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A Full Year of Event Ideas for Promotional Products Distributorsnational great outdoors month

A Full Year of Event Ideas for Promotional Products Distributors

Published January 4, 2019

2019 is here, and whether you’re diving in or still drafting your own written marketing plans, be sure to take a big-picture look at the full year ahead. We put together this list of selling ideas and seasonal events to help you and your clients plan out their 2019 promotional marketing initiatives.

Distributors – you know it’s ideal to get your clients thinking about upcoming events with as much lead time as possible. We recommend planning for your seasonal promotions and events at least 2-3 months in advance, if not sooner. We know it doesn’t always happen that way…but starting to discuss a yearly plan with your clients now can help you mitigate rush fees and reduce stress up against tight deadlines later in the year.

ProTip: Bring this event list to PPAI next week to help you brainstorm some specific, strategic campaigns as you walk the show floor!

January 

(Plan + pitch these themes and products in November / December or sooner)

View January Monthly Observations Here

  • Fitness + Nutrition
  • Productivity / New Year’s Resolutions (calendars, planners, organizational tools, office items)
  • Martin Luther King Jr. Day (1/16)
  • National Chocolate Cake Day (1/27)
  • Tax preparation (Pocket folders, document pouches, financial / bookkeeping tools)
  • Travel / Vacation planning / Cruises / Resorts (calendars, photo frames, document pouches)
  • Weddings / Wedding Expos (calendars, planners
  • Employee recognition (awards, certificate folders, branded gifts, apparel)
  • National Blood Donor Month

February

(Plan + pitch these themes and products in December / January or sooner)

View February Monthly Observations Here

Browse more February holidays here.

March

(Plan + pitch these themes and products in January / February or sooner)

View March Monthly Observations Here

April

(Plan + pitch these themes and products in February / March or sooner)

View April Monthly Observations Here

May

(Plan + pitch these themes and products in March / April or sooner)

View May Monthly Observations Here

June

(Plan + pitch these themes and products in April / May or sooner)

View June Monthly Observations Here

July

(Plan + pitch these themes and products in May / June or sooner)

View July Monthly Observations Here

August

(Plan + pitch these themes and products in June / July or sooner)

View August Monthly Observations Here

September

( **Busy season starts this month for many suppliers** plan + pitch these themes and products in July / August or sooner)

View September Monthly Observations Here

October

( **Busy season for many suppliers** plan + pitch these themes and products in August / September or sooner)

View October Monthly Observations Here

November 

( **Busy season for many suppliers** plan + pitch these themes and products starting August, September, October or sooner)

View November Monthly Observations Here

December

( **Busy season for many suppliers** plan + pitch these themes and products starting July, August, September, October or sooner)

View December Monthly Observations Here

 

Want to do something different? National Day Calendar is a great online resource to use when looking for creative new campaign ideas. Beyond the widely recognized holidays and mainstream seasonal events, there are also some more fun and obscure ones, like these…

Campaign ideas for all year round:

Ask your clients if they host or sponsor any of the following types of events – and when! Check in to see if they have been satisfied with the results they’ve gotten in past years, or if they’d like to get more brand exposure, capture more leads, drive more web traffic or social media engagement, then plan a smart promotion around their goal.

  • Self-promos (Plan at least 2 per year – send out in June / July and again in November / December)
  • Corporate anniversaries
  • Employee Appreciation Celebrations
  • Fundraisers, banquets and Galas
  • Birthdays and retirement events
  • Bar/ bat mitzvahs
  • Quinceaneras
  • Award ceremonies + recognition
  • Trade shows & conventions
  • Sales meetings
  • Class reunions
  • Annual town festivals
  • Local chamber business events
  • Small business association meetings
  • Networking events

We hope these event ideas help you generate some creative, timely proposals for your clients! Don’t try to tackle them all – prepare a list of 3-5 events that will resonate best with each client based on their values, their customer base, and their sales cycle. You can also use this list to help them part ways with stale, old, overdone promotions, and replace them with fresh, innovative promotions.

