Engaging Hybrid Audiences with Digital Swag: An Introduction to Digital Swag from Swagable

In the last few years, the event landscape has undergone huge shift. Where once almost all events required in-person attendance, we are now seeing a high number of purely online (virtual) or hybrid (with both in-person and online audiences) events taking place.  We think this a really positive step! When delivered using the right online event platform, with accessible technology in place, online events can be more inclusive, more flexible and with less impact on the environment.

For event organisers and sponsors ensuring that people are excited to attend their event, are engaging with the content delivered and are inspired by their event experience remain the top priorities, whether the event taking place in-person, online or with a mixture of both (hybrid).

According to research from Markletic, half (49%) of marketers say that audience engagement is the biggest contributing factor to having a successful event. However, only 30% of event organisers send their attendees giveaways and only one in three (34%) send virtual gift bags to their attendees. That’s a huge, missed opportunity.

One fantastic fix to this problem is to use a digital Swag bag, because with a digital bag, you don’t need to be there in person to collect your Swag. Instead, you simply need to log-in to your Swag bag providers platform and then interact with the content and enjoy the Swag items you select, however suits you.

In this article we will look into the virtual Swag bag concept in a little more depth, to give you the confidence to harness the power of a virtual Swag bag for your next event.

If you have attended an event in the past, chances are you have received a Swag bag. SWAG stands for Something We All Get and traditionally a swag or goodie bag is packed with free gifts from event exhibitors and sponsors, to give delegates some take-away promotional items. Examples of physical traditional Swag items are branded coffee cups, pens, stress balls etc, all featuring company logos.

Digital (or virtual Swag as it is sometimes called) is simply freebies delivered online instead, bypassing the physical bag. Event stakeholders can offer which ever promotional items they choose, with their logo on the items and bag, and all in one handy place just the same. The only difference is that the ‘bag’ is an online platform.

With a digital Swag bag, the possibilities of what you fill it with a vast! To bring the concept to life we have provided a few examples of typical Swag items you might want to include:

Voucher or discount codes

Offering a discount code for brand partners and sponsors products gives your attendees access to an exclusive benefit via their Swag bag and drives traffic to partner sites too.

Downloads

Why not provide a range of relevant how-to guides, e-books, online training etc, all in one place for your delegates to access and learn from. This is a great way to share valuable knowledge and further promote your events theme.

Physical items

Virtual Swag bags don’t mean the end of physical event giveaways such as branded hoodies or coffee cups. In fact, we believe that if provided to delegates ahead of event day, they can help build a sense of community between your in-person and online audiences. To make sure that these are items people want and can make use of (correct size etc) however, why not provide items to order, and minimise waste.  

Other examples of virtual Swag bag contents might be competition giveaways, virtual experiences, eco-friendly options such as tree-planting or event specific information materials. There are so many options with a digital Swag bag. 

It's vital to make sure you use the right digital Swag bag platform to deliver the virtual Swag which will engage your hybrid audience. The platform needs to be:

• User friendly
• Equipped with accessible digital technology
• Provides trackable results for return on investment (ROI) data for sponsors
• Supported by a professional team

The Swagable bag was set-up by an inclusive events agency, having identified that virtual Swag bags using accessible technology weren’t readily available. Using their knowledge of the event world, they built an easy-to-use platform that delivers a sustainable, accessible and trackable Swag every time.

Using the Swagable platform is a lot like using filling your online shopping basket at your favourite retailer. We believe that this is something more and more customers are confident to do in everyday life, and the research confirm this, “more money was spent online in the U.S. in April and May (2023) than the last 12 Cyber Mondays combined; in the month of May, U.S. e-commerce spending grew by 93 percent year-over-year. —Source: Mastercard SpendingPulse™.

Rest assured though, at Swagable we also offered tiered support services so, if you do need any further assistance at any point in time, the team are available to make sure your Swag bag is a success.

You can visit the Swagable website or book a demo here if you would like to find out more.

Now more than ever, we all know how important it is to consider the environmental impact of our actions, be that investment, promotion or individual spending choices. A virtual Swag bag, such as a Swagable bag, is the more planet-friendly option to boost your events audience engagement for a number of reasons. We have highlighted a few:

1. A traditional physical Swag bag is usually packed with stock items, and many of these are ultimately destined for landfill. With a Swagable bag, users only access items they have a use for.
2. Event organisers don’t need to transport multiple items, some of which will be wasted, to event venues.
3. Less print material is produced and thrown-away.  
4. Sponsors can promote their brand in a way that considers the environment, rather than continuing to pursue methods increasingly associated with waste.

When it comes to choosing digital event offerings including a digital Swag bag, the research speaks for itself. “According to MeetGreen “A standard in-person event can use up to 36,000 pieces of paper, most of which are not recycled accordingly. By choosing to offer virtual swag – and choose to run your event in a digital format – you eliminate up to 170kg of CO2 emissions”.  

We really hope that this article has helped you to feel as excited about digital Swag bags as we are! It’s time to revolutionise your next event and go digital! So go ahead and book a demo to find out how Swagable can work for you today.