Photo Courtesy www.montreal.org
Up Your Trade Show Game For More Return and Greater Engagement
There are plenty of possibilities you can embrace to bring new excitement to your trade show experience. It’s going to take a lot of creativity to take your trade show experience to the next level. Your goal is to find ways to delight attendees and spice things up and get people talking, sharing and engaging.
On The Tradeshow Floor Ideas
Goals: Get people talking
Come on team, let’s find ways to encourage attendees to pay attention, gain knowledge, and be proactive in participation. Your number one focus at trade shows should be customer retention and to generate new prospects. On the floor, let’s entertain current customers and the potential new customers with guerilla-style marketing activities that get people talking. Let’s also consider creating games and contests that revolve around contestants inspecting, using or answering questions about your product or service. Here are four ideas to help with the ideation phase.
#TERinsight with Bonnie Coop
Partial Reveals
Use partial reveals to get people talking and engaged. The team can launch a giant curtain or screen near the booth and partially reveal a big announcement. At the same time, you can hand out cards that include an invite to ‘Spin The Wheel’ event.
Bat Signal
The Bat Signal will get people to your booth. Each new visitor needs to know that the first 20 people back to the booth earn a prize, then surprise them with an invite to a post-show event and hand out the calendar of hosted events, you have organized.
Spin, Win and Learn More About Your Brand
The wheel is filled with worthwhile activities that get them out of their hotels and into the city. Everyone will be talking about the great prizes. Strategically place brand positioning statements within the board and remind them to look out for the Bat Signal.
Deploy Hosted Events
Plan on deploying events that are in sync with your target and continue to qualify them along the way. These can occur during break out sessions, they may look like workshops, sponsored co-working stations, etc.
There Are So Many Ideas
Yes, there are. Your focus in on building creative momentum to be able to share your brand in the most meaningful way in order to hit your ROI goals. A combination of turned-up energy and proper planning will get you there. Check out a few more ideas below.
Use humor or add entertainment or music to your booth to drive traffic
Hire a comedian entertain at your booth
Flash mob performance by employees at the show
Invite a live speaker to speak about certain topics
Twitter live feed of people tagging each other on social media
In addition to the spin the wheel you can also include other games
Keys that open prizes locked behind branded treasure chests
Fun giveaways that are unique and topical
A chance to win something big like an Alexa, Amazon Echo, or drone
Give away the best trade show branded items to spark conversation
File these under hosted event ideas that will spark engagement
Spice things up with creative outdoorsy interactive games
An APP driven trade show floor scavenger hunt
Engage participant before the start of the trade show via social engagement. Remind them to download the scavenger hunt APP and be ready to participate and win a prize
Which is more important, display design or staffing?
Both! Create an intuitive layout, staffed with a team who can smoothly uncover attendee pain points and who can demonstrate how your company meets those needs.
–
Georgia Gruner
ON THE FLOOR EXAMPLE
PepsiCo Annual Supplier Summit
We hold the title of PepsiCo Supplier of the Year. Nuff said. But here’s some more detail.
Through over a decade of partnership, we have taken trade show floor engagement from lackluster to the highlight of the summit. Technology, gamification, and strategic floor plan design have all led to an increase in lead generation and a 44% increase in revenue generation.
Are Trade Shows WORTH THE INVESTMENT?
Yes, Trade Shows Create Lasting Impressions If Done Right
–
Lynn Tangorra
OFF THE FLOOR EXAMPLES
Mosaic @ IFA Annual Meeting – Client Appreciation Cocktail Reception
This high-end reception left clients with a remarkable, memorable impression that ultimately led to enhanced relationships and business opportunities. The evening competed with another conference supporter who held a hospitality event on the same night. Through strategic marketing and word of mouth once the event was live attendance surpassed expectations.
TNA @ Interpack & Snaxpo – Client Appreciation Events
We have partnered with the ultimate provider of food packaging solutions for multiple years on designing enticing client appreciation events at trade shows they exhibit at all over the world – from Houston to Dubai to Germany. As always, the competition for attention is fierce. Our strategy and collaboration with this client result in events that are now the ‘not to be missed’ ones to attend.
Host Events Off The Floor
Goal: Host a creative, memorable event.
Don’t let conversations and face time die when the trade show floor closes for the day. This could be your MOST opportune time to nurture a relationship or even close that big deal
#TERinsight with Lynn Tangorra
Plan To Compete for Attendance
Start planning at least 6 months prior to your show in order to secure the most coveted venues and entertainment. Get the word out early to your clients in the form of a save the date that leaves them wanting more. Stay in contact leading up to the show and be sure to send an invitation that makes a statement.
Create a Unique Experience That Money Can’t Buy
You need to be thinking beautiful, slick and most importantly offer a unique and memorable experience. The list of possibilities is long. Exclusive venues, intimate concerts, behind the scenes tours, dinner with a Michelin Star chef, etc.
If a Big Event Isn’t in the Budget
Host select clients to dinner at a hot restaurant or VIP at a concert that’s in town.
An Even Smaller Buget
Ask for 1:1 time at the conference café and treat them to coffee.