Take action now: Make some calls, draft some emails, and get some meeting dates on the calendar with your clients and prospects. Be sure to leave plenty of time to choose the right promotional products, get your orders in, proofs approved, products made and delivered for all of your 2019 promotional campaigns!

Have another idea that we missed? Please leave us a comment below, or drop us a note on Facebook! 

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Golf Event Promotion Ideasgolf-photo-folder-Warwick

Golf Event Promotion Ideas

Published March 27, 2018

‘Tis the season for planning golf tournaments!  These annual events offer SO many great opportunities for branded exposure, and they’re held in almost every community. Some are organized by industry trade associations or individual companies, city groups or municipalities, and other golf events are held as fundraisers for non-profits. Between sponsorships, raffles, ticket sales, and donations, golf fundraisers can bring in big money for local and national charity organizations, and big exposure for brands.  If your clients are looking for new ways to expand their reach this year, suggest they get involved with a golf tournament!

Here are a few golf promotional products from Warwick that are popular for golf fundraisers and tournaments, plus a few tips on how to use them.

Golf Frames and Photo Folders – NQP Sale through 4/30/18

golf picture frame WarwickThese custom golf picture frames make nice keepsakes for golfers and guests. Set up a photo station, hire a photo booth company for the dinner reception, or a professional photographer to take foursome shots out on the green. Guests will love having a personalized photo keepsake to remember their day.

Pro Tip | Find a dedicated photo sponsor to cover the cost of the custom golf event frames or folders. Put that sponsor’s logo on the frames for additional branding exposure that will go home with each guest. Our NQP Sale on our Custom Golf Event Photo Folders & Frames ends 4/30. Mention code PC0314 when ordering.

Personalization methods include full-color digital printing on golf photo folders for 4×6 and 5×7 prints, or foil stamped personalization on our golf dimple folders and matboard bevel frames. If your client is hosting or sponsoring a golf outing, we’d love to help them extend their branding reach beyond the event with a personalized frame that goes home with each guest.

Golf Event Save the Dates & Bottle Hangers

golf promo products WarwickOur custom trifold calendars make perfect save the date reminders or invitations for your golf event. The trifold design provides lots of space for sponsorship and advertising packages, too. These custom trifold invitations (#1620) come with envelopes and are lightweight and just as easy to mail as a greeting card.

Our custom A2 Folded Cards make great invitations and RSVP reminders also, if you’re looking for a smaller

Our custom bottle hangers are also a nice way to promote a call to action at the golf event or tell a story. We all know that sales and donations are driven by emotion, so help your guests connect with the cause! Every non-profit has a compelling story behind its founding, and this can be a great way to get guests to engage with the organization, donate to the cause, or purchase raffle tickets on-site at the event.

golf-fundraiser-promotion

 

 

Another option to promote your golf event is our full-color billboard calendar. You can use the space on the backboard to tell the story for the non-profit or charity the event will benefit. Here, the organizers used the space to highlight photos of the children who benefited from the event. The calendars were used as save the date reminder gifts and were sent to the last year’s golfers in December to keep the event top of mind throughout the year.

The coupon gatefold photo folder is a great way to give sponsors some addded promotion and increase brand engagement after the event is over. Perforated sides can be printed with custom coupons and special offers from the event sponsors. We’ve also seen customers use these flaps for drink tickets and raffle tickets! Here, the folders (with event pictures inserted) were mailed out to participants after the tournament. Sponsors loved the added exposure and were able to track coupon usage, helping prove ROI in supporting the tournament.

Have another idea for a great golf event promotion? We’d love to hear it! Please leave a comment below, or share your thoughts on the Warwick Facebook page.

