Attracting Audiences to Your Trade Show Booth with Games- 11 Steps

Trade shows are a great way for brands and companies to foster valuable connections with attendees and generate engaged leads. However, this can’t happen unless attendees spend enough time at your booth.

‍

And one of the best ways to increase dwell time at the booth is through trade show games. These games can make your booth exciting and fun. Also, through a pre-game lead form, you can collect digitized leads instead of manual lead collecting, helping your sales team do a better job once the event is over. 

‍

[READ: How to Choose the Best Interactive Trade Show Activity? Use These 9 Tips]

‍

But it’s not just about putting up any game. Instead, it’s about planning it effectively so that maximum crowd flocks to your trade show booth. 

‍

Let’s dive deeper into the 11-step strategy to help you do this effectively. 

‍

Step 1: Understand Your Objectives

‍

Before diving into game selection and design, clarifying your objectives is crucial. What are your goals for the event? According to hundreds of exhibitors we have interacted with, some of the most common trade show objectives revolve around the following;

‍

• Lead generation
• Product demonstration
• Brand awareness
• Build relationships
• Make new announcements
• Launch new products

‍

Knowing your event objectives will help you select the right game. For instance, if your goal is only lead generation, you can go with a Raffle Game where visitors can enter their contact details in exchange for a lucky draw to win great prizes. On the other hand, if you’re looking at brand awareness, a scavenger hunt with many brand-related challenges can be a good way to engage your audience. 

‍

[Read: From Eyeballs to Footfalls to Conversions: Using a Trade Show Game to Achieve Event Objectives]

‍

Step 2: Make Your Booth Interactive

‍

An engaged audience is the cornerstone of successful trade show participation. And engagement comes through interaction. Making your booth interactive is thus important if you want to engage your audience. There are a few things you can do to make your booth interactive.

‍

• Installing iPads at the booth where your attendees can play the game
• Connecting your game to a leaderboard for displaying the top players 
• Encouraging your visitors to be in the top 3-5 spots through special prizes

‍

A buzzing and interactive booth is essential if you want more people to come to your booth. 

‍

[Read: Interactive Trade Show Booth Games VS Other Promotional Activities]

‍

Step 3: Planning Game Dynamics

‍

Game dynamics also play an important role in creating buzz at your booth and attracting larger crowds. For instance, the graphics of your game, the effects, and other game dynamics can make your game boring or very interesting. 

‍

But it isn’t just about loading the game with irrelevant features. It’s equally important to understand the objectives behind implementing games – from brand awareness to lead generation. Strategically aligning game mechanics with your booth's overarching message and goals will go a long way in making your booth a crowd magnet. 

‍

If you’re working with a trade show game company like Audiencegage, you can take help from the experts by carefully planning the game dynamics to meet the goals. 

‍

Let’s understand this with the help of an example. Let’s assume your goal is launching a new product, and your chosen game is trade show trivia. We at Audiencegage can smartly place some interesting product-related questions to help the visitors gain more information about the new product. 

‍

[Read: 20 Trade Show Trivia Game Examples]

‍

Step 4: Design Interactive and Relevant Games

‍

It’s essential to analyze your target audience's demographics, preferences, and interests to design and deploy games that resonate. This will help create an experience that speaks directly to attendees' needs and desires.

‍

With Audiencegage's support, you can get designed interactive and relevant games that capture attendees' attention. Take our scavenger hunt game, for instance. These games can allow you to corporate other game elements such as a trivia challenge, prize wheel, or even raffle within the scavenger hunt game. 

‍

Whatever game you choose, ensure it aligns with the theme of your event, your brand, and your event goal. 

‍

[READ: 38 Scavenger Hunt Challenge Ideas for Trade Shows]

‍

Step 5: Incorporate Brand Elements

‍

Let’s face it. It’s not just about making the visitors play a game at your booth. If the game doesn’t align with your branding, it hasn’t really contributed to your event goals, has it? Make sure you infuse your brand identity into the games. This can happen through color themes, logos, fonts, and gaming elements. This enables you to reinforce brand recall and leave a lasting impression. 

‍

Remember these three things when you’re getting your game designed.

‍

• Logos on the home screen and all the screens
• The color schemes used should be the same as your brand colors
• Visuals should align with your brand values 

‍

Besides helping you with brand recall, branding elements in your game can also help attract targeted crowds at your booth.

‍

Step 6: Designed Themed Booth Setup

‍

Create an immersive environment by aligning your booth's design with the theme of your games. A visually appealing and cohesive setup will pique curiosity and make your booth more memorable.

‍

[READ: 10 Design Ideas for a 10X10 Trade Show Booth]

‍

Step 7: Promotion and Teasers

‍

Okay, so you’ve designed the game and are ready to deploy it at your booth. But wait, your job isn’t over yet. It’s equally important to promote it now. While yes, you may have been promoting the event you’re participating in, don’t shy away from promoting the gamification element too. 

‍

Building anticipation through pre-event promotions generates excitement about the upcoming game experience. Use social media, email campaigns, and event teasers to create a buzz and attract attendees.

‍

[READ: 5 Digital Marketing Strategies to Promote Your Booth at Trade Shows]

‍

Step 8: Make Use of Leaderboard to Attract Crowds

‍

Leaderboards displayed on large screens and prizes that can be won, can help you attract crowds to your booth if done right. You can use large screens and TV displays and hang them over your booth so that you can be visible from a distance. Needless to say, this also allows you to stand out from the sea of exhibitors on a busy trade show floor. 

‍

There are many other advantages of leaderboards as well, such as making games more competitive, boosting engagement, and tracking results. 

‍

[READ: Why Should You Have a Leaderboard for Your Trade Show Games]

‍

Step 9: Create a Buzz with Prizes and Incentives

‍

Everyone loves a chance to win prizes, and trade show games offer an excellent opportunity to create a buzz around your booth. Offer attractive prizes that resonate with your audience, such as discounts, exclusive access, or valuable giveaways. The allure of valuable rewards will encourage more people to participate and increase foot traffic to your booth.

‍

[READ: 13 Trade Show Giveaway Ideas [Don’t Miss Idea #13]]

‍

Step 10: Collaborative Partnerships

‍

Collaborate with other exhibitors or sponsors to cross-promote each other's booth activities. This expands your reach and attracts attendees who might not have otherwise visited your booth.

‍

Step 11: Go Live

‍

If you’re on a social media platform, going live and showcasing how the game’s being enjoyed by your visitors can be an excellent way to inform others and encourage them to come to your booth. 

‍

Attract, Engage, and Capture with Audiencegage Games

‍

Trade show games offer a compelling avenue to attract audiences and foster meaningful interactions. By adopting a step-by-step approach, as mentioned here, exhibitors can effectively leverage trade show games to leave an indelible mark on attendees and achieve their event objectives.

Trade show games by Audiencegage are a powerful tool for attracting crowds, increasing engagement, and achieving your event objectives. Ready to see it in action? Schedule your free demo today! Embrace the excitement of event gamification, and watch as your booth becomes the talk of the trade show.

‍