When considering the promotion of your brand at events, or showing appreciation to clients and employees, the right choice of promotional merchandise can make all the difference. In this blog, we’ll explore the top-performing promotional products for 2024 across four distinct categories: Events, Hybrid Working, Tech and Sustainability. From enhancing event success to supporting sustainability, there are perfect choices for every occasion.

Why is gift giving so awesome in business?  (Here’s the science bit)

Receiving a gift can trigger fascinating neurological responses in the human brain. When a person is presented with a gift, it activates the brain’s reward centre associated with pleasure and reinforcement learning. The release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and motivation, surges, creating a sense of happiness and excitement.

Additionally, the act of unwrapping a gift activates the brain’s sensory areas, heightening the overall experience.

These neurological reactions showcase the profound impact that gift-giving can have on an individual, connecting joy, gratitude, and the strengthening of social bonds through the interesting lens of neuroscience.

Woah! So now you understand just what gift giving can do, you can now imagine the impact business gifts could have for your business.

Let’s look at the top trending business gifts for 2024 that will drive success.

Make your brand stand out in 2024 with some top of the trend merchandise

Event giveaway ideas: your golden ticket to drawing crowds and creating lasting brand connections

Events and exhibitions are back with vigour in 2024.  Whether you’re meeting and greeting existing or new clients on your stand or hanging with industry leaders at a conference, you need your teams to have a suitable supply of standout merchandise.

Now you understand the neuroscience bit, you’ll get that promotional merchandise is your secret weapon at events.  It attracts a flood of eager visitors to your stand, then once they’ve received that instant dopamine hit, they’ll leave with a tangible memory that extends your brand’s reach far beyond the event itself – fostering lasting connections and increasing the probability of continued engagement.

Here’s three promotional ideas that will help you draw in the crowds at events and ensure they remember you:

  • The best freebies for events are items that are small, light and useful. Business promotional items such as promotional Pens or eco-friendly boxes of vegan gummy bears will always make the perfect exhibition giveaways, but we’d suggest that you mix this with some higher priced event give aways too.
  • Combine low value event items with the opportunity to walk away with higher priced promotional corporate gifts. In 2023, THEMPC has seen a surge in interactive stand games, such as Branded cornhole games, Wheels of Fortune or Don’t Buzz the Buzzer.  By nature people are competitive and giving the chance to win a higher value prize such as a trendy Solo Stove Bonfire  or an attractive vacuum coffee maker (which will be delivered beautifully gift wrapped after the event) can draw the crowds.  Need help developing a game? We can help with that as well as event giveaway ideas.
  • Want to elevate your event gift experience? Gift wrap your giveaways for exhibition and other events! (remember the neuroscience bit about unwrapping). We offer branded tissue paper, branded tape, gift boxes, and personalised tags – and we even offer a gift-wrapping service, so your promotional items come delivered direct to your event – event-ready.

94% of those receiving promotional products remember the brand behind it

Enhance your brands gifting experience for 2024

Branded on-the-go business gifts: gain the prime spot on executive hot desks

We’ve all been there—receiving corporate promotional items with a forced smile, knowing it’s sadly destined for the bin or charity shop. But the right business gift serves a purpose and creates lasting business connections.  Thinking about the new hybrid way of working too when choosing merchandise giveaways; easy to travel and functional enough to pack.  When it’s time to show appreciation to valued clients, here are some on-the-go promotion products that earn genuine smiles and leave an indelible mark:

Folding travel laptop stands available in a few different designs and price brackets:

Bluetooth Headphones/sets:

Tech promotional gifts: smart tech giveaways

Investing in tech corporate gifts is about making your business look the part – giving it the edge over your competitors’ giveaways.  Here are four examples of gifts that will delight gadget-loving customers.

  • Apple gadgets travel charger by Nomad
  • Roamer charge – Travel flip stand for charging your phone wirelessly
  • Voyager travel plugs – with 4 USBs power up anytime, anywhere
  • D Base – Dive into sound with these waterproof speakers

79% of people given promotional products admit they’re more likely to do business with the brand

Feature your brand on premium giveaways, a great way to build brand awareness & gain brand loyalty

Green gifting: showcase your sustainability commitment

In today’s eco-conscious world, sustainable business gifts showcase your brand’s commitment to the people and planet. All of these promo items products can be branded with your company logo too.

Laptop bags

  • ‘Three Peaks’ branded Laptop bags made from recycled single-serve PET bottles – this commuter laptop bag makes the perfect business promotional gift. With 22 litres of storage, a secure laptop compartment and anti-theft pocket with tough water-resistant exterior
  • What about an innovative lightweight roll-up laptop bag made from RPET which is AWARE Trace verified
  • Backpack with cooler compartment – Keep lunch fresh in the cooler compartment, essentials in the main, plus inner pockets, pen loops & 15.6 laptop slot. Water bottle stays upright. Eco-friendly Aware™ tracer validates recycled materials, saving 19.8 litres of water & reusing 33.2 PET bottles. 2% of sales donated to Water.org. PVC free.

Organic cotton tote bags are a popular choice for sustainable conscious promotional freebies.

Reusable notebooks – In addition, RocketBooks make excellent brand giveaways. These reusable notebooks allow users to write, erase, and reuse endlessly, reducing paper waste and aligning with sustainability values. This makes them a practical and planet-friendly choice for businesses looking to promote sustainability while offering a valuable giveaway.  THEMPC can brand RocketBooks to your specifications or we offer another reusable notebook as a budget friendlier alternative.

Portable solar panels branded with your logo make ideal gifts to allow people to charge mobile phones off-grid – ideal for camping and festivals.

The right choice of promotional products can leave a lasting impact on your brand’s visibility and perception. Whether you’re promoting at events, showing appreciation to clients and employees, prioritising sustainability, or aiming for maximum visibility and usability, there’s a perfect promotional item above for every situation. So, go ahead and elevate your brand with these top-performing promotional gifts for 2024 that deliver impressive results.

Ordering your promotional giveaways for 2024

Call our team on 01256 352415 to get quotes for any of the gifts above and discuss more ideas to make your brand stand out in 2024 and beyond.