Corporate events can get pretty boring really fast. One of the ways organizers try to keep people coming is to incentivize attending these events by providing gifts for attendees. Patches can showcase your brand and market your business. This adaptable tool can help your company look more sophisticated and established. But more importantly, you can use custom patches to drive engagement during your corporate events. Don’t just hand out patches for attendees. Here are some of the creative strategies you can turn your custom patch gift into an interactive tool that drives full participation and excitement at your event.
Gamification
Gamification taps into the human desire for fun, competition and achievement to boost event engagement. Instead of simply handing out patches for your event, you can turn them into rewards for participating in certain activities or playing games. The mere promise of a gift can encourage attendees to participate actively in activities. You can take this a step further by turning the patches themselves into game pieces. For instance, you can incorporate puzzles into your patch or incorporate a secret message that they have to decipher. This elevates the value of your patch while making your event more memorable.
Multi-Functional Design
One of the best qualities of custom patches is that they can be adapted to different use cases. Instead of creating standalone patches, consider integrating the patch into other accessories like bottle openers, zipper pulls, key holders and so on. Doing this transforms your patch into a useful piece that event attendees will want to have since it now has functional use for everyday living.
Achievement Badges
As part of your event, you can design a series of milestones that event attendees can achieve and award them with custom patches for each achievement. For instance, you can have patches for attending a specific number of workshops, asking questions during a discussion or networking with a specific number of people. These milestones and the gifts attached to them give attendees a sense of accomplishment and encourage them to participate more.
Personalized Patches
Personalized patches tend to be more impactful than generic ones. While it might be slightly difficult to achieve, your patches will be more valuable if you have them personalized specifically for attendees by adding initials, names or any other personal touch. One of the ways to achieve this is to have attendees send in their personalization ideas before the event so that you can integrate them into the patch.
Social Media Integration
Combine social media and custom patches to make your event more memorable. Doing this can also help you reach a wider audience beyond the physical attendees at your events. You can have unique hashtags or social media handles embroidered on the patch. This will make it easier for attendees to share photos or post about your event online using the provided hashtag.
Hidden Gifts
Your custom patch can be the key to even bigger gifts. For instance, you can hide discount codes, or a simple surprise message in your patch or have attendees unlock even bigger gifts by collecting a specific number or type of custom patch. Your patch can also have a scratch-off section with a discount code for event attendees. This might encourage them to interact with your business even after the event. It also creates a fun element and adds to the value of the patch.
Crowd-Sourced Patch Designs
One of the ways to make your custom patch design more intriguing for event attendees is to make them a part of the creation process. For instance, instead of creating designs yourself that may have no real impact on the audience, consider hosting a contest for your custom patch design before the event. Guests will look forward to seeing their designs featured at your event, adding some excitement to the whole setup.
Partner with a Charity
If you’ll be selling or handing out patches at your event, you can partner with a charity or worthy cause. This way, you can donate a portion of the proceeds from selling the patches or simply have people donate a token and get a custom patch in return. This adds a feel-good element to each patch, giving attendees an extra reason to want to have it.
Interactive Elements
Custom patches don’t have to be boring. You can incorporate various interactive elements into your patch design to get event guests to interact more with it or engage more with the event. For instance, a QR code that attendees can scan to unlock exclusive content or event information can make your patch more interesting. You can also design with interlocking pieces or snaps that guests can collect and add to a larger design like pieces of a puzzle.
Special Materials
These days, there are several innovative materials that can elevate the quality and value of your patch. For instance, consider creating patches with special reflective materials that glow in the dark. This creates fascinating visuals for your patch, especially for nighttime events. Another innovative material choice is heat-reveal materials designed to transform or reveal a secret message when warmed up by body heat. You can also play with textures by incorporating elements such as raised lettering, or 3D designs into custom iron on patches.
Conclusion
Whether it’s an in-house event or you’re attending a conference with other brands and businesses, customized patches can help you stand out among the bunch. It will draw event attendees to engage during the event, help you connect with the audience and boost your brand visibility. You can get all of these benefits and more with a well-designed custom patch from The/Studio. Contact us to get a quote and learn more about how custom patches can elevate your event.
