Anna Turchenko

It is now clear that the pandemic has not been the temporary disruption followed by a quick return to normal that we thought it would be 18 months ago. But in terms of business events, that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the future of events for the rest of 2021 and beyond.

Traditional events

We’re all still adapting to an evolving situation, but many of us have now accepted that we’re not going to return to the same model of trade shows, exhibitions, conferences, or any other B2B/B2C events any more than we’re going to return to dial-up broadband or video recorders. It’s a change that was already happening, but the last 18 months have forced its acceleration, meaning businesses refusing to be alert and adaptable may get left behind.

There seems to be very little appetite among both businesses and customers to keep events entirely online forever. Where Geiger and our clients are concerned, we understand the benefits that traditional promotional merchandise brings for a brand. It helps to build relations better than any other advertising medium — nearly 80% of people feel appreciated when they get a promotional gift. 

Traditional events may be evolving, but the strength of traditional, tangible promotional merchandise has, if anything, increased. 

Digital events

Raise your hand if you HAVEN’T participated in a webinar, online conference, product launch or presentation or some other kind of digital event since the beginning of the first lockdown. 

We predict that exclusively digital events will probably become less prevalent as time goes on, however they are here to stay in one form or another.

Of course, digital events pose unique challenges where promotional merchandise products are involved. But they can work together very well. For example, businesses can send out pre/-event merchandise as well as post-event, “thank you” merchandise.

Without live, in-person events, the very act of making meaningful, long-lasting connections can be difficult. The challenge of keeping people safe is the number one priority for organisers. But as long as people feel assured of their safety, the majority will still prefer that in-person connection. 

Seeing how digital events are now an essential part of the business landscape, a new compromise has emerged — hybrid events.

What are hybrid events?

Hybrid events harness the benefits of human interaction at live events and the wider reach of virtual events. Digital involvement in live events was emerging before 2020, but it’s something that’s has accelerated due to Covid-19 and adapted to something increasingly inventive as people explore its possibilities. In essence, they are traditional events that are also streamed or can be otherwise accessed digitally. This allows for larger attendance where capacity is limited or where people cannot/choose not to attend for reasons of distance, health, scheduling conflicts or anything else.

Hybrid events have great potential, especially because they offer the opportunity to record parts of your event — a keynote speech or a product unveiling — and allow attendees (or those who couldn’t make it to the event) to access them. 

Hybrid events and merchandise

Perhaps more than any other kind of event, hybrid events offer multiple opportunities to connect with existing clients, potential customers, and staff using the power of promotional merchandise. Because streaming allows more people to participate in events, ticketing events (either paid or for free) gives you the chance to send out welcome packs. This comes with the greater potential to market your brand to a more targeted audience before an event even begins. 

Hybrid events provide two ways of connecting with people: physically and digitally. If you’re planning on gifting promotional merchandise, then those physically present can get it there, whilst with some pre-planning, those attending digitally can claim their merchandise on a specially designed pop-up webshop that we can build and run for you in-house. Please refer to our Kitting post, where you can explore our in-house solutions for delivering your merchandise directly to your clients’ doors.

We can help!

At Geiger, every aspect of promotional merchandise is our bread and butter. From the merchandise itself to webshops; from design to decoration; from storage to delivery. No matter what kind of event you’re planning, we’re your one-stop-shop. Reach out to us at [email protected] for a chat!

We live in a time where everything seems to be going digital. Many of the physical objects we have known all our lives are vanishing onto phones and into clouds. 

Organisational tools are no exception. Meeting notes and reminders are now automated on phones and tablets. The obvious argument is that this streamlines everything and keeps things simple, but does it? Even in 2021, there is a lot to be said for physical calendars, diaries, and planners, both for business and clients.

First off, let’s look at the advantages of paper planners for their users:

Rest your eyes

How many of us grew up hearing that we would ruin our eyes if we spent too much time watching television or playing video games? These days we check our phones from the minute we wake and right up to falling asleep. A recent poll indicates that an average adult will spend 34 years of their life looking at screens, or just over 13 hours a day. 

Branded paper calendars and diaries are a small oasis in a digital desert as they give us a break from staring at screens and give us a chance to organise our thoughts while providing 365 days of brand impressions! That’s an ROI that’s hard to beat!

