Dos and don’ts of a gift bag

Gift bags are a great way to add a personal touch and to say thank you to your guests for coming to your event. Your gift bag is the last thing people will remember from your party and if done right, could leave a great lasting impression.

They're also a chance to give away branded goodies to your visitors, in turn generating brand exposure and overall memorability of your company and the event itself. When creating a corporate gift bag, always keep in mind the four main things you’re trying to accomplish.

1. Wow your guests with gifts they can actually keep or use
2. Make your event memorable and remind them what a great time they had
3. Place key reminders of messages at the event
4. Promote your business and generate leads/sales

What to put in your gift bag

The goodies inside your bag will vary according to the event and your budget, so really think about what should go inside for each event and the type of attendees.  Also when I do an event I want the gift bags to be used as soon as my recipients get them.

So without further ado, here are my dos and don’ts for a gift bag.

• Do: Include items that will be useful during the event and after.
• Do: A nice touch is including a CD of the entertainment provided at the event, especially if they are a well-known band everyone enjoys.
• Do: Include some crackers, nuts or chips to stave off hunger when waiting for the dinner functions and add a bottle of wine from a local winery. Even a bottle of water goes a long way these days.
• Do: Provide mints, attendees’ love to freshen up as it can be a long day.
• Do: Make your gift bags eye catching.  Presenting your gifts in well-designed bags and envelopes will leave a lasting impression. Also, if done right, your guests may appreciate the packaging so much that that they may reuse it for their own personal purposes.
• Do: Add skin care products. Young or old, men or women everyone loves a good lotion or facial scrub. Plus if it makes the gift bag smell nice, everyone will be curious as to what is inside.
• Don’t: Give a lot of literature! Most of it gets tossed. Make your promotional stuff simple with fun graphics, think small and arty.
• Don’t: Add chocolates, they will most likely melt
• Don’t: Add alcohol…What? I say Do!
• Don’t: Give vouchers that offer 30% off or something similar. They won’t get used and no one really wants them.

Whether you’re planning a conference, trade show, meeting, or event, an effective gift bag does not have to have expensive or lavish things inside, it just needs to be practical and creative….

Go fourth and give.