What are my Favorite End of the Year Corporate Gifts

If I consider the gifts that I have received before there are some corporate gifts which are a firm favorite for me.

I never tire of cooler bags as corporate gifts. They tend to reach an expiry date within a few years, so we have all sorts. When we go to our Weekend seminars I pack a small cooler lunch bag for each of our delegates. So I love to have them in different colours so that no one accidently takes my biltong or chocolate.

When driving to my parents in Port Elizabeth I used to pack one big cooler bag with snacks etc. But then reaching back between sleeping kids does not work, so now there is one for my husband and I and one for the kids. There is less digging for things and the children have more control of their own cooler bag.
But this year I saw the car travel cooler/warmer and I am in love. Less stopping for cool drinks, everything stays at the temperature. I really like that idea for end of the year corporate gifts.

Last year one of our clients ordered beaded wine glasses. I added a few of them for myself. They are a nice fun idea and perfect for the summer braais around the house with friends.

Outdoor chairs may seem like a cliché. But outdoor chairs do not last forever. We had a some great study ones, but with repeated use we needed to get new ones. If someone were to give a picnic set it would need to have a minimum of 4 place settings. I am not in the mood to carry a number of picnic sets because there are not enough plates etc for my family. Currently our holidays are for four. My husband and I ammend the two children. Now we are going to have to upgrade as there will be five of us.

Of course for me personally spa gifts are always a great idea. I like ones with pretty neutral colours so that they can fit into any bathroom.

Bath towels never go to waste, but if they must be branded then choose a colour on colour logo, so that they are more likely to be used. Knee blankets are also a really great idea. Particularly if you have a number of friends round for a Braai and the evening starts to take on a chill and no one else wants to go inside then the guests feeling the cold will welcome something to take the edge of the chill. This is a great corporate gift.

If you are going to do coffee mugs, add a bit of festivity and add some chocolate or nougat to them. If it is nougat, don’t expect to last long in our family, so you would have to send a bumper pack with mine.

Those are just some of my favorite gifts, but there are so many more that you can choose from, so visit our site www.belleregalo.co.za to view some more ideas.

How to Choose an End of the Year Gift

Around this time of the year, people start looking at end of the year gifts.
What are some of the things that you have to bear in mind for the end of the year gifts?

1. Who are you clients?If you client is a CEO who is office bound most of the days you may want to give an end of the year gift that has a relaxing element to it. Great end of the year gifts, may include a stainless steel Braai set, books,
If your client is a secretary, you may want to consider a more personal end of the year gifts, like a pamper set, teas set

2. Affordability of the end of the year gift.
Consider what you can afford for end of the year gifts. It is better to short list your client list so that you can spend a bit more on top level clients than do a blanket gift for all clients regardless of their spend.
You could for top end clients buy a mini fridge cooler/warmer and for your lower level clients and personalised coffee mug as an end of the year gift.

3. Look at the life long value of the client.
For clients who have or are capable of spending a lot with you consider how much that clients will be worth to your company between 1 to 5 years from now. Don’t give out a cheap pen as an end of the year corporate gift when they are actually worth a waterman pen end of the year corporate gift.

4. How appropriate is the end of the year gift?For conferences it is normal to give our pens, folders etc, but for a year end gift if you are going to do a folder, make it a genuine leather folder or a leather luggage item. If your client is into waste management or any other environmental service consider giving them eco friendly gifts as corporate gifts.
If your client is in advertising or design or even Public relations, well then you had better do your homework before you send out an end of the year gift.

5. Are there religious implications for the end of the year gift.
If your client’s religion prohibits alcohol, don’t give them custom wine as you may end up offending your client. Also if you do give out drinking glasses, make sure that you know if there are religious preferences before giving out wine glasses as end of the year corporate gifts.

Choose Umbrellas for the Cold and Wet Months

Umbrellas make an elegant corporate gift, be it door gift for a party, or likewise. Silk Screen printing can also be incorporated together to promote your companies image.

Advertising umbrellas are seen everywhere in the world: trade shows, events of charity in the open air, on the golf course and each main street. Promo umbrellas are by no means a new idea, but have you ever wondered where they came from? You consider perhaps with these top promotional gifts for your company or your organization.