No more distractions

How often have you picked up your phone to do one thing and, five minutes later, found yourself scrolling through something completely unrelated? It’s the equivalent of walking into a room and forgetting what you came in for!

Phones are terrible when it comes to distractions. It only takes one notification to grab your attention and that’s it, you’re down the rabbit hole. 

There’s so much less scope for that with a branded paper diary or planner and they provide a space to coordinate thoughts, ideas, and plans in a way that makes sense to the person writing. 

Easier than your phone?                   

It might sound counterintuitive that a branded paper calendar will offer more ease of reference than a digital calendar, however, the vast majority of homes and businesses still have a paper calendar hanging up. Why? Because they are ideal for jotting down upcoming corporate events, trade shows, exhibitions etc, so everyone in the office can see what is coming up, at a glance — no need to sync accounts!

Evergreen branding

Nothing offers more exposure for your business or brand than a promotional product that gets referred to every day for a year. An email can go unopened; a social media ad campaign would be scrolled by unnoticed; a catalogue may be gathering dust in the corner of the office. But branded diaries, planners and calendars will place your brand identity in front of people – every day! 

Reflect your sustainability values

With nearly half of consumers having a more favourable view of brands that supply them with environmentally-friendly promotional products (ASI Study), you can reflect your sustainability values and align with those of your clients and customers with the vast choice of promotional calendars and diaries made using FSC recycled paper.

Brands bearing gifts

Offering your clients a branded planner or calendar will generate gratitude and goodwill simply because of its use-value.

We may live in an increasingly digital, paper-free, contactless, cloud-based society, but the truth is that people still love receiving physical gifts. Branded promotional merchandise offers both you and your clients the perfect solution to this. You get year-round exposure for an incredible price; your clients get a useful product that will not run out of charge!

Reach out

If you are interested in branding opportunities that corporate planners, diaries, and calendars offer, reach out to us at [email protected]. We take care of everything under one roof at our facilities in West London – from decorating to shipping worldwide to multiple addresses. 

Geiger is pleased to announce that Lauren Farrell has joined their team as Account Manager. She has 5 years of industry experience and has previously worked with leading client accounts, focusing on providing exceptional customer service and innovative merchandising solutions.  

As part of her new role, she will be the first port of call for some of Geiger’s most prominent world-renowned clients, while fulfilling excellent levels of service and helping to drive the business of Brandspiration forward.   

Vicky Kinasz, Managing Director, said: ‘Lauren is a very enthusiastic, driven and creative individual who brings a wealth of industry knowledge and experience. We are very excited to welcome her into our team!’ 

Lauren said: ‘I have been impressed by Geiger’s track record of industry-leading excellence, consumer focus and innovation. I am looking forward to being part of a team that drives inspiration and results. Watch this space!’ 

ABOUT GEIGER

First formed as BTC Group back in 1977, Geiger is based in West London, UK. Since then, they have become field leaders in branded promotional products for the EMEA market. Their acquisition in 2018 by Geiger, the world’s largest family-owned promotional products company, has allowed them to take their brand marketing vision to the next level.  

Geiger is pleased to announce that Abbey McGrath has joined their team as Account Co-Ordinator.

Abbey brings a wealth of knowledge, has a strong background in the promotions industry and administrative support experience, which includes account management and business development. Abbey says: ‘I am very excited to be joining Geiger at this time and I am very much looking forward to my next challenge of developing extensive working relationships with international brands’. 

Vicky Kinasz, Managing Director said: ‘We are very happy to welcome Abbey aboard as she is a great team player with exceptional communication and organisational skills. She is approachable, competent, and will be a great asset to the company’.

ABOUT GEIGER

First formed as BTC Group back in 1977, Geiger is based in West London, UK. Since then, they have become field leaders in branded promotional products for the EMEA market. Their acquisition in 2018 by Geiger, the world’s largest family-owned promotional products company, has allowed them to take their brand marketing vision to the next level.  

London, UK DATE: 12^th of July 2021

Geiger, the biggest privately owned promotional products agency in the world, is delighted to announce the appointment of Neel Gohil as their Finance Director with immediate effect.

Neel is a CIMA Qualified professional who gained over ten years’ experience at Heathrow Airport in a variety of senior finance and commercial roles, having worked on creating effective ways to develop data analytics and insight through monthly financial reporting, planning and creation of KPIs. Not only does he have wealth of relevant experience, but he also has rigorous analytical skills and understands the complexities of various financial models and their impact on business performance.  

