A flat-screen television or speakers will bring people years of enjoyment. But studies have found that experiences may provide more enduring happiness — and so-called “merchandise bars” can provide a richer and more satisfying experience for attendees than a gift alone. As a result, meeting and incentive planners are embracing customized, interactive gifting experiences.
It’s All About Brands
According to the Incentive Research Foundation, almost 70 percent of events are now incorporating some sort of brand experience.

“Personalized and custom gifts, trunk shows, and pop-up boutiques have been a trend in many of our events,” says Tina Gaccetta, vice president of client services for Minneapolis-based Aimia, a marketing and loyalty analytics company. “We often recommend to our clients they incorporate some-thing local from the destination if possible.”

Aimia has arranged for silk-scarf boutiques in France, leather-glove fittings in Italy, and customized perfumes in Monaco. “A combination of offerings is even better. Something from the destination, the latest tech thing, and a gift in which they choose,” adds Gaccetta.

Aimia’s gift-centric events have included fedora/felt hat experiences complete with personal branding using a cast-iron machine to emboss each attendee’s initials, as well as beach sandal fittings.

Aimia recently planned a Napa Valley incentive for a client that included an evening of dine-arounds at the top restaurants in the valley. When winners got back to their rooms, waiting were signed cookbooks from the chef in the restaurant where they had dined, as well as a bottle of the wine they enjoyed during the dinner.

“It’s important to make the merchandise offered local and relevant to the destination. It should connect to the memory of the trip,” says Gaccetta. “The gift is a carrot that makes you want to exceed to achieve again.”

For an incentive group gathered in Cancun, Aimia created a local Mexican market for the gifting experience. There was a mix of local vendors as well as Maui Jim sunglasses fittings for the group. The market was not only interactive, but became part of the décor, explains Gaccetta.

She stresses that these experiences are not replacing pillow gifts, but supplementing them. “It’s still a delight to get to your room and find a gift waiting,” she says. “Technology items work well, like Bluetooth speakers, headsets, and GoPro video cameras with accessories. These are always fun to give on site as people start to use them immediately.”

Fitbits and Garmin activity trackers are popular gifts for meetings and incentives and work particularly well in a tech boutique-type setting that gives winners the chance to pick the style and color they prefer.

Branded merchandise typically works best for meetings, says Gaccetta. Water bottles, tote bags, battery chargers, and international power adapters are popular.

Wellness Works
Wellness is taking a growing role not only in corporate America, but in customized gifting experiences as well. St. Louis-based Incentive Concepts and Zane’s Cycles partner in the new Trek Event Experience in which mountain bikes, beach cruisers, fitness, or commuter bikes are on hand for attendees.

“Our staff is there to create the brand experience, get everyone into the bike that matches their lifestyle and make sure they are properly fitted,” says Patrick Corley, vice president of event experiences for Incentive Concepts. Bike Blenders are brought to the events as well, allowing attendees to crank out smoothies with pedal power. The custom-fitted bikes are shipped to their homes.

“Providing a unique gift and distributing it in a unique way, creates excitement and memories that are talked about for years amongst colleagues,” says Bret Williams, director of event services of Cincinnati, OH-based Links Unlimited, a loyalty, incentive, and corporate gifting company. Hot merchandise gifting experiences, according to Williams, are RayBan and Oakley sunglasses, Beats by Dre headphones, Michael Kors watches, Fitbits, Tile tracking devices, and Sonos wireless speakers and home audio systems, as well as Amazon Echo speakers.

The Future’s So Bright, Gotta Wear Shades
A pair of designer sunglasses will always be appreciated, but when someone has the chance to try on different styles and colors and select a pair that best suits him or her, it becomes an experience the recipient will remember. Maui Jim has been doing just this since 2000.

“I was working with a large financial company and I offered to come out and do a fitting during their event at the Ritz-Carlton in Cancun,” says Brett Hatch, senior director, of global corporate gifts for Maui Jim. “They wanted us to be a pillow gift/room drop and I said that we could offer a fitting experience for the group.” Thus the concept of the experiential merchandise program was born.

Maui Jim’s employees who service these events, trained with the “aloha spirit,” take care of everything from start to finish, so it is a turnkey and seamless operation. “We take care of all shipping details, duties and taxes, and our flights, so it is a true brand experience for all of the recipients. We specialize in seven-star service,” says Hatch.

He admits that there are now more players in the customized gift area, but sees this as good news for incentive groups. “It’s great,” he says. “It creates competition.”

Maui Jim can service groups as small as 25 or as large as 5,000. “It sends a message that we care and we want to give you something that is going to be useful,” says John Marzuki, account executive, BCD Meetings & Incentives, about the Maui Jim experience.

Maui Jim adds further value to the fitting experience by offering customized cases, cloths, and pouches with the name of the event or customer. “These items can be left in each guest room as a pillow gift with a note that says ‘come down to our meeting room tomorrow and pick out a pair of sunglasses,'” says Hatch.

Bose Makes Noise in the Custom Gift Experience Arena
The Bose Event Experience grows every year, says Corley, who helped pioneer the offering for the meetings, events, and incentives industry.

Professional Bose Event representatives travel on site to host customized experiences that match the event, attendees, and budget. The experience is interactive and attendees get to take home the gifts of their choice. Plus, Bose has a high perceived value and has items to match every budget.

At a recent convention, the Bose Event Experience team created several “man caves” in a ballroom, complete with leather couches, flat-screen TVs, and Bose products. “This was an attendee draw. Everyone congregated here whenever they had free time,” recalls Corley. “The last day, we asked each attendee what setup they liked the best and where they would like it shipped.”

Across all of Incentive Concepts’ event experiences, including Trek, Movado, and Briggs & Riley luggage, Corley has seen a rise in using a gifts pre-program to kick off an event. Incentive Concepts can also build custom YourEventCard.com websites with the client’s branding, welcome message, and items to be included. The cards are mailed to attendees with a note inviting them to redeem their new gift items before their trip. Then, whether the gift is new luggage, noise-canceling headphones, or a watch, it helps get the attendees even more excited about the trip.

Another popular option for incorporating merchandise into events is Signature Events’ Custom Nike Design program. Signature Events President Dan Walker says, “It’s a truly interactive experience. Attendees are fitted properly with tennis shoes that they then get to design and customize.”

Luxury Gifts Enhance Programs
Gifts with high perceived value enhance a program. A Bulova watch is a piece of jewelry that tells time. The brand offers a special “Gift in Time” watch experience program during which a Bulova representative sets up a branded display from which recipients can choose their own watches and then get them fitted. “Plus it combines an element of entertainment with getting a personal choice,” says Adrienne Forrest, vice president, corporate sales, of New York City-based Bulova Corporation.

Recipients try on watches and mingle with each other as they compare different colors and styles, deciding which is the best fit. “We have enough of a variety so everybody will find something they will like,” explains Forrest. “We can also arrange to have a jeweler on site who will fit the watch. It offers instant gratification as the recipient can wear their new watch on site.”

The future is bright for customized gift events. “More and more, people aspire to see their own personalized thumbprint on things they acquire. Creating the “wow” gifting experience of the future will require deep understanding of the options people would like to customize and of the process they’re willing to engage in to make those customizations happen,” says Melissa Van Dyke, president of the Incentive Research Foundation.

Source: http://www.successfulmeetings.com/Strategy/Meeting-Strategies/how-to-enhance-meetings-with-gifts/?t=head&cid=eltrMtgNews