Goodie Bag Ideas in 2023 (That Don’t Suck) (2024)

Be it a party, a formal event, or a spontaneous celebration, giving gift bags to the attendees is important. Gift bags are like souvenirs we give to the attendees to acknowledge their presence and contribution to the event.

The first thought while giving gifts is coffee mugs or greeting cards but they’re a bit old school now.

Avoid giving random gifts to the attendees.

They already have plenty of those paperweights, markers, and water bottles that everyone gives at the end of their events.

Give them something they will actually use. That’s how you leave an impression.

Preparing gift bags is a daunting task. From planning to putting together the gift bag, there is a lot of labor involved. So, we’ve compiled a list of unique gift bags for you to consider. Let’s start by understanding why gift bags are necessary.

Goodie bags makes your event memorable . You can either give it to them when they arrive or at the end of the event.

Everyone goes home with some memories and lessons after the event ends. There is nothing better than a carefully curated gift bag to make the event even more memorable than it already is. Choose gifts that remind attendees about the event and work as a nostalgic souvenir.

Help promote your brand & sponsors. Making a gift bag with your products will advertise your brand and improve its overall impression. It can start the conversation about your products without being evident as a promotional strategy.

Things to keep in mind while creating a gift bag

Gifts let you show appreciation and gratitude after an event. They’re a great way to thank people for their time. Post event, you must thank volunteers, speakers, or other participants for their contributions. A small gift goes a long way to show that you care about the attendees.

Consider the following factors while creating gift bags for your attendees:

  • The theme of the event: Matching gifts with your event’s theme makes them look more sophisticated. It shows you’ve put thoughts into the gifts. Also, themes work great for branding. Whenever attendees carry gifts with branded wrapping paper or goodies, it’ll attract more eyes toward your brand.
  • Your guests: While creating a gift bag, keep your audience in mind. If you are hosting an event for adults, choose gifts that adults will appreciate. For example, gift books, self-care products, or merchandise. Similarly, for kids’ events, avoid giving mugs – they’re too young for coffee.
  • A realistic budget: We all want to impress guests with gifts but remember there’s money at stake too. Gifts are proof of your kindness and consideration; they don’t have to be expensive or luxurious. Set a budget according to your means and explore various gift options. Focus on providing value.
  • Planning: It’s very easy to find cheap gift bag ideas for adults on the Internet. But your planning separates you from the crowd. When you plan and personalize your gifts based on attendees, they’ll remember it forever. For example, if you’re conducting a hybrid or virtual event, consider virtual gifts to treat the event attendees.

Once you have a budget and know your guests, it’s time to surf through gift options. There are plenty on the internet. Moreover, if you don’t know attendees, it becomes extra hard to find relevant gifts. If it permits worth polling in the mobile event app what are the attendee preferences ?

We’ve provided some unique ideas to get you started!

Gift bag ideas for ladies

Women always appreciate thoughtful gifts. When giving something practical, they tell people about it, attracting more eyes to your brand. Here are some appealing gift bag ideas for ladies that you should consider:

1. Accessories Hamper

“I have enough accessories”, said nobody ever.

Goodie Bag Ideas in 2023 (That Don’t Suck) (1)

Make an exciting hamper of accessories, like hair bands, watches, nail art kits, rings, or bracelets. Put good quality products only since gifts represent your value as a brand.

Pro Tip : Go local with sourcing with a story – it gives a different touch to your goodie bag

  1. Drinks and snacks: Treat your attendees to some snacks and drinks. Combine some edibles with beautiful crockery. Add cute champagne glasses or personalized tea cups. Drinks and snacks make up for a perfect gift bag idea for parties. They work super well if you’re hosting an after-event co*cktail party.
  1. Gift them bags: There are never enough bags to match every outfit. Pick out bags of various colors and designs to give to the ladies. They will love this gesture!
  1. Discount vouchers: It’s challenging to pick clothes, bags, and accessories. That’s where discount coupons help you. Add some discount coupons or gift cards from popular brands. This gives your attendees the liberty to pick what they like at a discount price.

