Gifts

Stackable Sensations' Saviour Universal USB Charger ($8.60 each for 50) can charge two devices at once and includes a logo display.

Booze is a surefire hit as a take-home gift. Pinhole Press can create custom-branded bottle labels ($10 for nine; bulk pricing available) for wine or any other type of beverage.

Toast's engraved wood iPhone covers ($30; bulk pricing available) can be customized with logos and brand names.

The retro-style phone receivers ($30; bulk pricing available) from Native Union plug into most cell phones. A logo can be placed anywhere on the handset.

The flap of the classic canvas-and-brown faux leather bags ($28.40 each for 24; additional bulk prices available) from Pinnacle Promotions can be debossed with a logo.

GelaSkins offers cases (from $15; bulk pricing available) for a whole slew of tech gadgets. Simple logo designs can be ordered through the Web site; for orders or more than 100, GelaSkins' designers work with clients to create customized layouts.

Fluf makes durable, reusable lunch and snack bags (from $18; bulk pricing available) that can be customized.

Bikn ($130 for the set; bulk pricing available) from Treehouse Labs is a new tech-savvy lost-and-found system. Just place a tag on anything you don’t want to lose, and your phone finds it.

A branded leather luggage tag and passport case ($83 for the set; bulk pricing available) from Graphic Image comes in several colors and embossed finishes.

Earbud headphones ($6.82 each for 100) from Empire Promotional Products come in a customizable container.

Baggu offers a range of carryall bags, including the recycled cotton canvas Duck tote ($24; bulk pricing available) that can be screen-printed.

In early April, attendees were sent a pre-arrival package that included a welcome note and a metal luggage tag.

At the hotel, the registration area was set up to resemble a boutique, displaying the items included in the welcome totes on shelves. “At the previous Engage! conference, we found out that some people didn’t open their welcome bag until they got home, but it included a lot of items meant to be used at the conference,” says Arak-Kanofsky. “So we wanted to make sure people knew what was inside. The merchandise walls created by Bob Gail Special Events allowed guests to see what they were getting.”

After picking up their totes, attendees headed to an area to be assigned their groups for the lunch roundtable and dinner dine-around. They selected a poker chip at random; each chip was printed with the name of one of the dinner locations.

Continuing with the gambling theme, guests also selected a playing card (designed by Tricia Hay) that revealed the number of the table at which they’d be seated for the luncheon and which speaker would be hosting the table. “Like at any meeting, people tend to want to stick with who they know,” says Rebecca Grinalls. “So doing a blind pull like this helps create organic opportunities for networking with new people without making it feel forced.”

Guests received a minibar kit that included recipes for three cocktails and the ingredients needed to make them, like Red Bull, Goldschlager, and candy drink stirrers.

The welcome totes also included a trifold vanity kit. Each day of the conference had its own corresponding pouch of items. The “Get Ready” section included bath salts, an aromatherapy candle, and a box of matches. The “Engage” pouch had a tube of mints, lip balm, and massage cream. The “Glow” pouch featured items intended for use at the gala event, like nail polish, a mirror, and a portable kit with Band-Aids, blotting papers, and fashion tape.

At the end of the first night’s poolside welcome party, everyone was given a “Hydrate and Chill” kit designed to help them beat the Vegas heat. The package included a fan, a water mister, a bottle of sleep-inducing Dream Water, and an insulated cup.

In the presentation room, each seat held a “Bento Box” of items intended to optimize their experience.

The boxes included pencils, sticky notes, a journal, mints and candy, and “Thinking Putty," a Silly Putty-like product to keep guests’ hands engaged. “We wanted to make all of the gifts as lightweight as possible so that people would be able to take them home in their luggage,” says Susan Arak-Turnock. To that end, the boxes were made from thick paper board.

Flexible branded paper cubes served as easy decor throughout the conference. Custom USB cards included event information as well as all 250 attendees’ contact information, which avoided the need to pass out business cards.

Name badges doubled as an icebreaker: the number of crystal charms on the tag identified how many times the badge-wearer had attended an Engage! conference. Veteran attendees had nine balls, while first-timers had only one.

Kristy Rice of Momental Designs created programs featuring watercolor illustrations detailing the conference's various events.

On the last evening, an “After Glow” kit was placed on guests’ pillows during turndown service. The pouch included a gel eye mask, a foot soak, and a box of hangover remedies like Tylenol, Alka Seltzer, eye drops, and ear plugs.

After the conference, Engaging Concepts sent every attendee a thank-you gift of fortune cookies; the fortunes inside were printed with quotes from conference speakers.

There was also a post-conference Twitter contest that asked guests to write a haiku that summed up their experience at Engage!12. Winners received a “Withdrawal Kit” that included detox drinks, candies, and a countdown calendar to the next conference. (The lid of the container was printed with the winning tweets.)

Charging stations are hot commodities at conferences and trade shows, but they can also be a distraction as users stand by waiting for their phones to charge. Brightbox eliminates that issue. The charging station is secure, so users can leave their phones—for a few minutes or a few hours—to go about their business. Each unit has six compartments that are unlocked with the swipe of a credit card. At events where the units are provided by the host or sponsored by a vendor, charging is provided for free to the attendees, so the credit card simply acts as a key. Brightbox launched in early 2012 and has been used at the Democratic National Convention and the New York Times Travel Show. To recognize sponsors, the company can add custom wraps on the unit or add logos or other information to the user interface screen.

