Why You Need a Digital Event Bag for Your In-Person Event

Isn’t a virtual event bag for virtual events?

Virtual event bags (otherwise known as digital event bags) were around long before the pandemic and while the explosion of virtual events created a lot of new users, they will continue to be very popular for in-person events.

Here are some of the top reasons to use a virtual event bag for your in-person event:

1. SPONSOR ATTRACTION.

• Digital advertising is now 50% of the global spend on all advertising. Sponsors live and breathe in the web, social media, and email space. They know how to use digital, and they want the tracking, attribution, and measurement that comes with it. They don’t get any of that with a physical bag.
• The digital bag can start working for the sponsor weeks before the conference, for up to 90 days. A physical bag gets carried around for a day or two, may or may not make it back to the office, and is unlikely to be seen again. No one will ever know if it worked (as in did it acquire new customers). Has anyone ever told you they did a big deal with a sponsor because of the branded bag they gave away? Not Likely.
• You can include it in the sponsorship package or price separately. If you sell it separately, they may not buy your other package. I’d include it.
• Overcome common objections. “We have a conflict and can’t make those dates”. Sponsors don’t have to be at the conference in-person to get leads with the digital event bag.
• More people will see it. Because your digital event bag website opens well before the conference, prospective attendees can visit it and start engaging. Your virtual bag audience can be 10x your attendee numbers and sponsors will love that. Just include the link in all of your promotional emails and social media.
• Proof. The sponsor can log in and see the data anytime. Name, email address, job title, how many times they visited etc. The attendees log in one time and accept the terms and conditions and then their information is forwarded to sponsors.

2. EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS.

• The virtual bag can be implemented in less than 30 minutes, assuming that the sponsor has a logo, some artwork or video content and knows what offering they would like to promote.
• A virtual event bag can create seven kinds of offers to accommodate the sponsor’s favorite strategy to get the attendee to act. These include:
  • Voucher. Visitors engage with the print action or show vouchers on their mobile device to redeem. This placement type is usually used by companies who operate in a physical location or exhibitors encouraging redemption at their event booth.
  • Discount. The online discount creates a link to your e-commerce website store in which visitors can take advantage of a discount using a special promotional code. This category is usually used by e-commerce stores or other businesses that sell via an online store.
  • Advertisement.The advertisement creates a link to a business or company website. This category enables companies to achieve the goal of driving traffic to a website for the purpose of generating awareness, brand building, or education about a company, product, or service.
  • Document Share.The document share placement enables you to share a digital document with a visitor. When the visitor engages, they choose to send the document to their email inbox. Use this placement to share a PDF coupon with a special barcode or a general information PDF.
  • Giveaway.The giveaway contest allows visitors to enter to win a prize or special offering. Each visitor to the page is allowed a single entry and all entries are collected into a list from which a company uses to select a winner.
  • Event RSVP.The event RSVP placement enables you to invite visitors to an event hosted by your company (ie: Cocktail Hour, Private Party, etc.). When the visitor engages with your placement they enter contact information to RSVP.
  • Appointment Request.The appointment request placement enables visitors to send an appointment request message to you with their contact information. When you receive the appointment requests, you have the ability to contact the visitor and schedule the appointment.

3. CASH FLOW AND PLANNING ADVANTAGES.

• Physical bags will likely need to be ordered as much as six months or more in advance to maximize your cost savings, especially if you are ordering hundreds or thousands.
• Physical bags force you to pay for storage, and printing costs.
• With physical bags, you might order too many or you might not have enough.
• You will also have to manage and store flyers/promo items to put in the physical bags.
• With the virtual bag, you just need to pay when you are ready to open the bag.

4. TIME SAVING.

• Have you ever had to stuff event bags? Need I say more?
• Sponsor communication. With a physical bag, you have to coordinate all of the logos, copy, edits, revisions, and approvals. With the Digital Event Bag, the sponsor designs their bag online and you approve it.

5. SUSTAINABILITY.

Almost all physical bags for events are sourced from overseas. They have a supply chain footprint and often end up in the trash along with most of the flyers and promotional goods that were inside.

The Digital Event Bag will end up being very popular with your sponsors. Sponsors are motivated by ROI and analytics and by providing them with the information they desire. At the end of the day, you will have the data to prove your performance and sign them up again next year. So yes, you need a Digital Event Bag for your in person event!