Work conference - best swag you've received?

My son works for a 3rd party which is attached to the Gaylord Hotels.. he comes home with swag bags a lot to see if we want any of it.. The last one he brought home had a portable charger included.. I thought that was pretty snazzy for a bag gift. Also a pizza cutter.. random, but it does work really good.


The other items included pens, a small tool thing on a keychain, beer/soda coozies, something that looked like a kaleidoscope but it was weird and couldn't open it.. never did figure it out, sunglasses that had clear lenses (my daughter said they were for something special, but I don't know what it was.. they were tossed) 

Go Wild... a planner convention was this weekend in DC... several people are posting their swag to IG...

Its mainly stickers, planners, pens/highlighters, washi...

But if you do a search for swag bag on ig.... you may find something new and different for ur group

Completely agree with this. Love stuff that has something to do with the location so it feels like a souvenir of the trip and not just an advertisement for your business. Totally ok if it has your business logo on it, too, but if there’s anything specific to the location or you can somehow incorporate landmarks or what the place is known for, I’m more likely to keep it.

DD attends quite a few conferences and customer golf tournaments throughout the year. The only time she keeps a water bottle or mug now is if it is a good brand (Yeti or Stanley). The cheaper brands all get donated or left in the company kitchen for others to take. Any little trinkets (key chains, pens, etc) usually get donated, if she even bothers to bring them home. For those putting swag bags together, fewer but nicer things is the way to go.

Sometimes that is someone's job to put together and looking for ideas. Not a choice.

I would say consumables…cookies, nuts, etc. I really don’t keep anything else. I leave it in the conference room or don’t even pick it up.

The exception was the Surface laptop Microsoft gave out. That I kept. :-).

Best company swag I got was a great backpack. I got it in 1999 on a company trip and my husband still uses it!

I also don't mind a tote bag but not the cheapy ones. The ones that were more canvas-like I use and keep.

I also like the idea of stuff specific to the area!

I'm a fan of the drawstring nylon bags. My favorite is one that says xyz conference: You walked your feet off now take your shoes home in this bag. I never would have thought to use it for shoes and now I hoard those. Same conference gave custom socks and small bags of logo'd epsom salts. It was a mini spa themed swag bag. Lots of attendees were commenting on how great they were.

Portable charger... small screwdriver set... thumb drive... all with logos of course.

I’m still using a small backpack from an irrigation company that hosted a trip to Mexico over a decade ago. It’s the perfect size for a few beach necessities, or a walk all over a city I’m visiting without weighing Down my back

Consumables, or local things are good. Also, ear buds...I have several of those from conferences and toss them into a purse, work bag, beach bag etc. Great for listening to a video or audiobook in a coffeeshop, etc.

The only things that dh ever kept were a stylus, a magnetic clip that was strong (he used it back when he had metal cabinets in his cubicle), a travel mug, and a back scratcher. Pens, coasters, notepads, key rings, and similar items got tossed.

He did say he preferred the consumables though. Cookies, coffee sample, nuts.

This is very specific, but can be used for anyone who works or is outside, but at a cross country/ track and field official association training conference we received a Paperdry or weather writer clipboard similar to these >> www.paperdry.com/

I loved it and I bought one each for my son’s coaches in high school and then in college.

The very best thing ever I received at a conference was a huge durable canvas tote bag with a zippered top. I’d have to measure it but I’m pretty sure it’s either 18” or 24” square. Seriously huge. It’s my very favorite bag for traveling because depending on what’s in it, it will fit in an overhead bin or under an airplane seat. I can put my laptop and/or iPad in a case in it plus my purse, a jacket or sweater, my travel pillow, some snacks, tons of stuff. It also has a small zippered pocket inside and an external slip pocket too. I can also fold it up pretty small to put inside a suitcase and use it to bring extra stuff home that I want to carry on. The zippered top is critical because I can fill it up and zip the top so my stuff doesn’t fall out when I have to lay it down in the bin to go through the x-ray machines. It also has long enough handles so I can carry it on my shoulder. I love it for car trips too.

Another cool thing that I’d like to get and would find useful is a Rocketbook reusable notebook. I bought one but it would be a great swag item. You can write or sketch in it with an erasable Frixion pen (included), take a digital photo of the page and send it to the computer file or Dropbox, etc. where you want to store the information. Then you can erase the pages and reuse it so it’s eco friendly too. Even the little pocket sized ones are really handy.