As budgets loosen, companies are embracing incentive merchandise programs -- particularly in their travel events and meetings. According to Successful Meetings' recent "Event Merchandise Usage Trends Survey," 65 percent of respondents cite using brand-name merchandise as in-room gifts to enhance the attendee experience, while 55 percent say the same of special merchandise bars. Additionally, 40 percent cite in-room gifts as effective for reinforcing the host/attendee relationship, while 48 percent say merchandise bars accomplish the same.
With this level of interest in incorporating merchandise into meetings, it makes sense that incentive companies are expanding their offerings in this area in order to meet demand. It's become a big enough growth area at Rymax Marketing Services, that the Pine Brook, NJ-based firm created a event platform, R-SITE, specifically to facilitate these merchandise bars. The program -- which stands for Rymax Strategic Interactive Themed Events -- offers a suite of merchandise showcases that can be incorporated into a gathering, either as a side offering or central part of a meeting.
"As our product portfolio continued to grow, we needed a vehicle to showcase brands in unique concepts," says Paul Gordon, senior vice president of sales at Rymax.
For example, the company can host headphone listening events, where attendees get to try out different styles and brands of headphones, such as Beats by Dre, Skullcandy, and Klipsch. When they find the pair they like best, they take it home, where it acts as a memento that will remind the recipient of the event. Fashion-conscious attendees might be more interested in the company's handbag events, which give guests a chance to select from brands like Coach and Michael Kors.
Heidi Chatfield, vice president of marketing for Fiskdale, MA-based All Star Incentive Marketing, says that when incorporating merchandise into a travel event, a top concern is how to create an emotional connection with attendees that will outlast the event itself.
"Select an item that is appropriate for the venue," she says. "For instance, if the event is in a warm tropical destination, custom sunglasses would be appropriate and serve as a lasting reminder." She points to the sunglasses stations offered by Maui Jim, in which the company provides staff to help attendees select a style and fit the sunglasses selected, helping the attendee to remember the event every time he or she wears the glasses.
Perhaps as important to the merchandise event itself is how the selected products reach participants. All Star Incentive Marketing, which celebrated its 40th anniversary in June, recently worked to incorporate merchandise as a bonus in an event held for the top 1 percent of a client's staff. By shipping the gifts directly to attendees, All Star was able to ensure "the entire experience had a VIP touch," according to Chatfield. "Both the client and employee participants appreciated and remarked on the breadth of the award selection, ease of the order process, and speed of the delivery."
Shipping the gifts also allows planners to offer awards that are physically larger than sunglasses, a bag, a watch, or a camera at these events, without forcing attendees to find space in their bags or, even worse, pushing them over the weight limit and garnering penalty fees. Swedish crystal maker Orrefors Kosta Boda has used this technique to set up award displays including items like a set of stemless wine glasses at meetings and incentive trips, says Donna Nardella, the director of corporate sales.
Gordon stresses that Rymax Marketing tailors its programs based on the budget and demographics of participants. Indeed, according to the "Event Merchandise Usage Trends Survey," the types of merchandise used in travel events ranges widely depending on how they are presented. The top product categories used in merchandise bars are watches (at 39 percent), cameras (at 38 percent), and outdoor and leisure equipment (37 percent). But for in-room gifts, the top three categories are food (80 percent), wine and spirits (71 percent), and apparel (53 percent).
R-SITE also offers more experiential events, such as "Crack the Vault," in which participants are presented with 20 Sentry safes, each of which contains a merchandise item, such as a high-end camera or watch. They can select a safe to open, and the gift is revealed. For higher-level qualifiers, gifts can range up to $10,000 in value.
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This article appears in the August 2015 issue of Successful Meetings.