Custom merchandise and events have long gone hand in hand — think of that concert tee you bought at a gig, the long-sleeve you pick up at the local 10k charity run, or the free t-shirt you get with your registration at a conference.

But how does custom event merchandise drive value for your event?

1. Custom event merchandise extends your event’s brand value.

Creating custom merchandise is a great way to drive brand awareness beyond the day of the event. When attendees wear your merchandise, it’s an implicit but powerful endorsement of your brand. And when those same attendees wear your shirt beyond the event, your brand gets continued exposure.

2. Custom merchandise is a valuable way to engage more with your audience.

Your attendees want a way to showcase their passion, support, and attendance. Through custom apparel, you’re able to provide your attendees with a way to support the event, and a chance to commemorate it long after the date has passed. This solidifies the connection between your brand and your audience.

3. Merchandise can also be a significant source of extra revenue.

Let’s say even just 5-10% of your attendees purchase merchandise — taking home £5-11 per unit can add up! By integrating merchandise into your event strategy, you’re creating products people want, and taking home cash in the meantime. Generating some extra revenue also means the chance to invest that money back into the event itself, creating an even better experience for attendees.

As part of our 2016 Pulse Report Survey, we asked 850 event organisers approximately what percentage of their total event revenue comes from ticket sales. The majority (51%) stated ticket sales only made up 0-20% of their revenue. So for those events not relying on ticket sales to bring in revenue, we asked what other income streams are they working on, and 15% said the selling of  merchandise was a great way to create revenue.

Unfortunately, creating merchandise can also be a huge hassle. Traditionally, you have to make a pretty big investment up front, both in cost and time. And there is also a lot of risk — what happens if you make all this merchandise, but nobody buys it?

New technology allows us to mitigate, if not erase these risks. Managing merchandise can be complicated, which is why Teespring and Eventbrite have partnered up: to make selling your gear as simple as possible. If you’re using Eventbrite’s platform, you can now launch merchandise that will post automatically in your event description. Attendees can easily find and buy t-shirts and other apparel before and after your event.

Whether you want to provide attendees with merchandise they can rep at the event, or gear they can pick up post-event, it’s never been simpler (or lower risk) to leverage merchandise at your event.

To learn more, check out Teespring’s page in Eventbrite Spectrum, and start creating custom event gear for your attendees today!