Freshers’ Fairs are the unofficial opening ceremony of university life, and one of the biggest opportunities for brands to make a memorable first impression.
Whether you’re promoting a university, student union, society, or local business, Freshers’ promotional giveaways are a proven way to engage students, increase brand awareness and encourage long-term loyalty.
According to the BPMA, 83% of people remember a brand after receiving a promotional product, and 79% are more likely to do business with that company afterwards.
Generation Z values products that are useful, sustainable and worth keeping. Choose the right promotional merchandise and your giveaway won’t simply be picked up on the day – it can continue promoting your brand throughout the academic year and beyond.
In this guide, we’ll share some of the best Freshers’ Week giveaway ideas, current merchandise trends and practical tips to help your brand stand out at one of the busiest events in the university calendar.
Jump Straight to:
- Best Freshers’ Giveaway Ideas
- Freshers’ Week Trends for 2026
- Promotion During Freshers’ Week
- How to Stand Out at Freshers’ Fairs
- What Makes a Giveaway “Generation Z Approved”?
Best Freshers’ Giveaway Ideas
From low cost stationery, to premium branded drinkware, there’s a huge range of promotional products suitable for Freshers’ Week campaigns.
The best giveaways are practical, well-made and something students genuinely want to keep. Not every giveaway needs to be expensive. In fact, the most successful Freshers’ merchandise is often the products students reach for every day. Here are some of our favourites:
1. Reusable Drinkware
Sustainability continues to influence purchasing decisions, particularly among Gen Z. Reusable drinkware offers a practical giveaway that students are likely to use every day, whether they’re heading to lectures, the library or the gym.
Reusable bottles, travel mug and insulated cups also provide excellent long-term brand exposure. Many coffee shops now offer discounts for customers bringing their own reusable cups, making them even more appealing to budget-conscious students.
For an added touch, consider pairing your bottle or mug with a branded reusable metal straw or Bottlesoc® lanyard.
Marketing Tip: Fill your branded cup with tea bags, coffee sachets, sweets or discount vouchers to increase its perceived value.
2. Eco Friendly Promotional Products
Students increasingly expect brands to demonstrate genuine environmental responsibility.
Alongside reusable products, consider merchandise made from recycled or responsibly sourced materials. FSC-certified paper products, GRS-certified recycled bags, recycled notebooks, bamboo accessories and wheat straw stationery are all popular choices.
Look for recognised certifications such as:
- FSC®
- GRS
- RCS
- GOTS
- Fairtrade
These help demonstrate that your sustainability claims are backed by recognised standards.
There are so many eco friendly items now to choose from, but if you want help choosing the right one for your brand, our team can help with that.
Marketing Tip: A branded recycled tote bag is one of the most effective Freshers’ giveaways. Students immediately use it to carry everything else they collect around the exhibition, extending your brand visibility across campus.
View our Eco-Friendly Ideas here.
3. Personal Care Essentials
Many students are living away from home for the first time, so practical everyday items are always appreciated.
Popular ideas include: lip balms, pocket tissues, reusable lunch bags, cutlery sets, reusable snack pots, compact mirrors, hand sanitiser and earplugs.
Choose products that solve a small everyday problem and they’re much more likely to stay in regular use.
Browse our Personal Care Range.
4. Tech Accessories
Technology remains one of the most popular promotional product categories with students.
Useful branded tech doesn’t have to be expensive either. Consider:
- Phone stands
- Charging cables
- Wireless chargers
- Phone card holders
- Webcam covers
- Power banks
- Microfibre screen cleaners
One of our favourite newer products is the Mini Pocket High Speed Fan. Compact, rechargeable and surprisingly powerful, it’s the type of product students are genuinely excited to receive during summer events and welcome weeks. Get in touch with our team for more information.
Marketing Tip: Offer premium tech items as an incentive to sign up to your mailing list, download your app or enter a social media competition.
5. Promotional Stationery
Not every giveaway needs to be high value. Good quality stationery remains one of the most practical Freshers’ giveaways available.
