If you own a business, you know how important the existence of trade shows is for your brand. Companies from all over the area gather at these events to show off some of their hot new products, and try to create a buzz for their brand. Generating this brand awareness is a crucial part of creating a successful business, and trade shows are a crucial venue to do it in. If you want to make the most of your trade show experience, you need to optimize the marketing value of the day with trade show giveaways. Of course, any promotional products are appropriate for this occasion, but if you really want to zero in on the potential you can meet at a trade show, then check out a few of these suggestions. 

1. Trade Show Apparel

This category comes first because it makes up the majority of promotional products industry. Clothing is probably the most successful category for promotions simply because of the value retention of the item. Anytime you give people custom T-Shirts with your imprinted logo, those people are going to wear that shirt repeatedly and in different locations. They are pretty much a walking advertisement for you, so the investment pays for itself. Not to mention, the recipient of the shirt will now feel associated with your company, and you have a much better chance of landing that person as a customer. Check out this UltraClub ladies V-neck as a good example for your next trade show. 

2. Best Trade Show Pens

When people think about trade show giveaways, pens are one of the first things that comes to mind. Pens are great for the purposes of a trade show because they have a tremendous amount of promotional value for a low cost. Everyone needs to have a pen with them in their daily lives, whether it is being carried in their briefcase, purse, or the glove compartment of their car. The owner of the pen sees your imprinted logo every time they break it out, and it registers with their mind whether they realize it or not. These pens usually last for quite a while, which will extend the life of your promotion. As an added bonus, promotional pens have a tendency to be left in certain places and picked up by another person who plans on using it. Now, your brand will be introduced to the new person and everyone they come into contact with as well. 3.  Trade Show Food Giveaways
 
People get hungry at trade shows - that's a simple fact. When you hand out promotional food products at your trade show, there is good chance the recipient is going to eat it right then and there. Anything from candy to chocolates will be enjoyed right on the trade show floor. There are two ways to look at this. You may think that the life of custom food products is way too short, but that isn't true. In reality, you are providing the recipient an instant gratification with items like this, as well as a way to make people physically remember your brand before they even walk out the door at the end of the day. This gives food giveaways a tremendous amount of power and potential in a trade show environment. Some candy products are even packaged in quality custom imprinted containers that can be reused once the food inside has been eaten. In this regard, promotional food products can outlast any other type of promotional products.

The CurveExpo is coming to New York. From August 1-3, you can check out the Curve trade show at the Javits Center in Manhattan. Unfortunately, the CurveExpo is only open to people in the intimate apparel and swimwear industry. So, if you work in fashion and haven't heard of CurveExpo, please take this opportunity to learn more. If you don't work in the lingerie or swimwear industry, trust me it's still worth a read.

The CurveExpo is a bi-annual trade show event held in New York and Las Vegas to show off the newest trends in lingerie and swimwear. The event features mostly women's lines, but there are several men's lines there as well. Designers come from all over the world to present their new ideas to important decision-making buyers in the Americas. The three-day event comes complete with trends seminars, fashion shows, and information tutorials. All in all, it is a way for designers to get the word out in a classy environment.  

Top designers at the show will include but are not limited to: Aerin Rose, Bassoni, Claridge & King, and Playboy Swim. So, if you work in fashion and are in the New York area August 1, be sure to check it out. To learn more about how to register, here is the official Curvexpo website.

New designers have a quick three day period to make a lasting impression on potential buyers of their clothing lines. But what happens when the CurveExpo is finished? How do these up-and-coming designers get buyers to remember their name? The worst possible scenario at a trade show event is when a buyer becomes interested in your product or design, but forgets the name of your brand once they walk out the door. The clever designers will definitely have some promotional products handy at their booths so that this problem never occurs.

Since the CurveExpo is part of the clothing industry, some promotional apparel would definitely be the way to go. Designers can have their brand name or logo printed on a promotional T-shirt for instance, since this is the most common way to advertise your brand with apparel. For an item even more relevant to this purpose, designers can get a bit more risque with some custom printed ladies' thong bikini underwear.

Any of these items would be perfect trade show giveaways for the upcoming CurveExpo. So lingerie and swimwear designers, if you are reading this take my advice. Have some promotional products ready at the CurveExpo and your line will hit stores in no time.

Get on the trade show giveaway bandwagon by checking out these hot new promotional trends! There is no better way to market your brand than by showing how relevant your business is in today's day and age. These hot new giveaways will be sure to attract massive amounts of attention at your next trade show. Here are a few that make the top of the list.

Silly bands. These custom rubber band bracelets (also known as silly bands) have the young kids more crazed than Beatlemania. This is a product that is brand new to the promotional market so it's going to be a rarity at a trade show. Wouldn’t you like to be the only booth boasting this hot new promotional product with your logo on the package? It is guaranteed to have people of all ages flocking to your stand.

Aluminum water bottles. These promotional aluminum water bottles started as a retail trend and have recently made their way into the promotional market. They are practical, stylish, and everybody loves them. A promotional item like this is going to be used by the recipient on a daily basis. Make sure you take advantage of this promotion by having some handy as trade show giveaways.

