Your event went smoothly—everything planned was executed flawlessly, your attendees had an inspiring time and are now leaving with a smile. What’s that last thing to achieve a lasting impression? A killer swag bag!
Items will vary by budget, but a little something indulgent is always well received. A new skin-care kit, a voucher for a personal trainer or a high-end chocolate assortment are just a few examples of these types of treats.
All the nominees at last night’s Oscars received bags with similar swag, plus so much more. Astoundingly, their bags were worth almost $100,000. Each. Two of the items were a commissioned original painting from Reian Wiliams Fine Art and a year of fruit deliveries from Epifruit.
The Oscar bag was put together by Distinctive Assets, a Los Angeles-based marketing company that has curated nominee gifts for 16 years. Some items are defiantly movie star-ish, yet others can be incorporated by any planner. Here are details on what the stars received—and how you can bring this swag brilliance to your next event.
Star Safaris
A big item in the Oscar swag bag was an all-inclusive trip to a fabulous destination, such as Tanzania, Hawaii, Zanzibar or Greece. Perhaps the most lavish trip was to Tanzania, where top nominees such as Best Director nominee Greta Gerwig will have the opportunity to stay at Serengeti Migration Camp for 12 nights. She and a lucky guest will be treated to private meals, spa services, a hot-air balloon safari with a champagne breakfast, private safari guide and vehicle, chef-guided cooking lessons, wild game drives and walking safaris, horseback riding and snorkeling.
Trips to the world’s special places may not make it into everyone’s bag at your meeting, but offering at least one as a raffle prize will be sure to make a memory with your attendees.
Look Good, Feel Better
You don’t have to be a movie star to look and feel good. Here are some of the items in the stars’ bags that could be in yours, as well. For example, a Blush and Whumsy magical lipstick, which changes color based on your body’s pH and temperature of your skin. It retails for $22.
Each bag also included Oxygenating Foundation ($66), Oxygenating Hydro Matrix ($70), My Magic Mud toothpaste ($20)—the first toothpaste to combine activated coconut shell charcoal and bentonite clay—and a 23 and Me health and ancestry kit ($99 to $199).
Health did not get second billing, either. Quincy Herbals SlimMax Detox Tea was in the bag, as was 10 personal sessions with celebrity trainer Alexis Seletzky. To decompress after those workouts, the stars were gifted a week’s worth of spa treatments at Golden Door spa and resort.
When planning your swag items, attendees will remember and enjoy a day at the spa or a coupon for a discounted stay. Why not make it a prize for the winner of a social media contest?
Think it’s all glitz and fun being a movie star? Also included were underarm sweat patches, pepper spray and a gift certificate for a session with a “phobia relief expert.”
Everyone Has a Sweet Tooth
Of course, every swag bag must contain something sweet. This year’s nominees got a Chocolatines’ Chocouture Jewlery Box ($86). The collection combines French sweets with a bottle of Rogue Maple Syrup, a high-end French-Canadian product.
Miscellaneous Goodies
A few items defy categorization. For instance, a “wearable” water bottle (it fits on your forearm like a sleeve).
Even if they didn’t take home the gold statue, all this year’s nominees still copped a few things worth being excited about.