Cute self-care kits: Everybody can use a self-care session at home. Create a small self-care kit, including a sheet mask, an exfoliating cream, and body wash. Add other essentials like a loofah, lip balm, and moisturizer. Add some beautiful cards with reminders, scrunchies, and a delicious snack. Remind them to take breaks and take care of themselves.

Gift bag ideas for coworkers

While considering gift bag ideas for coworkers, you should keep a few things in mind. The gifts should be according to the event’s theme, and it’s better if you consider something that will be highly beneficial for them!

  1. Personalized diaries and desk calendars: Instead of giving regular journals, personalize them with funny or quirky elements. Desk calendars with space to fill and motivational quotes are a good idea too! You can make a complete gift hamper with a diary, a desk calendar, and stationery. This is a common idea, but you can add a fun touch to it! Make your coworkers laugh with some inside jokes and memes.
  1. Travel accessories: if you want to give your coworkers something valuable and durable, consider travel accessories. Since we all need travel accessories from time to time, these make a good gift bag idea. You can add travel accessories like small chargers, eye masks, and packing essentials. Air tags, water bottles, toiletries, and skincare products can be added too. Suppose you are hosting virtual or hybrid events. Small travel chargers are a good idea since they come with various adapters and can be used with all smartphones.
  1. Personalized accessories: Personalizing accessories with your coworkers’ names is an excellent idea! They can use these accessories in the office without fearing getting mixed or interchanged with coworkers. You can personalize water bottles, chargers, power banks, stationery, etc.!
  1. Fitness kits: Pick a portable case or bag and add small equipment like a resistance band and jump rope. This makes up a great gift bag idea for coworkers since we all need some equipment to start exercising. You can also add exercise cards to educate your coworkers about basic exercises. This trim kit can also include membership subscriptions to nearby gyms or online programs.

Focusing on our health and making time for physical activity every day is essential. By giving fitness-related items, we can promote a healthy lifestyle among our coworkers.

  1. Portable power banks: Portable power banks are in demand these days. Considering all the work your coworkers do, giving them portable power banks will relieve stress since they will never have to worry about their phone charging. The quality and features depend on your chosen brand, so explore all the available power banks!

Get some sponsors for your event and enhance the overall budget for it. Check out these tips, and consider how to include sponsored products in your gift hampers!

Gift bag ideas for friends

  1. Adult coloring books: we all love coloring books, don’t we? Coloring books for adults are popular these days. There are many options available, from Disney to complex patterns; you can get some appealing books and add them to your gift bag ideas for friends.

Coloring isn’t only for kids; studies have proven its benefit for adults. It helps us to relieve stress, relax the mind and develop focus. You can get these in any stationary shop or outlet in malls and public places. Adding colors and other stationary supplies make up for a great kit. The price will vary depending on the brand of stationery you choose, so consider all the options.

  1. Food baskets: Stop considering them only for kids; if you do them right, they make up a great gift for adults. You should consider making homemade oils and sauces to add to your gift bags. Mustard oil and hummus are easy to make at home. If you are making homemade goodies to add to your gift bags, consider common allergies and let people know the ingredients. Taking care of common allergens is necessary since we don’t want to risk anyone’s health.

You can get readymade food kits or make your own. If making your own kits, consider different food options and weather conditions. Be creative when choosing the food items; you can have a theme for the basket, such as vegan, gluten-free, etc. Try to include different foods like sweets, snacks, and packaged items. Here are some unique gift box recipes to get you started.

  1. Alcoholic lollipops: Alcohol can spice up an event with your friends like nothing else! It is safe and quirky to add alcohol to edibles like lollipops and candies. You can choose from various flavors like beer, lager, merlot, stout, mixed wine, and chardonnay. Make sure you tell your guests about these unique lollipops so they know what these are made of and keep them out of reach for their children!
  1. Grow-your-own-plants: Gifting green plants is fantastic as we move towards green societies and focus on sustainable development. There are many producers selling kits named Grow-your-own-plants and Sow & Grow DIY kits. You get seeds and other important things like potting mix and grow bags required to grow plants at home. The idea is to promote greenery and encourage people to take small steps.

