The Giveaway Gap: Why Most Event Swag Misses the Mark
At trade shows, the difference between memorable brands and forgettable ones often comes down to the giveaways attendees actually use.
I recently attended the SLAS 2026 conference in Boston - my first time at this event - and I couldn't stop thinking about the sheer effort brands put into their booths. Not just the displays and demos, but everything they hand to people who walk by.
Anyone who knows me knows I am a complete sucker for event giveaways. The amount of stuff I brought home to my kids was honestly astounding. My wife was not always impressed. But I digress.
The real question I kept asking myself was: what actually makes a brand memorable when the conference ends and people are hauling bags through the airport?
The giveaway landscape is crowded
Here's a partial list of what brands were giving away at SLAS 2026:
Sunglasses, massage roller balls, drink coozies, branded mouse pads, stuffed microbes, cloth and plastic grocery bags, candy, notebooks, socks, knit hats (or toques), gum and mints, magnetic telescopic lights, clock timers, umbrellas in pill-shaped containers, reusable water bottles, animal-topped pencils, Olympic-style medals, cappuccinos and lattes, decks of cards, dry camping bags, stuffed nerve cells, carabiners, keychains with mini coffee mugs, multi-tool keychains, multi-cord chargers, and pen/notepad/conference schedule combo.
Every single one of those items cost money. What our research consistently shows is that most of them do very little measurable work for the brand.
Three questions every event team should ask
1. Will it be useful at the event itself?
The best giveaways enhance the attendee's day, not just fill their tote bag. Pens, notepads, a printed speaker schedule, a quality coffee: these things solve a real problem in the moment and keep your brand in hand while people are still on the floor.
A smart approach is to tier your giveaways. Use lower-cost items to draw foot traffic to the booth, then reward genuine engagement - a product trial, a demo, a real conversation - with something higher value like a reusable water bottle or a well-made umbrella.
2. Will they actually use it after they get home?
Post-event utility is where most giveaways go to die. Think about your target attendee. Are they travelling? A multi-cord charger, a carabiner, or a packable umbrella fits into their life. A branded stress ball does not.
The items that live on a desk or in a bag are the ones still doing brand work six months later. That is the kind of sustained brand exposure that actually moves consumer perception.
3. What is the ROI?
This is the question that often get ignored. A smaller number of perceived high-value items will outperform mass low-value giveaways every time. Would you rather receive a quality pen that lasts through the whole conference and when you get home, or a cheaply made one that runs dry before the second day?
If your giveaway does not help your activation - booth traffic, conversations started, leads generated - it is an expense, not an investment.
Best practices for event giveaways
When you think about what you are going to give away make sure you keep in mind these Best Practices
Relevance: Items should align with your brand and the event theme to reinforce brand equity
Utility: Practical items - tech accessories, reusable bottles - consistently outperform generic trinkets
Perceived value: Fewer, better items create stronger impressions than a table full of forgettable stuff
Branding: Design matters as much as the item itself - clean logo placement, subtle branding - attendees won't use something that makes them look like a walking billboard
Logistics: For exhibitors, make sure you have enough space at your booth to store the items – things like reuseable water bottles can be great – but they take a lot of space. The items you choose to give away should be light (no one wants to carry around something heavy at a show), easily packable and airline friendly (no branded Swiss army knives)!!
The bottom line
Event planning involves a lot of moving parts: booth layout, product showcases, staffing strategy (more on that here). Giveaways can sometimes feel like an afterthought, but they are a measurable brand touchpoint.
The brands that get this right treat every giveaway as an extension of their brand strategy - not a line item to fill at the last minute. If your swag isn't driving interaction or leaving a lasting impression, IMI can help you understand what your audience actually values, so your next event investment works harder. Start a conversation with the IMI team.