Sometimes I’m struck by the ubiquity of swag – and just how much people often dig it.

It happened this weekend at the 27^th Annual Doylestown Arts Festival. Promo products were in abundance, provided by everyone from exhibiting artists to various businesses that set up with vendor tents. Many attendees eagerly snapped up the freebies on offer at the festival, which included live music and work from 160 juried artists showcased on the closed-to-traffic streets of quaint downtown Doylestown, a leafy Philadelphia suburb. Below is a sampling of the merch.

Steaz is a brand that makes iced green tea and all-natural energy drinks with ingredients that include organic green tea. Representatives were giving away the above hat and sunglasses at the festival. I was quick to nab a hat. I liked the pleasant green and bright white, the trucker-style mesh back, and the distressed styling. In fact, those style elements – and the logo itself – really seemed to evoke the natural/organic vibe Steaz is going for. A spot on product for this brand.

The “green” vibe continued with Seeds Phytonutrients. The company crafts natural-origin hair, face and body care products in shower-friendly post-consumer recycled paper bottles. Representatives were handing out this high quality hemp-style tote, which came with product samples and a fold-out brochure about the company. My Seeds tote is already getting use. While at a local cafe, another patron asked where I got the bag and what Seeds Phytonutrients is. I explained, we tidied up a polite chat, and she went on her way interested in learning more about the company. How’s that for proof of the Power of Promotional Products in action?

Of course, festival organizers made sure to have promotional products for attendees. Volunteers, for example, were giving out this free tote. The “27” circle logo is a nod to the fact that this was the 27^th annual Doylestown Arts Festival. Inside the tote was a festival program, as well as a bookmark. Rather appropriately, the latter product advertised an upcoming book festival.

The official 2018 Doylestown Arts Festival T-shirt.

Local police and firefighters had information tents where they were building goodwill with the community and providing free swag. Items included the above flying disc and the below cup. Stickers and other products were among the offerings, too.

The arts festival swag got me thinking: There are a ton of local events like this that occur annually throughout the United States. Very possibly, there are a few in your area or nearby. So, find out which ones are close to you. Then, get a-prospecting. Contact not only festival organizers about helping them with merch, but find out the vendors/businesses/organizations that exhibited at recent-year versions of the festivals (festival websites and social media accounts could aid with that effort). Connect with those entities too, bringing to the table unique and creative promo concepts that will help them stand out at the events and resonate with intended audiences. Who knows – it could be the beginning of a few new beautiful business relationships.