Eco- friendly products. Everyone knows that “Going Green” is the new trend for businesses, and it's probably a trend that is here to stay. You want to make sure that people know your company is environmentally conscious if you haven’t done so already. A great way to get the word out is by sporting some new eco-friendly promotional products at your next trade show. Motivators is a company that is tremendously aware of environmental causes, so we feature a wide selection of these eco-friendly items for your choosing!

A case of the lacking trade show giveaways happens all to often. But why?

It is proven that recipients of promotional products are more likely to use that brands products and services then another's. So why the lowly lack?

After attending trade shows and researching giveaways galore, I've figured out the top three reasons why businesses don't use trade show products.

1. They cost too much.

Have you checked out our low price categories? We've got tons of giveaways in our trade show promos less than 50 cents category that offer cost effective solutions to any small budget problems.. You won't find our high end items here but if you're looking for low costs on effective products then these are perfect for you. Even if you can’t make a huge count order of your giveaways, go for a minimum order and you'll stay under budget while gaining exposure.

                                                        
2. The booth will be too crowded.

It's important to have a good deal of open space at your booth so that passersby feel welcomed and comfortable. The concern of giveaways making a booth too crowded is real. But all that means is that you must plan ahead. A basket of giveaways docked on a side table will draw people into your booth so that you can then engage them. It's also a good idea for you to step out of the booth and draw people in yourself by handing out the giveaways. The booth will only be too crowded if you make it that way. So choose 2 to 3 people to man the booth at a time and don't exclude the trade show giveaways.
                                

3. We have enough man power to market.

So you're booth is all decked out? Perfect to the T? A masterpiece on the trade show floor? Not without giveaways. Your booth can be furnished with cozy chairs, bumping with music on flat screen TVs and armed with eager sales people - but it won't be complete without giveaways. Choose the ones that best represent your business and stop with the excuses. Trade show giveaways or bust
                                                      

News reports say that the latest Gizmodo CTIA trade show was a bit of a bore - atleast to outsiders. Venture Beat did an article on the all things cell phone trade show and warns you to check the dates on those awesome CTIA trade show pictures - most of the Vegas displays and cool gadget photos were from last years event.
                    
He explains that the trade show is , "... where corporate CIO's go to hangout with their sales rep..." But what about the other attendees? In his write up, I see no mention of trade show giveways and can only assume that was the reason that outsiders were bored out of their noggins. Still, for those in the cell phone world check out these tech fabulous event products check at PCMag.
                                          
It's proven that trade show giveaways increase the traffic to booths and help to bring your brand greater exposure once the evnt is over. Just last week we atteneded the Go Green Expo and it was clear that our giveaways were a major draw to our booth. So where were they at the CTIA show? If you're planning on attending next year make sure to check out our trade show items
                                
We've got promotional cell phone shaped magnets, cool cell lights and even a custom printed cell phone recycled tire jar opener.
 

Put on your promotional trade show badge and join the techie parade at this weekend's SXSW Interactive in Texas. The event, held March 12-16, welcomes the brightest minds in technology to come together and share their knowledge. It's unique to the techno and trade show world, because this is no ordinary event; its' both a conference to share knowledge and a festival to celebrate music and entertainment. That's an event I'd love to check out!
         
It was only two years ago that Twitter made its claim to fame after being showcased at the event and now the talk is of what the next trend may be. There's one trend that I'm eager to follow; the SXSW trade show giveaways. Will promotional electronics be all the rage or will go green products take charge?

One item I'm interested in following is promotional stickers. Attendees bring their laptops to conferences and use their collected stickers to dress them up. It's a great way to show their support for particular companies they network with or learn from. 

Throughout the packed conference room I can picture Twitter logos, Apple logos and beyond forming a massive collage over every laptop. But will promotional stickers be as successful this year? I don't believe so.

In the past year, the demand for and use of smartphones escalated. My guess is that many of the SXSW attendees will be smartphone clad and laptopless. With information at your fingertips, in the palm of your hand, laptops aren't as necessary. Infact, this years logo puts the focus on a smartphone- but no laptop is in sight. 
                                        
So what does this mean for stickers? Will they be no more? Perhaps we need to put them all in a shrinking machine. Maybe we'll see that invention at the 2011 SXSW.

A wedding is supposed to be the most important day of your life. Family and friends join together to celebrate the life journey of their loved ones. But as seen on shows like Bridezilla, weddings can become very stressful. Wedding trade shows help to make the process of selecting flower arrangements, caterers, wedding favors, and wedding decorations easy.
               
That's why thousands of people signed up for "The Boston 411 Bridal & Home Show 2010," scheduled to take place March 5-7 in Boston at the John B. Hynes Convention Center. Vendors also bought booth space and I'm sure the trade show giveaways have already been selected. However, vendors can save those giveaways and the bride and groom will want to call up a wedding planner as soon as possible. Because yesterday, Trade Show Week announced that "The Boston 411 Bridal & Home Show 2010 is nothing more than a hoax.
                          
The fraudulent show charged attendees $15 a ticket and an apparent thousands of tickets have been purchased. The Boston Police Department and FBI began investigating after the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority confirmed that the trade show was a fraud and anyone hurt by the scam is asked to contact victims.bpd@cityofboston.gov .

