What Goes In the Digital Swag Bag?
May 09, 2022
Virtual events are here to stay and with their new highly piqued interest comes questions regarding how to run these events, how to make them similar to in-person events, and even how to duplicate the live experience into the digital world.
Most people by now understand the value of hosting virtual events, regardless of how big or small they are or if they are done for a new audience or your internal staff. I love virtual events and see them popping up left and right all around the web.
But one thing I always miss about the virtual event option is the freebies you get in the welcome bags.
I can't be alone in this!
Who doesn't love cool freebies, right? And when you register for a conference or in-person meet-up we've come to expect a special bag at the welcome desk that's filled with swag from speakers, sponsors, and the event host.
This is a swag bag!
Don't make the mistake of not having one of these at your event.
I've found that by offering a virtual swag bag, you have a built-in tool for keeping people excited, a natural way to mention in shoutouts to the people who contributed, and a tool that allows your speakers and sponsors to share in the success of the event beyond affiliate payouts.
Check out this post What Exactly Is A Swag Bag, for more information on the basic idea and the benefits of having them for every event. In this post, we will be discussing specifically what goes into the swag bag and creative ideas for making them special.
Let's get started.
What Goes In the Digital Swag Bag?
For my Swag Bags, I usually stick to offering things that everyone who registers will get. So a lot of the time this means we have a bundle of goodies that are 100% virtual and all being offered as freebies to our attendees from myself, event speakers, and our sponsors.
I've also planned events where we did the opposite and actually mailed physical swag bags with branded products like pens and notebooks to all the attendees of a certain ticket. If that sounds more like what you're looking for, read Mailing Swag To Attendees For Virtual Events!
While this tactic worked really well for this particular event, it also took a rather large chunk out of the event profits, which is something I try to avoid doing unless really, really necessary.
Your Virtual Swag Bag Can Include:
- Event Agenda, Schedule, or Digital Directory
- Online courses
- Ebooks
- Masterclasses and workshops
- Checklists
- Planners
- Workbooks
- Digital graphics
- Templates
- Consultations
These are just a few easy ideas, that many speakers may already have on deck. But your swag bag can include just about anything that your speakers and sponsor can provide for free to everyone.
Here's What I Recommend For Virtual Swag Bags
I recommend you go the free and virtual route for your swag bag and save any paid discounts for your bonus offers. If you want to do a physical delivery of swag to your ticket holders, make sure to work that into your budget so you know where you stand.
For my events, I always use a speaker intake form which gathers information from every speaker, that I use to then build their speaker profile and their talk pages. On this form, I ask them upfront if they have a freebie they would like to include in our swag bag, which will be distributed to all attendees.
We provide a space for them to enter the following information and make it as easy as possible.
- Name/Title
- Description
- Retail Value
- Description
- Redemption Link
- Promo Code
Most speakers have something to contribute and a lot of the time we already know what this item is, because we did our homework during the Planning Phase and made a note about their current offerings before pitching them.
We ask for the same information on our Sponsor Intake Form, which allows sponsors the opportunity to offer something that all attendees can see and utilize that comes straight from their brand.
This method works really well- for everyone.
- The Summit Host: We get a bundle of freebies (we didn't have to create or purchase) that adds incredible value to our Free tickets and increases registration numbers.
- The Speakers & Sponsors: Your team gets to put something from their brand in front of every attendee with the intent to further connect and help people interested in their specific topic/offering.
- The Attendees: Your attendees get a wealth of valuable information and inspiration at their fingertips just for registering! They can pick and choose which swag to download or they can download everything and make sure they have what they need!
Try it out at your next virtual event and let me know what you think! And if you're interested in seeing how the virtual swag fits into your event tickets read these posts next:
