Conference bag ideas that don't get left under the seat

Most conference bag planning starts with the artwork. We'd start with the bag, because the bag decides whether anyone uses it again.

Picture the delegate at 5pm. They've got a coat over one arm, a coffee in the other hand and a train to catch. A bag with short handles gets carried in the hand for ten minutes and then left in the hotel room. A bag with long handles goes over the shoulder, gets taken home and turns up at the supermarket a fortnight later. For most events, long handles are the single most useful thing you can choose.

Size is the next thing. Delegate packs are usually A4: a programme, a pad, a few brochures. Our standard shoppers are 38 x 42 cm, which takes A4 flat with room to spare. If people will be carrying laptops between sessions, a bag with a gusset (a fold-out base) is kinder on the shoulder and stops the corners of the laptop poking through.

Then weight. A 150gsm cotton shopper is light and folds into a pocket, and it's the right call when you need a lot of bags. A 280gsm canvas tote feels like a gift rather than packaging, and people keep it. If the delegates have paid a few hundred pounds for a ticket, the heavier bag is often worth it. Our guide to gsm explains the difference in the hand.

1. Leave the year off

A bag that says the event name and 2026 is a souvenir. A bag with just the event or organisation name can be carried for years without looking out of date, and any spares can go to next year's event. If you run the same conference every year, this one saves real money.

2. Put the sponsors on the back

Sponsors want their logos on the bag, and delegates don't want to carry an advert. Put your event on the front and the sponsor logos on the back as a neat panel. We can print both sides, and the second side needs its own screens.

3. Print every sponsor logo in one ink

Ten logos in ten brand colours will look like a motorway services noticeboard. Ten logos all in white on a navy bag look planned. Sponsors rarely mind if you tell them in advance, and it keeps the ink count down, because each colour needs its own screen.

4. Give them something other than a logo

A line drawing of the venue, the city skyline or a phrase from the event's theme gives people a reason to carry the bag that isn't advertising. Keep your name on it, just smaller than you'd first think.

5. Match the rest of the event

If the lanyards, stage and slides are all in one brand colour, give us the Pantone reference and we'll match the ink to it. On a dark bag, a light ink stands out best; our guide to printing on dark bags shows what works.

6. Be careful with QR codes

A QR code on a bag can work, but fabric isn't paper. Print it big, in a dark ink on a light bag, and scan it on the proof before you approve it. If it's the only way to find the Wi-Fi password, put the password on the bag in plain text as well.