Trade shows provide a unique opportunity to interact with potential clients and customers and mark your place as a leader in your field. Promotional packaging provides a sure-fire way to maximize your presence.

Attracting visitors to your booth is always a challenge. Creating an attractive display is a good start. Adding entertainment or games or free food helps. But the tried-and-true method to maximize your event participation is to give out promotional products — small knick-knacks imprinted with a company logo. Keychains, calculators, pens, and puzzles are among the most popular giveaways.

These promotional giveaways help attract the attention of attendees walking the aisle and bring them to your booth. But there is one item that can attract the attention of prospects even after they leave your display or the convention center: promotional bags. If you want to give away one or more promotional gifts along with some advertorial or informational literature, an imprinted shopping bag or merchandise bag is a great idea. That way, visitors can carry away your gifts and fliers and also fill their bags with promotional giveaways from other booths, even those of their competitors. They become walking billboards for your company, carrying an item proudly displaying your logo and name and eye-catching slogan.

Among the best bags for promotional packaging are die cut plastic merchandise bags. These functional bags have large spaces for printing a company name or logo and comfortable handles. A standard size is just right for carrying fliers or magazine catalogs.

Another popular trade show bag is the paper shopping bag with rope handles. Known as Eurototes, or Eurotote shoppers, these attractive gift bags create an upscale look. They are easily printed, likely to be reused, and are associated with gift giving, making your giveaway seem more like a present than a promotion.

Affordable and attractive paper or plastic bags make great trade show bags. Increasingly though, marketing advisers point to sturdier and longer-lasting reusable bags as ideal giveaways. The most common and cost-smart form of reusable bags are PPNW bags, available in a range of styles, from backpacks to shopping bags. (PPNW stands for Polypropylene Non-Woven, a strong fabric-like material often composed of high-percentage post-consumer plastics, fabrics, and other material.)

These bags usually have a large area suitable for custom printing and will typically be reused. Grocery-style PPNW bags make great trade show bags and can be used as a sole giveaway. Watch conference attendees put competitors promotional items in your bag and carry them around as some free and memorable advertising. Plus, unlike a plastic bag, a PPNW bag is one that visitors may use after many times after they leave the trade show, perhaps making your promotion a part of their daily gym routine or weekly grocery trip. Now that is packaging that carries your brand!

S. Walter carries reusable bags, plastic merchandise bags, Euroshoppers, and many other varieties of promotional bags ideal for use as trade show bags. Check out our online catalog at swalter.com to browse our full selection.