Virtual events come in all shapes and sizes but they all have one thing in common: if you’re going to do swag, you want to do it right. That’s why we created this list of virtual swag ideas you can use to get started thinking about the best swag for an amazing attendee, speaker, and sponsor experience.
What Are The Benefits Of Sending Virtual Event Swag?
If it’s your first time planning a virtual event, you’re probably realizing it can get overwhelmingly fast. But don’t lose heart — virtual events are a great way to connect with the community, promote your brand, and engage your employees! This is especially true with a remote team.
But to pull it off with minimal hassle and stress, it is smart to think about the tools you can use to make your job easier. For example, selecting the right virtual events platform for you.
And, just like at a physical event, one of the best ways to help attendees enjoy a memorable and fun virtual event experience is with some dope swag. There are a lot of opportunities with virtual event swag, including opening up a conversation with sponsors about branding and swag costs. (Don’t have sponsors? You might be missing out! Sponsors are a great way to get exposure to another audience.)
Second, virtual swag helps you engage with clients before, the day of, and after the event. As a result, your brand stays on your attendees’ minds for longer than just the duration of the event. Think of a redeem page welcoming attendees after they’ve purchased a ticket where they can claim specific swag they like.
Then arrives the day of the virtual event and they’re wearing their t-shirt, drinking coffee out of their new favorite mug while listening and engaging with other attendees. And finally, after the event, they’ll remember your brand and the event whenever they reach for that amazingly comfortable tee.
We’ve also known some of our clients to share their favorite swag on social media — pair it with a custom hashtag around your virtual event, and you have people seeing and hearing about your virtual event without you doing any extra work.
This article is about some of our favorite swag ideas for virtual events, but of course, swag isn’t the only way to engage a remote crowd. Check out our post on remote team building ideas and tips on motivating a remote team for more information!
What do virtual swag packs look like?
Whether you are offering swag through an online swag shop (do it in minutes with our Shopify integration!) or professional and easy-to-use redeem page, none of that means much without a quality virtual swag pack.
A virtual swag pack acknowledges that swag is just one part of a bigger picture. And that you want the swag part to be polished. With a virtual swag pack, you are able to make a physical gesture that strikes a chord when everything else is virtual.
Your virtual swag pack can be packaged in either a mailer bag or mailer box.
Mailer bags are ideal if you have a smaller virtual swag pack with lightweight materials like a shirt or booklet. Mailer boxes can be customized both on the outside and the inside. You can even personalize the tape to your brand if you want. We recommend mailer boxes for when you have a lot of swag goodies – more than would fit in a mailer bag.
WHY GO WITH A VIRTUAL SWAG PACK INSTEAD OF BULK SWAG?
Unlike bulk swag, virtual swag packs allow you to skip over DIY home assembly lines, scrambling for tape, crinkle cut fill or tissue paper, and the logistics of shipping swag to attendees at multiple locations in the world.
Instead, you get an experience ready to be delivered from the moment you hit the approve button. Virtual swag packs have a built-in delightful unboxing experience because we help you think about how packaging is part of the message.
Along with all the usual swag your employees and customers love (think soft t-shirts, insulated water bottles, die-cut stickers, and quality notebooks), virtual swag packs are also an opportunity to make your virtual event go smoother. You can use virtual swag packs to include:
- Booklets with additional information on your virtual event programming, e.g. speaker bios, workshop resources, and a place for contacts/notes
- Insert cards from your sponsors; if you want to share discounts, exclusive resources, and more with your event attendees, insert cards are also a simple way to add those in. Plus, they make for a nice personal touch if you would like to add a handwritten welcome message
- Event-specific swag your attendees can use to share their experience on social media (or even just in private event Slack channels). Swag, after all, is a way to bond!
When it comes to presentation, virtual event swag packs pass with flying colors. You will never deliver a swag pack where the swag was just randomly thrown together. Because that’s a bad experience for your unsuspecting attendee, we help you dodge that bullet by packing things ourselves and ensuring that every swag pack has a consistent presentation.
Once you’ve decided on the packaging and the items you want in your virtual swag pack, it’s just a matter about shipping. You can manage that from your dashboard. If you have all the addresses on hand, you can speed up the process by doing a bulk upload of contacts.
If you don’t have all the addresses on hand and don’t want to deal with collecting that information, the easiest solution is to set up a swag redeem page. Your virtual event attendees will then be able to use the link to claim their event swag at their convenience.
Note that with this approach, your attendees won’t get swag right away — the swag needs time to ship after all. (If you want to use a redeem page but also get swag to your attendees for the event, we recommend sharing the redeem page link with attendees earlier so they have time to claim their swag.)
The SwagUp Short List of Top Virtual Event Swag Packs
- The Sponsorship Swag Pack
- The Thank You Swag Pack
- The Selfie Swag Kit
- The Hackathon Swag Pack
- The Webinar Swag Pack
- The Happy Hour Swag Pack
Feel free to jump to the packs that grab your interest and/or are more relevant to your current swag project. Don’t see something that first? Reach out to a Swag Expert for personalized help 👨🏽🚀
The Sponsorship Swag Pack
Awesome sponsors can make or break a virtual event. And when you’ve got a great list of them for your next virtual event, you want to make sure the swag actually lands. The Sponsor Pack is a straightforward kit welcoming all your attendees with some definitive virtual event swag like our famous Classic Dad Hat, Daily Grind tote, a soft enamel pin set, and an informational booklet you can customize to your sponsors and event.
