Trade shows are an ideal time to gain brand exposure and generate new sales leads.
Trade show promotional items are a cost-effective advertising tool that can help attract more booth traffic and drive brand awareness.
The most effective promotional items for trade shows, conferences, and other business events have three key attributes in common:
- Utility – The best trade show promotional items are useful, functional, and have mass appeal.
- Attractiveness – Trade show swag should be aesthetically pleasing and decorated to prominently display branding elements like a wordmark or logo, slogan or tagline, and an attractive color palette.
- Quality – Quality helps determine how long a sales prospect or customer will keep a promotional item after a trade show is over.
To help get more people into your booth this year, we put together a list of our favorite trade show promo items for 2023. We’ve included useful, high-quality promo items that provide an ideal canvas for your company logo and colors.
Our top picks organized by category:
Custom Mints, Lip Balm & Hand Sanitizer
When it comes to gifting timeless trade show promotional items like branded mints, hand sanitizer, and lip balm, appealing packaging will set your swag apart from the other exhibitors. Some of the best customizable items in this popular category include:
Clean Z Pen Sanitizer
Clean Z Pen Sanitizer custom hand sanitizer pens are a widely appealing and inexpensive trade show giveaway idea.
Flip-Top Sugar-Free Mint Dispenser Duo w/Lip Balm or Toothpicks
These handy Flip-Top Sugar-Free Mint Dispenser Duo w/Lip Balm or Toothpicks dispensers pair sugar-free mints with other useful items like natural lip balm or toothpicks.
Personalized Mint Tins
Personalized Mint Tins – Choose from several clever designs including a small silver rectangular slider tin.
Lip Balm in Skinny Tubes
Customizable Lip Balm in Skinny Tubes are USA Made in an FDA registered facility.
Logo USB Drives & Keychains
Multi-purpose keychains and USB drives are classic trade show promotional items. High-quality USB drives with a large storage capacity are especially coveted by trade show attendees.
Route Light Up Logo 3-In-1 Cable
The 3-in-1 Route Light Up Logo Charging Cable features a USB A tip, USB Type C tip, and a 2-in-1 dual compatible tip for both Apple iOS and Android devices with 1A current. Your laser engraved logo will light up when the device is being charged. Comes with an attached keychain.
Dual Drive Flash Drive
With a sleek swivel design, the Dual Drive flash drive is a 32G 2-in-1 flash drive with a USB-C & a USB-A connector. It works on most computers/phones/tablets to transfer or store data.
AirPods Pro & 3rd Gen Cover
Protect an AirPods charging case from bumps and scrapes with the AirPods Pro & 3rd Gen Cover, a cushy neoprene case cover with snap closure. Includes an attached keyring.
Tech Promotional Items for Trade Shows
Tech gadgets and accessories are practical, universally appealing trade show promotional items. Some of our favorite customizable tech items for trade shows and events:
Lite Ring
The Lite Ring is a rechargeable, lightweight, and portable clip-on light ring with anti-slip grip. Features 36 LED light bulbs with three levels of brightness, just press the button to adjust. Fits most smartphones, tablets, and laptops. Includes a micro-USB charging cable.
Rozie Tech Detail Kit
The Rozie Tech Detail Kit has multiple handy tech cleaning accessories including a keyboard brush, cleaning pick, microfiber cloth with cleaning spray, keycap remover tool, and a small earpod swab.
McLovin Phone Stand & Ring Light Combo
The McLovin phone stand and ring light combo is the loving combination of two of our favorite products, the Tele-Port Phone Stand and the ShowTime Ring Light. Both items offer large, full-color domed imprint areas to make double the brand impression.
Clip Clap 2 Bluetooth Speaker
Clip Clap 2 Bluetooth Speaker is a portable Bluetooth speaker with built-in clip. Bluetooth working range is 33 feet.
Personalized Notebooks & Writing Instruments
Logo pens, highlighters, and notebooks are inexpensive yet popular trade show promotional items.
Sharpie S-Gel Pens
Sharpie S-Gel pens are the bestselling high-performance gel ink pen by Sharpie. Gel ink colors available include black, blue, and red.
Hawken Recycled Journal & Kraft Pen Set
An impressive, eco-friendly way to promote your brand. The Eco Hawken Journal & Pen set features a full-color logo on the natural-color recycled kraft paper front cover. Includes 70 pages of recycled lined paper. The pen barrel is also made from recycled kraft paper and slots in the pen loop on the journal.
Carpenter Multi-Tool Pen
The Carpenter multi-function level tool pen with stylus, level, flathead screwdriver, Phillips head screwdriver, and U.S. and metric ruler.
Super Nova Highlighter Combo Pen
The Super Nova Highlighter Combo Pen is a double-ended plastic rollerball pen and neon liquid highlighter.
Nova Softy Brights LED Light Pen
A bright, memorable promo item for trade shows and more. The Nova Softy Brights LED light pen also serves as a flashlight, making it a highly functional promotional item that customers will appreciate. Select from a variety of bright barrel colors to customize with your 1-color imprinted logo.
