What Swag Do We Actually Want?
Before one of our events, we asked a few brilliant communities about the most fun, useful, cool, or plain weird swag they had ever received. As usual, you didn’t disappoint.
For HR people, DevRels, developers, and anyone who likes events and swag: here is a small selection of what you shared. We would love to hear yours too. What did you get that you genuinely loved?
Why bother with swag at all?
Swag is much more than a cute gift you get at an event. It’s the little secret of every company that wants to become a memorable thing in your pocket, on your desk, or on your shelf.
- Style that speaks: good swag connects people to a brand in ways you don’t expect. Wear a great shirt and somebody asks, “Where did you get that?” Suddenly you’re the best kind of ad a brand could ask for.
- A message without a speech: when you carry a company’s swag, you’re not only saying you like the brand. You’re signalling that you like what it stands for.
- Community: seeing somebody else wearing merch from an event you attended creates a quiet “we were there” feeling. That’s powerful.
- Values on the table: when a company chooses green, sustainable swag, it’s not only handing over a nice gift. It’s saying something about what matters to it.
So next time you get swag at an event, remember: it’s not just one more thing for the collection. It’s a smart marketing tool, a connection to a brand, and an invitation to be part of something bigger.
The swag you picked
And now, the list you shared with us. In no particular order :)
Yana Ifraimov shared a super-comfortable pair of pajamas she received. Very easy to get behind that one, especially in winter.
Evyatar Alush got a very cool Raspberry Pi with an e-ink screen - Evyatar Alush.
Elkana didn’t get this one at a conference but on base. Still: swag is swag. Whisky with a single glass? I would happily take a single malt from a cybersecurity company.
Amitai Rosenberg shared one of those gifts developers are always, always happy to receive: another duck for the collection, so you can debug with love.
Gil Fink surprised us with one of the most original gifts we have seen: special limited-edition books made for an XKCD conference.
The next item has a special place in a lot of communities: socks. Yes, socks are life. It’s hard to go wrong with them.
Creativity is non-negotiable, so here is a particularly beloved crowd favorite: a fart cushion for spotting smelly code.
Special thanks to Talia Komorov for sharing.
In the age of ChatGPT, this is probably the most useful keyboard we have: Stack Overflow. Special thanks to Tom for this magnificent copy-paste keyboard.
There are places where you cannot go wrong, and we’ll always find room for one more excellent notebook. Thanks to Adi Stein.
This is a gift I have not received yet, but would gladly take right now in winter: old-school Kippi shoes. Thanks to Yoav Gember.
I got one of these before and I have to say: hours of fun. 3D puzzles. Thanks to Adi Avital for sharing.
It may be winter right now, and this is a more summery gift, but beach towels look like a very good thing to receive. Thanks to Shmuela Jacobs.
Hila Fish may have won the coolest gift of all: a sketch game.
We got a few dozen more ideas, so if you enjoyed this, write to us. Maybe we’ll do another round.
And to finish with something we personally love: shirts that are genuinely fun to wear, especially at other conferences and at work. (My wife occasionally steals mine as pajamas.)
Modelled this time by Gal Eindor, a friend from the Developers Outside the Box community.
Until next time… let’s go!