We sat down with Rookwood Pottery to find out their tips for a great tchotchke for your attendees. They have created everything from the trophies for the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament to items for sale in their retail shops. And along the way, they have helped many meeting planners find gifts that their attendees truly appreciate.
Tie your gift to your host city
For many reasons, this will be your most economical solution. Your host city will likely have something that is special and unique to them, and there is a good chance that you can get large quantities easily. Plus, attendees will then get a taste of the host city, even if they don’t have time to fully explore.
Rookwood Pottery has this kind of request often. In this case, they recommend a tile of a Cincinnati icon, like the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal. They can put information about your event on the back. The tile could then be used as a coaster or put on display year round, and it’s a big reminder of the fun they had at your conference.
Tie your gift to your organization
If you have a little more in your budget, create an item that has something to do with your organization. If your attendees create a certain kind of product, consider doing a figurine of that product. When they bring it back to place on their desk, everyone in their office will be jealous and consider coming next year.
For Rookwood Pottery, they have created many of these figurines for conferences. Everything from owls to polar bears can be created in their production facility. And if you have a figurine that you would like to duplicate, they have access to mapping technology that will allow for them to duplicate it precisely.
Make your gift something attendees will want to display
So much effort goes into making gifts that usable, like pens. But why not concentrate on just making something beautiful? People are more likely to be wowed by the beautiful item and more likely to want to display it at home.
Rookwood Pottery obviously has a lot of experience creating beautiful items. From the amazing details of a beer stein to the sheer beauty of a serving plate, there are a lot of choices for what attendees will want to display at home. One thing you can be guaranteed: If you choose a Rookwood Pottery piece for your attendees, it will not be left in their hotel rooms.
What event ideas for attendee gifts have worked for you?