THE CREW’S TAKE:
We’re betting you didn’t think about sponsors. But sponsors can be critical to a strong virtual event. We like this pack because it showcases all your supporters that your attendees may never have realized were a part of making this virtual event come to life. Not only do attendees get exclusive event swag associated with some big names, but they also can have all the extra information they need at their fingertips in the form of a booklet.
FEATURED SWAG PICKS:
- Classic Dad Hat. A low profile cap featuring an unstructured, 6 panel build with a fabric strap and antique brass sliding buckle.
- Daily Grind Tote. This is the classic, the champ, the tote that will get you through it all. It’ll be here for you when you just need some snacks and a light sweater; it’ll be here when you have fifteen magazines and two books and a clipboard. It’s a workhorse. It’s the Daily Grind. Size: 16” x 13”
- 8.5” x 5.5” booklet. Eight pages of beautiful layouts conveying all the details and important information you want your attendees to know about the sponsors and event. Tip: leave the last page or two for attendees to take their own notes!
The Thank You Swag Pack
This is an exciting pack befitting any virtual event. Your top-tier attendees have been to more than a few virtual events. The result? They’ve seen plenty of great swag — and even more bad swag. Blow them away and get them raving about it on social media with The Thank You Pack.
A clean mailer bag encases your high-quality swag, including an ultra-comfortable Bella + Canvas Tee (a perennial SwagUp fan favorite), some quality custom knit socks, and a personalized insert card.
THE CREW’S TAKE:
Significant gestures don’t have to cost a lot. This lightweight Thank You pack gets the message across in a simple way, without compromising on swag people love. Show your attendees how much you valued their contribution with a thoughtful message as part of your virtual swag pack!
FEATURED SWAG PICKS:
- Bella + Canvas Tee. A well-loved favorite, this essential unisex jersey t shirt features a crew neck, short sleeves and superior Airlume combed and ring-spun cotton that acts as the best blank canvas for printing.
- Custom Knit Socks. From Sock Club, these eye-catching socks are USA Made and come with custom packaging. Featuring a classic look and feel, yet is made with modern tech for ultimate comfort.
- Insert Cards. These postcards come with a smooth, rubberized coating. Front and back, full color with no additional charge. Put a message here for that extra personalized touch.
The Selfie Swag Kit
Lights, camera, action! For a good time with some lighthearted fun, check out The Selfie Kit. We recommend this for the crowd that loves to laugh and show company spirit.
The Selfie Kit features a selfie ring light, emoji sticks for your virtual photobooth shots, custom wrap speakers showcasing your brand while playing some sick beats, and a Bella + Canvas Tee (proof you were there!)
THE CREW’S TAKE:
This is the perfect virtual swag pack for your fun-loving, high-energy attendees. With a branded shirt, your attendees are all set to snap photos and virtually bond with other people. The custom wrap speakers make for a convenient way to set the mood with their favorite tunes and hear everyone in crisp audio. Lighting is the culprit for more than a few awkward virtual events, so we like that this kit helps everyone avoid that blunder.
FEATURED SWAG PICKS:
- Selfie Ring Light. Goodbye awkward, dark lighting! This compact selfie ring light makes a clear image easy — critical when you’re attending a virtual event 😎
- Selfie Kit Emojis. Emoji reacts IRL. These selfie kit emojis make for the perfect props for all your virtual photobooth photos.
- Double Dip Custom Wrap Speakers. A wireless speaker featuring built-in dual woofers for great sound quality and cool designs promoting your company brand.
- Bella + Canvas Tee. A well-loved favorite, this essential unisex jersey t shirt features a crew neck, short sleeves and superior Airlume combed and ring-spun cotton that acts as the best blank canvas for printing.
The Hackathon Swag Pack
Hackers unite! With the clock running, your hackathon attendees need every bit of help they can to focus and get down to business. Make sure they don’t run out of fuel with some organic energy chews, music to keep the flow going, their favorite drink of choice kept hot or cold in an insulated travel mug, and a wireless charging mouse pad.
THE CREW’S TAKE:
Boo to lifting up your coffee mug and finding it empty! Low battery! Cold coffee! The Hackathon Pack is the answer to anyone who gets frustrated when their workflow is interrupted by low juice – whether that’s for your devices or your energy levels.
FEATURED SWAG PICKS:
- AcePods 2.0 TWS Earbuds. Featuring button-free, touch-sensor control, an upgraded chipset, and a long playback time, the AcePod 2.0 offers fantastic TWS (True Wireless Stereo) sound to jam to all your favorite tunes.
- PROBAR Bolt Organic Energy Chews. Packed to power you from morning workouts to race days, these organic energy chews help you step up your game right when you need it. With electrolytes, B vitamins and carbohydrates for quick energy, they provide fast fuel-ups that last through the home stretch.
