This post is for the US Americans.
Y’all, this is really the most trivial of the many MANY problems the US is having, but…. now is the time to start thinking about the way tariffs and changes are going to affect swag, booth attraction, and giveaways.
Fall conference season feels like a long time off, but it’s not really. I think most stickers are printed domestically, but I would bet that the stock/paper they’re printed on will be affected. I think fidget spinners/charging cords/cheap branded pens are just not going to be possible. Basically if it’s in the tier of “small, plastic, and under $5”, we’re out of luck. Also the enamel pins. T-shirts, although I think a lot of the blanks are coming out of Vietnam instead of China now.
Start talking to your printers about what they do domestically (flyers, fast turnaround stuff) and what they order (trading cards, board games?). Do they foresee a jump in the price of vinyl for banners?
Look around. Is there something local or regional to your company you could put branding on? Food and candy become more reasonable? Small producers can often fulfill big orders, but they need more time and warning. What can you do as an experience instead of a giveaway, and what does that do to “stickiness”?
Do we know what the trade environment will look like tomorrow, let alone in three months? No, but we can tell that we can’t assume anything.