This is a new low for whoever orchestrated this trade show scam and reminds us of the importance to use reliable sources for trade show news and information. For information on how to avoid these scams check out the great blog entry at The Wedding Marketing Blog. 

On that note, are their any underground criminal trade shows? Whip out the handcuff keychains as the perfect trade show giveaway.
                              

One of my favorite things about the summer is being out on a boat. Put me in rubber boots and gloves, I'll join you on a claming adventure. Likewise, just pick up the bait and I'll come prepared with my rod and tackle box. But most enjoyably, I'll join you for a relaxing, sun-soaked afternoon as it fades into a picturesque sun, setting evening.
              
My love of boats makes me wish I could take a little rendezvous to the annual Boat Show in Springfield. Boat dealers said there was a 25%-30% decrease in business last year. There will all sorts of boats on display from fishing boats to pontoons and personal watercrafts. Since local boat deals all across the board saw losses last year, efforts at the show are being increased.

The Illinois State Journal recently spoke with registered attendees to get the scoop on the 2010 Boat Show. A local boat store owner, Jeff Smith of JLS Marine Inc. is in charge of marketing this years boat show and has already expressed his interested in trade show giveaways. He said, "My hope is to put more into the show, and I feel it is going to be a win-win," he says. "My goal is to make sure the dealers have every opportunity to be successful and sell more boats."
                           
By "putting more into this show," like giving our door prizes, attendees will be enthused about the boat show and great business relationships will be secured. Our trade show giveaways can be incorporated into this event as door prizes, booth swag or raffle items. Our custom imprinted sail boat stress relievers will be praised by recipients and give business smooth sailing exposure. Likewise, these awesome custom imprinted cruise ship or boat chocolates are a sweet treat that everyone will look forward to receiving.
 
With the inclusion of giveaways into the Springfield Boat Show, the industry can look forward to a more successful year and eventually, a full recovery from the recession. Now writing this really got me in the mood to set sail. Summer couldn't come faster.

The definition next to "toy" in the Merriam Webster dictionary says, "flirtatious or seductive behavior." But as much as I'd like to get cozy and snuggle up real close to the Snuffles bear- I'm going to focus on the third definition, "Something for a child to play with." At the 2010 Toy Fair, held last week in New York City, you can imagine the amount multitude of fun trade show giveaways.
     
Today, I'm going to focus on a couple products that share qualities with our own items. To start things off, let's get into our one-sie pajamas and sip some warm milk. Mom will be in for story time in a couple minutes and good ole Snuffles is wrapped in your arms. A teddy bear is a token item for every child. However, this teddy bear won't be spending any time in bed. It's strictly a "for the eyes only" kind of item. It's not that little Snuffles bites, or even that he's missing a button. Snuffles won't be making a child near you happy anytime soon because he costs $10,000.

Snuffles represented the Gund booth with class at the American International Toy Fair in New York and created a buzz for their booth without giving them out as samples or swag. Instead, Snuffles impressive white alpaca fur, black Tahitian pearl eyes and 10-carat diamond necklace with a white gold chain to draw in new clients. We recommend our adorable, lovable soft and snuggable, custom imprinted classic bear. He's not bedazzled with any diamonds or pearls, but he'll keep the boogie man away at night.

The other product that caught my attention is actually an entire line of products for the upcoming release of the children's film, "How to Train your Dragon." You'll find plush dragons and even some role-playing costumes. (Oh la la.) While I'm sure the kids will love this dragon movie, I'm not so sure it's the most educational of toys. Pretending to be a dragon trainer in a plastic cape doesn't sound like a real brain sensation.

Therefore, I'd suggest teaching kids some real responsibility and bringing more love into their lives at the same time. How? By buying a pet dragon. Scratch that, I mean by buying a family dog. This custom imprinted Pet Dog Owner's Maintenance log is a great way to stay involved in your child's life while teaching them valuable lessons. Fill out the book together and learn how to train an actual animal (not from make believe.)

I look forward to next years Toy Fair. I'll be showing off my dragon training skills with my plastic costume on, come on by for a visit.
 

For all the awesome giveaways that one can boast at a trade show, none may be as effective as the classic promotional t-shirt. Every year studies are done to determine the most effective and most popular promotional products and every year one category tops the list: promotional apparel. Of course, promotional t-shirts fall under that category. So what is so great about promotional t-shirts?

Well for one thing, as cheap as they are, they seem to come across as an item of value. Recipients clamor after them like Henry the VIII after a chicken leg. They absolutely have to have them. When you put two booths next to each other, one giving away pens and one giving away t-shirts, you can bet that the booth giving away t-shirts will be out first. In all honesty, the booth handing out the pens might very well have paid more for their giveaway, but there just is no stopping people when it comes to a free t-shirt. Whether or not they'll wear it usually depends on the design of the shirt itself, but you can bet they'll want it and chances are they probably will wear it. Whether they wear it to the gym to work out or to bed at night, it's more exposure for your logo. So while you're debating the next trade show giveaway, consider going for the most popular of all: the classic promotional t-shirt.