Introducing the Dogs of SMX

When it comes to conference swag, it’s easy to predict what exhibitors will give out:

Pens
T-shirts
Notebooks
USB sticks
Lanyards
Keychains
Stress balls

I should probably mention pens twice.

These are all great items to pick up and are often good to bring back to the office and share among your colleagues. That said, when we decided to exhibit at SMX Advanced last month in Seattle, I was determined that we’d hand out something a bit different that didn’t ring true to the classic swag cliche.

With that in mind — and given the fact I’m a major dog mom — I decided that we’d give out something that attendees’ fur babies could enjoy.

After a bit of searching, I found these awesome dog bandannas:

Photo of dog bandannas that say — Credit to our Director of Marketing, Eric, for the cheesy pun.

I must say, we were a bit unsure about this decision up until the moment the first rush hit our booth. Fortunately, many dog parents were in attendance, and it was great to make friends while chatting about our doggos.

Reasons why this swag worked:

It’s unique and memorable
Great conversation starter or subject changer
Three people took one for their child (multipurpose?)

When we handed these out to attendees at the show, we also asked them to send us pictures of their dogs wearing them…because, why not?

I was overjoyed to see some of our new friends sending their pictures in, posting them on Instagram and Facebook, and I’m happy to share them with you now.