We've all been to business exhibitions and trade shows and come away with giveaways from the various stalls we have visited. But how useful a marketing tool are these for the companies which have paid for them and are giving them away?

We asked local business people what they think of the giveaways they have received at exhibitions...

Clive Thomas, managing partner at Watkins & Gunn Solicitors

From my experience, the giveaway with the longest shelf life is still the trusty branded mug, which always come in handy in the office. The best giveaway we ever did at a business exhibition was a fold away shopping bag - as no one wants to pay 5p in Wales! I think the worst promotional gifts are USB sticks with hardly any memory!

Kirsten Tuck, partner, Everett Tomlin Lloyd & Pratt

Two weeks ago I attended a course run by The Solicitors Group in Bristol. In our breaks we were directed to an exhibition where various IT and insurance companies and firms providing legal services were selling their products and giving away lots of 'free stuff'. I filled my free bag with free highlighter pens of every shape and colour, biros of varying quality, post-it notes and mints. At one stand I was told to choose from a selection of gold envelopes and won a bottle of wine, which helped the day pass more quickly. Finally, I entered a draw and won a Kindle Fire HD! I even managed to learn a little bit of law while I was there.

David Barnes, owner, David Barnes Public Relations, Newport

I was at Marketing Week Live '14 in London recently. There were stalls and displays groaning under the weight of these corporate giveaways. Apparently, the experts at the show told me, one of the the most popular giveaways, or corporate gifts, is an emergency mobile phone charger. Instantly realising their usefulness and in true exhibition attending grab-what-you-can style I showed extremely keen interest in these chargers at the various trade stands but sadly came away empty handed. I did get a impressive but sadly rather useless fullsize, shiny metal replica London Olympics Games relay race baton though from a design agency. The most useful giveaway I was given and have kept, apart from ball point pens, and which is always on my desk is a bright red, foam, mobile phone cradle in the shape of an armchair emblazoned with the City & Guilds logo. I once created a calendar recipe book for a restaurant client with detailed recipes and gorgeous full colour photographs for each month, all in a CD case, which proved to be a very useful and and effective marketing tool for them.

Ross Porter, owner, Clear Sky Recruitment, Blackwood

Business exhibitions are usually riddled with enthusiastic representatives dishing out a variety of promotional gifts in the all-important game of raising brand awareness of their company. It’s difficult to gauge the effectiveness of such giveaways and know which items to choose to use. I, like many visitors to such exhibitions, have received the usual array of products from cheap pens to a USB stick. I guess the most useful item of all was the carrier bag that they came in as it saved me the charge for a bag in the supermarket!