow Teacher Advice: What can I say about food?! We all know that any food or drink item will be a hit! Be sure to check the rules and regulations in your Exhibitor Kit before deciding to use a food related item though; you may have to pay extra fees, or may not be allowed to distribute a food or drink item at all! That's because some of the convention centers want to gouge you for ten dollar hot dogs! ; ) Call me if you have any questions about the Rules and Regulations!

8. Magnets:

Business card magnets and magnets in special shapes, such as houses, cars, trucks, circles, ice cream cones, and more are very affordable and can keep your name in front of the customer. For better effect, add sports schedules, calendars, weights and measures conversions, or other useful information.

TradeShow Teacher Advice: Magnets are great, particularly if you market to consumers, everyone needs magnets for the refrigerator to hang up notices and their kids drawings!

9. Desk Items:

Promotional products for the desk are a great way to keep your name in front of office workers. Popular products include envelope slitters, staplers, calculators, rulers, and paper clip holders. People often use these products for years.

TradeShow Teacher Advice: Desk items are fantastic, particularly for the B2B market; think carefully about your key prospects and select an item that they are most likely to need - don't just go for "cute & funny"!!!

10. Calendars:

The right calendar at the right time is a real winner. A calendar can present a new message each month or week and be an important part of someone's life for a year or more. Calendars offer an incredible variety of styles, formats, and price points so there's a right one for you.

TradeShow Teacher Advice: Once again, think carefully about your target audience and their lifestyle, then you can determine if a planner calendar, or desk calendar, or magnet calendar and so on is the best selection to accomplish your objectives!