Game On: The Power of Play at Trade Shows

You don’t need an elaborate event booth complete with flame-breathing dragons, a Tesla giveaway, or a tribute metal band to garner attention at your next trade show. Big booth or small, one way to create some excitement is to create a game. Nothing elaborate, just something that can grab some attention and a chance to win something relevant to your brand.

Here are a few practical ideas that anyone can use that are not only proven to draw crowds, but create meaningful engagements with your brand - recipes for turning passive onlookers into potential sales, leads, and brand ambassadors.   

Designing the Ultimate Attraction

Imagine a booth that has a bunch of eager sales folks picking at the bowl of candy and waiting for an eager passer-by to check out their offerings. An occasional appointment is met with a coffee as the sales pitch begins on cue. Yay. Riveted. Tell us more. Boring.

Meanwhile, at the booth next door, a huge crowd of attentive onlookers are glued to a large, spinning wheel as they “ooh and ahh” while they take turns spinning a large wheel. Chances to win small, medium, and bigger prizes keep customers engaged and wanting more. It’s no longer a spinning wheel. It’s a crowd magnet with social media “stickiness.”

By keeping it interesting, you’ll discover exactly what captivates an audience while capturing emails, data, and leads.

At Wise Owl, this meant creating an interactive display that caught eyes and sparked dialogue, an engaging activity where networking feels seamlessly integrated with entertainment. This is a proven trade show booth strategy that speaks directly to our innate love for spontaneity, thrills, and a chance to win in front of our peers.

The Method Behind The Funness

Transforming a game concept into a main attraction feature on the trade show floor begins with a strategy. What’s the “Why?” What are we giving away? What kind of social media opportunity can this create?

In the case of our spinning prize wheel project, we began with a simple draft, but as our builders began to shape it, that initial design organically transformed into an interactive focal point built to endure the energetic atmosphere of popular trade shows. Plus it was durable enough to take the occasional bumps and spills that goes with trade shows. That’s why choosing materials designed for longevity not merely for aesthetics is critical to last across numerous trade events. The client could also tweak the game along the way and even customize it from show to show.

Everyone Wins

When done right, your booth will be transformed into a vibrant epicenter of activity that creates an immersive experience.

This is where fun takes center stage, people can loosen their ties and relax enough for conversations to emerge organically, potentially leading from casual chats to business deals, and handshakes.

Using games as a lure is a nice, tricky way to get invaluable client and consumer insights, draw in attendees, harvest leads, and create a more robust email list, and social opportunities, all while creating an unforgettable brand presence.

Just because trade shows can be boring, doesn’t mean your booth experience has to be.

Are you ready to spin your way to success?

You don’t have to be a Pat Sajak or Vana White to know games equal success. You just have to dive into the adventurous side of trade shows with games that turn your booth into a hub of excitement.

So spin the wheel and give us a call. Because at White Owl, we make games a hoot.