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Items like these reusable handmade name tags, created for a Fashion and Circularity Symposium, allow event organizers to tangibly connect participants with the event and remain consistent with its focus on the reducing waste and reusing resources.
There are ways to connect with meeting participants by giving gifts that don’t have adverse environmental effects. Here are three ideas from Sonali Diddi, an associate professor in the Department of Design and Merchandising at Colorado State University (CSU) and a faculty affiliate at CSU’s School of Global Environmental Sustainability.
1. Reuse
Work with companies that create conference bags and other items made ofmaterials, like conference banners, that otherwise would be headed to landfills.
2. Offer experiences
Wharton Behavior Lab research has shown that experiences make more lasting impressions than material objects. Why not, Diddi asked, work with destinations where meetings are being held to offer gift cards or discounts to local businesses, ideally those with social spaces, like coffee shops, restaurants, and even bowling alleys, where meeting participants can gather?
3. Offer impact
Bring up swag at registration by asking whether attendees want a conference bag or other swag — or to make a charitable donation instead. People derive more satisfaction from giving than receiving, studies have shown, but only when they are offered a choice about giving.
Barbara Palmer is deputy editor at Convene.