 

 

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Case Studies: Custom Promo Products for Schools and UniversitiesCustom Card for University Homecoming

Case Studies: Custom Promo Products for Schools and Universities

Published August 8, 2017

Schools, colleges, and universities are always looking to increase awareness about enrollment, campus events, school clubs and programs, fundraisers, alumni support and community involvement. Whether your goal is recruiting more students for your university, or your boosting attendance at athletic events, custom giveaways help schools get the word out. Here are a few fun ideas to help schools reach their goals using promotional products.

Objective: Promote School Athletics

A school’s athletic program was struggling to pay for recurring expenses. Game attendance had dropped over the previous year, and alumni attendance was weak. The school wanted to increase game attendance to boost ticket revenue, concession stand sales, and encourage alumni donations.

School Athletics Case Study by Warwick Publishing

Product

#1820 | Custom Wave Calendar

Personalization

Calendar with highlighted home and away games printed on pop-out waves. Men’s schedule was printed on one side of the calendar, women’s schedule was printed on the other. The full schedule, including opponents and locations, were printed behind the pop-out wave calendars.

Method of Distribution

Every athlete was given one to take home to parents. Calendars were available at the ticket table and concession stands at every game. Calendars were also mailed out to alumni and local business owners with a letter from the coach, as well as notes from the team captains, thanking them for past support, and encouraging them to attend some games. There were calendars placed on tables in the cafeteria and library to inspire school pride.

Marketing Outcome

Game attendance went up by 33% for both the men’s and women’s teams. More students and alumni were present. Due to increased attendance, the program could make necessary investments, like better training equipment and new uniforms.

Objective: Unify University Re-branding

A university had just completed a major rebrand complete with a new logo and wanted to make sure they had all the necessary branded items for functions throughout the year. They had previously been using different pocket folders for various events and functions.

University Case Study by Warwick Publishing

Product

#STANDARD-INK1 | Standard 1-Color Printed Pocket Folder, Style V1

Personalization

For the front cover, the school simply used their logo. The slogan and social media info was printed on the pockets.

Method of Distribution

Staff handed out these custom branded folders out to prospective students and their parents, alumni, faculty, and board members.

Marketing Outcome

Since the design was basic branding and folders are a supply item for the college, the university was able to buy their folders in bulk, saving money on an otherwise recurring expense. They unified their look for a consistent image across all departments.

Objective: Increase Alumni Engagement and Donor Support

A university wanted to increase alumni engagement and attendance at their Homecoming week events. They also wanted to increase donor support and raise funds for campus programs. By engaging alumni and past donors by inviting them to Homecoming week, the university hoped to increase donations by 15% over the previous year.

Custom Card for University Homecoming

Product

8000-DP-57 | 5 x 7 Flat Printed Card

Personalization

University campus photo showing students on the grass studying with a red banner overlay designed with a simple university logo and Homecoming dates.

Method of Distribution

These custom cards were mailed to all alumni as invitations to the Homecoming week events, paired with a letter asking for a donation to support campus program development.

Marketing Outcome

The university saw an increase in RSVPs for Homecoming events and got a great response from donors. The alumni association saw an 18% increase in monetary gifts received in the month following the Homecoming celebrations, allowing them to give back to campus programs and support student clubs and organizations.

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5 Event Marketing Tips for Summer Promotionssummer festival

5 Event Marketing Tips for Summer Promotions

Published March 18, 2017

Spring is here, and that means it’s time to start planning summer promotions with your clients! What better way to get your client’s brand some extra exposure than by having a presence at an event? There are lots of outdoor festivals and fairs that take place in the spring and summer months, and they provide a plethora of opportunities for brand exposure and engagement. Now is the time to start your event marketing research, and turn your client’s brand into an experience. Here are 5 tips to get started:

1. Start locally

Think about your own hometown. What are your favorite things to do in the area over the summer? Are there some well-known annual events that bring in a lot of patrons each year? In St. Charles, we have everything from the Kane County fair to the annual Easter Egg hunt at the Park District, Scarecrow Fest, and the Tri-City Craft Brew Festival. In Geneva, Swedish Days and Festival of the Vine bring in massive crowds each year. Brainstorm list of local events that you’ve personally been to. If you think any might be a good fit for your clients, track down the contact info for the event coordinators. Reach out to learn about sponsorship opportunities or booth availability. Then, schedule a time to meet with your clients about your ideas. Prepare a media kit binder or digital file with the package options and sponsorship levels ahead of time.

