Celebrate IT Professionals Day with swag and gifts

If you've ever worked in an office, you understand how crazy things can become when you mesh so many different personalities together. There can certainly be strange requests from various teams, and this particular story highlights that!

As you probably know, most businesses are incredibly dependent on their IT teams. They're crucial to the integrity of the structure of any business, and we like to show our IT department endless appreciation. Recently, we started planning for an IT Professionals Day celebration, and Steve from the IT department caught wind. 

He thought this would be a fantastic time to start requesting items that most people would deem unnecessary for an IT department, such as jumbo-sized computer monitors and backup wireless headsets for the whole crew. Management signed off on Steve's requests, partly because nobody wanted to anger the IT team and because they figured Steve and the crew would have higher productivity levels with upgraded equipment.

We ordered everyone two sets of wireless headsets and giant computer monitors, making the IT department look like something out of an action movie just in time for International Information Technology Day. Though the IT team already got new, albeit ridiculous, tech gear, we wanted to give them a little something more for National IT Professionals Day. 

Management and HR got together and discovered that through SwagMagic, they could hand out gear specifically customized to celebrate the IT team to everyone! There are many options to make employees feel appreciated, from sweatshirts and puffer vests to travel mugs and office supplies (not that IT needed any). 

Nothing would be as extraordinary as watching our IT team work with their giant monitors and wireless headsets, wearing t-shirts that said, "Celebrate IT." They would be so happy, but Joe from accounting was about to come along and ruin everything. 

1. Tech Workshops: Host workshops or webinars to showcase the latest trends in IT. This would provide an opportunity for continuous learning and development.
2. Appreciation Lunch: Arrange a special lunch for the IT team to show your appreciation for their hard work. If teams are remote, consider delivering meal kits or gift cards to their homes.
3. Spotlight Profiles: Highlight individual IT team members on your internal or external communications channels, acknowledging their contributions and letting others know more about them.
4. Game Day: Organize an online gaming tournament or a fun tech-related quiz competition. This can be a fun and relaxing way to engage the team.
5. Gifts and Rewards: Give tech-themed gifts like innovative gadgets, software subscriptions, or book vouchers for IT-related literature. Recognition awards for standout IT professionals can also be a great idea.

While most of the management was taking the time to discuss how to celebrate National IT Professionals Day, Accountant Joe was investigating the recent extra purchases for the IT department. It's not that Joe has anything against the IT team, but he had his suspicions. 

Joe presented the IT team with questions regarding their need for extra sets of wireless headphones and monitors the size of televisions. Steve informed him that it was all a part of a scheme to increase communication and motivation among IT members. He also stated that it would help their eyesight and prevent fine lines from constantly squinting. 

Joe did not like Steve's answer, and amidst planning our Information Technology Day celebration, he went to our boss to report IT Steve and the reasons for his technology requests. Unfortunately for Joe, our boss ended up loving the idea of increased communication between the IT team members. He stated that improved eyesight and fine-line prevention were perfect motivators for productivity and contributed to work-life balance. 

Joe was shocked but agreed to help our boss find additional ways to reward Steve and the whole IT team for forward, outside-of-the-box thinking. 

1. Tech Gadgets: High-end mouse, keyboard, or noise-canceling headphones could be a hit.
2. Software Subscriptions: Subscription to a popular coding platform, cloud storage, or productivity tools they love.
3. Coding Books: A book on the latest coding language or IT trends.
4. Coffee Maker or Mug: Many IT professionals love coffee. A high-quality coffee maker or a mug with a tech-inspired quote could be a great gift.
5. Desk Organizer: A sleek, modern desk organizer can help declutter the workspace.
6. Branded Apparel: T-shirts, hoodies, or hats featuring your company logo.
7. Computer Backpack: A sturdy, waterproof backpack designed to carry tech equipment safely.
8. Tech Stickers: Stickers related to different coding languages, tech humor, or company logo for their laptops or notebooks.
9. Comfortable Chair Cushion: A memory foam seat cushion for their office chair to ensure comfort during long hours of work.
10. Virtual Reality Headset: A more luxurious gift that could provide some fun and relaxation during their downtime.

