Azure Jane Lunatic (Azz) 🌺 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
azurelunatic) wrote2012-09-28 01:33 am
azurelunatic) wrote2012-09-28 01:33 am
Adventures in Event Planning: things I should not propose as swag
There's an event coming up at work, one that will involve swag. My Overlady holds the budget and will be doing final sign-off on whatever we decide on.
We've been bouncing ideas off each other for a while. I've made a few helpful suggestions, and a few, well.
Ideas of mine that have been turned down:
So a large part of today was attempting to track down a source for some swag, and gathering ideas out of the vast catalogs of small things upon which people can print your company logo. I got some amazing ideas.
Ideas which should wait for the opportune moment before I pitch them to my Overlady:
Lighters.
As I said on Twitter: promotional lighters send the message: "We think you will have problems at this conference that can be solved with fire."
Twitter wanted to know if there were any problems that could not be solved with fire. Oh, Twitter. ♥
I could think of two examples offhand. This thing is on fire and should not be on fire: this usually cannot be solved by adding more fire. (I say usually, because in certain situations, setting another fire going in a direction that is going to collide with the first fire will burn up everything in the first fire's path before it can get there, thus depriving it of fuel (in theory) when the two meet.) Perhaps someone does not like a co-worker: this is a problem that could be solved with fire, but should not be.
Even at the sort of concert where people hold up lighters, giving away free lighters with a non-discerning hand is likely to put fire in the hands of people who perhaps should not be given fire in a situation where they did not expect to have fire, and are thus inspired to become creative about it. Fire and possibly-stoned creativity are two things that just do not mix well.
Either way, a professional conference in the computer industry? Not actually likely to contain problems that can or should be solved by applying fire.
We've been bouncing ideas off each other for a while. I've made a few helpful suggestions, and a few, well.
Ideas of mine that have been turned down:
- friendship bracelets (though my Overlady might bring up this idea with my grandmanager when he's drinking coffee to see if he snarfs it out his nose)
- Catapults
- Trebuchets
- marshmallow guns
- Any projectile toy
- Vuvuzelas
- ... any noisemaker
- those little pop-and-jump widgets, which are both noisy and projectiles
So a large part of today was attempting to track down a source for some swag, and gathering ideas out of the vast catalogs of small things upon which people can print your company logo. I got some amazing ideas.
Ideas which should wait for the opportune moment before I pitch them to my Overlady:
- improbably shaped stress balls
- Cowbell (small)
- more cowbell (medium and large: also available)
- 3,000 (minimum order) velcro cable ties (this is an event of under 100 people, and the company logo has changed before on us)
- kazoos
- lighters
Lighters.
As I said on Twitter: promotional lighters send the message: "We think you will have problems at this conference that can be solved with fire."
Twitter wanted to know if there were any problems that could not be solved with fire. Oh, Twitter. ♥
I could think of two examples offhand. This thing is on fire and should not be on fire: this usually cannot be solved by adding more fire. (I say usually, because in certain situations, setting another fire going in a direction that is going to collide with the first fire will burn up everything in the first fire's path before it can get there, thus depriving it of fuel (in theory) when the two meet.) Perhaps someone does not like a co-worker: this is a problem that could be solved with fire, but should not be.
Even at the sort of concert where people hold up lighters, giving away free lighters with a non-discerning hand is likely to put fire in the hands of people who perhaps should not be given fire in a situation where they did not expect to have fire, and are thus inspired to become creative about it. Fire and possibly-stoned creativity are two things that just do not mix well.
Either way, a professional conference in the computer industry? Not actually likely to contain problems that can or should be solved by applying fire.
no subject
Considering that one velcro cable tie is not the most useful thing in the multiverse, and you would in theory want to have multiples.... *does math* 10 per person, 1000ish ties, (plus a few to snag to send to friends [like, say, ones in TX]).. 3 events, plus they could be very useful in office should logo change and they not be swag-apropos anymore.
And at least it's not USB Cup-warmers.
no subject
Seeing as our department is located right next to the warehouse for our company* AND next to the purchasing department, we see a lot of the strange samples that vendors send us and some of the swag we buy for the patrons. Some of it is pretty cool (example: we had several pallets of these a while back), and some of it.... isn't. (like the hot dog toasters from a while back as well)
* one of the tribal casinos in Arizona.
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
Overlady: "You're far too awake for this hour."
Me: "Another thing we're not getting as swag for this conference!"
Overlady: "Oh god."
Me: "One of my friends suggested: Safest conference ever! Condoms!"
Overlady: *snickers* "I'm going to my office now."
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
The Lizard Prince informed me of an actual workplace application for fire: candles.
no subject
no subject
no subject