The Ethics of Gifts for Conference Attendees

Giving gifts to conference attendees is generally ethical.

Gifts for attendees at your professional conference can be a great opportunity to subtly advertise your organization or mission. Conference attendees are always curious to see what kind of giveaways will be available when they go to a conference -- though few may admit it. Giving gifts to attendees at conferences is considered ethical as long as everyone who attends the conference has an equal opportunity to grab some conference swag.

Equal Access is Vital

Make sure you are able to purchase enough of any particular item to ensure that everyone who attends the conference will be able to get one, and then order a few more, just in case. Place the items for giveaway in a prominent location, such as the registration area or help desk. Use helpful signage to indicate that the gifts are meant for attendees and are free of charge.

Big-Ticket Items

It's also ethical to hold a raffle or other competition for more costly items, such as small electronics or event tickets. Keep the raffle or competition ethical at your conference by widely publicizing contest entries and allowing ample time for all those who wish to enter to have an opportunity to do so.

Gift Bag Giveaways

Gift bags branded with the name and date of the conference and filled with novelty items -- water bottles, portfolios, pens, books of sticky notes and coffee mugs -- are frequently made available at the conclusion of conferences. It's ethical to give away free gift bags to conference attendees as long as the collection point is obvious to everyone and the bags are filled with the same, or variations of the same, products.

Maximum Gift Amounts for Federal Employees

It's possible that some of the attendees at your conference are employed by federal agencies, which often have strict rules governing the acceptability of gifts from professional acquaintances. In general, you can trust that any such attendees will have specific instructions from their agencies of what they can and cannot accept as gifts. Usually, agency guidelines will specify a particular amount, such as $25, over the worth of which they can't accept any item. Since purchasing bulk novelty items for conference giveaways generally makes use of wholesale prices, the price per item should stay well within this limit. Look up the federal agency in question if you need more specific information about your attendees' gift restrictions.

References

• Department of Justice: Gift Ethics