Physical Vs Digital Trade Show Games: Making the Right Choice

The competition at popular trade shows is fierce. With hundreds and even thousands of businesses vying for attention, making an impact is a challenge. One of the most effective ways to encourage people to visit your booth is to stand out from the crowd and provide a memorable experience. And trade show gamification can give you that edge.

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[READ: 5 Reasons Why Gamification Is So Effective at Live Live Events]

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But while trade show games are gaining vast popularity among exhibitors and event planners, what should you select between physical and digital games? In this article, we’ll explore some factors from an exhibitor’s point of view to help you make the right decision.

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Digital Vs. Physical: The Battle of Trade Show Game Formats

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1. Booth Game Cost

Trade shows can help your business in many different ways but they’re also one of the most expensive marketing activities.

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At bigger events, the booth space alone costs thousands of dollars. The rule of thumb is to multiply the booth space cost by three for a ballpark figure of your trade show budget. So, if the booth space costs $10,000, you’ll be spending around $30,000 on the event.

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Compared to physical trade show games, digital games are more cost-effective. Apart from the cost of the offline game itself, you’ll also have to invest in transportation services if it involves an elaborate setup.

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[READ: How to Create a Trade Show Budget?]

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2. Booth Space

As mentioned, booth space is expensive. Not every exhibitor has the budget to invest in bigger spaces, making 10x10 and 20x10 their preferred choices. While you can succeed at trade shows with a smaller booth, you’ll need a space-optimized trade show booth plan.

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Needless to say, physical games require more space. Even something like an offline raffle or trivia game will consume the expensive real estate of your booth.

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On the other hand, an online trade show activity like a digital game is highly space-efficient. Most of these games can be played on devices like iPads installed at the booth or the visitors can also play them on their smartphones. Moreover, you can easily find digital variants of popular trade show games like raffle, trivia, prize wheels, and more.

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[READ: 10 Design Ideas for a 10x10 Trade Show Booth]

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3. Game Setup and Staff Involvement

The game setup has a direct correlation with the game cost and booth space. Offline games with complex setups are generally more expensive and also consume more booth space.

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Also, with physical games, you’ll need one or two staffers solely dedicated to managing the game. So, you’ll have fewer people interacting with the potential leads. Space and budget constraints might not allow you to invest in additional staffers.

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These hassles can be eliminated with virtual trade show games as you only need a few minutes to set them up at your booth. Also, once the game is deployed, there’s not much your staff needs to do apart from maybe keeping the gaming device charged at all times.

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4. Lead Collection

With a booth activity like offline games, exhibitors typically collect leads manually by asking the attendees to fill out the lead form or scan their badges. But these overused and impersonal lead collection strategies are prone to lead loss.

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We now live in a digital world and people prefer using virtual channels as much as possible. A digital game can digitize the lead collection process, helping you align with the needs and expectations of the attendees.

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Before playing the digital game, players must fill out a short online form and provide details like name, contact number, email, designation, etc. The game is connected to an online lead collection platform where all the lead details are securely stored.

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[READ: Struggling with lead Loss? Know How a Custom Trivia Can Help]

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5. Number of Players

The number of people you’re expecting at your booth is also a vital consideration when choosing between physical and digital booth games.

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No matter what offline game you select, the number of players who can play the game simultaneously will be limited. Physical games are also time-consuming and this could lead to annoyed attendees waiting in queues at your booth.

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But there’s no limit to the number of players who can play online games simultaneously. For instance, if the game can be played on smartphones, all the visitors can enjoy the game on their devices. Alternatively, depending on the number of people you’re expecting at your booth, you can install 1-2 or more iPads or similar devices to help with the traffic flow.

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6. Game Customization

Every element of your trade show booth should complement your brand. Thus, you should customize the booth activity as well with your brand colors, logos, and typography.

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With physical games, you do have the option to get the game customized. However, this will mostly increase the game cost as customizing an offline game is a more time-consuming and complex process.

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Game customization is easier with virtual games. The gamification company can personalize all the different elements of the game, including the design, creatives, lead forms, and more, to ensure that game significantly contributes to your branding objectives.

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[READ: 7 Trade Show Strategies to Maximize Your Gamification ROI]

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Physical Vs. Digital Trade Show Games: Overview

Choosing Between Physical and Digital Games

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In this fast-paced digital world, online games have emerged as a powerful tool for making an impact at trade shows. As virtual games are better than offline games in almost all aspects, they should be your preferred choice for the upcoming event.

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Audiencegage excels at customizing fun and interactive trade show games to help exhibitors with their business goals. We offer an extensive suite of digital trade show games, including trivia challenges, raffle games, prize wheels, scavenger hunts, and more, to suit different needs and expectations. Schedule a free demo to see how it works.

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