Unique kits are now available in the market. Books made up of recyclable paper and infused with seeds are available too! After reading the book, simply tear the highlighted page and mix it in a potting mix or moist soil. The paper will break down, leaving the seed in the ground to grow. If you have a sufficient budget, you can also include essential gardening tools.

  1. Mini wine boxes: if you have a large budget, you can give mini Wine samples to all your guests. After all, Who doesn’t love wine? To spice things up, you can curate wine hampers of three small glasses in a good-looking Wine box. This will also look luxurious and aesthetic. Focus on the DIY wine packaging; check out these references! However, if your budget does not allow for wine samples, you can include free drink vouchers in your goody bags.

Conclusion

These gift bag ideas are enough to get you started! Gift bags are always appreciated, so begin making hampers and show your people your love for them. You can include almost anything, but make sure it is memorable and will cheer up your guests. Be it your woman, coworkers, or friends, there is a gift bag idea for everyone. Customize your hampers, and you’re good to go!

FAQs

How do you make a gift basket look expensive?

Add fillers, ribbons, and bows to make a gift basket look expensive. A small, beautiful basket with a few items will look more costly than a big basket with random things. Focus on making your basket look neat and pretty; the packaging is essential.

How do you make a unique gift basket?

A unique gift basket should have some element of surprise. You can add personalized messages, relevant memes, quotes, and other things. Unique baskets have out-of-the-box items, so think of amazing things we don’t usually consider giving.

Goodie Bag Ideas in 2023 (That Don’t Suck) (2024)

FAQs

What can I put in goodie bags? ›

14 cheap goody bag ideas for kids
  • Pack up some snacks. From small bags of flavored popcorn to individually wrapped candies or packs of gum, the options are limitless. ...
  • Make them laugh. ...
  • Book it. ...
  • Be practical. ...
  • Give dress-up supplies. ...
  • Decorate a water bottle. ...
  • Let it grow. ...
  • Make bracelets.
Sep 3, 2021

At what age do you stop giving goody bags? ›

The answer may vary, but as a general rule of thumb, you should probably stop once your guests are in secondary school. Of course, there are always exceptions - if your child's birthday party is being attended by a large number of adults, for example, you may want to continue handing out goody bags.

How many items should be in a goody bag? ›

Of course there are no laws around how many things you should put into a party bag. However, the consensus from speaking to other parents and my own experiences of hosting kids parties is that you should aim for around 5 fillers.

What do you put in a high school goodie bag? ›

Affordable goodie bag stuffers
  1. School supplies/stationery. Stickers. Pens/pencils. Erasers.
  2. Fidget toys. Squishy animals. Pop tubes. Monkey strings/noodles. Pop it keychains.
  3. Mesh gift bags.
Feb 1, 2023

What to put in goodie bags for 17 year olds? ›

Other fun ideas for teen party favors you should consider
  • Lip gloss or lip balm.
  • Emery boards and nail polish.
  • Lotions, shampoo, conditioner, and other toiletries.
  • Friendship bracelets.
  • Anklets.
  • School supplies.
  • Bath bombs.
  • Assorted candies.
Jul 26, 2022

How do you make homemade goodie bags? ›

Instructions
  1. Measure and Cut Your Wrapping Paper. ...
  2. Fold the Top of Your Paper. ...
  3. Place Your Box on the Wrong Side of the Wrapping Paper. ...
  4. Glue the Edge of the Gift Bag. ...
  5. Form the Bottom of the Bag. ...
  6. Crease the Bottom Toward the Center. ...
  7. Secure the Bottom of the Bag With Tape. ...
  8. Finish the Top of the Gift Bag.
Aug 10, 2020

What do you put in a freebie bag? ›

What to Put in a Swag Bag
  1. Pens.
  2. Hand sanitizer.
  3. Cheap sunglasses.
  4. USB flash drives.
  5. Socks or other offbeat gifts.
  6. Mini notebooks.
  7. Candy.
  8. Stickers.
Apr 11, 2023

Do I have to have party favors? ›

While party favors have seemingly become the standard at parties these days, the answer is no, they are not necessary. There is no rule that says party favors have to be given.

