5 Of the UK’s Top Exhibitions (And the Best Bags for Them) Posted on December 14, 2014 at 4:00 PM In 2012 the exhibition industry delivered a total economic impact of £11bn to the UK economy. With the market expected to have grown further since this study there is no doubt that organisers, and consumers, have caught exhibition fever. It’s also clear that the UK exhibition and promotional bag industries are intrinsically linked. After all, when you visit an exhibition you need something to carry all those samples and freebies in. With that in mind we’ve taken a look at 5 of the UK’s top exhibitions and the best bags for each of them, whether you’re exhibiting or visiting. Eco Exhibitions The Eco 2015 Technology Show The Eco 2015 Technology Show is the UK’s biggest exhibition based around a multitude of different environmental subjects including energy management, green builds, transport, technology and resource efficiency. In 2014 140 exhibitors congregated at The Brighton Centre to exhibit and discuss the latest in environmental advancements. Visitors could also choose from 70 keynotes, panels and talks that provided information regarding legislation, funding, incentives and other major discussion points. The show runs for 2 days across the 11th – 12th of June in 2015 and also features a Communication Hub where you can get your eco questions quickly answered by an expert. This show is ideal for both businesses and individuals that are interested in finding out more about, or investing in, many forms of eco technology. The best bag: Bweha Cotton Shopper Bag The Bweha Cotton Shopper bag is an ideal multipurpose shopping bag with real eco credentials. It’s made from fair-trade cotton making it a responsible and ideal choice for any promotional giveaways. Retail Exhibitions Retail Business Technology Expo 2015 The Retail Business Technology Expo (RBTE) is the well established, must-attend event for everyone involved in retail. It provides retailers with the best tools, advice and inspiration to improve their retail performance and is attended by an exhaustive number of professionals and exhibitors. Topics covered include big data, stock management, click & collect and much more. The last RBTE attracted over 8,500 attendees making it the most successful to date. 2015’s show is set to be the biggest yet with 450+ exhibitors and 150+ conference sessions giving in depth insight into every aspect of retail technology and best practice and also customer experience. The show runs from the 10th – 11th of March at Olympia in London. www.flickr.com The best bag: Bongo Canvas Shopper Bag This, combined with durable handles, makes it ideal for carrying around lots of giveaways that you’re likely to receive at any retail expo. The best bag: Travelight Holdall The Travel Show 2015 is the UK’s biggest free travel show and takes place in the Business Design Centre in London. It features everything you need to plan and book your next holiday as well as exclusive deals and travel seminars. All the big names in the travel industry are present and available to give advice. The show is aimed at the 18 – 39 market and features exclusive offers of up to 50% off trips to locations all over the globe. There is an exhibitor for everything meaning you can easily book a full travel itinerary regardless of your budget. The show is on the 1st of March 2015 and will even feature recruiters looking for bright minds to join some of the biggest travel companies around! The Travelight Holdall is the ideal light travel bag. Ideal for weekends away, or busy exhibitions, the bag has one main compartment and one pocket. Fitness Exhibitions BodyPower Expo The BodyPower Expo is the fastest growing consumer fitness exhibition in Europe that attracts tens of thousands of enthusiasts to the Birmingham NEC. The exhibition features hundreds of fitness experts from around the world and covers the full spectrum of fitness and sports related products and services. Not only does the BodyPower Expo feature the latest fitness techniques and products it also focuses on encouraging and supporting those who are currently getting or keeping fit. It does so with ideas such as the Transformation Challenge that offers prizes to individuals who have undergone big changes on their road to fitness. The BodyPower Expo runs from the 15th – 17th of May 2015 and features representatives from bodybuilding, fitness, combat, strongman and power sports. Image source: www.flickr.com   The best bag: Sportual Sports Bag The Sportual Sports Bag is an ideal medium sized sports bag for anyone with an active lifestyle. With plenty of storage space and a bottle holder it’s an ideal gym companion and can also be used for storing other sports related promotional items picked up at exhibitions. Technology Exhibitions The Gadget Show LIVE Almost everyone has heard of the Gadget Show. Well, it seems the TV program’s success lends itself well to the exhibition format as the Gadget Show LIVE is one of the largest technology exhibitions in the UK. It features everything from the latest retail tech to the best of British innovation and allows individuals to see, try and buy the latest technology. The Gadget Show LIVE also features many events and such as the Super Theatre where an hour long show will give vistors the chance to see some cutting edge tech tested live. You can also visit the Game Zone to view and test some world exclusives in gaming and enter free to play gaming tournaments. The Gadget Show LIVE will be going on from the 7th – 12th of April 2015 at the NEC, Birmingham. The best bag: Papa Canvas Laptop Bag The Papa Canvas Laptop Bag is a heavyweight, hard wearing, on-trend laptop bag. It’s perfect as a promotional item for any technology expo where visitors could be bringing their own laptops or purchasing one there. It’s clear then that promotional bags are an extremely versatile and effective addition to any promotional marketing campaign, especially those based around exhibitions. As specialist promotional bag suppliers we can provide

