| In this tight economy, meeting professionals and | | | | making their guests feel important and sending a |
| event planners have been given smaller budgets with | | | | budget snack box filled with local items will do just |
| which to work. Even in these tough economic times, | | | | that. |
| companies understand the value of welcoming their | | | | Most gift basket companies are happy to work within |
| speakers and attendees, many of whom have | | | | their client's budgets, however, these lower budgets |
| traveled from across the U.S. or across the globe, | | | | can create a bit of a challenge. |
| with a welcome gift upon arrival to their hotel room. | | | | Budget doesn't have to mean cheap, it just means |
| In the past, those visitors have typically been | | | | we need to be more creative with the types of |
| welcomed with a gift basket filled with local or | | | | products we can provide to meet these lower |
| regional products that, in our case, might include | | | | budgets. Providing free imprinted ribbon tails on |
| California nuts, tortilla chips, salsa, a California hat, San | | | | meeting and convention gifts and encouraging clients |
| Diego coffee table book, and gifts from local artisans | | | | to provide their own promotional products for |
| representative of our host city. | | | | inclusion in their designs are just two of the things |
| As meeting professionals resources have tightened, | | | | that can add perceived value to their gifts. |
| extravagance can give the wrong message, so they | | | | We've seen hotel amenity budgets reduced but not |
| are being extra careful on how they spend their | | | | entirely eliminated because meeting and convention |
| dollars. Rather than large gifts, more companies are | | | | speakers and attendees have come to expect a |
| opting for a budget gable box or bag filled with | | | | welcome gift when they arrive at their hotel room |
| snacks in the $15-$25 range. The important thing is | | | | and that probably won't change anytime soon. |