What age do you stop getting presents at? ›

Generally speaking, she recommended giving gifts to anyone under 18 years old. “After that, kids become young adults and have a mind of their own of what they may want,” she said.

Why do people give party favors? ›

A party favor is a small gift given to the guests at a party as a gesture of thanks for their attendance, a memento of the occasion, or simply for fun.

How big is a standard gift bag? ›

Small gift bags measure 4.38" wide by 5.75" high by 2.5" deep. Medium gift bags measure 7.06" wide by 8.88" high by 4" deep. Large gift bags measure 9" wide by 11.5" high by 5.25" deep. Extra large gift bags measure 11.25" wide by 14.44" high by 5.25" deep.

How many favors do you need for 100 guests? ›

Decide if you want to give a favor to each person, or provide a single favor per couple or family. Then, plan ahead with extras to account for guests taking more than one, favors getting broken, and saving a few for yourself. If each person gets a favor, you'll need an extra 10 favors for every 100 guests.

What are swag gift bags? ›

What is a swag bag? A swag bag is an assortment of promotional items, usually which share a unifying theme and come packaged in a literal bag or box.

What is in a kids party bag? ›

Here are some of the favourite unique party bag ideas for kids:
  • Colouring-in books and pencils.
  • Bubbles.
  • Straws.
  • Balloons.
  • Books.
  • Parachute Men.
  • Yo-Yo.
  • Mini Hand Clappers.

What comes in a swag bag? ›

Swag bags usually contain promotional items, free samples from sponsors and anything else that could potentially excite recipients and leave a lasting impression on them. From custom power banks to recycled paper journals to custom branded toys, swag items can come in all different forms.

What to put in party bags for 18 year olds? ›

What to put in an 18th Birthday party bag:
  • Mini co*cktail bottles.
  • Party straws.
  • Shot glasses.
  • Mini water bottles.
  • Mints.
  • Sweets in bulk.

Are party bags necessary? ›

The short answer is certainly not. While it's lovely to thank guests for coming to celebrate with your child there's no need to feel pressured into giving them party bags to say thank you.

Why do people give party bags? ›

They're meant to be a cute way of saying thank you to your guests for turning up, bringing a present, and hopefully not vomiting on the carpet, but nowadays they feel like a whole industry.

What are party bag fillers? ›

  • Helium Filled Personalised Balloons.
  • Balloon Clouds & Garlands.
  • Supershape Balloons & Airloonz.
  • Confetti Balloons.
  • Balloon Sets & Bundles.
  • Foil Shapes & Message Balloons.
  • Plain Latex Balloons.
  • Helium & Balloon Accessories.

Is it OK to gift bags? ›

A purse or bag is a very personal gift and many people, male and female, have strong preferences as to which features and colors they like. It helps to know your giftee's preferences, and always make sure the bag can be exchanged if you get it wrong.

How do you make little treat bags? ›

To make this easy craft, all you need is sandwich bags and a Sharpie marker. Draw jack-o-lantern faces onto each of the bags, then fill them with orange candy or chips. Tie with a black and white bow for an extra festive touch.

What to pack on kids party bag? ›

Party Favour ideas for Kids
  • Colouring-in books and pencils.
  • Bubbles.
  • Straws.
  • Balloons.
  • Books.
  • Parachute Men.
  • Yo-Yo.
  • Mini Hand Clappers.

What prizes to give out at a birthday party? ›

Small prizes for children's party games can include gift cards, candy, bubble gum, age-appropriate toys, books, erasers, fancy pens, bracelets, jars of Play-Doh, containers of Kinetic sand, tubs of slime, fidget toys and so much more.

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