8 Open Day Items Our Experts Recommend for Universities

The best open day items are practical, easy to carry, and useful right away. They help visitors find their way, stay comfortable, and remember your university after the event. When ordering in bulk, choose items that balance cost, visibility, and usefulness.

This guide highlights eight items that universities in Australia we’ve worked with use successfully for open days.

What Makes a Good Open Day Giveaway?

We know how busy and crowded open days can be. You can see visitors move between buildings and attend sessions. A good giveaway should be lightweight, easy to hand out, and affordable when ordered in large numbers. Some criteria you should consider are:

• Get used to it during the event, not just after
• They are easy to give out at different spots around campus.
• Have clear, visible branding.
• They shouldn’t be bulky or hard to carry.

Quick Comparison: Best Open Day Items

1. Branded Tote Bags

Tote bags are the starting point for most open days. Once visitors have a bag, they have somewhere to put everything else you give them. This makes handing out items much easier throughout the event. They also turn every attendee into a walking advertisement for your brand as they move around campus. We recommend handing these out at entry points or registration booths.

Why they work so well:

• Carry brochures, flyers, and merchandise.
• Keep your hands free while moving around campus.
• Provide strong, consistent brand visibility.

Non-woven bags are usually picked because they’re cheaper, while cotton bags are chosen when you want a higher-quality feel.

2. Branded Lanyards

Lanyards help keep things organised on what can be a busy, crowded day. When used with ID cards or schedules, lanyards make it easier for staff to guide visitors and manage movement around campus.

Best ways to use them:

• Attach printed schedules or passes.
• Use colour coding for different groups.
• Add QR codes for quick access to digital info.

3. Water Bottles

Water bottles are a great giveaway during open days. Visitors are likely to look for one in the middle of the day, after moving between buildings. So make sure to get these bottles ready during the event. Most universities don’t give water bottles to everyone. They often hand them out at key spots or include them in special packs.

4. Notebooks

Notebooks are most helpful during structured sessions such as course briefings. They give people a place to take notes and keep their branding visible during important moments. If you’re ordering notebooks, we suggest you order based on the expected number of people per session, not the total number of attendees.

5. Pens

Pens are among the easiest things to include in open days. They’re affordable, easy to order in large numbers, and always useful. People use them right away, whether it’s for taking notes, filling out forms, or writing down course details.

Where they make the most impact:

• Included inside tote bags
• Available at every booth and desk
• Used during registration and sign-ups

The only real mistake is choosing pens that are too cheap. If a pen doesn’t write well, it can make your brand look bad.

6. Printed Campus Maps or Info Packs

Even with mobile access, printed maps are still one of the most relied-on tools during open days. Visitors don’t want to keep checking their phones while walking around. A clear, physical map makes navigation faster and less frustrating.

7. Branded T-Shirts

When you let your staff and volunteers wear t-shirts during the event, they become easier to spot. This way, visitors can ask the nearest staff member they can spot for any questions. They also create a consistent, organised look across campus, which makes the university look good. Go for single colours with clear branding so they become easier to spot.

8. Tech Accessories

Tech items help your brand stay with attendees even after the event is over. Unlike most giveaways, tech items don’t get used once and forgotten. They provide long-term brand visibility because they become a staple in a student’s daily routine at home or in the library. People keep using them in their daily lives.

Popular choices include phone grips, USB drives, and charging cables. These feel more valuable, so they’re usually given to more engaged visitors instead of everyone.

How to Choose the Right Mix?

You don’t need to purchase all 8 items we mentioned. To get the best results, select a few items that cover different parts of the experience. We have extensive experience in managing challenging bulk orders for large-scale campus events, ensuring your mix arrives on time and on brand. You can select 1 core item for all attendees, 1 supporting item like pens or maps, and 1 item they can take home and reuse. This helps keep costs down while ensuring you cover the key parts of the event.

Ready To Buy?