Interactive In-Booth Activities

What are your fondest memories of a trade show or marketing event? Does that sound like a strange question? If you don’t consider “fun” and “trade shows” synonymous, than perhaps you’re not doing it right! Moving your trade show booth beyond the normal “scan information, collect business cards, hand out literature” mode requires a little effort, but the payoff is worth the investment.
The 2009 EXHIBITOR show offered the latest products, services and exhibiting trends. Our EXHIB-IT! team saw a plethora of impressive banner stands, truss systems and learned a lot about panel systems and why it makes sense to add more pieces to our rental inventory. However, the most memorable experience by far, was the Danceheads booth. The concept is relatively simple, give show attendees a genuinely fun activity to engage in, allow them to participate use as many of their senses as possible and you’ve got them hooked. As our designers sat in front of a green screen and were videotaped lip syncing “ I like big…” the crowd flocked to see what was going on. Honestly, to tell you the name of that really great panel system I saw, I’d have to pull out the printed material I picked up, or open the follow up email they sent. But I remember Danceheads…
Another recent experience was a networking event we recently attended. Now, don’t get us wrong, we are all for meeting as many qualified prospects as possible as quickly as we can, but this marketing event was about building relationships with a few rather than meeting the many. The “Business After Business” event was held at a local fun center. In the time we typically collect many business cards to follow up with later, we collected only a handful. But, we spent a couple of hours riding go-carts, wall climbing, and bumper boating while developing a real relationship with that handful of contacts. I am far more likely to use Gil for company investments now that I’ve spent some time with him, than I would have with just a business card. And for an IP voiceover phone with video capabilities, I’ll call Jimmy for sure. That time spent goofing off with a few potential clients has me convinced that it they need graphics, design or a trade show display they will contact me.
So for your next show, think outside of the box. Invite a massage therapist to entice attendees with a chair massage, or hook up the Wii and post a winners bracket. The time you spend building relationships and having fun has the potential to turn a prospect into a client.