Dedicating time and resources to the strategic planning and organization of large corporate events is undoubtedly something essential. However, always thinking big and setting long-term goals, it's fairly easy to overlook the small details that can be equally or even more important in the task of boosting your company's brand. That's why, in this article, we will focus on a topic that is often overlooked but can actually have a significant impact on the customers' perception of your brand. Today, we will try to answer the question: what merchandising to choose for your corporate event?
The only tangible memento
Perhaps the most important principle to keep in mind when choosing merchandising is that it is often the only tangible item that attendees retain from the event. Yes, a lot has been said about how consumers currently value experiences the most, and we continue to emphasize that. But precisely for this reason, the only physical object that is preserved from this experience acquires special relevance. In this sense, that object should reflect everything intangible that you have tried to convey through the experience. Therefore, depending on the values you want to enhance or the message you want to convey, your choice can vary, and significantly so.
Being creative is challenging, but it's worth a try
As we all know, the merchandising always emerges at the end of work meetings, in the final stages of event preparation. The typical phrase that announces it would be, "Oh, and also we need some gift ideas", followed by "...we have €2.5 per attendee." That’s normally followed by the typical list of ideas like tote bags, wireless phone chargers, notebooks... We’ve all been through this. Sometimes, if the budget allows and the event is for a smaller group of attendees, maybe an economical model of a smartwatch is proposed (wow, such an original thing).
Well, to be fair, there's actually nothing wrong with these options if they truly reflect what you want to communicate. But the problem is that their choice is often dictated by a lack of time to find something better or by purely economic criteria. Hence, our recommendation is to make an effort to see merchandising as an opportunity and try to be creative. You already have the usual options, and you can resort to them if you can't think of anything more impactful.
Choose something that speaks about you
We've highlighted this idea before, but it's worth emphasizing. There's nothing wrong with giving a tote bag or an agenda. But everyone does that. Besides, tote bags are ideal for carrying lunch boxes to the office. And agendas end up piling up in the drawers under desks. In the end, they are just missed opportunities to add another touch to the image of your brand.
Therefore, in order to understand what merchandising to choose for your event, carefully analyze the values you want to convey and try to express them through this item that, hopefully, attendees to your event will want to keep as a memento.
In this sense, both in the account and in the creative department, it is very useful to keep updated catalogues of the suppliers’ products we regularly work with, whether physical or online, and have a record of small things we come across in our daily lives (of literally whatever, from small board games to the latest gadgets) to inspire us when looking for an original gift to accompany our event.
Sustainable commitment
And as always, we never tire of repeating that the proactive application of sustainable criteria to our activity is not a whim but an obligation (link to 11). And it's not just about using sustainable materials and eco inks. Sustainability also encompasses social aspects, such as equality and inclusion, and economic considerations, like choosing suppliers based on geographic proximity to avoid unnecessary transportation. All these criteria should be taken into account regardless of whether the client demands it or not, and the communication opportunities that it generates.
