Tradeshow season is right around the corner! Exhibiting at a tradeshow can be a lucrative marketing opportunity, and we have your guide for making the most of your next event. From the essentials to stand-out giveaways that are bound to drive booth traffic, read on for five must-have items for your next event.

Name Badges Open the Door

The first step at a tradeshow is just saying hello. A striking name or company badge makes it easy for your booth visitors to form an instant connection with your employees. It also does double duty during those many networking opportunities when employees are away from the booth. After all, networking is hard work, so make it a little easier – and your company more memorable – with a clear name badge.

Stand apart from the crowd! Personalised, professional badges are an affordable and effective way to showcase your company’s brand and style. At Rocket Badge, we can help your name badge stand out from others with classic or of-the-moment designs featuring special colors, shapes and finishes.  

Brand Your Booth and Your Team

You take pride in your company brand with your materials and your booth – don’t neglect to brand your team, too! We can help you create customised attire for your booth employees to wear.

Ensure the most appropriate look by matching your branded attire to your company culture and the tradeshow theme. For example, if you have a more conventional corporate culture, or if the tradeshow has an executive look and feel, consider customised neck ties and short- or long-sleeved oxford shirts. Another idea is to provide booth staff with branded cufflinks and tie pins for a special, professional look. If your brand is a little more playful, consider a polo, t-shirt, fleece jacket or vest or cap. Is your tradeshow in a tropical destination? Lucky you! Tap into the more whimsical theme with a customised summer vest or cotton sun hat for your booth staff.

Bags are a Welcome Gift

Bags are great cost-effective giveaways, as tradeshow attendees typically have a bunch of items to carry – why not let them promote your company while they walk about the event? Tout the environmental benefits of a reusable bag to your eco-minded visitors.

And, as with your booth attire, tie your bag to your brand and the theme of the tradeshow. If you have a bit more budget to work with, consider a business case for VIP booth visitors, or a laptop bag for a technology-related tradeshow. For a destination tradeshow (again, lucky you!), consider a reusable beach bag. If you represent a sports, leisure or retail company, you might go for a drawstring or sports bag or a timeless, classic travel and trolley bag for the frequent traveler. You can also create something utterly unique for the perfect tradeshow giveaway bag, from the color to the material to the design. 

Standout Swag

Standout from others and drive booth traffic with creative, custom booth giveaways. These items don’t need to be expensive to be effective. The idea is to create something that people will actually use. Some ideas for functional and practical items that will stand apart from others include a custom shaped keyring personalised to your brand (bonus points if you choose a quirky PVC rubber or bobble headed design that everyone will love, or a trolley coin keyring that will get used every time someone goes shopping!),  handy USB lights, aqua binders or these creative USB sticks that come in the shape of people. If your brand is well-known or has enough recognition as a status symbol that tradeshow attendees may want to “wear” your promo item, consider giving away custom enamel badges, which have been branded with your logo. Attendees will wear these on their clothing or bags, giving you consistent brand exposure!

Stunning Booth Prizes

Drive booth traffic and gather lead information with a booth giveaway! Create a stunning custom product and ask visitors to enter their contact information for a chance to win through a raffle or drawing. Booth prizes don’t have to break your budget (consider some of the swag items mentioned above), but here’s a few splurge-worthy ideas for high-end giveaways:

  • An iconic Jamie Oliver acacia antipasti serving board, designed exclusively for your brand – perfect for food-focused events!
  • A Charles Dickens stylish metal ballpen with Swarovski crystallised elements in black ink, supplied in a gift box.
  • A stylish and modern 0.8 litre square spirit decanter with facet stopper (and a large engraving area) for a gift that is sure to take pride of place when put on display at home or at work.
  • A collapsible exercise bike with eight resistance levels and adjustable seat. We offer a bike that calculates speed, time, distance and calories burned and runs on just 2 AAA batteries!

From name badges to attire to standout swag, we hope this guide helps you get tradeshow ready this season! If you feel inspired, please reach out to us today to turn your ideas into merchandise that will help you and your booth stand out from the rest. No matter what sort of tradeshow you’re attending, or what you are there to exhibit, our friendly local team of promotional merchandising experts can help you make the most of the visibility you will get while you’re there!