Gifts

Guests picked up their elaborately packaged welcome totes, designed by Gifts for the Good Life, at the registration area. The branded bags were packed with Southern treats, as well as Prohibition-themed items. A linen bag printed with the words “Portable Pantry” included jars of locally made caramel candies, smoky almonds, and peach-flavored cookies. The calligraphy on the gifts and printed materials was provided by Deborah Nadel Design.

Nodding to the Prohibition theme, the gift bag contained a box designed to look like a book, which opened up to reveal a cocktail-making kit. The items inside included a miniature bottle of bitters, a jar of bourbon-soaked cherries, a branded muddler, and a tiny cocktail shaker.

Also included in the swag bags: an apothecary tin holding file folders containing 12 items guests might need to "prepare" and "recover," such as Advil, Band-Aids, lip balm, and bug repellent.

After checking in, guests could get a mini massage from the Biltmore spa's staff—a much-appreciated perk for weary travelers.

Guests were also invited to pick up a "Gala Prep" kit to help them get ready for the Gatsby-themed closing party. The women's version included blotting papers and flapper-style bobby pins. The men's kits (pictured) contained collar stays, shoeshine wipes, and mustache wax.

At the opening session, organizers placed custom clipboards and pencils from Gifts for the Good Life on guests' chairs. The custom-designed notepads by Trisha Hay Design included an area for attendees to jot down their "top takeaways" from speakers.

Kicking things off on Sunday was a Southern-hospitality-infused barnyard bash at the estate's historic Antler Hill Barn. A chalkboard map, created by Brent Holloman for Pressed Cotton, outlined the four-part event, which included cocktail hour in the garden, a field-to-table feast in the barn, desserts by the campfire, and a chance to meet the farmyard animals.

As the exclusive design partner for the evening, online event decor and accessory company Pressed Cotton provided the party’s rustic-chic details. Wooden picnic tables were lined with Kraft paper runners printed with illustrations of vintage silverware, and glass cloches housed homemade honey, jams, and pickled veggies.

Local distillery Troy & Sons provided an interactive whiskey bar. As noted on a hanging wooden sign created by Dana Cochran of A Fine Line Studio, guests could select two words—such as "spicy," "bold," and "fizzy"—to tell the bartender, who then whipped up a drink to match the description.

Custom napkins created by Gifts for the Good Life explained the choose-two-words bar setup in further detail.

The dinner stations, provided by the Biltmore's catering team, offered Southern specialties, like fried green tomatoes, crab hush puppies, and pulled pork sandwiches with house-made barbecue sauce and blue cheese coleslaw. The sandwich buns were imprinted with the Engage! logo.

Pressed Cotton put together “Midnight Munchies” bags containing cake pops, popcorn, and cookies for guests to take with them at the end of the welcome party.

The half-day meeting sessions were held in an open-air tent on the Biltmore grounds.

On Monday, the morning snack spread included granola bars, fresh-fruit skewers, and homemade raspberry Pop Tarts.

Following one of the morning breaks, organizers passed out custom-printed bamboo fans in case the tents got too warm. Attached was a vial of aromatherapy smelling salts, for a "breath of fresh air," as the tag noted.

The Biltmore catering team put together a North Carolina state-fair-themed afternoon break spread that included butler-passed corn dogs, whoopie pies, caramel apples, cotton candy, and cheddar popcorn, as well as some healthy options such as almonds and fresh North Carolina apples.

On Monday afternoon, guests could choose from an extensive list of small-group experiences, including horseback riding, archery lessons, winery tours, and rafting. Before heading out, every guest received a branded gift bag relating to his or her chosen activity. For example, those taking part in outdoor activities got drawstring backpacks, packs of granola, and reusable water bottles (pictured).

On Monday night, guests attended a dessert party that had an eclectic vintage look, with vintage china from Upstyled Setting and lush florals by the Bloom Room presented in antique vases.

Later on, an after-party was held in hotel’s ballroom, which was transformed into a speakeasy for the evening. A faux brick façade and door, equipped with a sliding peephole and bouncer, signaled the party's "secret" location.

On the second day of meeting sessions, guests found packages at their seats containing the day's speaker lineup and Boogie Board LCD ewriters, which save notes and drawings as electronic files.

The second day's meeting break spread included fresh-squeezed lemonade and sugar cookies shaped like Mason jars and lemons.

The picnic lunches—presented in baskets provided by Gifts for the Good Life—included orzo pasta, fried apple pie, a fresh pear, and a choice of a turkey-and-provolone sandwich or a Southern-style vegetable bánh mì sandwich.

The Gatsby-themed closing-night gala was held in an airy white tent set up on the estate's South Terrace and Italian Garden.

Guests entered through a tented hallway lined with candelabras and rose petals before emerging into the main space, where an array of entertainment offerings packed the party, including vintage burlesque and cabaret dancers.

Charleston's Production Design Associates lit up the Biltmore House by projecting the custom-designed gala logo, created by Heather Arak-Kanofsky and Deborah Nadel, onto the façade.

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.)

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.

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.

Relax. We got this.