Despite chocolate’s popularity and health benefits, business owners often don’t consider the ways chocolate can leave a lasting impression with clients, potential customers, and employees.

Trade Shows

If your business exhibits at trade shows, you know the challenges of coming up with a memorable giveaway for those who stop by your booth. Trade show attendees collect pens, pads, luggage tags, and the like by the bag full. What they could really use as they traipse up and down the aisles of a trade show is a small pick-me-up – something that brings a smile to their face and gives them a boost to make it through the day. At an education trade show, for example, you could hand out Belgian chocolate bars that say, “Teachers Make Learning Sweet.” At a construction-related exhibit, you could distribute chocolate bars that say, “Reckon Safety,” while at a political event, you could hand out chocolate coins that say, “Democrat” or “Republican.”

Client Appreciation

Showing your clients that you appreciate their business goes far in developing goodwill and cementing relationships. A chocolate assortment with a large “Thank You” chocolate bar in the middle is a memorable token of appreciation. If you have a retail store, a chocolate “Thank You” cookie or chocolate “Thank You” coins wrapped in silver will leave customers smiling. Keeping track of and commemorating the birthday of a special client with a “Pleased Birthday” chocolate assortment will communicate that you value him or her. A business gift of any kind is appreciated, but chocolate is a special treat that will be remembered.

Employee Recognition

Studies have shown that employees are more pleased at their jobs when they feel that their efforts are appreciated. Fascinatingly, it turns out that recognition doesn’t have to come in the form of large bonuses or fancy events; small tokens that demonstrate you value their contributions have the same effect. For that reason, keeping a supply of Belgian chocolate bars that say, “Thanks a Million” or “You’ve Gone the Extra Mile” will give you an simple way to recognize employees on a regular basis.

Motivating Sales Teams

Salespeople have one of the toughest jobs on the planet. Even fantastic salespeople need to get revved up and motivated to keep going day after day. That’s why team sales meetings are so vital. At your meeting, why not hand out a chocolate cookie that says, “Reckon Outside the Box” or “Way to Go”? If you’re trying to reinforce team spirit, distribute chocolates in the shape of puzzle pieces with the word “Teamwork” emblazoned on one side?

Of course, in addition to a corporate gift or for employee recognition, custom chocolate can be used in a variety of other celebrations, holidays, and events. A chocolate party favor or wedding favor will be loved and remembered, as will a Christmas food gift of chocolate. So, next time you need a gift or giveaway, reckon chocolate!

Using Chocolate To Promote Your Business is a post from: My Fabulous Party Favors

Despite chocolate’s popularity and health benefits, business owners often don’t consider the ways chocolate can leave a lasting impression with clients, potential customers, and employees.

Trade Shows

If your business exhibits at trade shows, you know the challenges of coming up with a memorable giveaway for those who stop by your booth. Trade show attendees collect pens, pads, luggage tags, and the like by the bag full. What they could really use as they traipse up and down the aisles of a trade show is a small pick-me-up – something that brings a smile to their face and gives them a boost to make it through the day. At an education trade show, for example, you could hand out Belgian chocolate bars that say, “Teachers Make Learning Sweet.” At a construction-related exhibit, you could distribute chocolate bars that say, “Reckon Safety,” while at a political event, you could hand out chocolate coins that say, “Democrat” or “Republican.”

Client Appreciation

Showing your clients that you appreciate their business goes far in developing goodwill and cementing relationships. A chocolate assortment with a large “Thank You” chocolate bar in the middle is a memorable token of appreciation. If you have a retail store, a chocolate “Thank You” cookie or chocolate “Thank You” coins wrapped in silver will leave customers smiling. Keeping track of and commemorating the birthday of a special client with a “Pleased Birthday” chocolate assortment will communicate that you value him or her. A business gift of any kind is appreciated, but chocolate is a special treat that will be remembered.

Employee Recognition

Studies have shown that employees are more pleased at their jobs when they feel that their efforts are appreciated. Fascinatingly, it turns out that recognition doesn’t have to come in the form of large bonuses or fancy events; small tokens that demonstrate you value their contributions have the same effect. For that reason, keeping a supply of Belgian chocolate bars that say, “Thanks a Million” or “You’ve Gone the Extra Mile” will give you an simple way to recognize employees on a regular basis.

