Marshall Yard:

#1 Know your Audience:  If all trade show attendees were buyers, acquiring new business would be like shooting fish in a bucket. But we know this is hardly the case. This doesn’t mean, though, that you should throw in the towel. Offer giveaways only to attendees who will return your investment: potential clients who make an appointment to meet with you to discuss your product or service.

#2 Don’t just giveaway anything: Your secondary objective with giveaways should be to drive traffic into your space. Your PRIMARY objective should be to strengthen customer loyalty and promote your product or service. Essentially, steer clear of distributing any cheapo knick-knack, regardless of how it relates to your business: if you’re an electronics manufacturer, don’t give away rubber balls…try flash drives. If you’re a publisher, don’t bake cookies…give ‘em pens.

#3 Where are the giveaways?: If you’re able to solely target prospective clients with your giveaways, super! If you’re not (say, your exhibit environment wasn’t design to accommodate meetings), strategically position the giveaways somewhere in your space that doens’t lure passersby. Give them to each salesperson or keep them in an interior, yet easily accessable, cabinet.

#4 Price isn’t the only factor: A dollar per item, for instance, can buy a heck of a lot more than you might think…So USE it! That’s what budgets are for. Sacrificing quality for cost is the kiss of death in any business dealing. Remember to offer your giveaways to the right people for a near guaranteed ROI.

It doesn’t matter what they are called - promotional items, trade show giveaways, chachka or tchotchkes so, ready, set, eat! We are closing in on the Thanksgiving Holiday, and food will be of abundance.  I just saw a trade show giveaway that I thought was a fantastic idea and one that will not be left behind! Cookies! Who doesn’t love cookies?  We all know when we are walking the trade show floors, we get hungry and tired, and a little boost of sugar may be just the ticket!

Chocolate chip cookies, sugar cookes, peanut butter and oatmeal! Put your company logo on a cookie and take a bite out of your competition.  I can say this honesty, I’d be hunting down the exhibit booth that was giving out cookies, but that’s coming from the mouth of a sweet tooth.  A great little piece on The World Almanac Blog shows how much candy per capita we consume! Oh..my! Pass me the dessert tray!

What was that funny word I heard to describe a trade show giveaway? I heard it, I know how to pronounce it, but where did it come from and how do you spell it?  

Chachka - Tchotchke - Giveaways - Trinkets

Definition - A cheap shiny trinket, slang name for trade show giveaways.  I ran across this word several years ago when I went down to Florida with someone attending the Lotus Notes program in Orlando. 

What do you call a trade show giveaway? This question has been ask a few times, and then I realized what it was the people were asking.  This is stated as being a Yiddish word and can also mean an attractive unconventional woman.  Would this be a booth babe? Not likely, but the two do fit well in the world of trade show booths and trade show exhibits. 

So for all of you out there wondering, what is the word for trade show promotional items?  Giveaways, Trinkets - you have come across the world of Chachka - Tchotchke, pronounced CHA-CH-KEY

There are several reasons people give away promotional items in the trade show setting, usually at the top of the list is traffic and visitors.  Remember to keep in mind the type of visitors and traffic you are hoping to draw in.

First off, when trying to decide what types of items to “give-away” do some research first and get a reputable company.  You want your promotional item to be remembered, you want it to convey a message of what your company does and who you are in the market place. 

Does your trade show booth follow any sort of theme? Are you trying to give your booth visitor an education? Each one of those could support a different promotional item.   Do not forget your “brand awareness” in this process, and make sure that the item will send that message. 

Promotional items can be costly, make sure you plan well in advance for any given trade show and order early and follow a strategic plan in order to acquire the give-aways at the best cost, often times in bulk if you are planning on exhibiting at more than one trade show. 

In order to capture your prospective clients make it an item of desire, but do not hand them out freely, or just have them displayed somewhere so they are easy for the taking.  You want to be able to engage the prospective client in conversation so that you can establish a relationship and further the process from prospect to client. 

If the convention center offers any sort of pre-show advertising, this may be a great chance to include a stop at our booth with this certificate.  That way you will get them engaged in a more detailed conversation of your product and services.