If there is one thing that will help students succeed at university, it is learning to be organised. And you can provide a helping hand with items such as:
Notebooks, memo pads, sticky notes, highlighters, pencil cases, folders and planners.
Our BIC Ecolutions Media Clic Ballpen is a great example of an affordable promotional product that combines sustainability with everyday usefulness.
6. Event Lanyards and Wristbands
A low cost yet effective way to get your brand seen is with promotional lanyards and wristbands. They can be used for:
- Campus identification
- Event entry
- VIP access
- Student discounts
- Society memberships
If you’re ordering polyester or rPET lanyards, ask us about our Closed-Loop Lanyard Recycling Scheme, allowing eligible lanyards to be collected after the event, recycled and transformed into new products rather than becoming waste.
7. Student Clothing & Apparel
Branded clothing and apparel helps to create a sense of belonging, and builds pride within universities, societies and student groups.
Popular options include: hoodies, a T-shirts, beanies, caps and socks.
With autumn approaching, you may also want to consider one of the most durable promotional gifts out there – branded umbrellas.
Good quality clothing often becomes a favourite item rather than another disposable giveaway, keeping your branding visible for months or even years.
8. Edible Giveaways
Nothing attracts students quite like free food!
Whether you choose chocolates, sweets, mints, cookies, doughnuts or healthier snacks, edible giveaways are a fantastic way to encourage visitors onto your stand.
View our Branded Sweets & Treats.
9. Fun & Novelty Merchandise
Whether your university calls it Freshers’ Week or Welcome Week, they would not be the same if there wasn’t a quirky freebie on offer! Sometimes the products people remember most are simply the most unexpected.
Novelty products such as foam hands, card masks, hair headbands, inflatable items or branded games create conversation and encourage students to share photos on social media.
If you’ve got an unusual idea, we’d love to help bring it to life!
View our Event Giveaways here.
What’s Trending for Freshers’ Week 2026?
We’re seeing organisations move away from cheap, disposable giveaways and towards higher-quality promotional products that students genuinely use throughout the academic year. Some of the most popular choices for Freshers’ Week include:
- Recycled tote bags
- Reusable water bottles and coffee cups
- Student welcome packs
- Recycled notebooks
- Phone accessories and charging cables
- QR code-enabled lanyards
- Branded hoodies & caps
- Eco-friendly stationery
The common theme? Practical, reusable products that support student life while keeping your brand visible long after Freshers’ Week has ended.
Why Target Generation Z?
Generation Z is one of the most influential consumer groups today.
As digital natives, they’re highly connected, socially aware and place greater importance on authenticity, sustainability and value than previous generations. They also spend more time researching brands online and are more likely to share products and experiences they genuinely like on social media.
Freshers’ Week provides a unique opportunity to introduce your organisation to students at the very start of their university journey. A useful, well-designed promotional product can help create a positive first impression and keep your brand visible long after the event has finished.
Promotion During Freshers’ Week
Freshers’ Week (sometimes known as Welcome Week) takes place at the start of the academic year and is one of the busiest and most exciting times on campus. Thousands of new students are settling into university life, joining societies, discovering local businesses and making purchasing decisions independently for the first time.
For many organisations, it’s the ideal opportunity to build awareness and introduce their brand to a completely new audience.
Freshers’ Fairs are at the heart of Welcome Week, bringing together universities, student unions, clubs, charities and local businesses under one roof. Students actively expect to collect information, discover new opportunities and, of course, pick up useful freebies.
With tuition fees in England now reaching up to £9,790 per year, students are naturally looking for products that offer genuine value. A practical giveaway that saves them money or makes day-to-day life easier is far more likely to be appreciated, kept and remembered.
Freshers’ campaigns aren’t just for universities. Businesses such as gyms, cafés, restaurants, taxi companies, estate agents, student accommodation providers, banks and recruitment agencies can all benefit from building relationships with students from day one.
The right promotional merchandise helps create a positive first impression and keeps your brand visible long after the event has finished.
How to Stand Out & Maximise Your Giveaway Impact
It’s not just what you give away that matters – it’s how you engage students throughout the event.
With dozens (sometimes hundreds) of exhibitors competing for attention, a little creativity can make all the difference.
