Trade Show Giveaway Blunders

By Mark Brousseau

At almost every trade show, including TAWPI’s Forums & Expo (yes, that was a shameless plug!), exhibitors give away countless promotional items in hopes of influencing attendees’ decisions to buy their products and services. It’s easy for exhibitors to rack up a considerable tab for these give away items (or tchotchkes, as marketing types refer to them).

But do they work? That depends on how effectively exhibitors use them, says Candy Adams in an article in the March issue of Exhibitor Magazine. Without proper planning and execution, giveaways can be a waste of money, Adams writes. She passes along the following 12 common giveaway blunders:

1. Choosing your giveaway before setting objectives.
2. Misunderstanding your target audience.
3. Selecting giveaways in a vacuum.
4. Giving the same gift to all levels of customers or prospects.
5. Giving away items banned by show management.
6. Not considering the total cost of your giveaways.
7. Distributing low-quality items.
8. Winning the Tacky and Tasteless Award.
9. Omitting your message or logo.
10. Creating an unrelated contest.
11. Just laying your company’s giveaways out on the counter for any passing booth beggar.
12. Making your promotion a one-time show.

Have you seen a company that used giveaways especially well? E-mail me at m_brousseau@msn.com.