A highly professional approach over the years has ensured that business visitors at Giftex, the much awaited event related to the contemporary gifting industry, would be able to source the best possible gifts and stationery brands under one single roof. Top advertising executives, sales & marketing managers made it a point to visit the show.

No surprise, the previous edition of Giftex was an extraordinary success. As stated above, a host of high-profile visitors, essentially the lynchpins in the corporate decision-making process, thronged the exhibition venue to be part of this grand showcase event for the whole gifting industry.

Just peeping into the past, Giftex was started more than two decades ago. Since then it has truly been a fruitful journey, well reflected in the success of this highly prestigious event. Giftex, Trade & Technology Exposition Co. (India) Pvt. Ltd. has now established itself as a leading exhibition organizing company that hosts several events on different themes.

In due recognition of the importance of Giftex to the gifting industry, the India Trade Promotion Organization has provided the event with its seal of approval. The stupendous success of Giftex can be attributed to the fact that its organizers, namely Trade & Technology Exposition Co. (India) Pvt. Ltd., are steadfastly committed to a result-oriented platform. Their aim is to enable a meaningful exchange and interaction between exhibitors and potential corporate buyers.

Giftex occupies all the five halls of spacious Nehru Centre and yet at times this capacity is not enough to accommodate all the prospective exhibitors. At this exhibition bulk orders are booked, but no sales are permitted. In essence, you could find the products, which well fit your budget the best at the event for the purpose of gifting.

Giftex has emerged as a premier event for the entire gifting industry. The organizers are confident that the exhibition would be a huge success and offer exciting ideas for the corporate world this year, too!

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The task of marketing and relationship building is partly executed through timely and appropriate gifts to key personnel holding senior positions in the hierarchy of a client firm.

The job does not get over only with finalizing the choice  of a gift item for a particular occasion. Once the modalities are finished internally, the next critical tasks for gifting strategists are sourcing the gifts from a reliable, quality resource; negotiating prices, and packaging them in an elegant manner.

All these steps involve a lot of research and planning. In this post, we shall consider how one may look for corporate gifting avenues. The choice will depend on the scale of gift-giving exercise, its overall nature and budget allocated for it.

Other important points to consider from your end when making choice of a gift company are as follows:

• Are you looking for customization?

• Do you want them to be generic?

• Do you desire drop-shipping to recipients?

You will need to handle the entire exercise in a thorough professional manner or else there will be goof-ups, resulting in embarrassment for the company. You might be required to outsource some of the tasks and coordinate between various agencies and people to ensure that deadlines are met.

Also, if you are purchasing gift items in bulk, the parameters will change. In the past, retail gift services were not equipped to handle major corporate assignments. A growing number of retail companies and department stores now have exclusive corporate departments to offer end-to-end services.

Make sure you interact with the corporate sales department. Bulk pricing is another critical factor. If you are a savvy shopper, you will certainly look for discounts for bulk purchase, resulting in significant savings.

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The occasion is celebrated across the world in the memory of Saint Valentine. But who exactly is this mysterious man? We are sure you would be curious to know as why we celebrate this day. We take this opportunity to dig into the history of Valentine’s Day and throw light on the patron saint who is associated with the day. (more…)

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Specific rules and norms are set by respective advertising standards authorities in different countries. The same are monitored by committees that keep a tab over advertising practices that can often be misleading. These bodies are independently administered and serve like a watchdog.

For example, Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) functions as a self regulatory voluntary organization. The role and functioning of ASCI encompasses addressing complaints received from consumers and industry against advertisements and claims that are considered as false or misleading. It is important in this context that we consider the difference, albeit subtle, between a prize (awarded to a lucky few winners) and a gift (available to all or a majority of entrants to a promotion irrespective of the fact whether they win or lose).

This distinction should always be made amply clear to consumers who are being targeted or approached through the promotions offer in form of prizes or gifts. If all or almost all participants are entitled to an award in a promotion, it should not be termed a prize. In such a case, it may be denoted as a ‘gift’, ‘reward’, ‘award’ or a similar term as long as the context does not get misleading to consumers. 

For example, promoters should not make a claim that respondents can get to ‘win’ a ‘reward’ because the terminology is improper, confusing and inconsistent. In other words, respondents get to ‘win’ a ‘prize’ but are ‘awarded’, ‘allocated’ or ‘given’ a ‘gift’. Let’s take a practical case. A few years ago, the UK based Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) mulled over a rather complicated promotion that involved the promoter offering several prizes and gifts.

The promoter considered that since recipients got one of two or three gifts on offer with no single gift going to ‘all or most’ of them, each gift could well be described as a prize. However, the authorities stipulated that since the vast majority of respondents would get one of two or three low-value items, they should be termed as gifts. The promoter thus had to withdraw the claim that these were rather prizes, and not gifts.

So make sure that you promote the program in a proper context so that it is not perceived to be misleading consumers.

