Boring to Fun: Transform Your Trade Show with Interactive Activities

Most trade show attendees can relate to that feeling of monotony as they navigate through hundreds of similar-looking booths, displays, brochures, and sales pitches. And as someone who has attended plenty of such live events, let me tell you, it all starts blurring together by the time visitors reach the exit.

You spend thousands of dollars to exhibit at a trade show, and most people won't even remember you or your brand when your sales team contacts them for a follow-up. And it's not really their fault, as your booth didn't offer something unique and memorable. This is where an interactive activity comes into play.

Adding a fun element to your booth allows your brand to stand out amid the crowd. Take a look at why the visitors need to have a good time at your booth and how an interactive trade show activity can help-

 Why Should Attendees Have Fun at Your Trade Show Booth?

So, you have a great display and enough staff to cater to the crowd you're expecting at your booth. But not a lot of people are willing to visit your booth. What's wrong? They're just tired of the redundancy and probably struggling with information overload. They're passive spectators who just want to finish the visit at the earliest.

As an exhibitor, your goal should be to turn these passive spectators into active listeners. And a fun activity can be beneficial in this scenario. Check out how-

• The activity will provide the audience with a respite from the monotony of the event and give them a much-needed break from all the flashy displays and sales pitches.
• It'll offer visitors a happy and entertaining experience, boosting their engagement with your brand and helping you get closer to your event objectives.
• The memorable experience will also help your sales staff re-engage with them after the event.

Why an Interactive Activity to Entertain Audiences at Live Events?

Most of the conversations at trade show booths are one-way. While your team members may be talking to many trade show attendees, most are usually not mentally present in the conversation. As a result, they learn nothing about your company or your products/services.

An interactive trade show activity doesn’t rely on one-way communication. It gets attendees engaged and involved with your brand, encouraging them to absorb as much information as possible. Moreover, they are super fun and interesting too. Here are some of the reasons why you should use such activities at your booth-

#1 Trade Show Interactive Activities Attract Visitors

Your hard work and investment will be for naught if your booth fails to attract visitors. Whether or not they'd like to become your customers is a different thing altogether. But for them to reach that stage when they're ready to make that decision, they first need to visit your booth and interact with your booth staff.

With all the exhibitors using their booth design, displays, etc., to attract the people, you can stand out by offering them a fun and interactive activity. If I give you two options- a boring-looking booth and another booth with a fun activity, which booth would you like to visit? I guess the choice is very clear.   

[READ: How to Make Your Trade Shows More Fun? 5 Fun Ideas]

#2 Encourages Social Interaction

An interactive activity like a trade show game encourages people to interact with each other. When you're at a trade show surrounded by hundreds and thousands of strangers, initiating a conversation with anyone can be challenging. But things change drastically when the visitors together enjoy the same experience at your booth.

The activity helps break the ice and encourages people to talk to each other and even with your booth staff. And it’ll be an added advantage if the activity is customized for your event objectives, like improving brand awareness, collecting leads, or launching a new product/service. Moreover, the social element will boost your reach, allowing more people to know who you are and what you do.

#3 Booth Activity Can Add Healthy Competition Among the Visitors

Most people have that innate urge to compete and win, especially when they can do it in front of thousands of people at a live event. Through activities like a custom trade show trivia challenge, exhibitors can leverage this trait of competitiveness among people.

The trivia game has questions that the players can answer correctly to score points. Booths with such competitive games generally have a live leaderboard too. The top scorers receive prizes and a valid reason to boast about their success. The competitive element also enhances the fun factor of the interactive activity and motivates more people to visit your booth and participate.

[READ: Trivia Challenge Vs. Personality Quiz Vs. Surveys: Choosing the Best Type of Quiz for Your Event]      

What are the Best Interactive Activities for Trade Shows?

If you’re looking for a fun activity for your exhibition booth, here are some options you can consider-

• Trade show gamification with custom trivia
• AR/VR-based product demo
• Deploy a photo booth
• Use entertainers like robots, models, magicians, etc.
• Product/service trials
• Attendee surveys
• Set up a food and drink station

Add Fun and Excitement to Your Booth with an Interactive Activity

All work and no play can make live events dull and boring. With an interactive activity, you can add a splash of fun and entertainment to ensure people have a great time learning more about your brand and your USPs. If you plan to exhibit at an upcoming trade show, don't forget to use a fun interactive activity, as it can offer many valuable benefits.

At Audiencegage, we build custom trivia challenges for live events. We discuss the goals and challenges with our clients and use their inputs to design an entertaining trivia challenge that can attract and engage their target audience. Register for a free demo of our trivia challenge to witness how we can assist you in making your event fun and successful.

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