While many people consider trade show giveaways and conference gifts in the same breath, the fact is that the two events are very different, and require different types of promotional materials. When choosing conference gifts, giveaways and other promotional items, you should consider what your conference attendees will be doing and choose items that will make their day easier and more convenient. Here are some suggestions for promotional items that make great conference promotional items.

Promotional Mugs and Sports BottlesUnlike trade shows, where attendees are constantly on the move, your conference attendees will be spending long periods of time ? sometimes the entire day ? in one place. There will nearly always be coffee and drinks available for their consumption throughout the course of the day.

Providing spill-proof travel mugs with the conference name on them is not only brand building, it makes simple sense. If most attendees will be spending the entire day in one conference room around a table, ceramic promotional mugs may be a good choice. Ceramic or china mugs are also an excellent choice as takeaway gifts from a conference opening breakfast or last day closing convocation. Promotional gifts that are useful during the event and can be taken home after it's over are your best choice for conference gifts.

Promotional Pens

There is never a more appropriate place for using promotional pens. Conferences are meant for information exchange, and nearly everyone will be taking notes. The conference sponsors will jump at the chance to have their names imprinted on promotional pens to be handed out to each attendee and kept available in each conference room for those who need them. Choose pens that are comfortable to use and attractive, and they'll make their way home with your attendees to spread the sponsor names far and wide.

Conference Folders

Note taking is the one thing you can count on at a conference. Your attendees will be grateful for a sturdy padfolio or conference folder in which to keep all their conference materials, schedules and information. Your sponsors will love the large imprint area that lets their logo attract attention. If your budget allows, conference folders with nifty integral tools like calculators will really make an impression and ensure that your conference folders are used and displayed (with sponsor name, of course) long after the conference ends.

Conference Bags

Conference bags have become the equivalent of birthday party goodie bags, well made and high quality tote bags, rucksacks and executive bags that are stuffed full of goodies from every company that has contributed to the sponsorship of the conference. The bags themselves have become nearly as important ? if not more so ? than the contents. If you're the conference organizer, then you'll get to choose the conference bag. If you're a sponsor, you'll get to choose some sort of goodie to include in the bag.

Those goodies range from promotional literature about your company to expensive little toys branded with your company name. Among the most popular conference bag fillers are promotional pens and promotional mugs and travel mugs.

When you're choosing promotional items for a conference, keep in mind that your attendees are there for information. The most favored items are those that will make it easier to gather and organize that information, along with items like promotional mugs to cater to their needs.