Marketing Week Live 2014: Bags of Ideas Launches! Posted on July 11, 2014 at 4:00 PM Marketing Week Live (MWL) is the marketing event of the year in the UK. With thousands of visitors flooding through the doors over the duration of 2 days, it was the perfect event to launch our Bags of Ideas brand. Bags of Ideas is the brainchild of Paul Green, the director of leading promotional merchandise company Galpeg. With years of experience in the industry, Paul noticed that promotional bags were possibly the most effective and widely used product in the industry. What also became apparent to him was how vast the range of bags out there is, and how difficult it can be for businesses to find the right bags for their company or promotion amongst the thousands of products available from a range of distributors. Despite this issue in the marketplace, there were virtually no businesses online dedicated to offering a diverse range of promotional bags along with competitive prices, industry expertise and top-class customer service. That’s where Bags of Ideas came in – an online business specialising in promotional bags and nothing else. This business model has allowed us to create a place where consumers can find exactly the bags they need every time. And if our customers don’t know what would work best, our team of experts share their experience to make sure they come away with a product that will be highly effective to them. If that’s not enough, we used our connections to develop a service whereby we can manufacture truly unique bespoke bags for our customers. Just in case our huge range of bags wasn’t enough! MWL was the first chance we had to unveil the Bags of Ideas brand, which had been quietly in development over the months prior. In this prime location, we were finally able to show off what we had to offer and obtain real feedback from exhibition goers. The result? A resounding success! Not only did people like the concept, but they loved the brand, the helpful team and our enthusiasm for our customers and what we do. In online terms, Bags of Ideas is still in its infancy. But with an ever growing range of products and some of the best prices and turnaround times on the web, Bags of Ideas could soon be the only site you require for all your promotional bag needs. Can’t find the bag you’re looking for? Try our Bag Finder and narrow your search in minutes! TRY BAG FINDER

Personalised Kit Bags for Winning Sports Teams Posted on January 10, 2014 at 12:00 PM Picture the scene. It’s a frosty Sunday morning and you’ve just stepped off the coach, the crowd cheers you as you head to the changing room, ready to win the cup. Of course, on the pitch or track you all look the part, your team’s logo emblazoned on your kit. What about off it though? When you left that coach did your kit bags represent your team’s uniformity, camaraderie and professionalism? Or did you look like a rag tag bunch of part time sportsmen or women? Of course, ability and results say more about your team than anything else. However, off the pitch image can have a huge impact on how your team is viewed by supporters and competitors alike. Uniformity in kit, including personalised sports bags, carries connotations of professionalism and competence that can then be backed up in competition. However, it’s not just about how seriously others take you. Sharing a uniform, on and off the pitch, reinforces a sense of community and improves team cohesion. When you’re all on the same page, consciously and subconsciously, you have that competitive edge. The Promotional Power of Personalised Sports Bags Personalised kit bags for sports teams also assist in team and personal branding. In the information age, when the internet puts encyclopaedic knowledge and a previously unheard of ability to discover in people’s palms, can you afford to go unnoticed? When trying to increase your team’s exposure the power of branded merchandise is formidable. How great would it be to be able to display your team’s logo to a train full of bored commuters? What if one of them has a passion for supporting grass roots sports teams? Conversations can be started and opportunities opened up thanks to personalised sports bags. Take it to the next level and initial your bag for added personal exposure. For more information about the promotional power of printed sports bags follow the link. All Aligned Under One Banner Personalised sports bags are also a fantastic extension of your team and the pride you feel for it. There’s nothing quite like putting on your kit as you prepare to step out and compete at your best. Well, how about feeling a fraction of that every time pick up your kit bag? Whether that’s pre-competition or when you’re heading for a weekend away. There’s something special in being able to show your commitment to your team even when you’re not competing. Ultimately, a fully uniform approach to team branding is one part of the magic formula that makes your team the most professional, talented and respected in its field. That’s part of the point though. It’s all about doing everything you can to give you that step up, that extra edge over your competitors, that one thing that means you finish the day winners rather than losers. When it comes to personalised sport bags you want form and functionality. We’re talking rugged design, plenty of storage space and clean, high quality branding space. You can find all that and more in our promotional sports bags section.