Swag
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I think that small, LED flashlights are always popular. They are useful for most people and nearly all kids love them too and they tend to be affordable, small and reusable. I know that they are always a hit around here.
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Things like that were cool when I had a young child but for those of us that don't now I have to many of them
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Too many flashlights? That seems impossible. I like to keep them in the car, in different rooms and drawers, have a backup, hang one in the server room, etc. Useful to have different sizes and types for different things.
StorageCraft had a nice, blue, aluminum one this year, we liked those. The kids are always happy to get new ones.
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I get swag from Vendors all the time. I must have about 20 of those storagecraft ones and about 5 of they Symantec ones from a few years ago. That doesn't count all the other ones we get. Each car as 2, the server area has a couple each bedroom , bathroom, desk etc.
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I'll take any extra flash lights you want to give away - I never seem to be able to find one.
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You are on! Sending some your way!
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@Dashrender said:
I'll take any extra flash lights you want to give away - I never seem to be able to find one.
MAGNETIC.
Finding a good one to stick on the side of your racks is hard.
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Maybe "User Prods" (think Cattle Prods)
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@Dashrender said:
I'll take any extra flash lights you want to give away - I never seem to be able to find one.
Seriously if you're giving them away I would take a few.
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@scottalanmiller said:
Shirts in IT sizes. Way too often there are no shirts for the larger IT guys, who are not a small segment of the IT population (pun half intended.) Lots of us can't get any shirts from the vendors as they have none in our sizes. This is pretty silly as they've known for years that 3X are all gone in seconds and mediums will be left untouched. And sizes need to be real, SW this year's t-shirts were two sizes off!!! So their 3X, which you had to pre-order, were just "large" XLs!! This does not work. People need to think about their audience.
HEY... I get the mediums! Well sometimes but it really depends on the fit of the shirt. My shoulders are too wide for some medium and my torso is too short for some larges. It's a terrible problem to have.
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What about mice? They are probably to expensive to get one worth having to logo and give away - but it's an idea.
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@Dashrender said:
What about mice? They are probably to expensive to get one worth having to logo and give away - but it's an idea.
And they might crawl away or bite someone. Wait....
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One thing you have to remember is that useful to one person is not to another and all that.
Some hate t-shirts, some need them. Some do not need flashlights while others do.
There is always a reason (aside from cheap to purchase in bulk) that certain things are common. They are things a larger quantity of people like and can use. Even is some others cannot or do not.
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@Dashrender said:
What about mice? They are probably to expensive to get one worth having to logo and give away - but it's an idea.
How many people would you guess:
- Are interested in getting free, generic (or at least not specific to their needs) mice?
- Would be willing to carry that around and cart it home (if we don't do gift boxes?)
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@JaredBusch said:
One thing you have to remember is that useful to one person is not to another and all that.
Some hate t-shirts, some need them. Some do not need flashlights while others do.
There is always a reason (aside from cheap to purchase in bulk) that certain things are common. They are things a larger quantity of people like and can use. Even is some others cannot or do not.
Yes, a variety of different things is good. I think vendors having very different things and more "pick and choose" rather than "cheap crap free for all bin diving" is the way to go. Get a few awesome items that you love and want to use, not necessarily the same ones that other people decided to get.
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Gift card for a choice of specific items + free shipping from the vendors online shop.
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An actual swag would be great. Super awkward to carry round all day too but tops to sleep in.
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Tennis balls, Golf Balls, Footballs (AFL, NFL, Soccer), Rugby Balls -
I basically echo everyone else's sentiments here. The only swag I've ever found useful were USB sticks (of a USABLE size >8 GB), maybe pens, portable rechargers, and higher quality t-shirts (for example, the Adtran shirt at SW this year was of excellent quality I thought). At the end of every SW I've been to, most of it goes in the garbage (which is a shame on many levels).
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Quality >> Quantity
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@AVI-NetworkGuy said:
I basically echo everyone else's sentiments here. The only swag I've ever found useful were USB sticks (of a USABLE size >8 GB), maybe pens, portable rechargers, and higher quality t-shirts (for example, the Adtran shirt at SW this year was of excellent quality I thought). At the end of every SW I've been to, most of it goes in the garbage (which is a shame on many levels).
Yes, it bothers me both that so much money is wasted and that so much stuff is going into a landfill. In many cases I actually feel like people are shoving garbage into my hands as I walk around. I never ask for it, people insist that I take it. It is the rare exception that I am like "oh, can I have one of those?" And people should be thrilled if I ask because I am planning on using it and will remember who they are when that situation comes up.
I hate being a pack horse for vendor trash during conventions.