  • Summer festivals
  • Craft beer festivals
  • BBQ competitions, Ribfest, Chili Cookoff
  • Car shows
  • Parades
  • Heritage festivals (Swedish Days, German Fest)
  • County fairs
  • Races (marathons, 5k, fun runs)
  • Fundraisers
  • School events
  • Sports games
  • Conferences
  • Arts and craft fairs
  • Golf outings (check with your chamber of commerce, local business associations, park district, non-profits, and city or township)
  • Business expos
  • Chamber of Commerce open house events
  • Music festivals ( Bluesfest, Jazzfest, )
  • Folk festivals

2. Partner with a non-profit

What causes are important to your clients? What charities matter most to you and your staff? By teaming up with a local non-profit at an event, you can establish a great relationship that’s mutually beneficial for both organizations. Plus, people like to do business with companies who are actively involved in charitable causes. This is a great relationship builder and networking opportunity for yourself as a distributor, and for your client as a brand. You also have the added benefit of cross-promotion. Leverage the non-profit’s marketing channels such as social media, email lists, direct mailing lists, bulletin boards at their office or facility. This expands your reach and creates additional opportunities for cross-promotion with another set of consumers who are interested in your charity.

3. Pick a theme

Every event becomes more fun when there’s a theme. Whether it’s a tiki luau, a retro Gatsby affiar, a swashbuckling pirate party, Hollywood red carpet gala, or wild west rodeo, your guests will enjoy playing along at the event. Be sure to bring some props and decorations that fit your chosen theme. Plan how your booth space will look, and how your messaging and activities can revolve around your theme.

Warwick Custom Photo Folder
Coupon Gatefold Photo folders From Warwick make a great keepsake for guests, and offer lasting brand exposure for your clients, with perforated coupons to drive more business after the event is over.

4. Create a memorable experience with promo!

This is a no brainer, of course — but try to think outside the box with your event giveaways. It will be a busy day with lots of other attractions and vendors competing for attention, so plan early to have several ways to stand out. Don’t just hand out pens and paper fans to all who walk by – think of how to engage people and get them to interact with you and your brand! Offer an incentive to attract traffic, and encourage them to stop at your booth or visit your business after the event.

Draw patrons in with strong signage, and powerful, yet welcoming visual display. Don’t be afraid to get a little wacky or weird. Make people curious. Make them think, and scratch their heads. How can you turn this opportunity into a memorable experience? Try a fun game (Twister, anyone?) or a bizarre visual display, or an enticing contest. Consider incorporating a photo booth. Everyone loves selfies! Send your guests home with a memorable, branded photo keepsake with your branding.

5. Get the word out early 

Start promoting your involvement with the event as soon as you have the date confirmed. Even if you don’t have all of the details finalized, schedules fill up fast in the spring and summer, and you’ll want to make sure people know about the event as early as possible. Create a Facebook event and start inviting friends and colleagues online. Ask employees to share with their networks, too. Tease your audience with a special offer if they stop by your booth at the event. Create a clear call to action and outline the big ticket highlights of the event – especially if there with be a contest, giveaway, musical performance, or celebrity appearance. Send out save the date email blasts and postcards to increase awareness.

We hope these event marketing tips get some ideas flowing that you can present to your clients! Exposure at a summer festival or outdoor event could be just what they need to boost business. Have another idea for a successful event promotion? Leave us a comment below, or contact us on Facebook!

Be sure to visit Warwick Publishing on the web to browse custom photo folders, frames, promotional calendars, greeting cards, certificate holders, presentation folders, pillow boxes, door hangers, and more!

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