Who doesn’t know it? At the end of a cool event you get a goodie bag. I used to like that and took it with me, but now I don’t take any goodie bags or flyers at all. Sad for the ladies (or gentlemen?) who hand them out, but if we don’t refuse them, those bags will keep coming. I wonder then, what do these people do with it? The MICE sector is up to its neck in work during this period, struggling to cope with all the requests and assignments, so what do you do with the contents of such a bag? Or am I the only one thinking about this? If you want to give something, be original, or at least make sure it’s worth not throwing away. Or am I, as always, being critical? And am I kicking everyone’s shins again? We need to reduce the mountain of waste and that can only be done by changing our behavior.
Speaker
I regularly speak at various events, and as a thank you you often get the classic bottle of wine; that too could be much better (well, if I’m being critical…). In February I spoke at an event in Ghent and received a basket of delicacies from the region, I loved it. Especially since I lived in Ghent for almost 10 years, this was a piece of nostalgia for me, a fun and especially delicious memory.
Inspiration
In our industry, connection, experience and business are key. By giving them that leaflet, flyer or sticker you are not creating the perception among the participants. So as a supplier, do you think that as an event organizer I’m going to be browsing through those materials the next day or later? Kind of naive, don’t you think? Event planners are incredibly good at creating that experience, make sure that when people go home, that they take that experience home with them, share it, and that can be done in so many different ways. And you don’t have to look far, often it’s in the simplicity. And how about making the information available on your app before the event? Or add the information in your thank you email after the event? Also, look at examples outside the industry for inspiration. What do they do, or also what do they especially not do?
Do me a favor; next time you participate in an event, leave that goodie bag. By doing so, you are communicating a message to the organization. Or if you’re on the other side of the organization, be original or think about it, is that goodie bag really up to date? And more importantly, am I really doing my participants a favor?
PS don’t forget the speakers 😉