Custom Drinkware & Drinkware Accessories
Logo travel tumblers, water bottles, and insulated can coolers are some of the top drinkware promotional items for trade shows.
Thermos Hydration Bottle with Rotating Intake Meter
Thermos hydration bottles feature a built-in rotating meter to keep track of your water intake. Includes an ergonomically designed grip, push button lid, locking ring, and easy carry loop.
Custom Vacuum Insulated Travel Tumblers
Add your brand logo and colors to custom vacuum insulated travel tumblers, something they’ll use every workday…a high-quality vacuum insulated travel tumbler from top brands like MiiR, Klean Kanteen, and CamelBak.
Puffy Can Jacket
Insulating Puffy Can Jacket sleeve to keep canned and bottled drinks cold. Attractive “puffy” jacket design featuring light weight polyester material with elastic top.
Logo Apparel, Accessories & Bags
Attract more traffic to your trade show booth with popular apparel and accessory trade show promotional items including custom t-shirts, tote bags, socks, and hats.
Custom Classic Business Style Socks
Custom logo business socks are a fashionable and fun trade show giveaway idea.
Recycled Cotton Twill Tote Bag
Eco-friendly event giveaway items include tote bags made from recycled fabric. This recycled cotton twill tote is manufactured from pre-consumer waste generated by factories during the fabric cutting process. Made from approximately 70%-80% recycled cotton and 20-30% RPET.
Port & Company 6-Panel Twill Cap
One of our bestselling custom baseball caps is the Port & Company 6-Panel Twill Cap. Six panel mid profile structured 100% cotton twill cap with hook and loop closure. Buckram lining makes for easy embroidery and ensures a classic shape that lasts for years.
Allmade Unisex Tri-Blend Tee Shirt
Looking for sustainable trade show giveaways? This customizable t-shirt by Allmade features super-soft tri-blend fabric made from organic cotton, polyester made from recycled plastic, and bio-based Modal fabric. Features a 1×1 rib knit neck, shoulder to shoulder taping, side seams, and a tear-away label. All yarn is spun, knit, fabric dyed and finished in the U.S.
Personalized Sticky Notes & Desktop Accessories
Custom office supplies are some of the best trade show promotional items. Trade show attendees love to stock up on sticky notes and other useful supplies for their work desks.
Crumbee Mini Desktop Vacuum
The cover of this sticky notepad set is made with renewable, sustainable bamboo. Customize the bamboo cover with a black laser engraving. This set features 50 sheets each of 3″x4″ yellow sticky notes, 2″x3″ yellow sticky notes, and 5 sets of colored sticky flags.
Bamboo Sticky Note Pads
A fun and practical office item. Customize the Crumbee miniature desk vacuum with your company logo and colors.
Executive Desk in a Box
Fold-open matte black executive desk-in-a-box cube includes small and large white sticky note pads, multicolor paperclips, and sticky flags.
Smart Stand Scribbler
Combination dry-erase whiteboard and phone stand. Stand your phone in portrait or landscape orientation for easy viewing. Stand includes a two-hole organizer for pens, pencils, dry erase markers, and more.
Scribbler Glow Memo Board
Light up your office with the Scribbler Glow desktop memo board! Just write a message with the included dry erase marker, place the clear acrylic board on the wooden block, turn on the LED lights, and watch as your words magically illuminate.
Customized Travel Accessories
These trade show promotional items make ideal giveaways for business travelers. For additional ideas, check out our Travel Swag guide.
KANGA Folio
The Kanga Folio smartphone wallet holds up to 6 cards plus cash. The attractive, fully enclosed design ensures your belongings stay hidden and safe. The easy-open magnetic closure adds style and security. Features a large imprint space to display your logo and an anti-slip pad for use as a phone stand.
Rapster Handle Gripper in Yulex
Handle gripper/luggage ID with hook and loop closure. Made out of FSC-Certified, renewable natural rubber, Yulex is the world’s first eco-friendly and biodegradable replacement for neoprene.
Traverse Business Card Holder
One of our favorite trade show giveaway ideas for 2023, the elegant Traverse Business Card Holder comes with a mirror finish and holds approximately 10 business cards.
Additional Trade Show Promotional Items
Some additional cost-effective conference, event and trade show promotional items include:
Personalized Bandanas & Fitness Cooling Towels
Need Help Selecting Trade Show Promotional Items That Provide Good ROI?
Selecting the type of swag that trade show and event attendees actually want can help increase the number and quality of the impressions generated by these items. Most conference and trade show attendees prefer to receive useful, quality swag that’s easy to transport and attractively decorated.
To learn more, check out these guides:
Best Swag Items for Trade Shows and Conferences – According to Attendees
Trade Show Swag – 4 Tips for Using Promotional Giveaways to Increase Sales Potential
Why Promotional Products Work – and How to Use Them
Or contact Metron Branding for assistance with selecting the best trade show promotional items for your budget.