Saving the day the Swag (Rules) way

Event swag is hard.

It’s hard because you usually don’t know all the attendees very well, you’ve been busy creating content for it or managing logistics and what to do for swag is often last on the list (and the budget).

But, even if you are low on time or dollars, you can still make your event swag rule.

Here’s a quick reminder of the Swag Rules and how to apply them at events:

Foster creativity — The good news, is if you are planning (or planning to attend) an event, you are probably already in a pretty creative mindset — coming up with ideas on what to do, what to say, what to check out.

Develop the right mindset — Events are stressful (whether you are the host or an attendee) so developing the right mindset (aka gratitude) can be hard. Here are a couple mantras that work for me:

· [If hosting] — Once this is done, it’s done for everyone. Make it great.

· [If attending or speaking] — I’ll learn more here than at my desk at home.

Start small — It’s hard not to approach event swag as “how many Xs would I need?” or “what can get here in time?” This is *the* time to ask “what could we do” instead of “what should we do?” When we’re time or cost-constrained, the first thing we do is try and re-mix something that worked well before, especially if it was a successful 1:1 item (since that’s ideally what you’re trying to achieve at scale with event swag).

Support the story — This is probably the most critical part of event swag; and the story isn’t your sponsorship or what you’re calling the event. The story is why you are having or participating in the event — which is ideally the story you want them to take back to their home or office. If everything centers on the story:

· It will catch

· It will build momentum

· It will be repeated as a phrase in people’s presentations

· It will be your brand’s lingering impression long after everyone has forgotten the event

So, make sure “it” supports the story.

The Swag Rules in Action

Now, for how we’ve recently put this into practice, I call to the stage, Cassie LeBlanc!

Here’s the low down on how we combined newly created content, a relevant theme, and a touch of nostalgia for a memorable delivery to the attendees of the JAM Fintop Summit

This project came about as we were in the midst of finalizing our latest report in partnership with American Banker where we talked about how far we have come as an industry and how to explore the connection between the past, present, and future of financial services.

With this concept fresh in our minds and under a considerable time crunch, we wanted to combine the spirit of the report with the great city of Nashville where the event would be held (support the story — check!).

Last year, we held our customer advisory board in Nashville so we already had a themed design ready to go:

Design Courtesy of Mindy Boykin, Red Velvet

Building on that base, we looked at what else we had that could tie in and Allison’s best-selling book came to mind and, since you can’t give a book without a bookmark, we created some along with Nymbus branded guitar picks for an extra special touch. Finally, we wrapped it up nicely, carrying the same theme throughout with a book band to keep the theming consistent.

Next, we needed to tie back into Nashville and the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Nashville is the rich country music culture. Our mixtape speaker, which we had used for both our Summer and Fall swag drops, was quickly customized along with a Music City playlist.

Finally, how do you present these items thoughtfully and affordably without using bags or boxes that simply end up in the trash? This is where our latest report about the past, present and future of banking comes in….what’s more nostalgic than a bank deposit bag? This isn’t just any deposit bag, but one of the rad retro vinyl ones with a lock and key.

We aren’t here to pretend it’s easy because the reality is it takes a village of people that are committed to the vision and are game to see it across the finish line. Our partners at GiftSuite always embrace the vision and work diligently to help find items that fit within our budget, even when they have to do things like punch holes in 300 guitar picks because they showed up without holes!

When you aren’t simply slapping your logo on a cup, there will be challenges like having 300 mixtape speakers printed with the wrong design 48 hours prior to the event. In this situation, you take a deep breath, communicate clearly and often, and lean into your resources to get it done.

Thanks to Alana Feuling’s excellent communication skills, Sangita Verma’s persistence, the crazy work ethic of Jam Fintop’s organizers Brittani Roberts, Jena Thomas, and Lauren Vargo, plus the execution of the staff at the JW, Marriott- everyone was pleasantly surprised and delighted by this fine-tuned bag of honky-tonking goodness!