Trade Show Freebies & SWAG

Learn how to get trade show freebies and SWAG. Free stuff is given away at trade shows as promotional items, prizes or as leftover product demos.

Historically, the word “swag” was defined as loot or something that a thief has stolen. Over time it became slang for stuff given away at trade shows and conferences. It is now an acronym which stands for “Stuff We All Get”. It can also mean “having style” which could theoretically apply to freebies if the freebies are hats or clothing. The word “swagger” might apply to someone who is walking arogantly, but on this site we might call someone a “swagger” if they look for swag at trade shows.

Trade shows, conferences, expos, conventions, exhibitions, symposiums and other meetings are great opportunities for freebie hunters. There are three different types of gifts that you might find: SWAG or small gifts, game prizes, and product demos.

Free Gifts, Promotional Products & SWAG At Trade Shows

The vendors who set up tables at these events will often give away promotional products that are branded with their logo. If you’d like to see the large variety of possibilities, you can go to any promotional products printer. Products may include office supplies, electronics accessories, toys, small tools, t-shirts, hats, bags, coolers, calendars, water bottles, towels, eye glass cleaning kits, jackets, and even appliances like coffee makers. Most the items that are given away will be small and inexpensive since the vendor has a marketing budget to consider. However, the vendor may opt for more valuable giveaways for a couple of reasons. One reason is that they want to grab the attention of people walking by so that they stop at the table long enough to hear a sales pitch. The other reason is that they want the people who take the gifts to keep them for a long time. If it’s more valuable they may keep it longer and prolong the exposure of their brand. If it’s not as valuable then it may get thrown away quickly and the vendor’s promotional investment was wasted.

Prizes At Trade Shows

Trade shows are sales opportunities for vendors. If you’ve ever had any experience with sales, you’ll know that efforts are made to keep people motivated and excited. Games and prizes are a great way to do that. At trade shows there may be raffles, drawings, plinko, spin the wheel, the air money machine, and multiple other ways to win prizes. Most often these games don’t require any purchases, since that could technically be labeled as gambling and would require following certain regulations. Usually the prizes are nicer and more valuable than the free gifts or SWAG that is mentioned above. They may include electronics or appliances such as head phones (expensive ones), cameras, laptops or TVs. If it’s a home and garden show then the prizes may be related to the kitchen or other areas of the home. In fact, the prizes may follow the theme of any particular trade show.

Product Demos At Trade Shows

Most B2C (business to consumer) shows and even some B2B (business to business) shows will have products on display or out of the box for representatives to give demonstrations. It cost the vendor money to transport those products along with tables, banners and other booth materials. Once the product is out of the box, they can’t sell it retail. So what do they do with it? It depends. They may continue transporting it to other shows. But in many cases they might give it away to avoid additional expenses. If you can swing it, product demos are some of the best freebies that are given away at trade shows.

How do I get free stuff at trade shows?

The more valuable the freebie, the harder it may be to obtain. If the freebie is simply promotional products and SWAG, then stop at the booth that is giving away the branded reusable bags and fill it up with the SWAG that all the other tables are giving away. If it’s laid out on the table, then all you have to do is ask. And it does help to ask; you’ll get more if you do. Most of these items are worth about $1-$5, maybe on occasion you’ll get something worth $10 or $15 if the vendor is really nice and decided to splurge on their marketing. Yet, even at $1-$5, if you’re collecting a lot, and if you can use it, it becomes considerably valuable. Why pay for office supplies, ever? You can get tons of pens, highlighters, notepads, paper, binders, etc. for free. USB car chargers and cell phone charging banks can cost $5-$15 retail. They’re often given away for free. Every Christmas I hate paying for stocking stuffers because collectively all those little items add up. It’s the same at trade shows; you could even walk away with $40 to $100 worth of stuff, depending on how many vendors are there. And if the branding isn’t too prominent, or even if it is and the kid won’t notice, these items become perfect stocking stuffers. My kids especially love flashlights, which are also given away often.

If the freebie is a prize, then there may or may not be some skill involved. If there is skill involved then that gives you some control over winning. If you’re a regular trade show attendant, or “swagger”, you could even practice and develop that skill and win more often. Drawings and raffles are mostly chance, but you can increase your chances by getting more entries. Plinko is mostly a game of chance, but some may argue that there is a trick to where the pucks are placed at the top. There may be some skill that you could develop with spin-the-wheel since most wheels have about the same manufacturer design. You’d have to obtain one to practice at home and get a feel for how far certain pressures will spin it. Then you could evaluate where the biggest prize is on the wheel and try to get it to land just right. The more you practice, the more motor memory you’d acquire and the easier it will be when you actually attend the trade show. Supposedly there is a simple trick to the air money machine where you don’t try to grab the money with your hand. You simply stand there with your arms slightly folded and leave a small pocket between your arms and your body.

The product demos might take a little more work. These will not be available until the last day; you might even get more and more lucky as you approach the final hour of the trade show. At that point the company reps are getting excited to wrap it up and go home. You could use that to your advantage since it helps them if they don’t have carry things or put them away. One expert “swagger” suggested that you get a media pass. If you can offer them something of value besides simply helping them clean up their booth, then they may be more likely to give the product demo to you, instead of someone else. With a media pass you’d be telling them that you can get them some additional exposure. You don’t have to be a professional journalist to get a media pass. You can simply manage a blog. However, the more followers you have on your blog, the more likely they’ll be interested in this particular offer. Read more about Blogging For Freebies.

The following are other possible ways to get freebies:

• Attend press conferences or seminars – sometimes these talks and seminars will end with a freebie that is given to every attendant.
• Make an appointment, get a booth tour – sometimes those who make a more formal gesture such as this one will get freebies that aren’t given to others walking by.
• Attend the parties – companies parties are usually by invitation only, try getting an invitation from a booth representative.
• Some conferences, especially business conferences, will have free breakfast or lunch. This makes it easier to stay at the conference.

Where To Find Trade Shows:

The Free Samples & Gifts directory lists resources for finding trade shows. The Trade Shows Network is one of the best places to start looking. In your particular city you can find trade shows by checking out the website of the nearest conference center or convention center. They’ll maintain a calendar with upcoming events. You can pick any and all events that have free admission. If it’s a business expo, don’t worry about whether you own a business or not. You can go even if you’re just thinking about starting a business. Getting free stuff at trade shows is mostly only practical if you live next to a large city that is appropriate for hosting the shows. If you live in Los Angeles, San Francisco Bay area, Chicago, New York, or Las Vegas, then you’ll have even more opportunities than if you lived in other cities.

Some of the most popular trade shows of the year:

• E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo), Los Angeles
• CES (Consumer Electronics Show), Las Vegas
• IMTS (International Manufacturer Technology Show), Chicago
• Atlanta International Gifts & Home Furnishings Market, Atlanta