School Open Day Giveaways: Build the Pack Around the Visit
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School open day giveaways work best when they support the visit. A family may need one information pack, while each student joining an activity may need their own writing item. Giving everyone the same bundle can duplicate materials without helping the visit.
Start with the school programme. Consider what visitors will do in each session, what they need to carry between departments and what information they should take home.
Match school open day giveaways to the visit
Separate supplies for classroom activities, materials shared by visiting families and equipment used by staff or student guides.
Choose the products that support your programme. The table below is not a list of items every visitor needs.
| Item | Quantity basis to consider |
|---|---|
| School information pack | Family or visiting group |
| Ball pen or pencil | Participant in a writing activity |
| Ruler or highlighter | Participants in a relevant classroom task |
| Notebook or sticky notes | Visitors attending sessions where they will take notes |
| Drawstring bag | Recipients carrying materials between departments |
| Pencil case | Students receiving a coordinated stationery set |
| Backpack | Students in a defined welcome programme |
| Lanyard | Staff, guides or visitors requiring identification |
| Sports water bottle | Participants in a planned activity or welcome programme |
| USB drive | Selected recipients needing offline digital materials |
Allocate supplies by session. Count writing items against classroom activity places, information packs against visiting families, and identification supplies against staff and guide roles.
If visitors move between sessions, agree where they collect their materials so the same student is not issued a new set at every stop. Keep spare supplies at a staffed collection point.
Choose stationery for the classroom task
Ball pens can support admissions forms, question sheets or note-taking during presentations. Pencils may be a better fit for drawing, sketching or activities where students need to revise their work.
Rulers make sense when a session includes measuring or drawing. Check that the markings are easy to read and that the length suits both the task and the proposed pencil case.
Highlighters can help students identify course options or mark questions in printed information. Sticky notes offer space for questions, activity responses or reminders without writing directly on the prospectus.
Notebooks are useful when visitors attend several presentations and have time to write. Review the page layout, binding and size against the session format. A short guided tour may need only a question card.
Ask the teachers running each activity which supplies participants will actually use before deciding on the set.
Put together a stationery set students can use
A pencil case can organise the selected writing items, but its contents should reflect the activity.
A drawing session might need a pencil and ruler. An information session for older students might use a ball pen, notebook and sticky notes. Avoid adding extra items simply to make the pack appear larger.
Review the set as students will use it. Check that the pencil case holds the selected ruler, that the notebook offers enough writing space for the session, and that printed markings remain easy to read.
For department-specific activities, identify the contents on the packing list. Admissions staff should be able to distinguish a classroom activity set from a general information pack without opening every case.
Choose bags for school tours and welcome packs
Drawstring bags can help visitors carry materials collected from different departments. Test the proposed bag with the actual prospectus, worksheets and stationery.
Consider how visitors will move around the school. They may need to carry the bag while climbing stairs, entering classrooms or joining an activity. Choose the size and design for the intended audience.
Backpacks may suit a separate student welcome programme with more substantial contents. Plan their allocation against that programme rather than the total number of open day visitors.
Check the storage and collection arrangements before choosing either option. Packed bags should be easy for staff to identify and hand out without slowing registration.
Plan identification separately from take-home gifts
Lanyards can distinguish admissions staff, teachers and student guides or hold visitor badges where the school uses them.
Confirm the badge size, attachment and design with the school. Different roles may need different colours or printed labels, so record quantities by role.
Decide whether identification items are collected at the end of the visit or taken home. Returned supplies need a collection point and a person responsible for checking them.
Keep these items separate from student gift packs. Their main purpose is to help people identify who can assist them during the event.
Include sports water bottles where the programme supports them
Sports water bottles may suit a sports taster session, a longer activity day or a later student welcome pack.
Review a sample’s capacity, lid, intended use and cleaning instructions. Check how the bottle fits into the proposed bag and how packed bottles will be stored before distribution.
Agree who receives them and at which point in the programme. A bottle reserved for activity participants does not need to become an automatic addition to every family’s information pack.
Use USB drives for a defined digital handout
USB drives can hold approved prospectuses, presentations or other offline materials when recipients have compatible devices.
Before ordering, check the school’s IT policy and the connections recipients are expected to use. Identify who will prepare the files, verify the contents and organise any file loading.
Decide how recipients will find updated admissions information after the event. If dates or course details change frequently, a printed card linking to the school’s current information page may be easier to maintain.
Choose the format around access to the information, rather than treating a USB drive as a standard extra in every pack.
Organise collection around the school programme
Plan collection points alongside the event timetable. Families might receive admissions information at registration, while students collect activity materials in the classroom where they will use them.
Tell each department what has already been handed out. This helps avoid issuing another bag or stationery set when visitors move to the next session.
For mixed age groups, ask the school to confirm the suitability and product requirements for each activity. Request the relevant supplier information for the selected items before final approval.
Estimate packing and distribution work as well as product quantities. Check how many sets fit in each carton, label them by session or collection point, and arrange delivery to the person responsible for receiving them.
Discuss your school open day giveaways
Tell EV-PROMO which sessions need materials, who will receive them and where collection will take place. Include student age groups, quantities by session, your budget and the date the packed items must reach the school.
We can help you compare stationery, bags and other school promotional products for each activity and bring the selected items together into a practical distribution plan.
