Giving a new twist to corporate gifts

Tag : Woven Shawl
SNAZZY digital photo frames, foldable silicon travel keyboards,USB-powered mini-fridges. Once throwaway items handed out to alland sundry, corporate gifts in Singapore have come a long way.
A striking testament to the industry's growth and vigour was ondisplay at the Singapore Gifts and Premiums Fair, held at Sunteclast week.
The event attracted 187 participants and more than 7,000 visitors,drawn there by a business that generates almost $2 billion in salesannually.
Corporate gifts are normally handed out at the end of the year asChristmas presents, during dinner and dance events or forpromotional purposes throughout the year.
Exports to the United States, Europe, Canada and Australia accountfor about half the sales, with local consumers taking up theremainder. Industry growth has been strong, reaching 15 per cent to20 per cent a year in recent times.
'Growth in recent years has been stimulated by a wealth of projectshere, like the Formula One race,' said Mr Winston Lim, theexecutive director of BizLink Premium Services, which organised thefair.
He said the Malaysia-based official licensee of Formula Onemerchandise recently started a subsidiary in Singapore, Logo House,to capitalise on the event. The merchandise will be sold at thecircuit during the three-day race.
Singapore's strength in meetings, incentive trips, conventions andexhibitions has also boosted the industry, with corporate giftfirms focusing on merchandise related to upcoming events such asthe Youth Olympics in 2010.
In addition, there has been a move from being heavily dependent onlow-end imports from China and pricey ones from the US tochampioning local designs whose manufacturing is outsourced toChina or Vietnam.
The 'one size fits all' approach to gifts has been junked as well,with clients now demanding personalised and novel products as theystrive to strengthen their branding, retain staff and staycompetitive in tough markets.
One pioneer of this approach is Mr Kent Tey, the managing directorof Keracker Holding, who introduced branded premium marketingproducts such as those for Pierre Cardin in 1994.
'This industry is very, very competitive. To make a breakthrough,you cannot depend on the product alone. Now, it's about concepts,ideas,' he said.
For striking concepts, there is Switzco Design and Gift, a localfirm that customises chocolates to a company's needs, with productssuch as edible name cards.
'You are limited only by your imagination,' said Switzco executivedirector Pang Tow Chiang.
Mr Khaw Eyong of Core Modus agrees. His company was one of thefirst in the world to use photo-luminescent sticker tape when itmade its distinctive glow-in-the-dark Singapore Flyer souvenirs,which range from fridge magnets to printed T-shirts that capturememories of the ride.
At this year's gift show, there was a threefold increase in thenumber of eco-friendly exhibitors.
Home-grown firm GDP Corporate Services showed off revolutionary USBproducts that run without electricity, including a mobile-phonecharger. With a USB cable, users can plug the charger into a laptopthat is switched on and power up the multifunctional device, savingenergy.
The fair's top-selling green product was a solar-powered readinglamp from SolarPower21, a maker of corporate gifts whose designershail from Japan, China and Singapore.
bkoeni@sph.com.sg