Best Branded Bags for Events, Conferences and Trade Shows
How to choose branded bags for Australian events: bag types matched to expos, conferences, sports days and O-Week, a quantity worksheet, packing list and the NSW plastic bag rules.
The best branded bag for an event depends on what attendees carry and how long they carry it. Lightweight non-woven or cotton totes suit expos with high foot traffic. Structured satchels suit multi-day conferences with laptops and printed material. Drawstring backpacks suit sports and outdoor events. Sturdy canvas totes suit university O-Week, because students reuse them all semester.
Key takeaways
- Choose the bag for the event format first, then the material, then the branding method.
- Size the order from your registration data: confirmed attendees, plus speakers, staff and sponsors, plus a small walk-in buffer.
- In NSW, lightweight plastic bags with handles are banned even when they are given away free. Many councils also ask event organisers to avoid showbags and single-use giveaways.
- A bag that is reused after the event keeps your logo visible for longer than any item packed inside it.
Which branded bag suits which event?
Most supplier pages list bags by material, which makes sense for browsing but doesn't help you decide. The questions that matter are where the bag is handed out, how long people carry it, what goes inside it, and whether they will use it again after the event. The table below matches common Australian event formats to the bag style that usually fits best.
| Event format | What attendees carry | Bag style that usually fits | Why it works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trade show or expo (one or two days, high foot traffic) | Brochures, samples, small giveaways from many stands | Non-woven tote with a gusset, or a light cotton tote | Low weight per unit, large print area, and it holds flat brochures. A gusset (base and side panels) stops samples piling up in one corner. |
| Conference (multi-day, seated sessions) | Laptop or tablet, notebook, program, water bottle | Satchel or shoulder bag with a padded or divided compartment | Delegates keep it with them all day, so comfort and a shoulder strap matter more than unit cost. |
| Sports carnival, fun run or outdoor festival | Water bottle, sunscreen, hat, phone, keys | Drawstring backpack, or an insulated cooler bag for food events | It leaves both hands free and sits on the back during activity. Insulated bags help in summer heat. |
| University O-Week or student orientation | Handbook, freebies, laptop, groceries later in the week | Heavier canvas or cotton tote with long handles | Students reuse a sturdy tote for months. The long handles fit over a shoulder with a backpack. |
| Corporate seminar or half-day workshop | Workbook, pen, a few printed handouts | Flat cotton tote, or a document wallet if bags are not needed | A short event with light contents doesn't need a structured bag. |
| VIP, speaker or sponsor packs | Gift items, printed thank-you material | Premium canvas, felt or shoulder bag in a darker colour | It separates the VIP pack from general delegate bags and looks deliberate on stage or in a green room. |
If you only need a broad overview of tote styles, our custom tote bags guide covers sizes, handle lengths and print areas in more detail. If you are deciding between fabrics, read the comparison of jute, canvas and non-woven bags.
What are the main types of conference and event bags?
Non-woven totes
Non-woven polypropylene is a fabric-like sheet made from bonded fibres rather than woven threads. It is light, comes in many colours, and takes screen printing well on flat panels. Laminated non-woven bags have a thin film over the surface that gives a smoother print finish and resists light rain. Look for a version with a base and side gussets if people will carry boxed samples. You can browse examples in the non-woven bags collection.
Cotton and canvas totes
Cotton (often sold as calico when unbleached) and canvas are woven fabrics. Canvas is the heavier of the two. They feel more substantial in the hand, wash well and carry heavier loads. They are a common choice for O-Week, sustainability-themed events and any audience you want to keep using the bag. Screen printing and heat transfer printing both work on cotton. The canvas bags collection shows the shapes available.
Drawstring backpacks
A drawstring backpack is a simple sack with cords that act as shoulder straps. It works for sports days, fun runs, school events and festivals where people move around. The print area is usually the front panel. Check that the cord ends are reinforced, because that is where cheaper versions fail. See the drawstring bags collection for options.
Satchels and shoulder bags
A conference satchel has a flap, a shoulder strap and often a padded or divided compartment. It costs more per unit than a tote but suits multi-day conferences, especially where delegates bring laptops. Branding is usually on the flap, using heat transfer, embroidery-style patches or a woven label, depending on the fabric.
Insulated and cooler bags
For food and wine festivals, summer outdoor events or catered field days, an insulated bag is useful on the day and afterwards for lunches and shopping. The insulated bags collection includes non-woven and foil-lined versions.
How many event bags should you order?
Ordering too few bags means queues at the registration desk and unhappy late arrivals. Ordering too many leaves cartons of dated bags in a storeroom. Neither the top search results nor most supplier pages explain how to size the order, so here is a simple worksheet to use with your own registration data.
- Start with confirmed registrations. Use the number in your ticketing or registration system on the day you place the order, not the target from the event budget.
- Add people who are not in the delegate list. Speakers, MCs, exhibitors' staff, sponsors, volunteers and your own team usually need a bag too.
- Adjust for your own attendance history. If past events show that a share of registered people did not attend, you can reduce the count. If the event allows walk-ins or late registration, add a buffer instead. Use your own records. No general rule fits every event.
- Add a small spares allowance for damaged bags, VIP swaps and late sponsors.
- Decide what happens to leftovers. Undated bags can go to the next event or be used as general merchandise. Bags printed with the event year cannot.
Worked example (hypothetical numbers). A two-day conference has 420 confirmed delegates, 25 speakers, 40 exhibitor staff and 15 volunteers, for 500 people in total. Last year about one in twenty registered delegates did not attend, so the organiser removes 20 bags. Late registration stays open, so they add 30. With 10 spares, the order is 500 − 20 + 30 + 10 = 520 bags. If they leave the year off the design, any leftovers can be used next year.