A great idea is to have umbrellas at your receptions and have a security guard escort your clients to their car on rainy days.

Why Wear Beanies?

Be aware that you lose more heat through your head than any other body part.
This can be very deceptive. Your head never feels cold. Why? Because your body sends more heat to your head than any other body part to protect it.

Keeping your brain warm is so critical that your body will sacrifice any other body part before it will let the brain get cold.

Just because your head does not feel cold does not mean you are not losing heat off the top of your head. Remember this forever! You will not feel yourself losing heat off the top of your head, but you are! In this beanies are very helpful in preserving the heat of your head.

The reason your feet and hands are cold is because you are losing heat in the head area. Why? Because hands and feet are low priority and your head is top priority.
This is the body's system for rationing its limited heat supply. Because your head is given top priority when it comes to heat supply, it never feels cold even though it is in fact a giant heat dissipation module.

Remember! Your head leaks heat. Plug the leak. Wear a knitted beanie or a fleece beanie. Beanies really help you to keep warm.

If you will prioritize keeping your head warm, you will have won half the battle in keeping your body warm.

Belle Regalo offers a range of promotional beanies. Beanies are great promotional item giveaways. Embroidered beanies can be personalized with your custom logo imprint. These are great winter giveaways to keep your employees and customers warm.
For more information about beanies contact Belle Regalo by visiting our website or e-mailing us on info@belleregalo.co.za

Embroidering Jackets

Great jackets to brand are those which have zip away linings.

This means that embroidery machines can get into the lining of the jacket and supply an embroidered jacket that does not have the inside of the embroidery scratching you or the clothing that you are wearing under the jacket.

How to Choose Corporate Clothing

First impressions are lasting impressions. To create a good impression in front of client or boss, corporate clothes are one of the important factors. Therefore, in the corporate world, corporate clothing must choose very carefully. Thus, many large corporate firms give more priority to corporate clothes. Hence, to fulfil the demands, many corporate clothing suppliers have emerged.

Following are some tips which can be helpful in choosing corporate clothes from a corporate clothing supplier:

1) Choose a brand.
Selecting a good brand can become a plus point for the company. The Barron brand is terrific bard for corporate clothing where variety and stock availability are important. To ensure that the staff should look like a team, then provide them with corporate clothes, which will make them look professional and help them to work as a team. There are many brands in the market that are professional corporate clothing supplier and are experienced in supplying corporate clothes.

2) Brand it
Time for personalizing the corporate clothes occurs, when you are done with selecting the brand. Choose good and appropriate corporate colours, so that it can reflect on the company uniforms. This is important because good corporate colours will help a business owner in making business logo on the uniform. This will make the staff to look as a team and a professional worker.

Embroidery is generally a more durable and prestigious type of branding. For promotional items you can silkscreen, but for uniforms rather choose embroidery.

3) Offer variety
To change the mood of the team, offer some exciting events, couple of times in a year. Also provide or allow wearing casual corporate work wear that are attractive in colours and styles. Embroidering the company's logo on the corporate work wear will enhance the spirit of the team in work days as well as in fun days.
If the budget of the company is quiet good enough to order some more accessories after ordering corporate clothes, then it's better to order some gloves, jackets or some Friday casual clothes etc. for the employees of the company.

5) Preserve the pride
Make the staff proud by making them wear corporate clothes. There are many corporate clothing suppliers who provide a good varieties and help in the selection of company's uniforms. The suppliers also design the logos of the company with a good combination and mixture of corporate colours.

Proteas win Against Australia

The Proteas had a very comfortable win over Australia in their warm up match preceding the ICC World Cup. This is good for morale, but a warning from Hashim Amla reminded the Proteas not to rest on their laurels.

The win also mean that Colin Ingram Morne van Wyk will not get a chance to bat, but the Proteas believe that that team’s hard practices will stand them in good stead for the ICC Cricket World Cup.

Make sure that your company is ready with their Protea Friday shirts to support the Proteas in their ICC World Cup Matches.

The Proteas departed for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

If you think that the FIFA World Cup was the end of all the Sport’s hype, then think again and start getting your Pure Protea Friday.

