In an EdWeek Market Brief, they found that district and school leaders— the ones most likely to be in charge of purchasing decisions— are more motivated by substantive interactions than they are by more surface-level booth activity. That fact makes education conferences a little different from the average show floor. You still need something approachable for lighter traffic, but education events give you more room for the kinds of conversations that justify a stronger mid-tier or premium item.

Basic Tier

We’ll spend more time on the mid- and premium-tier swag later, since that is often where the stronger opportunity is at education conferences. Still, you will want a simple, approachable item on hand for attendees who are only stopping for a moment.

A laptop camera cover works well in the basic tier because it solves a real, immediate problem without asking much of the person taking it. At an education conference, most attendees are already carrying a laptop, so it is the kind of item they can put to use right away instead of tossing into a bag with everything else they pick up that day. From a branding standpoint, it also has the major advantage that once it is applied, it stays attached to a device someone opens constantly.

An eyeglass lens cleaning cloth is another excellent choice, and not just for people who wear glasses. Anyone can use it on phone screens and tablets, so it’s more versatile than many entry-level giveaways and more likely to stay in use. It also gives you more usable logo space than you might expect from such a small giveaway, with full-color options and a flat surface for printing.

Mid-Tier

Mid-tier swag at education conferences is for the people who are more than just passing booth traffic, but not quite premium-level leads. They’re usually the ones walking the floor to gather ideas, compare options, and bring worthwhile vendors back to their school or district. Because of that, the giveaway needs to have a little more staying power and a little more relevance to the person receiving it.

A few of our favorite options are branded socks and reusable sticky notes.

Socks hit a nice middle ground because they feel more fun than a standard handout, but not so expensive that they’ll blow your entire budget.

Reusable sticky notes hardly need an explanation. Educators rely on these handy little reminders for everything from making quick lists to bookmarks. Providing this luxury upgrade gives this particular giveaway a better shot at landing on a desk instead of getting buried with everything else they picked up at a tradeshow.

Premium Tier

When someone is willing to spend more time with you and share their information, make that exchange feel more worthwhile with one of your premium education conference promos.

A favorite among educators is a lunch bag or cooler because it has broader day-to-day usefulness than most promo items and feels like a genuine upgrade from the usual booth giveaway. At less than $10, the Quarry 6 Can Lunch Cooler is both stylish and roomy, with generous space for your logo on its zippered front pocket.

If you have a little extra room in your budget, you might also consider a smart tracker. We’re fans of the Apple- and Android-compatible Trakard because it’s as slim as a credit card, so it fits effortlessly into your wallet. It also comes with a metal ring to use on luggage, so they’ll always know where their baggage is when they jet off to their next education conference.