Is This the Best Swag Bag of Any Conference?
AllThingsD's conferences are known for wide-ranging interviews, executive meltdowns and ... swag. Lots of swag.
At this week's D11 conference in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., attendees lined up to pick up their tote bags full of freebies.
Expectations were high. Venture capitalist Chris Fralic wrote Sunday that D has some of the "best swag bags in the business." Past items have included activated smartphones, Flip cameras, Zuck-inspired hoodies and, oddly, even lace underwear. This year, investor Esther Dyson said she expected to walk away with a new Patagonia jacket.
Others hoped for even more:
So what was inside the 19-pound red, D11 duffel bag? Among the items:
- Sony Action Cam: This camera is meant to be worn by bikers, skiers and other people wanting to record video on the go. Attendees also got an accompanying headband mount. Price: $269.99 (camera), $29.99 (headband mount).
- Roku 3 streaming media player: Roku's latest set-top box comes with 750 channels, an updated interface and faster processing speeds. Wired, in heaping praise on it, called it the "official must-have device for cord-cutters."
- A copy of "Own the Future: 50 Ways to Win from The Boston Consulting Group." Strategy lessons from the BCG gurus. Price: $34.95.
- A Tumi amenity kit from Delta. The airline is all over D. It's showing off the new kits it gives to customers seated in international business class. It's also reviving its waterless "photon shower" that it rolled out at the TED conference earlier this year.
- Fancy D11 pens.
- "Building a Dream: The Art of Disney Architecture": If attendees want to read up on Disney's theme park architecture following interviews with Disney execs Tom Staggs and Anne Sweeney, this tome is their guide. Price: $60.
- Black Oracle racing jacket. Oracle CEO Larry Ellison isn't scheduled to speak at D11. Fear not! His sailing team, Oracle Team USA, is here in windbreaker form.
- Another coat! Attendees also got a down D11 jacket, a surprising choice, if only because Rancho Palos Verdes is expected to reach a high of 80 degrees Thursday.
Readers: What's the best swag you've picked up at a conference? Share your thoughts in the comments section, then read more coverage of D11 from Influencers:
- Ilya Pozin: The Tough Questions Tech CEOs Need to be Asked
- Chris Fralic: What Makes D So Great?
- John Abell: Google, Give Us a Hint -- Is Chrome or Android the Future?
- Rita King: When Will Twitter Monetize TV?
- Bill Gross: My Favorite Moments From the Past 10 Years of D
Photo courtesy of Loic Le Meur, @Loic
Sr. Fullstack Eng | Highload | InfoSec | Open to work
10 年Please if you does not attend a conference, do not fill this 15 question survey https://bit.ly/1n6HkKV
Strategic Relationship Builder / Mobilizer of Resources & Passion around social change / Outdoors Enthusiast
11 年Definitely both an impressive and perhaps excessive showing of swag. Promo products really provide an interesting opportunity to make a statement about your brand and hopefully create some brand recognition/loyalty. My social enterprise company has taken a unique approach with this, encouraging companies and organizations to give a gift that matches their values. We have a line of customizable candle tins that are made by women artisans in regions of distress globally - this allows you to ensure that your brand AND values endure. You can learn more at www.prosperitycandle.com/customcandles and I invite you to join us in shifting the gift to give products with purpose!
Where creativity meets encouragement | #Ai Storytelling / #HumanX | Lions Rest Studios
11 年ok, this makes the swag at Generation Beauty look like another pen.
Find out at whoisrobscott.com
11 年It would be nicer to have some creativity rather than just plugging expensive crap I'll probably never use (camera possibly, but I have a good camera phone/2 jackets...in 80 degree heat, know your market) - someone makes a good point that most pay $5k to attend. Where's the fun, it's like a party bag or Xmas stocking right? I want to build a helicopter, draw my own t-shirt design and get a goldfish... :-)
Chief Compliance Officer conforming efficiency into regulatory compliance through Analysis & Improved Practices.
11 年Goody bags are always fun, but this one is nothing like I've ever seen! I mean, a camera? Sure beats the two flash drives and half dozen pens spread across my desk from the last conference I attended...