Did you ever go to a trade show booth and receive a pen or foamy stress ball branded with the company name you visited?  If you really want to attract people to your booth, flex your corporate responsibility muscles with eco-friendly trade show giveaways as opposed to the more traditional fare.

I’m talking about stainless steel bottles, reusable bags, or even a t-shirt made with organic cotton – all of which can still have your company logo on it.  Whatever your budget is, there is an eco-friendly alternative.  It’s still  a cost-effective trade show giveaway, but it’s also beneficial to the environment.  Typically, trade show exhibitors go to a promotional products company who prints their logo on a mug, pen, keychain or some other trinket.  Blah.

I’ve attended numerous trade shows myself and I can say definitively that the best response we got from customers occurred this year when we gave away stainless steel bottles at our booth.  People flocked to our booth, literally line ups and crowds, and we were the talk of the show because our booth was constantly packed with visitors.  Why was the bottle so popular?  Well, three reasons.  First, because a stainless steel bottle is practical – it’s something people could actually use every day.  Second, because it’s environmentally friendly and a sustainable substitute for single use plastic bottles.  And third, because of the quality of the giveaway, it’s 100% stainless steel as opposed to aluminum and it just looked classy in comparison to the pens or mugs other booths were offering.  Now you can help minimize waste and plastic consumption while creating brand awareness.  The trade show was a tremendous success for us and we made many valuable connections.

Reusable bags are another option which still provide that eco-awareness message and kudos to the many companies who have already chosen this greener route.  Personally, I’d much rather receive something at a trade show that I will actually use and if it’s eco-friendly, even better.  A keychain is useless to me, I have one thanks.  Pens, dime a dozen.  Ceramic coffee mug, I’ve got a cupboard full of them.  Stainless steel bottles, ok now that’s both green and unique.  Plus, it’s something I can use with regularity.

So in addition to some of the other green initiatives at your booth like recycled materials and conserving energy with reduced lighting, consider an eco-friendly trade show giveaway and surprise people with something they aren’t expecting.  Your customers will appreciate the green message behind the giveaway and the planet will thank you for putting sustainability in circulation.

For more information about greening your next trade show giveaway, contact us to learn more.

Tags: conserve energy, Corporate Responsibility, Eco Friendly, eco-friendly alternative, eco-friendly trade show giveaways, environmentally friendly, green trade show giveaways, greener trade shows, organic cotton, organic cotton t-shirt, organic cotton t-shirts, planet forward, plastic bottle reduction, plastic bottles, recycled materials, reduce waste, reusable bags, stainless steel bottles, sustainability, sustainable, sustainable bags, sustainable bottles, sustainable solutions, sustainable trade show giveaways, trade show giveaway, trade show giveaways, trade shows