Commenting on his appointment, Neel says, “I am incredibly excited to be joining Geiger at this time and I have been very impressed by their growth, despite these challenging Covid-19 times. I am looking forward to leading Geiger’s financial team and driving revenue and margin improvements in the business to the benefit of all stakeholders”.

Vicky Kinasz, Geiger’s Managing Director, adds, “Neel is a crucial addition to our senior management team, his financial experience will bring numerous improvements to the company as we continue to implement our business strategy”.

ABOUT GEIGER

First formed as BTC Group back in 1977, Geiger is based in West London, UK. Since then, they have become field leaders in branded promotional products for the EMEA market. Their acquisition in 2018 by Geiger, the world’s largest family-owned promotional products company, has allowed them to take their brand marketing vision to the next level.  

Social impact is no longer reserved for charitable organisations alone. In recent years, the concept of social enterprise has powered a major transformation of the business landscape. Social enterprises mix profit with purpose, well-being with worth, and contribute over £60bn annually to the UK economy alone. 

With an output that creates positive change, social enterprises are set to define the future as they improve people’s lives in many ways by providing training and employment opportunities for those furthest from the market, supporting communities and by helping the environment.

Companies are more conscious than ever of their social footprint and are actively looking at steps to improve theirs. Leading companies no longer see themselves as separate islands but as part of a much wider ecosystem — an ecosystem in which they can and should play an active role. The focus isn’t just on the bottom line anymore, it’s on whether a business gives back what it takes out of the environment and society, and it’s on the well-being of their employees and the wider community. 

Where It All Began

Although there are examples of social enterprises going as far back as the mid-19th century, the idea slowly began to take off again during the 1990s, and over the last 20 years, a movement has been gathering pace that’s now impossible to ignore. 

The idea that a business has no other responsibility than to provide its service and maximise its profits has gone the way of floppy disks, fax machines, and 56k modems. Consumers are now more likely to favour businesses that take a stand on issues that matter to them. 

Products That Give Back

We have noticed that our clients are increasingly looking to embrace and embody social enterprise schemes and ideas through their merchandise, and as long-time advocates of social enterprises and social responsibility, we’re stepping up to the plate by continuing to integrate those ideas and options into our value proposition. 

One of the most impactful ways we’ve been doing this is through our Products That Give Back collection. They have social enterprise and responsibility built into them from conception to delivery and beyond. Not only do they serve as the latest in innovative, sustainable, and practical promotional merchandise, they also have the power to help those who need it most.

Each of our Products That Give Back has a powerful story to tell and provides life-changing, potentially even life-saving benefits for others.

For example, they include recycled products that both save water in production and donate part of their profit to water.org, a charity that empowers people by giving them access to clean water. Some businesses plant a tree for every product sold, remove unregistered guns from the streets, provide socks to homeless people or donate their profits to autism charities and countless others. 

One of our favourites is a CorrectBook notebook that helps to champion education and literacy in some of the world’s least developed countries.

Shared Responsibility

As part of our broader social responsibility efforts, Geiger is committed to helping to achieve genuine positive impact on some of the biggest issues affecting our community and planet. As global events and developments continue to show us, we’re all in this together and we are not going to solve problems by working alone so we all need to play our part and work together as best we can, as individuals and organisations, to help make a real difference. 

Geiger is not alone in this way of thinking. Leading the way with us are global brands like Ben & Jerry’s, who support a number of worthy causes, like Farm Aid and even formed Ben & Jerry’s Foundation designed to drive progressive social changes. 

Lego, Levi, Microsoft, Marc Jacobs, Adidas and many other companies have made a similar commitment to source their products responsibly and help to take care of those people and areas of the planet that need it the most. 

Don’t get left behind! 

Your brand can become a part of this wonderful and important step in business evolution by making sure your merchandise is socially responsible and creates a positive change. 

Your business matters, your customers matter, and all of our roles in the wider ecosystem matter. By acknowledging this through your branded merchandise, you are letting your clients know that you can provide them with what they want whilst also showing them that you care about the same things that they do.

Get Involved

If you are interested in what our promotional products can do for you, then reach out to one of our friendly team for a quick chat. We can offer everything from pre-packed ranges to tailored individual products, all shipped from our warehouse in Hayes, Middlesex straight to your door or directly to your customers’ doors.