What to Look Out for Before Choosing and Setting Up a Trade Show Game?

When exhibiting your company at a trade show, you want people to remember you for having a fun, engaging, a social, and competitive element at your booth. Trade show games check all the right boxes.

But every booth game is different, and it would be naive to expect every game to deliver the same results. If you want the best for your booth and ensure it really stands out, you must be careful about your choice of game. Here are 7 factors that transform a game into something exclusively created for trade show success-

7 Factors for Choosing the Best Trade Show Game

1. Booth Game Which Requires Active Involvement

Most attendees are generally in some sort of "sleep mode", where they simply walk through the hundreds of booths without really absorbing anything. You don't want this happening at your booth, as it won't help you with your event objectives, right? Just like all the other booths, people will mostly forget you as soon as they pass through the exit gate.  

Games are naturally an active form of entertainment. But the level of involvement they require varies significantly between games.

For instance, games and activities like lucky draws, prize wheels, and digital fishbowls, although popular among exhibitors, don't involve or engage the participants actively.

In comparison, something like a trade show trivia challenge needs active participation, as people must consciously use their mental faculties to answer the questions. So, the game engages the visitors with your brand more effectively than other games that don't require much involvement. 

But a word of caution. If you make the game very challenging, you also risk losing the interest of your visitors very easily. That is why we recommend letting our quiz masters design the quiz for you to ensure that they are suited to your goals as well as your audience. 

[READ: The Science of Trivia Gamification at Trade Shows]

2. Exhibition Games with a Competitive Element

Games with a competitive element can take audience engagement to the next level. There are three significant reasons why you should consider a competition-based game for your booth-

• Competition fulfills our innate urge to win
• It offers a reason or opportunity to enhance our performance
• Motivates us to deliver our best

And these reasons work very well in making your booth a crowd-puller. The visitors will have a deeper level of engagement with your brand when competing, and it'll also make your brand more memorable.

Consider a trade show booth game where players can score points and compete with other visitors. A live leaderboard will be an added advantage.

3. Games That are Fun and Engaging

You also want people to have a good time at your booth. And the trade show game you choose can play a vital role in this process.

Choose something too simple, like a lucky draw, and it won't engage the people unless you offer expensive prizes. Similarly, if the game is too difficult or time-consuming, it can suck out all the fun, and people will mostly avoid participating.

But people love playing games like quizzes every now and then. Moreover, it is one of the few activities where you completely control the difficulty level.

Come up with creative questions that are not too easy or too difficult, and watch the attendees have fun and socialize at your booth.

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

4. Assists with Brand Awareness

The trade show booth game you choose should be customizable. It should help people learn more about your products/services, brand story, and USPs.

For instance, if it is an exhibition trivia quiz, the questions can be customized per the exhibitor's event objectives. Aspects like the user interface and visuals of the game should also be customizable to make the brand memorable.

When searching for a booth game, ensure you select one that is customizable and also check the level of customization offered by the game provider.

5. Trade Show Game That Digitizes Lead Collection

Traditional lead collection methods like collecting business cards or even badge scanners are not as effective as they used to be. As people love digital technologies and prefer dealing with technologically advanced companies, it's a good idea to digitize the lead collection process.

[READ: Trade Show Games VS. Badge Scanners]

You can find trade show games that offer this functionality. Before or after playing the online game, the players must be asked to fill up an online lead form.

The game is connected to a digital lead collection portal where all forms are securely stored. After the event, the game provider shares the lead data with the exhibitor.

6. Booth Game with Minimal Set Up and Allowing Staff to Engage with Visitors

Trade show gamification shouldn't make the booth setup complex or time-consuming. Moreover, the staff shouldn't have to spend a lot of time explaining or managing the game so that they focus on engaging with the visitors.

Another vital consideration is the booth space which you might already know is very expensive. So, opt for games that don't require a lot of space.  

Games like scavenger hunts can require plenty of space, include complex setups, and keep the staffers busy. While you can choose such games if they fit your requirements, other options, like custom trade show trivia quizzes can be fun and engaging while being a breeze to manage.

[READ: Trivia Games VS. Virtual Spinwheel VS. Scavenger Hunt]

Trivia games only need a device like iPad or visitor's device for the gameplay and a live leaderboard for scorekeeping. Some of them also allow visitors to play the game through their smartphones.

7. Merging Gamification with Analytics

Exhibitors have now started using analytics to gain valuable insights about the event. If you’re looking for ways to leverage data and technology to boost our performance, a trade show game can help.

Some booth games now have analytical capabilities to provide exhibitors with useful data like booth traffic, visitor engagement statistics, and more.

Exhibitors can use these data points to refine their trade show plan and perform better in future events.  

Trade Show Games are Worth the Effort

Trade show games can add that unique element to your booth and attract more traffic. While selecting the right game can be an effort and time-consuming process, it is definitely worth it as the game can play a vital role in helping you achieve the event objectives.

At Audiencegage, we offer fun and customizable trivia quizzes to drive engagement at trade shows and events. From attracting and engaging attendees to creating memorable experiences and boosting ROI, our games can help you get the most from your investment. Contact us for a free demo and watch our custom game in action.

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