I didn’t have time to visit their booth, but Kajal Perfumes had the best bag at Esxence.
It’s a plastic transparent number, neon orange and perfect for everyday use because it fits a laptop but also I always know where my keys are when I use it. I’m sure it cost them a lot but everyone had one so it was great visibility for them.
The second picture is one of two trash bins that I filled with branded bags while I was packing up to go home. I took all the samples out and tossed the bags. I would have liked to take some of them home but there was no room, and I already have a section of a closet devoted to these types of bags and I’m always trying to get rid of them. Honestly, if a brand is reading this and wants some notes for next year – I’d say give out less, aside from samples. Less reading materials, less stuff to throw away. If you want to gift, make it meaningful after the show, remembering that there are so many people coming from out of town and not everyone will be able to take things home.
There were also many brands giving out and asking for business cards. I don’t think I’ve given out a card since 2015, and the irony is that I took them out of my purses before the trip. Have a list that interested people can put their email addresses down on (maybe a guest book?) and then follow up later. The sheer number of content creators, fragheads, and press from around the world is going to be hard to keep up with, but you’re looking for people who can tell your story and hopefully, you find them.
Oh, and in case you were wondering I did take this bag to work this morning and I’m going to keep using it.
As a side note, I’ve noticed that the perfume community has an overly fragile ego and can’t take any kind of criticism or negative feedback. The Esxence people have been reposting mentions that they’ve gotten, mine included, but this was one they didn’t care to share. They never said they wanted to focus on sustainability and I didn’t come across any brand that was claiming that, which is good. The most sustainable option is to stay at home and use nothing, but we all travelled far away to meet each other and I would say that it was worth it. But there were scent strips and pamphlets littering the ground after the event too, and that’s not a great look.
