Local Gifts for Event Attendees

You can’t go wrong with truffles from Seattle Chocolate. What makes this local brand perfect for giving is the bright festive packaging and the wide variety of fun, unexpected flavors. Some favorites include San Juan Sea Salt, Champagne and Mexican Hot Chocolate, just to name a few. Plus, the company is constantly rolling out seasonal specials. If you order bite-sized truffles in bulk from the wholesale site, you can sprinkle a few of these delicious morsels into your swag bags.

Wholesale bags of truffles come in various sizes (a 5 lb bag contains about 240 truffles). You can also order truffle bars wrapped in beautiful labels designed by independent artists. Either way, choose to have your order delivered or to pick it up at the facility in Tukwila. Just don’t wait too long – typically they need at least a week of lead time. As a bonus, this woman-owned brand donates 10% of net profits from every purchase to organizations supporting girls around the world, so you can feel even better about stocking up on their sweets.

Pro tip: Seattle Chocolate Factory has a storefront in Tukwila where your guests can browse the selection. It also offers factory tours that make for a super fun group activity.

Studies show that people truly appreciate donations to charity on their behalf – in some cases, they even prefer them over a gift for themselves. You can have the best of both worlds when you symbolically adopt a marine animal through local organization SR3 (Sealife Response, Rehab and Research). With every $35 adoption, you’ll be sent an adorable plushie of a harbor seal, sea otter or whale that you can pass on to your guests, along with a certificate and fact sheet about the species.

All of these animals face significant threats due to human activity, and SR3 does crucial work to protect them, including delivering emergency care on the beach, rehabbing seals before returning them to their homes, using specialized gear to help free entangled whales and much more. Your guests will be moved to know that their cute plushie represents a truly meaningful cause. For large orders, call well ahead of your event to let the organization know how many plushies you’ll need.

The Museum of Flight is one of the premiere attractions in Seattle Southside, and it has a massive selection of gifts that evoke the spirit of travel and aviation. There are dozens of options under $10, many of which are light and packable, such as luggage tags, key chains, pocket notebooks with vintage travel prints, stickers for sprucing up laptops and water bottles, enamel pins, magnets, branded water bottles, lip balm and more.

For a quirkier gift, you could even include some “Astronaut ice cream” or a tiny airplane model. The store also carries plenty of apparel with branded and flight-themed prints, including T-shirts, hats and socks. The Museum of Flight Store has an extensive, regularly updated catalog online that you can browse to see what calls out to you.

Pro tip: A trip to the Museum of Flight makes for an awesome “microadventure” that guests can sneak into their trip. Learn more.

The Seawolves rugby team, which plays their home games at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, is the pride of Seattle Southside. Established in 2018, the team has already won several Major League Rugby (MLR) championships, competing against teams across North America. In just a few years, they’ve gained a loyal and passionate fan base. Send your guests home with some Seawolves swag to remember the great time they had in Seattle Southside. The team’s online store has tons of branded items, including beer koozies, beanies and T-shirts.

You’ve probably seen Sahale Snacks’ signature fruit and nut mixes in groceries, but did you know that the company is based in Seattle Southside? Sahale (pronounced Sah-HA-lee) was founded more than twenty years ago by two best friends who got the idea while hiking (and hungry) on Mt. Rainier. Craving something healthy, they went home inspired to create the ideal on-the-go snack. When it came time to launch the company, they named it after Sahale Mountain, a spot they love in Washington’s North Cascades National Park.

Now, Tukwila-based Sahale sells a variety of eclectic mixes, including a honey almond glazed mix (always a crowd pleaser), maple pecan glazed mix, Thai cashews and more. The small packages are ideal for busy conferences and traveling. Your guests can throw them in their purses or totes to fuel up before a meeting, or toss them in their carry-on for the flight home. As a bonus, they’re made without artificial preservatives or flavorings, and have gluten free options. Order packages from the Sahale website or through a wholesale distributor.

If your guests are staying overnight, they might enjoy relaxing with a bottle of wine or mead after a long day of meetings. Local winery Bacovino offers a wide selection of highly-rated reds and whites made from grapes sourced from established Washington vineyards. You can shop for bottles online or at the winery in Tukwila. If you’re looking to surprise guests with something a bit more unexpected, you could also order some bottles of mead from Oppegaard Meadery. The mead is made using locally sourced honey and other local ingredients such as blackberries, strawberries and apples. The Semi-Sweet is a safe bet if you’re looking for something with a more subtle flavor.

Pro Tip: Oppegaard and Bacovino have welcoming local tasting rooms, so your guests can swing by either place during a break or after their events.

While there are plenty of great gift shops at SEA airport, some of them also sell products online so you can order a larger amount. So if you’re passing through, take a peek at what’s in store and see if anything piques your interest. For example, Made in Washington is a go-to for products made by artists, craftspeople and small businesses all based in – you guessed it – the Evergreen State. The company has been around for more than forty years and is devoted to local goods. On the website, there’s a section for gifts under $50 that includes popular items like Chukar Cherries, small batches of Washington-grown cherries covered in dark and milk chocolate.

Whatever you choose to put in your swag bag, having some nods to the local culture and community gives your gift a personal touch. And if you have the chance to take your guests to some of the shops or attractions where the items are from, the gifts will serve as a sweet reminder of the great time they had in Seattle Southside. To learn more about all the restaurants, attractions and fun activities you can point guests to before and after their meetings, check out our Curiously Wonderful Event Planner's Guide to Seattle Southside.