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Signifying the link between opulence, luxury and the gifting industry, an insightful news report points out that industrialists, businessmen and celebs are lavishly spending on a spate of ultra-luxury gifts. In fact, almost 60% of all the luxury items sold are essentially gifts, it asserts.

The news report by Ravi Teja Sharma of The ET Bureau starts off by stating: “Opulence has no limit. You can be happy with your hardworking employees and dole out a bonus for them, or you can bring in some style.” Here are the instances of the above trend, revealed as a matter of case study:

In one company, the management gave away gift vouchers of 1-2 lakh to a bunch of top performers to buy bespoke suits.

Last year, Shah Rukh Khan gifted Tag Heuer watches to all members of his Kolkata Knight Riders cricket team, when it reached the last four of the Indian Premier League.

An industrialist gave the select employees Versace mobile phones, each costing 3.5 lakh, as one top industrialist recently did to six of his senior execs for clinching a difficult deal

These gestures of generosity, as the writer mentions, may not muster support in these difficult times, but they come as a fresh lease of life for many luxury brands in India, who are now planning to expand their business. Gifts made up for 60% of luxury goods sales in 2011, as mentioned above.

The general manager at Genesis Luxury (that represents brands like Canali, Jimmy Choo and Bottega Veneta and also has a joint venture with Burberry in India), Roasie Ahluwalia, has been quoted as saying: “While many Indians have started spending on self, there are many who would still prefer someone splurge on them. It may be a matter of family bonds, which still run deep in the Indian society.”

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In this article, we shall go through some unspoken norms of giving and receiving a gift in the corporate world:

• Even though your intentions may be honest and it may just be a small gift, if the client firm objects to receiving any gift, giving a gift should be avoided. It will be inappropriate on your part to force a gift on the person.
• Conversely, if receiving a gift makes you feel slightly uncomfortable or you believe it can cause some damage to an important business relationship, it is correct to refuse the gift, but in an appropriate manner.
• Do not ever think of recycling a gift that you have received, at least, within the same circle of friends or else you will be caught. (Remember, that TV commercial of the same gift changing hands, doing rounds of different homes, and ultimately landing with the first person who had gifted it, to start with.
• On other hand, if you receive something that you know is not original, try not to look dejected or disappointed. Accept it with a smile on your face and set your mind to it. If you want to return the gift, do so without opening it, if possible.
• Avoid the temptation of what the ‘generous’ giver has opted to gift. This gives the person the option of recycling the gift. In fact, it always makes sense to check your office policy on accepting any kind of gift from clients.
• Though it might just be a small gift, if your company’s policy says that accepting any gift from the clients is not appropriate, it should be returned. If a gift from one of your business associates looks like a favor, it should be returned.
• In certain cases, a giver might refuse to take the gift back. In such a case, do not make a coworker or a client feel embarrassed about giving. Keep a formal record of your correspondence, if any. Make sure you’ve notified the senior person in your office about the chain of events.

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In today’s competitive market a corporate relationship is the most important thing to make a business thrive and expand even while keeping the goodwill intact. In this context, gifting plays a major role. Corporate relationships can be formed and maintained by appropriate corporate gifting practices and strengthening personal relationships.

An apt corporate gift speaks a million words and expresses a million feelings. A gift given to a client on him birthday lets him know the company treats him as family and thus remembers every important day of his life. This builds a better rapport with the person and makes him or her feel important.

A gift given to a major business stakeholder/ partner is a display of joy and also shows a feeling closeness. It should have a personal touch to it. For example, if a card is added or any such small thing makes a big difference. When gifting a logo plays a major role if it’s properly positioned and displayed.

It should be remembered that the gift your company representative offer should not be tacky. They should be wrapped properly and should look elegant. Another important thing to remember is the position or status of the client, if he or she is a senior person in the client firm, a gift should be so selected and presented that it suits the person’s standing.

Obviously, there are specific reasons that you have in mind for gifting. In other words, you would want to pick a gift that amply reflects your mindset or one that goes with the occasion on which it is being sent. Your gift should ideally reflect that feeling of ‘satisfaction’ and ‘joy’ while presenting it to make the recipient pleased so that the latter truly likes it. He would appreciate your thoughtful gesture and be inclined to continue doing business with you.

It can be a real challenge, rather a test of your business skills to be able to find, wrap and present the perfect gift for a corporate client or colleague. Remember, corporate gift giving etiquette is a crucial aspect that you can leave in the hands of inexperienced people. Only specialists or skilled branding experts should deal with it. You cannot afford to take any chances with your process of selecting and presenting a good gift for clients.

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Corporate houses do everything possible to garner goodwill during the festive season. These are the times when companies gift their employees and clients. For example, to let their employees enjoy the Navratri festival, they even gift free passes for occasions like ‘Dandia Raas’.

Navratri, the season of nine nights, is celebrated with much glitter and glamour. It entails traditional dance types like garbas, dandia with the devotional songs in respect of Mother Amba and Mother Kaali. The people come together to have the blessings of the eternal mother, celebrate her presence within them and wish each other. Even celebrities join in the celebration of this traditional ritual of dance.