The Proteas departed for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 following a press conference in Sandton, where the team thanked the public for their support in the build up to world’s cricket’s showpiece event.

The ICC Cricket World Cup starts on Saturday, 19 February and South Africa’s first match is on Thursday, 24 February against the West Indies.

In January 2011 the Minister of Sport and Recreation, Mr Fikile Mbalula, released his year long program that will shape and characterise the work of the department. Meanwhile Minister Mbalula, also launched the Magnificent Fridays in promoting patriotism amongst South Africans to rally and support the Proteas, Amantombazani and Die Bokke during their respective World Glory.

The minister stated that the most important thing is the face of a South African in Protea colours during the Proteas’ India invasion, the same in Singapore when Amantombazani will be doing the country proud and lastly when as the World Champions the Die Bokke will again be celebrating the hoisting of the flag.

“We are going to be 100% Pure Proteas come February/March” stated Minister Mbalula. Let’s celebrate the Pure Protea Fridays from now until end of the ICC World Cup when the Magnificent Fridays continue with both Rugby and Netball teams.

It seems that South Africa is on a huge patriotism drive and part of that is definitely the Pure Protea Friday Initiative.

So now is a good time to start planning your sport’s incentive campaigns. All South Africans are called show support every Friday by wearing the Proteas cricket shirt.

The attached picture is from: Cricket SA and can be viewed on the Cricket SA website.

Protea Friday Shirt promoted by Lead SA.

We are encouraging all South Africans to wear the Protea Friday Shirts with pride to stand behind our Cricket Team.

Cricket South Africa (CSA) has welcomed an initiative by Lead SA, encouraging the South African public to show their 100% support for the Proteas. Similar to the successful trend of Football Fridays, where South Africans wore their soccer jerseys in support of Bafana Bafana, people are now being encouraged to show their support for the Proteas ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup in February.

To view our Cricket Gift Range, please visit: http://www.belleregalo.co.za/Productreview/cricket_gifts.htm

The ICC Cricket World Cup, generally referred to as the Cricket World Cup, is the premier international championship of men's One-day International (ODI) cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), with preliminary qualification rounds leading up to a finals tournament which is held every four years. According to the ICC, it is the most important tournament and the pinnacle of achievement in the sport.

Belle Regalo sells a wide variety of Cricket related Gifts including the Protea Friday Shirts and Proteas Tee.

Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day is a day for spreading love.

Of course the first thing that springs to mind is the legend of St Valentine. One story version contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome.

When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men -- his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

For some Valentine’s Day is seen as purely commercialised, but as I only got married in my thirties, I have had a good few years of dating and my honest opinion is that the most unromantic people complain the most about Valentine’s Day.

I find for the large part that men and women who are generally romantic welcome this special day.

Of course the feeling that Valentine’s Day is commercial also is shared by those who do not plan.

Yes, roses are far more expensive on Valentine’s Day. But there is no rule that it has to be red roses. For those who have not planned of course you will be paying through your nose on Valentine’s Day. It is a simply supply and demand marketing technique used by an company at seasonal time such as Valentine’s Day, Easter, Christmas etc.

Why not buy a digital photo frame and add your favourite couple photos before the Valentine’s Day. A less extravagant gift is a photo frame with your favourite couple photo.

Have a candle lit bath, with pink champagne and pink candles and soft music in the background.

On rare occasions when we have a home based Valentine’s Day, my husband treats me to a scented massage, a glorious candle lit bath and him home made lasagne. He really makes the yummiest lasagne, so I am always tickled pink when he makes it, because I know that it is a time consuming dish.

But if you cannot make your own, guys can easily get a tray from Woolworths and heat it in the oven.
For Corporate add to your staff’s romanticism, but getting champagne glasses for the staff and a bottle of Champagne to enjoy on their own dates. Other great desk drops are Small black chiffon bag filled with pink/ black jelly beans with small single sided card luxurious foam bath. Photo frames are also a great give away. Some people use pens as Valentine’s Day desk drops.

Valentine’s Day for corporate is about showing your staff that you value them and that your recognise that when people come to work they are still people, full of the vast spectrum of emotions of which one of them is love.

Enjoy the day and make a point of treating your loved ones and staff of Valentine’s Day.