Dennis's Review:
We have distributed the balsa gliders at several of our meetings. They have always been a big hit. We don't call them souvenirs or toys but conference social interaction tools .
We put them out on the tables during the hospitality hours. Assembling the gliders gives people something to do. It's surprising how much difficulty some information technology people have reading the instructions on the package and then getting the wings on right. :-)
People start flying them around the room. People at different tables start engaging each other that way. Balsa gliders are a little goofy but great fun even in the hands of the most dignified computer professional.