Catalog category
Event merch, where volume is the easy part
Trade show programs order in the quantities that clear most minimums comfortably. The constraints that actually bite are the deadline, the imprint simplicity, and whether anyone carries the thing past the booth.
- Minimums
- Set by the supplier, and usually cleared by event quantities
- Decoration
- Whichever the listing supports: screen print, pad print, heat transfer
- Variants
- Colorways and SKUs come from the listing, not from a swatch library
Best for
When the brief is reach
Event merch is the answer when the program is measured in people rather than in impressions per person: booth handouts, registration gifts, sponsorship kits. The assortment question is not what is cheapest, it is what someone will still be holding at the end of the aisle.
- Booth giveaways and attendee pickup programs
- Sponsorship kits and registration gifts
- Campaigns with a fixed budget and a fixed head count
What buyers compare
Cost per handout against the odds of it being kept
The cheapest item has the worst survival rate, and a bin of unwanted merch is a worse outcome than a smaller order of something useful. The comparison a buyer is really making is between reach and retention, and it is easier to have with two decorated options in front of them.
- Portability decides whether it leaves the hall at all
- A tiered mix beats a single low-cost item at volume
- Simple imprints survive a short deadline; complex ones do not
Minimums and deadlines
The minimum is rarely your problem here
At event quantities the supplier's minimum is usually comfortably cleared, which makes this the category where minimums fade into the background — they are still shown, and the cart still enforces them, but they are not what the conversation is about. The deadline is.
- The minimum comes from the listing and is enforced in the cart
- Event quantities typically clear it without discussion
- Lead time is your supplier's to confirm; MerchMaker does not quote one
How to present it
Organise by what happens at the booth
Present tiers by objective — the thing you hand everyone, the thing you hand the good conversations, the thing you post afterwards — rather than by unit price. That framing survives the budget conversation better, because it explains what each item is buying.
- Split the assortment by booth objective, not by cost
- Keep one higher-value item for the conversations worth keeping
- Show the decorated render so the buyer can judge visibility
Questions
Are there minimums on event merch?
Yes, the supplier's own on each listing, and the cart enforces them. At event volumes they are usually cleared without discussion.
Can MerchMaker commit to a date for an event?
No. Lead times are commitments backed by your suppliers and decorators, and MerchMaker does not generate a delivery date it cannot stand behind.
What is the most common mistake here?
Buying one item at maximum volume. A tiered mix costs about the same and gives the booth something to do with a good conversation.
See the logo on the product first.
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