The profile of employees has become younger so it’s not surprising that several firms opt to celebrate such joyous occasions in the campus itself. Many companies join in the celebrations by gifting them traditional Navratri robes and free passes to the nine festive nights.

Many corporate houses sponsor local Navratri groups as part of innovative marketing methods to join the camaraderie during Navratri. Many of them come up with novel ideas like ‘designer dandias’.

True essence of corporate gifting is embedded in the fact that companies want to build a good relationship with their clients/customers. If the act of gifting motivates employees, corporate gifting at another level is part of a larger marketing & branding activity. It helps reconnect and re-establish a relationship with the key clients.

Festivals are a form of gettogether for most people across India. Festivals like Holi, Diwali, Christmas, Ganesh Festival and Navratri are rituals that are celebrated with great fervor, fun and frolic. This is the time of the year when corporate gifting takes place in a broader social context imparting a larger meaning to it. It acquires a whole new connotation during the festive season.

Gifting clients on such occasions is a must to spread brand identity and generate goodwill. Corporate gifting during  festivals is an opportunity to grow a company’s business that must be fully capitalized.

Tags: promotional gifts, gifting to clients, business gifting, business gift baskets, Gifting events, Corporate gifting, corporate gifting for employees, gifting india, promotional products,

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Corporate houses do everything possible to garner goodwill during the festive season. These are the times when companies gift their employees and clients. For example, to let their employees enjoy the Navratri festival, they even gift free passes for occasions like ‘Dandia Raas’.

Navratri, the season of nine nights, is celebrated with much glitter and glamour. It entails traditional dance types like garbas, dandia with the devotional songs in respect of Mother Amba and Mother Kaali. The people come together to have the blessings of the eternal mother, celebrate her presence within them and wish each other. Even celebrities join in the celebration of this traditional ritual of dance.

The profile of employees has become younger so it’s not surprising that several firms opt to celebrate such joyous occasions in the campus itself. Many companies join in the celebrations by gifting them traditional Navratri robes and free passes to the nine festive nights.

Many corporate houses sponsor local Navratri groups as part of innovative marketing methods to join the camaraderie during Navratri. Many of them come up with novel ideas like ‘designer dandias’.

True essence of corporate gifting is embedded in the fact that companies want to build a good relationship with their clients/customers. If the act of gifting motivates employees, corporate gifting at another level is part of a larger marketing & branding activity. It helps reconnect and re-establish a relationship with the key clients.

Festivals are a form of gettogether for most people across India. Festivals like Holi, Diwali, Christmas, Ganesh Festival and Navratri are rituals that are celebrated with great fervor, fun and frolic. This is the time of the year when corporate gifting takes place in a broader social context imparting a larger meaning to it. It acquires a whole new connotation during the festive season.

Gifting clients on such occasions is a must to spread brand identity and generate goodwill. Corporate gifting during  festivals is an opportunity to grow a company’s business that must be fully capitalized.

Tags: Business etiquette, Gifting events, Corporate gifting, corporate gifting for employees, Gifting occasions, corporate gifts companies, business gifting, business gift baskets, Business Gifting
Corporate gifting, gifting etiquette

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In a series of informative essays, Giftex has explained how gift cards are perfect for personal as well as corporate gifting. Interestingly, amidst today’s challenging economic environment, a new trend has been witnessed in the western countries. Corporate entities are offering gift cards to encourage their employees to remain mentally and physically fit.  

They are being given incentives to lose weight and quit smoking. According to an interesting survey, as employers continue to experiment for improving the wellness, health and productivity of their workforce, incentives like gift cards are being recognized as a crucial aspect of a full-fledged health management strategy.

A news report states that increasing number of corporate houses in the US are offering gift cards as an incentive to workers.

The value of incentives offered is typically 100 to 300 US dollars per person. per year, a survey found out. In fact, well over three-quarters of leading US employers now offer formal health & wellness programs, whereas more than half of them run disease management programs.

The survey found the usage of incentives along with health & wellness programs significantly increased. Gift cards are among the top incentive choices in the financial year gone by, with their usage going up to 28 percent from just 17 percent in the previous year, whereas the usage of cash bonuses as well as lower premiums declined during the same period.

More than a quarter of those offering programs have managed to successfully measure the return on their investment (RoI), up from just 14 percent. Of those employees who took the measure, 83 percent noted they ‘more than broke even’ compared with just 66 percent last year.

More employers are expected to resort to this strategy in the new year so that their workers take better care of themselves. Employees can pocket a good amount of money by entering a smoking cessation program or undergoing a personal health assessment or. They can avoid an additional surcharge on their health insurance by finishing the anti-smoking program.

It is time that the corporate India also take the similar ‘healthy’ gifting strategy to encourage their workers and employees to stay fit.

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