Summer Swag Ideas For Culture And Teams

We don’t know about you, but we are beyond excited to finally welcome warmer weather! The days are longer, the sun is (usually) shining, and there are so many fun things to do. Summer offers so many great opportunities to reconnect with your employees – from company retreats, to virtual events and casual outings, there are so many outlets for conversation, networking, and a little fun! 

Whether your team is planning your first offsite event since the pandemic, or simply looking for a way to enjoy the warmer weather, we’ve pulled together some of our favorite custom swag ideas and tips for making the most of the sunshine! We’ve also launched our Summer Swag 2024 Look Book. It’s your destination for the freshest summer swag, from premium brands you know and love. 

Read on to discover our custom swag ideas and tips for incorporating summer events to help support your culture and team-building efforts!

Building Culture with Swag

Company culture is one of the most important things for a company to get right. It's also one of the hardest things to define, let alone measure or improve. Culture is the cornerstone of a company. It sets the standard for what employees can expect to experience as a member of your team, as well as the tone for how your teams interact with each and your customers. Culture also helps align your team toward company goals and define a clear path forward for the company. 

Get this: Summer swag is an underrated, super-easy way to build culture with your team! Why? Your employees want to feel like they’re part of something meaningful, and themed swag –whether for an anniversary, a birthday, or a special event –is always a thoughtful way to show your team that you care about them, and instill a sense of company pride.  

While summer can mean different things to different folks — hello, day camp, business travel, and crowded airports—we think that the warmer season is a great opportunity to re-energize your team with seasonal swag. So whether your team is feeling the pressure of WFH life, has a busy event schedule, or is simply feeling a bit burned out, a proactive engagement strategy that includes some season-specific summer swag (say that five times fast) can help your team feel more connected. A more connected team = a stronger culture, and a stronger culture will lead to a more cohesive team. Win, win.

Summer Event Swag

Summer events encourage your team to relax, kick back, and spend some time together. A casual barbeque and lawn games can really break up a day at the office, and offers a great way to reconnect with your hybrid and remote employees. And while you’re planning that summer event, think through helpful swag items, like sunglasses, a custom tote, or an on-trend bucket hat, that can help them stay cool in the sun! 

While swag is a small way to connect with the people that matter all year round, Summer is a universal theme that everyone can relate to. Adding thoughtful summer swag to your event plans is a great way to reinforce the spirit of team unity, and will help folks remember all of the fun they had when you all gathered together!

Here are some of our favorite ways to get your team outside:

Host a backyard games tournament: A custom cornhole set, Giant Jenga, and the classics –CanJam and Spike Ball– are all you need to get your team away from their desks! Inspire new connections (and some friendly competition) by sorting folks into teams with colleagues they might not always work with. Reward the winners with bragging rights, and some sweet custom summer swag!

💡Did you know you can get custom-branded cornhole? Speak to a Swag Expert for more info!

Plan an interactive scavenger hunt: Customize a swag pack custom journal, reusable water bottle, sunscreen, and custom apparel like a soft triblend tee and a comfy ball cap, and include a list of clues for your employees to track down in their hometown! Award small prizes for the folks or team that visits the most sites, or finds the most items during their hunt. You can even encourage your team to submit photos via social media so that your employees can track each others' progress.

If your team is scattered across the country or the globe, get into the Summer spirit with a themed virtual event!

Virtual Events Beyond the Swag Box: A few of our favorite ways to stay connected remotely have included cocktails and trivia featuring a Moscow Mule Kit and a mixology lesson and a tie-dye workshop, where each employee received a tie-dye kit, a custom tee, and fun some extras to personalize.

At SwagUp, we've hosted magic shows (complete with custom champagne shipped to each participant), bingo nights, charcuterie-board building lessons, and pizza parties! Virtual events require a little more planning to ensure that the swag arrives in time for the party, but not to worry; we can help! Reach out to us with your swag ideas, and we'll help you find items that will fit your timeline and your budget.

🌟 FEATURED SWAG PACK

The WFA Refresh

THE CREW SAYS:

Working from home can be great for your work-life balance, but reminders to recharge are a must to stave off burnout. Our WFA Refresh Swag Pack features a refreshing mix of reenergizing swag like bespoke Noonbrew SuperFood Iced Tea bags,  an eco-friendly bamboo Bluetooth speaker, and a custom Theragun mini to soothe their achy muscles at their desk or on-the-go.  An extra soft tri-blend tee finishes this pack off in style, so you can stay comfortable with a breathable, comfy t-shirt on even the hottest days.

Swag Expert Tip: We love this swag pack choice for team appreciation and culture building, but it also works well as a community welcome gift. Want to grow brand awareness? Consider building supporter swag packs with one or all of these swag picks!

RECOMMENDED FOR: Eco-Friendly Swag, Sustainable Swag, Food and Drinkware Swag, Health and Wellness, Swag Giveaways, Employee Recognition, Remote Teams, Company Culture, Sustainability

🌟 FEATURED SWAG PACK

The Get Outside Pack

THE CREW SAYS:

Grab your favorite beach read or a couple of friends, and head to the park with our simple and fun Get Outside Pack.  A roomy, sustainable custom tote will hold all of your outdoor hang essentials, including sunscreen, snacks, and lawn games like a travel paddleball set. Custom Wayfairer-style bamboo sunglasses and a Port Authority bucket hat will help you stay cool and dry. With this fun pack, all you'll need to figure out is which snacks to take!

Swag Expert Tip: This swag pack choice is a perfect option for building company culture. You can even gift them to your team during a cookout and set up brackets to see who the true paddleball champs are.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Eco-Friendly Swag, Sustainable Swag, Summer Swag, Health and Wellness, Swag Event Swag, Company Culture

🌟 FEATURED SWAG PACK

The Summer Travel Pack

THE CREW SAYS:

Set your traveling team up in style with the Summer Conference Pack, a premium, streamlined custom swag pack designed to ensure your travel MVPs bring their A-game to the next company offsite. A premium, sustainable recycled duffle will keep them organized on the go, and a custom dad hat is a perfect accessory for a neat and tidy look, whether they're stepping off the plane, or headed to the company social after-hours. Don't forget a power bank, a pen, and a set of customizable notebooks to help them keep track of leads, notes, and new ideas!

Swag Expert Tip:  While this swag pack is a no-brainer for conferences and offsite events, it also makes an excellent executive gift, and is a nice gesture for your VIP clients.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Eco-Friendly Swag, Sustainable Swag, Summer Swag, Travel Swag, Conference Swag, Offsite Events, Company Retreat, Team Building Swag

Summer Swag 2024 Look Book

If all this talk of warmer weather has you dreaming of your summer swag strategy, we’ve got you covered. Our team of Swag Experts has put in the hours of research to source premium summer swag items for your team and communities this summer. 

Our Summer Swag 2024 Look Book pulls together the freshest custom summer swag options and preset swag packs to help inspire your summer swag plans. Every item we’ve curated is durable, useful, high-quality swag that folks will love. At SwagUp, we’re delivering the inspiration you need to make launching your summer swag a breeze!  

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Click here to download our lookbook!

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