8 Ideas for Conference Hotel Room Drops: Level Up Your Swag

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Hotel room drops help your brand make a lasting impression, so make it count.

The best swag is both useful and memorable.

What’s a conference without swag? We’re not talking about how you walk into the room, but the stuff attendees take home that remind them of who you are and what you do—and how you can work together in the future. One of the benefits at staying at the official conference hotel is that you can very easily reach out and leave a lasting impression with every other conference attendee who’s staying there.

For NamesCon Global partners who are interested in hotel room drops at the Omni, we’ve brainstormed a list of some of the best swag we’ve encountered, to help you get those creative juices flowing.

First, though, here are three main guidelines worth considering:

Make it useful: the best swag stays out of the trash or recycle bin. Give attendees something they can use immediately, or something that they’ll hang onto for when they’re back home. This is why coffee cups, mints, and snacks are such timeless classics.

Your swag should be lightweight: this sound arbitrary, but most attendees have flown into town from somewhere else, and won’t want to weigh themselves down too much for the journey home. Also, hotel staff will not be down with carrying around hundreds of branded anvils.

Consider a room drop that’s relevant to your immediate presence at NamesCon Global: drive traffic to your booth in the Exhibition Area, or promote a special event you’re hosting. (Oh, and let us know if you want to put together a special event at one of Austin’s hotspots—we can make that happen!)

… Okay, and here’s a fourth guideline, since NamesCon Global is taking place in a cool city:

Go local: reference the culture of where the event is taking place. In this case, the Omni Hotel Austin Downtown is in… well, downtown Austin. You’ve got rock, country, barbecue, art, hipster culture, the startup scene, and geek chic to work with, and that’s just a start.

Try One of These Swag Ideas

Power packs
Since everyone will have a mobile device with them, make sure they’re not eyeing the wall sockets of every room they enter. Give them a branded power supply so they can recharge on the go. Just make sure that they’re reusable!

Screen wipes
These always disappear quickly when we see them at shows. Lots of people touching their (and each other’s) screens means lots of smudges. You just cringed at the thought of smudges on your laptop screen, and you’re not alone. Brand something like this and you’ll be associated with sweet, sweet cleanliness.

Reusable water bottles
Learning and networking is thirsty work, and the tide is turning against disposable plastic. This is where you jump in and make sure your colleagues (and new customers) are hydrating in a sustainable way.

Cocktail kits
These are usually pitched towards the air travel market, but think about it: what a great way to unlock the potential of the humble hotel-room minibar…

Hangover kits
Sharp-eyed readers will remember that we suggested this one for Las Vegas a few years ago, but it’s still super-relevant for Austin, which has more bars per capita than anywhere else in the United States.

Laptop camera sliders
With online security on everyone’s mind, this one’s a slam dunk, and it’s the gift that keeps on giving. Every time attendees open their laptops, they’ll see your brand: a genuine win-win scenario.

Upgrade the Hotel Amenities
Perhaps a welcome pack of snacks reflecting the local style, or a little kit of self-care items that go beyond the typical soap/shampoo/conditioner. Associate your brand with a DIY spa day.

Gift cards
These make horrible holiday gifts, but work really well for conferences, when they’re going to people you haven’t met yet. You can get them for online stores, or—better yet—app stores. You can even add messaging to promote networking: something like “Android user? Find an iPhone addict and trade this card!”

So how will you make your presence felt at NamesCon Global 2020? Room drops are a great chance to make a lasting impression before the action even starts—but you only get one shot. Use it wisely!

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