Promotional swag that makes niche audiences feel seen
Give your group promos to elevate experiences
By Laurie Frees
Spring 2026
Meaningful Connections
Read Time: 4 minutes
Posted: March 2, 2026
Interview Featuring
Courtney Waranius
EAA
Youth educator
When an organization has a broad audience, paying extra attention to key audience segments can go a long way. Curating unique experiences or offering special opportunities can deepen engagement within those groups. Even a small gesture, like providing branded swag, can strengthen connections. And with a single promotional T-shirt averaging more than 5,000 impressions opens in new window over its lifetime, that swag can also propel brand awareness to new heights.
Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA®) is a global community of aviation enthusiasts best known for AirVenture®, the world’s largest aviation convention. AirVenture draws hundreds of thousands of visitors to Wisconsin every summer, and its team works hard to connect with a variety of audience segments. Courtney Waranius, youth educator, runs a program called EAA GirlVenture Camp opens in new window for high school girls and shared how T-shirts and other summer camp swag helped students feel the love during the big event and spread program awareness long after.
Q: What is GirlVenture?
A: GirlVenture is an educational program exploring the different career possibilities within aviation. Most people think working in aviation means being a pilot or an engineer—but anything you want to do as a career, you can do in aviation. We have lawyers specifically for aviation. We have doctors specifically for aviation. GirlVenture is specifically for high school girls. The camp takes place during AirVenture and connects girls with women volunteer mentors who are already working in careers in aviation—whether they’re pilots, air traffic controllers or something else. They’re in the industry, and they know how to navigate a world where women make up just 10% of pilots and about 3% of aviation mechanics. Women are very underrepresented in aviation, so these volunteers partner with high school girls to help them be more successful and encourage them to stick with it.
Q: What is their experience like?
A: GirlVenture takes place over four days during AirVenture, so amidst all that activity, we host about 80 girls and 20 to 30 mentors. There are many hands-on activities and workshops, so they learn about things like soldering and drones. They get exclusive access to different areas, including the air traffic control tower and the seaplane base. We try to connect them with as many people and as many opportunities in aviation as possible.
Q: How did promotional T-shirts amplify that experience?
A: It’s about awareness and recognition of girls interested in aviation. When somebody in a GirlVenture T-shirt walks up to a booth, the vendor knows the girl is connected with EAA, is part of the GirlVenture program and is interested in a career in aviation. A vendor might see that special shirt and offer them more opportunities or make more of a connection than they would another attendee. Because there are thousands of people walking around the grounds during AirVenture, the summer camp shirts also made it easier for us to find them in the crowds.
Q: What other summer camp swag did you provide?
A: The event is in July and it’s hot. We gave the girls branded caps to protect them from the sun and water bottles to help them stay hydrated. They also received backpacks so they could put all their belongings in them, along with any other promotional swag they might pick up during the event.
A little something to help them soar
Q: Have the promotional items made a difference?
A: I’ve been involved with GirlVenture for five years, and I meet more and more people who know about the program and recognize us. When we have our branded gear on, it helps raise awareness about girls interested in aviation.
“When we have our branded gear on, it helps raise awareness about girls interested in aviation,” Courtney Waranius said.
EAA GirlVenture provided an opportunity for this large organization to make a meaningful connection with a niche segment of its audience. Stellar swag helped take this program's brand awareness to new heights.
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Mittica, C.J. “2023 ASI Ad Impressions Study: Powerful Stats on Promo’s Top Products.” Advertising Specialty Institute, 27 April 2023, members.asicentral.com/news/web-exclusive/april-2023/2023-asi-ad-impressions-study-powerful-stats-on-promo-s-top-products opens in new window
