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Looking to thrill each guest at your next special event? Wanting to be sure everyone at the trade show has your logo top of mind and on display? We have swag bag ideas for every occasion, budget, and business goal—from visibility to retention to conversions. Read on to discover the best swag bags for events, and the 12 best swag bag items to fill them with!
A swag bag is a bag, tote, or drawstring backpack (usually branded) that’s given out at an event or special occasion. Swag bags are also used to welcome new employees, students, and clients. The best swag bag items are unique, useful, and allow maximum visibility for your branding.
The word swag has Scandinavian roots attached to the word for “bag”. It’s also used to indicate confidence or showing off, as in, “swaggering around like they owned the place.” (If what’s in your swag bag is super fancy, perhaps some swaggering by your recipients will follow suit.) Swag has also been used to refer to stolen goods, stashed in a bag as the culprits fled. Since the 1960s, the word swag, and the term swag bag, are mostly used in reference to branded goods given to people who attend an event. An easy way to remember the term swag is with the acronym, “Stuff We All Get.” Some claim that’s the meaning of the word but it’s just a fun way to remember it! The best swag bag ideas for events and special occasions will appeal to and be useful to a broad range of recipients.
A swag bag is essentially an adult goodie bag, and the goal is to make the contents as appealing to grownups as a goodie bag is to eager birthday party participants whose ages still hover in the single digits. Whether the intended recipient is a kid or an adult, the goals are similar:
Pick your swag bag items based upon your recipient and event. A few ideas to get your brainstorm going:
Following are swag bag ideas for events. Fill your swag bag (or tote) with a few of these proven crowd-pleasers and your recipients are sure to swagger around with your brand on display.
Tip: For single-use options, check out our collection of promotional paper bags.
Now that you’ve got some swag bag ideas on the table, have fun customizing your bag and filling it with fun giveaways brandishing your name. Then sit back and watch your logo pop up all around your event, campus, or office!
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