Shipping Items to Your Virtual Event Attendees is Not Easy. Is it Worth the Effort?
Yes, it’s definitely worth the effort, but you do need to put some serious thought into the whys and whats of your deliverables. Nothing quite bridges the gap between the virtual and physical realm like using tangible items that tie back into an experience your attendees will share during the event. We are here to share why you may want to make the effort to get items into your attendee’s hands.
Whether the goal of your event is team-building or connecting with your customers, session boxes with tailored swag or activity contents deepen the sense of community and encourage active participation. Your attendees won’t be gathering in person, but incorporating the five senses into the event will ground them in an experience they’ll remember.
Boost ROI
The right gifts can also boost event ROI (return on investment) by fostering goodwill between your company and the gift recipients. A physical gift provides an opportunity for delegates to engage with the event at a deeper level building brand advocacy. Lock in future event participants by making their attendance feel valued, exceeding expectations, and ensuring each component of their experience doesn’t feel like an afterthought. People invest where they feel that investment.
Beyond the Event
Branded packages or swag bags delivered straight to your attendees’ doorsteps offer an opportunity to strengthen the relationship between distributed teams or clients and leave a lasting impression. When kicking off the event planning process, Kennedy Events ensures all components reinforce the goal of your event, like:
Creating community
Elevating a moment in the agenda
Inspiring fond memories
Fostering connection and team building
Amplifying your brand
Educating your audience
The opportunities are endless. Interactive experiences paired with tangible treats and goodies will make your attendees more excited about the event, more engaged and present with the content during the event, and ultimately more connected with real, live people after the event.
Gifts can also be useful in making sure people remain engaged with the core tenets of your event even after it is done and dusted. The event may have wrapped, but they’ll have something tangible to remember their experience.
Invest in the Contents of Your Event Package
When building your event agenda and its supporting components, be mindful of the objective of your event. Each package should be purposeful and contribute to a cohesive experience that gives your event that “WOW” factor. The packaging and shipping of your contents can be more than the gifts, so budget accordingly. Remember, presenting speakers and attendees with gifts is a social etiquette accepted and practiced widely across business verticals and industries, no matter what type of event is being conducted.
Bring an Expert On Board
It’s important to keep in mind the operational aspect of shipping packages to attendees spread across cities, states, or the globe, especially with increased shipping demands and delays. You don’t want packages to arrive late, broken, spoiled, or running afoul of local laws. Thinking of shipping for the holidays? Plan longer lead times into your timeline and consider the ship-ability and shelf-life of packaged components are essential.
Rather than stressing over the challenge of coordinating each package element with different vendors, or the hurdle of building in lead-time to ensure your packages arrive on time, hire a pro. When you work with Kennedy Events, you get to focus on the fun part and we happily take the logistical nightmare off your plate. Hidden costs, overages, and unforeseen fees—especially when it comes to branded elements or multiple items—can take your event from success to failure in one fell swoop. Gifting may seem like the cherry on top, but when executed well it becomes an essential component of any virtual event.
Looking For Creative Ideas To Keep Your Virtual Attendees Engaged?
Kennedy Events knows how to incorporate tangible moments of connection to elevate your virtual event. You could say we have a gift for it. Allow us to take care of everything from the gorgeous gift wrapping to speedy shipping to the event platform management. Schedule a call to discuss how we can help you elevate your next virtual event.
PAIGE BUCK
Paige Buck is the co-owner of Kennedy Events, a large-scale event management company based in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York City. Our team creates stress-free conferences and events with a positive impact, which allows our clients to resonate with their audience. Kennedy Events specializes in producing flawless product launches, award ceremonies, fundraisers, and multi-day conferences while keeping our eye on retention and engagement goals.
About Kennedy Events
Kennedy Events began with one goal in mind—to produce high-level corporate events with just as much strategy as style. Maggie founded the company in 2000, found her match in Paige, and in 2011 the two became official partners. Since then, these two resourceful and brilliant creatives have pooled their strengths to build one one of the most the most sought after corporate event companies in San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles.
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