Oftentimes, especially around this time of year, event industry pros are so focused on organizing gifting ideas for their clients that they forget to treat themselves or their teams. Here, we’ve rounded up some of the best (and worst) gifts to give an event pro.
The Worst: High Heels
While no one is going to turn down some red bottoms, event planners who are on their feet all day—from exploring a venue during a site visit to rushing through an airport to walking the convention center floor—know the power of a pair of comfy/stylish flats or sneakers.
The Best: Chic Slippers
As we continue to WFH, cool house slippers with a soft faux-fur lining are a practical, thoughtful gift, especially for the cold winter months. Or give stylish sneakers like Allbirds or a pair of posh flats for when we actually leave the house.
The Worst: Mittens
Event pros know that it's their fingers that do the talking and the texting and the typing, so it’s essential for them to keep their digits free to jot down notes or scroll on their phones.
The Best: Tech-Friendly Gloves
Touchscreen fingertips like these from Trendoux ($12.99) are a lifesaver, especially when planning COVID-19-appropriate outdoor events. Plus, a no-slip grip makes them great driving gloves as well.
Photo: Courtesy of target.com
Although we love a fancy gadget, no one has the time, inclination, or counter space to be brewing like a barista at home.
The Best: A Single-Serve Coffee Maker
Make mornings easy and breezy with a single-serve coffee maker like this Jonathan Adler-designed Keurig ($59.99). It’s small enough to fit just about anywhere and it makes coffee in minutes. And for cold brew fans and tea drinkers, give Cusa’s single-serving instant teas and coffees (from $4.99), which come in a just-add-water format.
The Worst: A Tiny Bag
Although tiny bags were a trend thanks to French luxury brand Jacquemus, impractical clutches and purses that can’t hold even your phone are useless to an event planner.
The Best: Mary Poppins-esque Tote
Instead, give the gift of a luxe leather catchall tote that fits a laptop and more.
The Worst: A Heavy Laptop
And speaking of laptops, stay away from the industrial-grade PCs that weigh the same as a small child. We’re looking at you, Lenovo and Dell.
The Best: MacBook Air
There are many lightweight laptop options on the market at the moment including Apple MacBook Air, Acer Swift 7, and HP Elite Dragonfly.
The Worst: An Actual Book
We’re kidding, of course. (Kind of...)
The Best: A Subscription Service for Books and Magazines
While a beautiful coffee table book is always appreciated, consider giving a gift card to a subscription service such as Scribd ($9.99 per month), which lets the recipient read (or listen to) a digital library of e-books, audiobooks, magazine articles, and more, without having to lug around a hardcover book or a stack of magazines.
The Worst: A Decorative Pillow
Photo: Courtesy of HoMedics
The Best: A Massage Pillow
FYI, our backs hurt. Due to the sudden rise in remote work and less-than-ideal WFH setups, our backs are bearing the brunt of it. So think about giving the gift of sweet relief with a portable massage pillow. HoMedics even acknowledged our pandemic binge-watching obsessions with a specially branded “Yes, I’m Still Watching” massage pillow ($79.99) that comes with gel-coated shiatsu massage nodes and soothing heat. Or simply wrap up one of HoMedics’ holiday-themed mini massagers ($9.99) as a cute stocking stuffer idea.
Photo: Courtesy of Montblanc
Cute but no.
The Best: Noise-Canceling Headphones
Make Zoom calls and meetings more tolerable with a comfortable pair of over-the-ear headphones such as these wireless ones from Montblanc ($595). These luxe smart headphones even sense when the wearer is putting them on or taking them off and automatically plays or pauses the audio.
The Worst: Paper Holiday Cards
We love to receive actual mail, but a holiday card that arrives in January might seem a little lame.
The Best: Video Greeting Cards
Upgrade your stationery game this season with a customized video message embedded into your digital holiday cards. Punchbowl just released this new feature, which allows senders to record or upload a video to be included inside the e-card, along with a written message and gift card, if desired. Available gift card retailers include Amazon, Target, Panera, DoorDash, and Sephora.
