I was recently asked to be a guest expert on T&S Partners PR Group Blog. T&S Partners is a public relations agency that has great success helping build businesses reputation through effective media communication. Beth Mandel, a founding partner of T&S, approached me to share my trade show giveaway strategies. I'm honored to be invited to participate in the Q & A format on T&S Partner's Blog and especially happy to be recognized as a trade show expert. Thank you!
Here is a new promotional item for you! Everyone loves when we get new trade show giveaways, it's even better news when the items are worthy! These would be great for kids, little customized ear buds. You can choose 2 dimensional or 3 dimensional. They range in size from 5/8's of an inch up to 7/8's. You can even do two different modes for each ear. They fit right over the ear phones of your MP3, iPod or phone. 
One of my favorite trade shows to go to for new ideas is CES in Vegas. It's the world's largest consumer electronics trade show. To give you an idea of the size ~ it covers over 35 football fields. It's hard to describe what it feels like to walk the floor and see all the newest trends in electronics. Music is playing, lights are flashing, you're surrounded by accents from around the world, it's really amazing. You also get a great feel for the newest trends in trade show exhibiting. I think last year was my best year. I hung out with one of my favorite clients, Melanie from Skype. It was great to spend some time and get to know her better, especially in Vegas. One of my favorite places at the show was the Intel gaming tent. I was able to test a new race game while sitting in a full sized BMW Formula One race car and drive down a simulated track. It was so worth the wait!
This is a good time to talk about some trade show giveaway items for our digerati trade show attendees. Remember when the USB stick was the hottest giveaway? They're still good to giveaway, just don't expect people to be that excited anymore. The newest trend with USB now is the ability to have them created in a custom shape or to premiumize them by offering them with an added fingerprint security option or lighting capability etc... I'm not so sure there is the "the hottest promo idea" out there right now but we can highlight some new cool trade show ideas. If your budget permits, there is a custom 
webcam that has four different functions. It is a digital camera, a movie clip recorder, a web camera, and a USB flash drive. Other nice features are the USB rechargeable battery and the possibility to go from 256MB up to 1G.
Most people have bluetooth built into their laptops but many desktops will require an external Bluetooth adapter. How do you like our customized Bluetooth dongle?
It plugs into any USB port and easily adds Bluetooth capability to multiple devices up to 30 feet.
The projection clock is fun.
It has an alarm clock with temperature, calendar and a snooze. The customized clock will project the time and the temperature on the ceiling or a wall. It arrives gift boxed with batteries.
What's the best trade show giveaway you ever received at a trade show? Why? It's great to share some experiences. Hey best story we get, we'll share one of our custom screaming monkeys with you! Thanks 
You're set. You have to giveaway a pen at the upcoming show. The lighted pens have been done again and again and again...almost as much as the globe stress reliever. How about a custom combo pen? On one end is the pen and on the other is a breath spray? or breath mints? or hand sanitizer? There is also a style that offers eye drops. All useful to have in our briefcases or carry-ons! Sure we can do a pen, but it's what we can do with the pen that will make the giveaway and your logo stand out.
I was talking yesterday about "Premiumization" and wanted to show a few more cool ideas for trade show giveaways, that will step up your brand. What do you think of this water bottle? 
You may think another water bottle? It is a popular item. There are over 22 million sold a year but wait... It is the very first of its kind! Which right there "had me at hello". I love it for a few more reasons though. One, we should reuse water bottles and environment is top of mind this year no matter where you are. Two, check out the imprint...four color process. Normally you see a hit of one color or two. Now you're able to capture a photo quality image. It holds up to 36 ounces, it is dishwasher safe, and (ta da) Made in the USA. It is the polycarbonate style bottle, no smelly plastic. No set-up fees, quick turn around and high resolution quality. Guaranteed wow factor as a CES Giveaway idea this year. For fun, to meet the smile factor ~ how about the custom sling shot monkey ? 
It loosens up the mood around the office and will for sure get people flocking to your booth to get one. He cracks me up. If you're going environmental, I love the eco desk planter. 
Looks so natural, speaks volumes about the warmth of your company, keeping you top of mind front and center on the desk. Don't forget the comment bonus ~everyone who passes by your desk will say "that is so cute". Looking at your logo smiling, reinforcing the positive message. I also think it's great because when you re-pot the plant, as it grows larger, you crack the egg into the soil. The egg itself then becomes fertilizer. As my friends in the UK say: "Brilliant". There are giveaways and there are giveaways. I'll be back tomorrow with some more thoughts. If you want to talk about some ideas, give me a call or if you want to just bounce some ideas off me, feel free to email. I'm right here.
