With countless exhibits vying for attention at every trade show, the key to making a lasting impression often lies in creating an interactive experience for your target audience. Interactive trade show booths can transform passive attendees into active attendees, ensuring that the experience sticks with them long after they’ve left the event. In the words of Benjamin Franklin…”Tell me and I forget, Teach me and I remember, Involve me and I learn.” Here are 5 ideas that can help get you started in creating an interactive trade show booth that will Involve attendees! Read on….
1. Use Technology For Compelling Presentations
Digital technology has advanced tremendously in recent years. Touch screens are affordable and practical for trade show use. And while good content creation certainly takes time, effort and budget, there really isn’t an excuse anymore to resort to tired and boring PowerPoint slides. If you’re serious about creating an interactive trade show booth, technology is a great place to start. Involve the attendee in your presentation, and convert them from passive to active. For example
For Nikon Metrology, Lindsay Exhibit Group created a custom digital “slider” screen, which overlayed a larger LCD screen. When moved left and right, the “slider” would reveal infographics to highlight new products. This made for an engaging experience for the attendee, and a fun and interactive way for staffers to present information.
Developing really good digital content for presentations will take time, effort and budget. But if you start early, and really focus on creating something that will be truly interactive for attendees, your trade show ROI will soar!
2. Branded Games and Activities
Integrating branded games and activities can help you captivate trade show audiences. Something as simple as a pair of branded cornhole boards can help to establish the vibe in your booth environment, and allow your staffers the time to engage and present to attendees. If the game or activity can involve your product or service, or reinforce a marketing message, even better.
Lindsay Exhibit Group worked with our client Ally @ NADA (National Auto Dealers Assn) to brand a custom golf putting activity. The game combined golf with a skee-ball mechanism. Attendees played to accumulate points that were then redeemed for promotional giveaways. The activity was fun, engaging, and gave booth staffers a few minutes of 1-on-1 time with attendees to present new services and strengthen relationships. Everyone was a winner!
With the latest generations having grown up in the era of digital games, don’t be afraid to use any form of digital games ranging from the OG arcade style games up to current model consoles. There are many games that are pre-packaged to accommodate customization.
3. Video Walls
LED-tiled video walls are available and have become trade show friendly. These video walls can be assembled in “tiles” to be any length and width. Want a 100′ x100′ video wall? Entirely possible! Available in curved shapes, you can literally “wrap” your exhibit structure with a video screen. With the right video content, you can provide a truly immersive experience
An Island exhibit using LED-tile technology converts this structure to a large and impressive video-wall. Creative and animated marketing messages mixed with a waterfall theme was truly eye-catching and effective. Turn passive attendees into active attendees!
4. Hands-On “Show-and-Tell” Demos
Incorporating hands-on demonstrations into your trade show booth is a great strategy for engaging attendees and allowing them to directly experience your product’s features and benefits. Humans are tactile creatures. The ability to show-and-tell in your booth space with actual products and real-world case studies will have maximum impact. Hands-on can be especially beneficial for those showcasing complex products or those with features that customers should see and feel up close. It may take some thinking out of the box to come up with the best way to highlight the functionality of your product. You may have to create simulations and/or 3D models of products. This again takes time, effort and budget; but if this is what it takes to engage attendees, isn’t that why you are exhibiting in the first place?
For Sika Automotive, Lindsay Exhibit Group fabricated a display table that incorporates a 3D model of an electric vehicle battery tray, to highlight the epoxy products and adhesive technologies that Sika offers. 6 iPads are mounted to the table allowing attendees access to detailed product information in an interactive presentation.
5. Train Your Booth Staff!
Train your booth staff. This just seems like common sense, right? Your booth staffers are truly your most important and valuable asset. Nobody is better at storytelling, or answering questions, or show-and-tell then your own staff. All of the aforementioned tips to creating better interactivity in your booth space will require humans. The reason trade shows remain a vital component of marketing programs is to make the human connection. Leverage this! There is no better pathway to creating the interactive environment that exhibitors consistently ask for then to use real live human engagement. Make sure your booth staff understands the objectives for each trade show. Make sure staffers are knowledgeable about the products and services that the target attendees are there to see, and ready to present. Make sure staffers are ready to make engaging (and quick!) presentations, and provide them the tools to do this. It’s easy to spot the exhibitors with a trained and ready staff, versus those that have simply showed up and expected the magic to happen organically. Train your booth staff; your staff will appreciate it, attendees will appreciate it and your marketing objectives will feel it!
Examples from Lindsay Exhibit Group
Lindsay Exhibit Group offers countless options for creating your next interactive trade show booth. Whether you’re looking to engage visitors with interactive games or create dynamic displays that steal the attention of everyone at your event, we can help your team find the perfect combination of aesthetics, comfort, and interactivity. Top brands like Ally, Siko, and Western Global are just a few examples of brands we’ve worked with to create unique, interactive displays and experiences that engage a huge array of visitors. Visit our portfolio to see examples of the various elements we can help you integrate for your next trade show booth.
Creating a memorable trade show experience often lies in the level of interactivity a booth offers. There are numerous engaging and innovative ideas that can help your offerings stand out, including interactive workshops, social booths, digital contests, and more. Lindsay Exhibit Group has experience helping clients craft immersive and engaging environments that utilize all of the ideas listed above. Contact our team to learn about the solutions that best suit the needs of your brand and all of your upcoming events.