It’s October, and you know what that means. As quickly as you can say pumpkin spice latte, it’ll be too late to get your holiday events sourced. Don’t worry; we’ve rounded up five solutions to celebrate the clients and employees that make your business go around.
Now, when it comes to corporate gifting, we look to Kat Marks–the best gifter in the biz and the genius behind Calgary’s Lethrbar–to see what’s new on the scene.
Kat points out that with employees and clients still a little fresh on their return to in-person events and office spaces, “An important focus in corporate culture right now is getting people together, getting to know each other, and getting to know your brand values.”
What does that mean for your corporate gifts this year? Keeping things customizable is key. Make sure you’re getting your brand messages out there in a way that is enjoyable, memorable and definitely not generic.
Here are five places to do just that–all while supporting our local community:
Lethrbar
A go-getter after our own hearts, Kat came up with her own way to bring the holiday experience to you and guarantee that the gifts are a hit. Lethrbar has just launched their fully customizable Gifting Wall.
Kat’s team works together with you to nail down every detail of the 5×7’ wall design and the gifts to make sure it all looks and feels just right. Then, they print, build, and deliver everything right to you on the big day. “We don’t do cookie cutter. Every touchpoint of the experience has a wayfinding conversation, so your brand and message are the center of attention.” Kat explains.
Reminiscent of the goodie bags of our childhood, every attendee plucks a gift bag off the wall. The surprise inside is made of quality leather with your brand message incorporated into the design. “By creating a customizable leather good, your guests are getting their hands on a physical display of your brand’s message,” says Kat. And if you opt for gifting high-utility products like bag tags or AirTags, they will quite literally carry the gift around everywhere with them for a little reminder every day.
Up the ante by adding on a Lethrbar Live personalization station, and Kat’s team will come down to your party and custom-stamp the gifts live. Yep, each person gets a totally customized gift to cherish. And since the gifts are all made of quality leather, they will be loved for a lifetime.
Since it’s all designed and built in-house, the Gifting Wall is totally mobile. That means they can come to you, whether you’re hosting an intimate 100-person lunch or a gala.
The Gift Wall is launching as you read this, and your first chance to book is right here!
Mother Earth Essentials
A gift that shows you care about your guests’ well-being can’t be overlooked. Plus, you can’t get much closer to home than goods made from plants found right here in our prairies. Mother Earth Essentials is a reflection of founder Carrie Armstrong’s Cree Métis roots and draws on the nature-inspired teachings rooted in the sacred plants of the Medicine Wheel. She crafts fragrant home and body products made from those four sacred plants–sweetgrass, tobacco, sage and cedar–and uses essential oils traditionally used for their healing properties.
To streamline your shopping, Carrie has curated gift packages that pair products based on each of the four plants. This way, your guests can enjoy a variety of soaps, aromatherapy mists and candles that work together to fill their homes with health and healing this winter.
The Graze Company
If you didn’t already know about The Graze Company, it’s your lucky day. These guys can handle your event and your corporate gifting (there is no rule about how much charcuterie is too much charcuterie). Whether you’re hosting 20 or 750 people, they create a ridiculously lavish grazing table that will make your guests’ jaws drop. Loaded with savoury and sweet options and suiting a variety of dietary needs, it couldn’t be easier to nail the food at your holiday event. Expect an extremely Instagram-worthy spread that will become the star of the show.
Making your corporate gifting easy, they’ve packaged up their tasty experience into a Graze Box that can be redeemed at any time. They have truly thought of it all, offering a corporate gifting plan that makes your tenth box free. And trust us, once you try one of their spreads, you’ll be back for another…and another.
Local Laundry
If you’re looking for a branded gift that will definitely be well-used and well-loved, this is it. Local Laundry makes clothing that celebrates our love of Canadiana. Plus, they only produce made-in-Canada clothing to support local manufacturing and a minor carbon footprint. Partner on a custom design and up your swag game by keeping your brand front and center while gifting something everyone will love to wear (seriously, their clothes are so comfy).
From shackets and fanny packs to staples like zip-ups and tees in sizes XS-5XL, it’s easy to check off your list this year. By shopping Local Laundry, you also support their current effort to give back one million dollars to local charities by 2030. Need we say more?
Friday Sock Co
This one was new to us: purposely mismatched, matching socks. You read that right: Friday Sock Co exists to make people smile with their cheeky and mismatched pairings that somehow do pair perfectly.
The best part? You can go custom! They’ll work with you to create something that shares your brand in an unexpected way. The design phase all happens here in Calgary, then the socks are ethically made in a small family-owned factory in Italy using only the best Egyptian or Organic Combed Cotton. These are no ordinary socks, they’re fun to put on and ensure your holiday message will be remembered every time they are worn.
Just like that, you’ve knocked gift sourcing off your holiday to-do list. You know the drill, reach out in the next week or two to secure your custom gifts, and sleep easy knowing they’ll be a hit. Is there another fantastic local spot we should know about? Drop us a line!
Photo Credit:
Lethrbar
Mother Earth Essentials
The Graze Company
Local Laundry
Friday Sock Co
