1. PLANNER’S PORTFOLIO BEST PRACTICES
Getting the Present Perfect
Linda Spelling is the owner
and president of Buzz Inc., a full-
service corporate meeting plan-
ning company headquartered in
Northern New Jersey.
By Linda Spelling
ny’s or organization’s president or CEO on the
first page of the catalog.
ENSURE SEAMLESS DELIVERY
To find a vendor that can handle everything
from soup to nuts — securing the gifts, build-
ing the website, designing the catalog, and han-
dling the tracking and shipping of all items —
check with your current gift suppliers, as many
offer these turnkey services. Another option is
to find one through an industry organization
such as the Incentive Marketing Association
(incentivemarketing.org) or the Promotional
Products Association International (ppai.org).
As a general rule, it’s best not to parcel out
these individual tasks to several different com-
panies, as there are many moving parts that can
impact the success of the program.
As for cost, turnkey service means budget-
ing a bit more for gifts. However, by spending
about $50 per person, you should be able to of-
fer a selection of quality goods that participants
are sure to appreciate. n
MORE TIPS
• Manage your gift
budget by selecting
gifts that fall within a
similar price range.
Also, determine the
most cost-effective
method of shipping.
• Request samples
of all items to ensure
the quality meets
your expectations.
• Give recipients a
time frame for when
they can expect their
gifts to be delivered.
Website advice. When
designing your gift website, make
sure the product descriptions are
accurate and well written, and
the images are crisp and match
the real items attendees will re-
ceive. Do a trial run before the site goes live, so any
kinks are worked out before recipients log in.
L
et’s face it: The instances where attend-
ees are truly and genuinely thrilled
with the gifts they receive at an event
are few and far between. One-size-fits-
all doesn’t work when it comes to cor-
porate gifts — and how many logoed T-shirts
or phone chargers can a person use or want to
lug home? All too often, such products are left
behind in the hotel room.
To make the gifting process simple, mean-
ingful and seamless, consider creating a custom
gift catalog and website.
GIVE THEM CHOICE
Catalogs — whether printed or online — typi-
cally showcase a diverse selection of gifts, in-
cluding home accessories, electronics, jewelry
and clothing. They can be customized to ensure
there is something with appeal to everyone in
the group demographic.
A corresponding website, which attendees
access via a code, displays pictures and descrip-
tions of all the items. The process works much
like online shopping: The attendee makes a se-
lection, provides a preferred shipping address
and receives a confirmation number once the
order is placed.
It’s helpful to set a deadline for attendees to
select their gifts. A good rule of thumb is with-
in three weeks of the meeting.
GET THE BRAND OUT THERE
Corporate gifting affords many opportunities
for reinforcing the company’s brand or event
theme. Company logos should be included on
the print catalog and website. Additionally, gifts
can be imprinted with logos or any takeaway
themes from the meeting.
When gifts are shipped, enclose a small card
with an inscription outlining a key message from
the meeting. And consider using logoed packing
tape, so that each box is prominently branded.
Another way to reinforce the corporate mes-
sage: Include a thank-you note from the compa-
ILLUSTRATION(LEFT):FELIXSOCKWELL
> “25 Hottest Ideas,
Gifts and Gizmos”
(bit.ly/2albfxb)
“Great Green
Gifts”
(bit.ly/2aeLPS9)
@mcmag.com
xx Meetings Conventions • mcmag.com September 2016
Gift catalogs let attendees choose goods they will appreciate