CNN used this type of interactive video wall during its election coverage and now it's available for events. PSAV offers two standard sizes, each using 46-inch square screens configured in either a two-by-two or three-by-three format. The company can also create custom screens of any size. The wall operates like a large iPad with about two dozen apps to create maps, presentations, and games. The product can be used as a presentation screen in educational sessions or in common areas as interactive digital signage, for example to provide venue maps and sponsor information. At a trade show, the wall can display exhibitor logos and information when users click on a specific booth. Within a booth, users can input their email addresses to receive additional information, creating an instant lead retrieval system.

Audience members at conferences and meetings are likely to have their smartphones and tablets out during presentations, so why not use those devices for engagement? The browser-based service NiceMeeting allows users to view presentation slides on their devices in sync with the presenter. Attendees can flip back and forth through slides at their own pace, submit questions to the speaker, and chat with other guests. Presenters can use it to conduct polling and share files in real time. A new feature allows users to add notes to the slides and then save the files to their device or to a cloud-based service, creating a fully paperless solution for presentations. Planners can upload their registration lists so NiceMeeting access is only available to registered attendees, or they can choose to leave access open.

Planners looking to do small-scale live-streaming can use Logitech's Broadcaster camera and app as an affordable, do-it-yourself solution. The camera uses a Wi-Fi connection to stream high-definition video via a Ustream account. Users control and preview the video on an iPad or iPhone using the related Broadcaster app. The video stream can be shared with others by posting to a Web site, Facebook, YouTube, or other social networks. The camera itself is small—less than five inches long and two inches wide—and portable since it’s not connected to a computer, so it could easily be moved around a room to provide a variety of angles. The carrying case doubles as a small stand, or the unit can be mounted on a tripod. The camera retails for $200 and the app is free.

The Web app Eventstagram creates a real-time slideshow of photos taken at an event and shared on Instagram. The product launched last fall, and both the Los Angeles Auto Show and the Houston Auto Show have used it to share photos from their events on large screens. Planners create a free account on the Eventstagram Web site, indicating the event dates, its hashtags and location, and the desired speed and animation of the photos. At the event the Evenstagram feed can be displayed on monitors or large screens. It’s free to display as many as 100 photos for a total of one hour (the time can be allocated in increments). For $50, planners can display 1,000 photos for six hours and also have moderation capability. Eventstagram will soon offer an option that accommodates more photos and time, a higher degree of moderation, and an online editor so users can fully customize the display with logos and sponsor slides.

Urban Outfitters let event-goers customize their own jeans at its fall 2012 denim collection preview in New York. With staffers’ assistance, guests could choose one of three jean styles then embellish them with studs, bleach, and more.

During Lollapalooza weekend in Chicago, Gilt City hosted a summer pool party with a custom Havaianas bar. Guests could choose from a rainbow of colors to design their own pair of flip-flops.

U.S. Open sponsor Evian hosted the Wood Racquet Cup event at the West Side Tennis Club in Queens, New York, where fans were invited to silk-screen their own tote bags.

Beauty company Birchbox set up shop at Milk Studios in New York during Fashion Week, giving attendees the chance to curate their own boxes of beauty products, which were housed in candy dispensers.

At the 21st anniversary party for Fresh at Openhouse Gallery in July, the company built a gifting bar where guests could select products that have been introduced each year since the brand's beginnings. Packages were messengered to attendees the following day.

A Coffee Break Upgrade: Kwilty quilted cup sleeves, $15 each.

To Capture the Sights: Dynomighty Design bottle cap tripod, $10 each.

At Check-In: Kikkerland's felt doorknob organizer, $6.99 each.

A Token for the Plane: Lexon's Oyo laptop light, $20 each, bulk pricing available.

To Take on a Tour: Earthlust 13-ounce stainless steel water bottle, $16 each, customization available.

After an Energetic Outing: Merben's herbal-scented muscle recovery rub, $10 each.

A Helpful Carryall: Custom denim Maptote, $25, plus additional fees for customization, bulk pricing available.

Mid-Meeting Treats: Side Street Sweets\' assortment of rugelach, $44.50 for a two-pound tin.

VH1 Save the Music's Jennifer Dunn chose candles ($29), scented soap ($9), and body butter ($22) from Mor Cosmetics.

Dunn liked the organizers from Resource International.

The Doodad desk set from Schleeh Design.

Domino's Michelle Rubel said she would custom-order a Marimekko organic cotton bathrobe ($149) and coordinating slippers ($25).

Jonathan Adler's new ceramic faux-croc Saville valet tray ($110) and stash jar ($48) caught Rubel's eye.

Rubel liked the sustainable aspect of Transylvanian Images' hemp bag and matching placemats, which are made by Transylvanian villagers.

Bingham McCutchen's Patricia A.W. Daniels thought the GearGripper ($8.95) would be useful for the office or in a hotel.

Lexon's pocket-size Galaxy calculator ($9) caught Daniels's eye.

Daniels said Urban Aid's On the Go Kits ($9.50) would be a good gift for attendees at an off-site industry meeting.