Order quantity also affects price. Most branding methods have a setup step, such as a screen for each colour in screen printing, and that cost is spread across the order. Minimum order quantities depend on the bag and the branding method, so confirm them when you request a quote.
What should go inside a conference bag?
"What to put in a conference goodie bag?" is one of the most common questions searchers ask. A useful rule: pack only what attendees will need during the event, plus one or two items worth keeping. Everything else ends up in the venue bins.
| Pack it | Consider it | Usually skip it |
|---|---|---|
| Printed program or a card with a QR code to the digital program | Reusable water bottle (if the venue has refill stations) | Stacks of loose flyers from every sponsor |
| Notebook and pen, for conferences with workshops | Phone charging cable or small power bank for long days | Single-use plastic novelties |
| Name badge and lanyard, if not handed out separately | Lip balm and sunscreen for outdoor events | Duplicate items, such as three pens from three sponsors |
| Wi-Fi details and venue map | A healthy snack for early-morning starts | Heavy catalogues people will not carry home |
For more ideas on what to put in bags and on stands, see our guides to conference merchandise ideas and promotional giveaways for events.
Packing and distribution checklist
- Write one packing list and tape it to every packing table, so each bag gets the same items in the same order.
- Pack heavy items first, such as bottles and notebooks, then flat printed items on top so they don't crease.
- Allow time to pack. Packing hundreds of bags by hand takes several volunteers many hours. Do a timed test with ten bags to estimate the total.
- Keep VIP and speaker bags separate and label the cartons clearly.
- Check venue rules on delivery times, loading docks and storage before booking delivery.
- Plan the hand-out point. Bags handed out after the badge check move the queue faster than bags handed out at the badge desk.
Are there rules on event bags in Australia?
Yes, for some bag types. The NSW Environment Protection Authority states that the state's ban on lightweight plastic bags with handles (35 microns thick or less) started on 1 June 2022 and "applies whether the item is sold or given away for free" (NSW EPA single-use plastics media pack). Other states and territories have their own bag rules, so check the rules where your event is held. Reusable fabric bags such as non-woven, cotton and canvas are not lightweight plastic bags.
Councils often add guidance for events held on public land. Wollongong City Council's sustainable events guide asks organisers to "avoid showbags, balloons and non-sustainable giveaways from sponsors and vendors" (Wollongong City Council Sustainable Events Guide). Brisbane City Council's event sustainability guidelines ask vendors to "choose good quality, multiple-use giveaways and merchandise" (Brisbane City Council Event Sustainability Guidelines). In practice, a durable branded bag that people reuse fits these guidelines better than a bag full of single-use items.
For a wider procurement checklist covering materials, packaging and claims, see sustainable corporate gifts in Australia.
How to brand an event bag so the logo gets seen
The branding method depends on the fabric and the artwork. On cotton, canvas and non-woven bags, screen printing is the usual choice for one- or two-colour logos on a flat panel. Heat transfer printing suits full-colour or gradient artwork. Satchels and premium bags may use a transfer, a debossed patch or a label instead of direct printing. Ethergifts offers seven branding methods and chooses the one that suits the material and artwork. Every branding position gets a digital proof, and nothing is produced until you sign it off.
- Print on both sides if the bag will be carried around a busy expo floor. People see the side facing out, and that changes as they walk.
- Leave the date off if you want to use leftovers next year.
- Keep contrast high. A white logo on navy, or black on natural cotton, reads better from a distance than a pale logo on a pale bag.
- Add a web address or QR code only if it is large enough to scan from about arm's length.
Our guide on how to choose a branding method for your logo explains the options in more detail.
Frequently asked questions
What bag should I bring to a conference?
For a multi-day conference, a bag with a shoulder strap and a padded or divided compartment works best, because delegates carry a laptop, notebook and water bottle all day. For a one-day expo, a light tote with a gusset is enough. As an organiser, choose the bag your attendees would choose to bring themselves. That bag is more likely to be used again.
What should I put in a conference goodie bag?
Pack what attendees need during the event: the program or a QR code to it, a notebook and pen for workshop sessions, Wi-Fi details and a venue map. Add one or two items worth keeping, such as a reusable bottle where there are refill stations, or a charging cable for long days. Skip loose sponsor flyers and single-use novelties, because most of them are thrown away at the venue.
What is the best material for event bags?
It depends on the event. Non-woven polypropylene is light and suits high-volume expos. Cotton and canvas feel more substantial and are reused for longer, which suits O-Week and sustainability-focused events. Drawstring backpacks suit sports and outdoor events. Satchels suit multi-day conferences. Choose the material that matches what attendees carry and how long they carry it.
How many conference bags should I order?
Start with confirmed registrations. Add speakers, exhibitor staff, sponsors and volunteers. Then adjust using your own attendance history: subtract for typical no-shows, add a buffer if walk-ins or late registrations are allowed. Finally, add a small allowance for spares. Leaving the event year off the design means leftover bags can be used at the next event.
Can I give away plastic bags at an event in Australia?
Lightweight plastic bags with handles are banned in NSW, and the NSW EPA states that the ban applies even when the bags are given away free. Other states and territories have their own rules, so check the rules where your event is held. Reusable non-woven, cotton and canvas bags are a common alternative for event packs.
Planning bags for an upcoming conference, expo or O-Week? Tell us the event format, the quantity and when you need them, and we will suggest bag styles and branding methods with a digital proof before anything is produced. Request a free quote or browse the reusable bags range.