Since we were already knee-deep in IT party preparations, we already had a good idea of which IT Professionals Day gifts we wanted to give to the team. Our boss wanted us to expand on that, as he was thrilled that Steve was taking the initiative and helping produce a more robust work environment. 

We immediately decided that IT Professionals Day swag would be one of the best gifts we could possibly give our IT team. Based on past team-building exercises and office Halloween parties, we determined that the IT team really loved to match. One year, they all dressed up as Ghostbusters, and they were known to take team-building "Twin Day" to the next level. 

Ordering them branded, custom swag would be a fantastic way to show them how much we appreciated their work. We could even go as far as to order them individual snack boxes they could keep at their desks, though Joe from accounting thought that that idea went above and beyond what was necessary. 

Our boss went through with it anyway, choosing incredible and eclectic snack boxes for the whole IT department. Needless to say, this was shaping up to be the best office party yet. 

1. "To the superheroes of the digital world, thank you for keeping us running smoothly. Happy National IT Professionals Day!"
2. "To the ones who troubleshoot our problems and keep the digital world at our fingertips, Happy IT Professionals Day!"
3. "You might not wear capes, but you save our day, every day. Happy National IT Professionals Day!"
4. Quote by Edsger Dijkstra: "Computer science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes."
5. "On National IT Professionals Day, we celebrate your innovation, dedication, and the invaluable contributions you make every day. Thank you for keeping us connected!"
6. Quote by Steve Jobs: "Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower."
7. "Behind every successful business is a dedicated IT professional. Your expertise and commitment keep us ahead. Happy IT Professionals Day!"
8. Quote by Bill Gates: "The advance of technology is based on making it fit in so that you don't really even notice it, so it's part of everyday life."
9. "Thanks for turning our problems into solutions and our questions into answers. Your dedication is invaluable. Happy IT Professionals Day!"
10. "To all the IT professionals who make our lives easier, smoother, and simpler, Happy IT Professionals Day! Your behind-the-scenes work does not go unnoticed."

It was time to send out emails inviting the entire office staff to our happy IT Professionals Day party! We advertised that high-quality, custom swag would be available and plenty of food to snack on. We included a few inspiring National IT Professionals Day quotes, such as "Clearly, the thing that's transforming is not the technology, the technology is transforming you.” by Jeanne W. Ross.

We were thrilled with how well our party was coming together, and our boss was super excited to hand out the absurd amount of gear he'd ordered for the tech team and everyone else! Though Joe in Accounting was sweating over the numbers, our boss laughed it off and stated that IT held the company together and was happy to give them what they wanted. 

Joe, still angry about the monitors and headsets, begrudgingly ordered everything on the Swag list, including:

• Hoodies
• T-shirts
• Mugs
• Pop-Sockets
• Mouse Pads
• Work bags
• Snack boxes

Because SwagMagic lets you order as many or as few items as you need, Joe could purchase dozens of each swag item for our office party, and they shipped quickly too! 

We ended up turning our party into a complete IT Professionals Week. We had so much gear and food to give away that even Joe ended up taking a few things home with him, and he had a great time in the process. Overall, our IT Appreciation Week was a success, and we owe it all to SwagMagic on-demand products for making the ordering process so simple. 

We also owe it all to Steve and Joe, whose ridiculous equipment requests got him turned into management, and then management ended up loving those requests and wanting to throw an even bigger IT celebration! 

When the rest of the office saw the party we threw for World IT Day, they began requesting a surplus of absurd things, from light-up keyboards to pens that write in more than one color. Of course, Joe put his foot down (and we agree with him this time). 

We had a fantastic time celebrating World Information Technology Day, but it quickly became apparent that other teams would not see that same celebration simply due to over-ordering. We did return all the keyboards and pens but kept our locker open with SwagMagic so we could order productivity-boosting goodies whenever we wanted!

If your team requires celebrating (which all employees do), we recommend using Swag or SnackMagic. Ordering is quick and easy, and you can have consistent access to the items you and your employees love. From jackets to vegan snacks, there's nothing you can't stock in your office space to keep your employees feeling positive and appreciated. 

It's easy to set up an account, and you don't have to order dozens of everything like our boss. Instead, you can choose your swag quantity, and the team will happily deliver!