Motivating Sales Teams

Salespeople have one of the toughest jobs on the planet. Even fantastic salespeople need to get revved up and motivated to keep going day after day. That’s why team sales meetings are so vital. At your meeting, why not hand out a chocolate cookie that says, “Reckon Outside the Box” or “Way to Go”? If you’re trying to reinforce team spirit, distribute chocolates in the shape of puzzle pieces with the word “Teamwork” emblazoned on one side?

Of course, in addition to a corporate gift or for employee recognition, custom chocolate can be used in a variety of other celebrations, holidays, and events. A chocolate party favor or wedding favor will be loved and remembered, as will a Christmas food gift of chocolate. So, next time you need a gift or giveaway, reckon chocolate!

Using Chocolate To Promote Your Business is a post from: My Fabulous Party Favors

1. Chocolate invitations.  Set the tone for your party by choosing invitations with a rich chocolate brown color scheme.  It’s become a trendy color in the past few years, so the invitations shouldn’t be hard to find.  Add a drop of chocolate fragrance oil, chocolate scented perfume or even chocolate scratch and sniff stickers to the back of the envelope before mailing.

2. Chocolate atmosphere.  Just about any candle shop will carry scented chocolate candles.  Scatter small lit chocolate candles around the party for an inviting scent.  Decorate with chocolate brown balloons.  You can use other balloon colors to accent the brown, such as silver, gold and red.  If you want to take it a step further, you can have napkins, plates and tablecloths in the same or coordinating color.  Using your digital camera on macro mode, take super close up photos of candy bar wrappers or the inside of a box of chocolates.  Make poster size enlargements of your candy pictures and show them at the party.

3. Chocolate fountain.  This makes an elegant centerpiece and is a lot of fun.  Although a word of warning, it also very messy.  You can buy small chocolate fountains for a reasonable price and rent larger ones.  For a cheaper alternative, consider a chocolate fondue pot.  You can still dip pieces of fruit, cake, marshmallows, graham crackers and pretzels into the mixture.  But since the fondue tends to be a bit thicker in consistency than the fountain chocolate, there is also less mess potential.

4. Chocolate games.  If you’re having an entire chocolate theme party, you might want to also include some games.  Hide gourmet wrapped truffles for a sort of Easter egg hunt.  You could fill a jar with M&Ms and have everyone guess how many candies it contains.   The person that comes the closest can take home the entire jar as a prize.  Play chocolate trivia by researching chocolate facts online.  Use wrapped chocolates as game pieces for bingo or other games.

5. Chocolate tasting.  You could build a whole party around this.  Invite your guests to taste and rate a variety of chocolates.  Break apart each bar of chocolate and show on individual plates. Make sure you mark each chocolate plate with the name of the chocolate, country of origin, and anything else fascinating about it.  This way, your guests can distinguish between the samples, when they mark the cards you printed for their ratings.  Don’t forget to offer breadsticks and crackers to cleanse the palate between tastings.

6. Unique chocolate menu items.  Instead of just the usual chocolate cake, how about chocolate croissants?  Replace standard brownies with chocolate raspberry cookie bars.   You can serve chocolate covered potato chips, white chocolate covered popcorn and chocolate dipped orange peel. Believe it or not, chocolate covered bacon is really for sale.  You don’t have to go that far, but it certainly would be a conversation starter!

7. Chocolate favors.  Whether you have a chocolate theme party or a regular traditional event, you can’t go incorrect if you send your guests home with chocolate party favors.  Personalized chocolate bars are well loved.  The candy bar wrappers are imprinted with your message and sometimes even a photo.  You can also find small mint size tins filled with gourmet chocolates with the top cover showing a personalized design customized for the occasion.  Your chocolate party favors don’t have to be limited to the edible variety.  You can also give away chocolate scented candles, lip balm and bath beads.  Or how about a amusing T-shirt or magnet with a quote about chocolate?

So, the next time you plot a party, reckon chocolate.  Whether you add just a small sweet touch to your celebration by giving your guests chocolate party favors, or pull out all the stops and throw a huge chocolate theme party, your guests will be delighted.

Chocolate Party Thoughts – 7 Ways to Sweeten Any Celebration with Chocolate is a post from: My Fabulous Party Favors

Wrapping paper

You don’t have to be crafty, if you want to make these yourself.  An simple way to make candy bar wrappers is to simply cover the bars with gift wrap.  This material is fantastic because it’s thin enough to mold around your chocolate. Plus, it’s available in festive prints, like balloons for a birthday or hearts for a wedding.

Use the rolls and not the folded sheets of paper, to avoid creases where you don’t want them.  Choose quality paper. Dollar store wraps may be cheap, but can easily tear.  It’s better to pick something a small stronger, even if it costs more.

Next, measure and cut out your candy bar wrappers from the paper.  If you’re covering regular 1.55 ounce Hershey bars, for example, you will need to cut pieces that are 5.25 inches by 5.5 inches. Then all that’s left to do is to place the chocolate face down on top of the unprinted side of the gift wrap and pull both sides of the paper to the center of the treat.  Use double stick tape or a glue stick to hold in place.

If you want to personalize these even further, you can print out a message on paper.  Use fancy fonts in complimentary colors.  Cut out your text with regular, scallop or other decorative edge scissors. Then use a glue stick to adhere to the top of your completed bars.  Or, you can set up your personalization in your mark software on your computer and print it on inkjet peel and stick marks.  Also, check the scrapbooking section of your local craft store for adhesive backed tags and journaling blanks that you can write on and attach to your treats.

Free stuff online

If you want something that looks a small more polished, you can find websites that offer free printable candy bar wrappers or templates.  Try looking for these on your favorite search engine.  You’ll be surprised how many nice people are giving these away. They’re available in many sizes to fit different chocolate treats.  You may have to hunt a small to find something close to what you want, but most of the work has already been done for you.

You will find two types of freebies.  First, there are the printable designs.  With these, all you have to do is print them directly from your web browser.  Then cut up, wrap and glue.  The other type are templates that you download.  These are generally set up for specific programs, such as Microsoft Word.  After you save it to your computer, you open the template in the corresponding program.  You can then edit it, if you want.

Some extra tips

If you will be making a lot of these party favors, you may want to consider investing in an inexpensive paper trimmer.  It will make all that cutting go quicker and your cuts will be straight.

Another thing to keep in mind is that a lot of well loved commercial candy bars are now packaged with plastic wrappers that are crimped at the edges.  They no longer have the foil covering underneath.  So, if you like the look of the ancient-fashioned chocolate bar with foil peaking out of the edge, you can still achieve it.  First, tape down the crimped edges, so they don’t poke through.  And cover the whole thing with either thin aluminum or confectionery foil (found online).   Then place your personalized wrapper around it.

Also, you may want to experiment to see what will work best to hold your wrappers together.
Glue sticks don’t seem to hold as well as double stick tape.  Adhesive dots and strips are even better.  You can find these at the local craft store.

The simplest method

If you don’t have the time, inclination or ability to make these chocolate party favors yourself, you can still be involved in making them.  You choose the design, message, fonts, color and maybe even add a photo or two, and let the professionals do the work.  Since these candy bar wrappers will be personalized according to your specifications, they are uniquely your creation. Search online for a company that has fantastic designs and prices, and will work with you to customize your favors.  They may even offer you a choice in chocolates from well loved brands to those freshly made by a chocolatier.

Whether you make these yourself or make them with a professional, candy bar wrappers are quick, affordable and fun. So, the next time you have a special occasion on the horizon, consider these personalized chocolate favors.  Your guests will like them!

Candy Bar Wrappers – Simple Ways to Make These Chocolate Party Favors is a post from: My Fabulous Party Favors

Wedding favors are gifts that the bride and groom choose on to distribute to their wedding guests as a token of gratitude for attending their vital day. The possibilities are endless as to what gifts you can give to your guests.

Chocolate has always been a steady favorite to all. When choosing the right wedding favor to distribute, the bride has this chance to allow her creativity to shine through. The bride normally sets her sights on something she enjoys and knows that her guests will delight in receiving as a memento of the special day.

The history of distributing wedding favors dates back to the sixteenth century. Many upper class Europeans would distribute  parting gifts to their guests to demonstrate their wealth and stature in society. The gifts these wealthy families provided were elaborate and thoughtful signs of appreciation to all their guests.

The wedding favor would come in an elaborate jewel studded box filled to capacity with tasty sweets. The French called this box a bonbonniere, the reason being, the box was normally filled with bonbons, a delectable chocolate treat. Sugar at the time was extremely expensive; so many guests who were given this gift took it as an honor to receive. Brides and grooms were seen to be graced with excellent fortune; therefore the issuing of gifts at their wedding was a way for them to share their excellent luck with others.