- Vogue Insulated Travel Mug. This 16 ounce, double-wall, stainless steel tumbler features a vacuum construction with copper insulation. The construction prevents condensation on the outside piece and fits more standard car cup holders. Keeps beverages cold for 24 hours and hot for 8 hours. Size: 7″ X 4.56″
- Wireless Charging Mouse Pad. This Well designed leatherette wireless charging mat and mouse pad makes an excellent desktop piece, helping to reduce clutter in style and to keep your phone charged up.
The Webinar Swag Pack
Do your attendees have everything they need to fully show up? If not, you could have the greatest content in the world… and no engagement. Ouch. No one wants to put all that effort into launching an event only to hear crickets.
THE CREW’S TAKE:
The Webinar Pack is great for showing your webinar attendees some love. This pack includes a quality banded notebook with our famous minimalist soft touch pens, blue light blocking computer glasses to increase the comfort of a virtual experience, headphones for clear audio, and a stylish water bottle to stay hydrated. You’ve brought together some of the brightest minds there are — now give them the tools they need to succeed!
FEATURED SWAG PICKS:
- The Bi-Band Journal. This Bi-Band Journal features two elastic bands (one to mark the page and the other to keep the book closed), a pen loop, back pocket and ribbon marker. With 240 lined pages of FSC certified ivory paper, attendees will have more than enough space to take all the notes they want. Size: 5 1/4″ x 8 3/8″
- MyWorld Headphones. Wireless headphones with 40 mm drivers for incredible sound quality and clarity. These headphones are passive noise cancelling so you can be in your own world and hop onto phone and video calls when needed. With a lightweight and compact design you can barely feel them on your head. Enjoy 27 hours of continuous play!
- Hip Bottle 22 oz. This crystal clear bottle features a unique slim shape that is ideal for tossing in your bag, and even fits perfectly in your car door pocket, leaving your console open for coffee and keys. BPA free with a silicone carrying loop and threaded cap.
- Minimalist Soft Touch Pen. With a soft touch surface, fine point gel tip, and several color options, this pen will be your new favorite. Whether you’re signing official documents or doodling your life away, this is the perfect pen for you to jot it all down.
- Blue Light Blocking Computer Glasses. A lightweight, polycarbonate frame for filtering out blue light to relieve eye fatigue when using a screen.
The Happy Hour Swag Pack
Virtual happy hours aren’t as much fun if you have nothing in the pantry. Help everyone have an enjoyable time socializing and connecting with The Happy Hour Pack. With an insert card for a personalized message, a stemless tumbler to hold your drink of choice, a quality corkscrew, a mini set of cocktail syrups, slate coasters for protecting your desk, and a pack of mixed nuts to enjoy, your attendees will be looking forward to virtual happy hours with new excitement.
THE CREW’S TAKE:
What’s not to like? Following a less is more philosophy, this happy hour pack keeps it simple and gets it right. Classy slate coasters help your attendees protect their desk while enjoying a snack of salty mixed nuts and their favorite drink in a stemless tumbler with vacuum insulation. Because happy hours are meant to be relaxed.
FEATURED SWAG PICKS:
- Insert Cards. These postcards come with smooth, rubberized coating. Front and back, full color with no additional charge. Put a message here for that extra personalized touch.
- Stemless Tumbler. This 12 oz, double wall, stainless steel, thermal tumbler features a copper vacuum insulation, push-on clear lid, and powder coated finish. Size: 4-5/8” x 3-½”
- Birch Timber Double-Hinge Wooden Corkscrew. Double the hinges, double the speed. This corkscrew is an efficient take on the sommelier-style classic. Its non-stick worm smoothly removes any cork with minimal friction, and the robust hardwood handle maximizes the power of your leverage.
- Ferris Deluxe Mixed Nuts. A premium mix for a special occasion featuring freshly roasted salted almonds, whole cashews, pecans, and filberts. Enhance your evening by pairing with craft beer and wine or elevating a charcuterie board for friends and family. Packaged in a resealable 1-pound bag to maintain freshness.
- Mini Cocktail Syrup 3-Pack Set. Take W&P’s signature craft cocktail syrups on-the-go with this pocket-sized party pack. Each 1 oz bottle is designed to make two classic drinks—just add a shot of the hard stuff and stir!
- Valencia Slate Coaster Set. Avoid drink rings and protect your desk with these beautiful natural material coasters.
SUMMARY
And there you have it – the best swag pack ideas for all your virtual events! Depending on your needs, you can either design, manage, and ship your swag packs using your SwagUp dashboard, set up a virtual swag shop for all your attendees, or go with a unique swag redeem page to keep things simple. Ready to get started? Contact a Swag Expert to get these swag packs personalized!
🔥 OTHER BLOGS YOU MIGHT LIKE:
The Beginner’s Guide to Planning a Virtual Event
How to Boost Employee Morale with Swag & Virtual Events! Part 1
12 Ways to Utilize Swag with your Remote Team
🚀 GET STARTED WITH SWAGUP