Events are finally, officially back.

It’s a reality reflected in the top ESP search terms for Q4 2022, which, when compared to the same quarter a year ago, show a move away from items for kitted bundles destined for home doorsteps and toward giveaways and swag bag products for trade shows and conferences.

The brand-new data was compiled by ASI Research, which found that classic event items like “water bottle,” “tote bags” and “lanyards” moved up the list slightly, while popular kitting items like “mugs,” “coffee mugs” and “blankets” moved down. “Pens,” “tumbler,” “backpack” and “brand-name tumbler” maintained the same rankings year to year (first, third, ninth and 10th, respectively).

In the beginning of 2022, the rise of the very contagious omicron variant of COVID put the brakes on many in-person event plans and even led to “KN95” breaking into the Top 10 ESP searches in January 2022.

In Q4 2022, ESP search data shows that searches for traditional event items like “water bottle,” “tote bags” and “lanyards” were up slightly compared to the same quarter a year earlier.

ESP searches in Q4 2021 showed higher frequency for “mugs,” “coffee mugs” and “blankets” as the omicron variant of COVID shifted plans for in-person events in the first quarter of 2022.

The findings also mark continuing quarter-to-quarter consistency – in both Q3 and Q4 2022, “pens” and “water bottle” ranked first and second respectively, while mainstays such as “tote bags,” “lanyards,” “tumbler,” “mugs” and “backpack” made slight shifts on the Top 10 list. Seasonal items such as “koozie,” “sunglasses” and “keychain” were replaced by “coffee mug,” “blanket” and “‘brand-name’ tumbler” in Q4.

Among the Top 100 ESP search terms, the largest increases between Q4 2021 and Q4 2022 were for “toiletry bag” (up 72%), “spiral notebook” (66%) and “first-aid kit” (58%) – reflective of the resurgence in both business and personal travel.

What will Q1 of 2023 look like? In the most recent Q1 in 2022, the top search terms looked much the same as they did by the last quarter of the year, with the exception of “koozie” and “keychain,” which gained in popularity ahead of spring promotions for Q2. It remains to be seen if those terms will once again rank in the Top 10 and/or if other seasonal terms will break into the top categories.

Top ESP searches have remained largely the same over the past couple years, even as supply chain and staffing challenges persist. A special report from ASI Media published on Jan. 16 lays out the adjustments suppliers are making to ease friction and continue serving distributor clients this year.

Meanwhile, the Q1 trade show season continues this week with ASI Show Fort Worth. ASI Orlando, held the first week of January, saw a 50% year-over-year increase in attendance; it was followed by the PPAI Expo in Las Vegas and the PSI show in Düsseldorf, held in-person for the first time in three years.