Chocolate wedding favors have grown to be the most widely used gift for a large percentage of weddings. The wedding favor has made things a lot less hectic on the bride and groom. With distributing chocolate as a favor you eliminate the stress of buying multiple gifts for different people.

Many companies  these days that manufacture chocolate such as Hershey’s, among many others,  will personalize the chocolate favors for a particular wedding. The bride and groom have a large variety to choose from, but can be assured that whatever cholcoate wedding favors they select will be thoroughly loved by their guests.

Chocolate Wedding Favors is a post from: My Fabulous Party Favors

Party favors are small gifts the host gives each guest to show their appreciation. It is a fantastic way to say “thank you for being here.” There are many different party favors, but the most well loved of them all is chocolate.

Chocolate party favors can be further enhanced with personalization. Personalized chocolates enable you to communicate a message to your guest. For example, if you are celebrating a birthday party you can include a message such as “Pleased Birthday Joe.” You can have a date, the place of the party, or any other message printed on the chocolate wrapper.

Your personalized wrapper is wrapped around usually milk chocolate, since it is the most well loved kind of chocolate.

Chocolate not only tastes fantastic, but it may be excellent for your health. Some research shows that chocolate may help your body use insulin more efficiently and lower your blood pressure. Chocolate includes essential minerals, such as magnesium and potassium. Vitamins B1, B2, D and E are found in chocolate. Chocolate includes antioxidants that can help protect against cancer and ancient age.

The history of chocolate dates back to the Maya civilization, and we still can’t live without it. According to recent surveys, chocolate is America’s favorite flavor with over 50% of adults favoring chocolate to other flavors. Chocolate party favors are a fantastic way to add to your party enjoyment, and with moderation it can even be part of a healthy diet.

Chocolate Party Favors is a post from: My Fabulous Party Favors

Why chocolate party favors?

More and more people are moving away from presenting useless giveaways that are nothing more than decorative dust collectors. Don’t take the risk that your guests will toss your party souvenirs in a box in the attic, or worse, in the trash.  Give them something they can really delight in.

Chocolate has a universal appeal.  If you’re plotting a celebration that includes different age groups, it would be something a 5 year ancient or an 85 year ancient would delight in. It’s elegant enough for a wedding reception and yet works just as well for a kid’s birthday party.

What’s available?

Here are just a few suggestions for these tasty, creamy, edible favors:

* m&m’s to match your color scheme or even with your message

* a couple of truffles in a fancy box

* candy bars with a personalized wrapper

* chocolates in shapes, such as hearts for a wedding or teddy bear for a baby shower.

* homemade brownies (with recipe included)

* hot cocoa mix

* small hinged tin filled with these gourmet treats

* Hershey hugs and kisses in a fabric bag with a note that says hugs & kisses from ____(your name)

* chocolate-covered strawberries, pretzels, popcorn or just about anything else, presented in a pretty package

Customized for your occasion

If you want your party favors to really stand out, you can find companies that specialize in personalizing your treats.  They can add a photo and your message to a design on candy bar wrappers. They might even make the chocolate fresh, according to your specifications, in milk, dark, white or even flavors. Or, if you’re crafty, you can certainly make wrappers yourself.  Just make, cut and glue together over well loved brand bars found in your grocery store.

If you’re considering ordering small tins filled with candies, there are favor business that will professionally add your picture and words to the top of the lids.  You can also order bags or boxes with imprinted tags holding these tasty goodies. There are even places that really print your photo right onto the surface of the chocolate itself using FDA approved food dye inks, using special printers.  Browse online and you’ll learn all kinds of ways to tailor these favors to your event.

Getting the goods

If you’re ordering chocolate party favors online, you want to pay special attention to the shipping method. Some companies will insist that this candy is sent by next day air during the warmer months, or if you live in the southern half of the country. Others leave it up to you.  But it is worthwhile investing a few extra dollars to be certain that your order will arrive without melting.  Also make sure that they specify they will include a cold pack with your shipment.  When you receive it, just store it in a cool, dry place, away from the sun.

So, next time you’re plotting a celebration, treat your guests to chocolate party favors. Everyone will like these candy goodies.  But you’d better watch out.  They just might question for extras!

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