Make Your Stand Interactive
Students are naturally drawn towards stands that look busy and engaging. Simple activities can dramatically increase footfall, including:
- Spin the wheel or lucky dip prize draws
- QR code treasure hunts placed around campus
- Mini-games or challenges – basketball hoops, mini golf putting, buzz wires, guess-the-number
- A selfie station or branded photo frame with fancy dress props and a hashtag to encourage social sharing
These activities create memorable experiences whilst giving visitors a reason to spend longer at your stand.
Marketing Tip: Encourage visitors to post a photo on Instagram or TikTok using your campaign hashtag for an additional competition entry. It’s a simple way to increase your reach beyond the event itself.
Bundle Your Giveaways
Offer items as themed bundles to boost perceived value and make your brand more memorable. Try ideas like:
- Student Welcome Pack – Branded tote bag, pen, notebook, include a QR code with a discount or offer
- Study Starter Kit – Highlighter, sticky notes, branded water bottle
- Freshers’ Essentials Pack – Reusable cup, lanyard, wristband, branded snack, phone stand
Bundles feel more valuable and encourage students to keep everything together, increasing the chances of your branding being seen repeatedly.
Use QR Codes to Measure Results
One of the biggest challenges with promotional merchandise has traditionally been measuring its effectiveness. Today, QR codes make that much easier. Adding a QR code to your product, packaging or information card can direct students to:
- A landing page
- Student discounts
- Social media channels
- Mailing list sign-ups
- Competition entries
- App downloads
- Event bookings
Not only does this encourage continued engagement after Freshers’ Week, it also allows you to measure campaign performance using website analytics.
If you’d like to learn more, read our guide on measuring the ROI of promotional merchandise using QR codes.
Plan Ahead
Freshers’ Week may seem a long way off, but promotional merchandise should ideally be ordered 6-8 weeks before your event.
Planning ahead allows time to:
- Order product samples
- Finalise artwork
- Approve proofs
- Secure stock availability
- Avoid express production charges
Sustainable products and popular items can sell out quickly during the summer months, so ordering early provides the widest possible choice.
And remember – if your giveaways are genuinely useful, they often disappear faster than expected. It’s usually worth ordering a few extra.
What Makes a Giveaway “Gen Z Approved”?
Generation Z doesn’t simply want free products. They want products that feel considered. Before choosing your merchandise, ask yourself:
- Is it genuinely useful?
- Is it something students will keep?
- Does it reflect our brand values?
- Is it responsibly sourced or reusable?
- Could it encourage social sharing?
- Does it solve a small everyday problem?
When your giveaway ticks several of these boxes, it’s much more likely to have a lasting impact.
Sustainability Matters
If sustainability forms part of your organisation’s values, your promotional products should reflect that too.
Today there’s a huge range of responsibly sourced merchandise available, including products made from recycled plastics, recycled aluminium, FSC-certified paper, bamboo and other renewable materials.
Where possible, look for recognised certifications such as FSC®, GRS, RCS or GOTS to support your sustainability messaging.
If you’re planning an event involving lanyards, ask us about our Closed-Loop Lanyard Recycling Scheme, which allows eligible polyester and rPET lanyards to be collected after use and recycled into new products.
Small decisions like these can make a meaningful difference without compromising the quality or effectiveness of your event merchandise.
Summary
Freshers’ Week is one of the best opportunities to introduce your organisation to thousands of potential customers, members or students in a positive and memorable way.
The most successful campaigns don’t rely on the cheapest giveaway. Instead, they focus on providing useful, high-quality promotional products that students genuinely value and continue using long after Welcome Week has ended.
Whether you’re organising a university Freshers’ Fair, promoting a student society, launching a campus marketing campaign or introducing your business to new students, choosing the right branded merchandise can help your organisation stand out for all the right reasons.
Planning a Freshers’ Fair, Welcome Week or student recruitment campaign? We’d be happy to recommend branded merchandise that fits your objectives, budget and audience. Get in touch with our team to discuss your ideas.z
Related Reading
If you’re planning a Freshers’ campaign, you may also find these guides useful:
