The Guide to Sending Hybrid or Virtual Event Gifts

A virtual gift box is a branded package filled with curated promotional giveaways and marketing materials tailored to the event’s theme. It’s a personalized package delivered straight to the attendees' door before the event begins, with the goal of creating a more cohesive, connected, and memorable experience for everyone involved. 

Corporate gift boxes for virtual events are typically delivered in a custom swag box or a standard mailer. Often, the service provider will take care of everything, including curating, packaging, and shipping, so you can focus on the finer event details.

Sending a corporate gift box to your audience's doorstep filled with carefully chosen items will make them feel valued and appreciated. The goal is to get attendees to share their positive experiences with others, and before you know it, you’ll have an eager audience ready to participate in your virtual event. Here are some additional benefits:

Personalized Experiences - Custom gift boxes establish a more personal connection between your brand and attendees. Instead of sending a generic print invitation or an automated email, a unique physical package that includes a handwritten note or other personalized touches demonstrates you care and appreciate your guest’s participation. Plus, 80% of consumers admit they are more likely to do business with a company if it offers personalized experiences. And what’s more personal than sending a targeted gift to their home?

Increased Engagement - Thoughtfully curated virtual event gifts will motivate attendees to participate and stay engaged during events. They can also incentivize attendees to provide feedback on their experience, which can provide valuable insights to help you improve.

Promotion and Branding - The promotional items in the gift box can be branded, serving as a marketing tool for ongoing exposure and recall. High-quality gifts also encourage word-of-mouth and social media sharing. When attendees share photos of their unique virtual event kit on social media, it serves as free advertising for your brand.

These steps will help you decide if sending corporate gift boxes is the right strategy for your online event, and if so, how exactly to go about doing it. We’ve broken the process down into six easy steps:

1. Determine If You Have Enough Time

Before you start planning, it’s important to determine if you have enough time to execute your project. Based on our experience, gift boxes should arrive three days in advance of the start of the event to build awareness and hype. To accomplish this, you must plan at least seven to eight weeks ahead of time.

This will give you enough time to choose your box’s items and design the packaging. It also builds in enough time for the fulfillment process, as dropshipping takes longer than shipping in bulk to one location.

2. Create a Budget

Here are a few things to consider when determining your gift box budget:

Promotional Products - Think about how much you want to spend on the promotional products inside your box. Brand name items cost more but reflect positively on your brand. We recommend budgeting $40-$60 and including 3-8 items per box to ensure a delightful unboxing experience.

Shipping - Shipping costs can vary greatly depending on the size and weight of the boxes and the locations you're shipping to. Based on our experience, shipping costs range between $18 and $21 per box.

Packaging - There are many different packaging options, each offering different levels of customization. But these come at a cost. While custom boxes add a personalized touch, they generally come with a higher price tag compared to standard mailers.

Number of Recipients - Determine how many people will receive virtual event kits. Look over your attendee list and decide if you have the budget to send boxes to everyone or just a few. If you’re only going to send a couple, consider sending them to your most valuable prospects or the first attendees to register for your event.

3. Choose a Mix of Promotional Products

Your virtual event swag needs to be intentional and memorable. Consider practical items attendees can utilize during your event and luxury products they’ll want to use afterward. Also, think about including smaller items that weigh less to save on shipping costs.

Here are some curated product collections to help you get started.

Branded Drinkware

Tech Accessories

Custom Journals

Fun and Unique Products

4. Select a Corporate Gift Box Type

It’s time to decide whether you want to invest in a custom gift box or a standard mailer. We’ll break down the pros and cons of both options so you can decide what works best for your event and business.

Custom Gift Box

Custom gift boxes are a great way to leave a lasting impression on attendees. These kits go beyond the traditional brown box and include premium packaging, branded designs, and eye-catching colors. They provide a more personalized experience and can be tailored to the event theme. Custom boxes are usually sold in increments of a dozen. For optimal cost efficiency, we recommend ordering at least 100 units, but you can purchase as few as 12.

Pros:

• High-end look and feel
• Enhanced unboxing experience
• Offers more branding opportunities
• Creates a cohesive event experience

Cons:

• Requires additional planning
• More expensive than standard mailers

Standard Mailer Box

Standard mailers are perfect if you need a quick turnaround time or have a limited budget. While they don’t offer the same degree of customization, these boxes often include a custom label or sticker you can design to reflect your messaging. Plus, they’re available in a wide range of colors, so you can choose the one that matches your brand and logo.

Pros:

• Less expensive
• Can be prepared and shipped quickly

Cons:

• May not align with the overall event theme
• Can look generic compared to custom boxes
• Less branding and personalization opportunities
• Doesn’t offer the same 'wow' factor or memorable unboxing experience

5. Determine a Box Size

Event gift boxes come in different sizes, and the most suitable size for you will depend on your specific product choices. Considering the average swag box has 2-6 items inside, we recommend choosing between the following three sizes.

6. Choose Your Filler Material

You may need filler material to ensure everything is tightly packed and secure. Here are some popular options to consider:

Crinkle Packing Paper

Based on our client’s feedback, crinkle paper offers the best unboxing experience. It adds an element of cheer and protects fragile gifts that might need extra padding. You can choose from various colors to make sure you have a look that fits with your event theme.

Kraft Paper

Kraft paper packaging filler is a popular choice as it's biodegradable, recyclable, and often cheaper than other packaging materials. Kraft paper is either brown or white, so keep that in mind if you have specific branding or aesthetic preferences.

Designing a virtual event gift box involves careful planning and creativity. Here are some tips to guide you through the process:

Choose a Theme 

Depending on the event, you may want to choose a theme for your gift box. This could be based on the event's purpose (like a conference or holiday party), the event's topic, or a specific interest of the attendees. Themed kits should remain brand-consistent and incorporate your logo, colors, and other branding elements. 

Consider Your Audience

Understanding your audience is crucial. Considering their interests, needs, and preferences will help you identify suitable design elements for your gift box. With growing awareness about environmental concerns, consider using eco-friendly materials for your box, fillers, and packaging. 

Select a Color Scheme

Your gift box should compliment your brand’s color palette. A great way to achieve this is to select two or three colors and use them throughout the design. You can also include accents of gold, silver, or other metallic colors for an extra special touch.

Incorporate Messaging

Incorporate messaging throughout the box design to communicate your brand's identity, the event's purpose, and your appreciation towards the recipients. Consider including a branded hashtag on your box to encourage recipients to take a specific action, like sharing a photo of their gift box on social media or providing feedback.

Consider Including Event Sponsors 

Including event sponsors is a great way to help finance your custom box design. Give them the flexibility to choose a branding location, whether on the outside for maximum visibility or inside for a smaller price tag.

We’re not going to lie to you – shipping and fulfillment is a pain in the butt. The process is a little overwhelming, which is the benefit of partnering with our team. We handle all aspects of fulfillment, drop shipping, and mailing. All you have to do is give us your recipients' addresses.

However, if you're considering sending corporate gift boxes yourself, here’s a glimpse into the process:  

• Compile your final mailing list in spreadsheet format
• Create a packing list that includes all kit items 
• Find a location large enough to store the shipping boxes and individual products 
• Confirm that all items required for the kits have arrived and are accounted for
• Prepare each kit:
  • Construct shipping boxes
  • Fill each box with decorative filler
  • Add products and additional literature to each box
  • Seal boxes
• Create and print shipping labels
• Apply shipping labels to boxes
• Schedule a pick-up with your carrier or drop off packages
• Create a shipping manifest to track your shipments
• Confirm with the carrier that all packages have been delivered successfully
• Resend any undeliverable packages

To demonstrate the power of corporate gift boxes, here’s the story of The Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) and their first-ever virtual event. Goals for the event included:

• Emulate the immersive experience of their previous in-person events
• Demonstrate appreciation for teachers within their organization
• Humanize the virtual event and connect with remote attendees on a personal level

GoDelta designed custom swag boxes and created an unboxing campaign on social media to humanize the event and increase member engagement. A week before the event, over 2,000 swag boxes arrived safely at teachers’ doorsteps, and CSTA saw a 35K increase in Twitter impressions in one day alone as a result of the unboxing campaign.

These are just the highlights. Read CSTA’s full story for some additional insight on how to recreate a campaign like theirs for your own virtual event.

Personalized gift boxes for virtual events are an effective way to spark an emotional connection and leave a lasting impression on your audience. If you’re looking for ways to make your next virtual event stand out, sending virtual event kits is a great place to start.

Get in touch if you'd like help creating the perfect gift box for your next virtual event. We'll take care of everything from design to delivery, managing all the logistics to provide an exceptional unboxing experience that delights recipients and drives meaningful results.