Back to Basics: 5 Ways to drive audience engagement without tech

Georgea May 16, 2024

encourage trade show engagement without tech

The other day, I met a musician at an SBA event. She shared that many years ago she exhibited at her 1^st trade show and was embarrassed because she only had a little table and a throw, along with a bulletin board she had designed to communicate her brand messaging. She had NO idea what she was walking into when it came to exhibiting.

Guess what!? She won a prize for most creative exhibit. Her booth, with its lack of bells and whistles, cut through the noise and did what everyone is trying to do – It stood out! I wish she had a photo of this booth. She described the floral wreath she glued around the bulletin board while we sipped bad coffee at a networking event.

Let’s talk about tech and exhibits!

Interactive games, AR/VR, and video walls – they are all awesome. But are they necessary to achieve your event objectives? Let’s break it down…

It depends on your brand objectives.

WHY are you attending this event or show?

Common trade show and event goals

Brand Awareness/Visibility
Lead Gen/Sales
Product Launch
Customer Engagement
Market Research & Education
Networking

Let’s hone our focus on goals 1 and 2, as they are some of the most common.

Brand Awareness: Depending on your product and market, some newfangled-ness might be a good avenue to spec out. If you need to present as the biggest, baddest, coolest booth on the show floor – then yeah, the investment in high-tech will probably be worth it.

Lead Gen/Sales: If your goal is to draw in your target audience and ultimately convert them into customers, with brand awareness as a bonus, you may not need all that jazz!

Let’s look at your objective as a funnel.

1) REACH: You want to reach their target audience and that's exactly why you are at the show. Step one, taken care of!

2) ATTRACT: You want to stand out on the crowded show floor.

3) ENGAGE & ENTERTAIN: You want your target audience to ACTIVELY engage with your booth and staff so they can learn about your products and services.

4) DELIGHT & CONVERT: You want to create a memorable EXPERIENCE that ultimately leads to a sale

If our goal is to move event attendees down this funnel, the truth is, interactive games and LED walls can 100% help achieve those objectives. BUT – they are NOT necessary to achieve them.

In fact, bringing it back to basics may stand out on a show floor flooded with tech.

Here are some analog engagement strategies that can help achieve your objectives and not break the bank!

Community Boards & Live Polling Stations: Take the top tricks from museums and community events and implement large boards where attendees can interact in analog. Ask questions about challenges they may be facing, or opinions they have on your product, service, or industry. “When I think about X industry, or X product I feel…" Use physical tokens or stickers for attendees to vote on or contribute to the conversation. As the engagement grows, others will be encouraged to participate.

This analog approach keeps attendees engaged and returning to your booth to see updates.

Bonus points community boards and live polling offers:

Market research and attendee interaction in one
Include some fun graphics and you have a selfie spot to drive UGC.
Analog sentiment analysis. Interactivity/engagement + market research in one! BOOM!

Get Playful with Theme-Based Challenges & Gamification w/o Gadgets: Organize creative challenges and games or contests related to your industry. Offer small prizes to encourage participation and interaction.

Artistic Contributions: Encourage attendees to contribute to a collective mural or message wall, enhancing the visual appeal of your booth and fostering a sense of community.

Themed Photo Opportunities: Set up themed photo spots where attendees can take pictures without digital enhancements. This can be as simple as a backdrop related to your industry, providing a fun, memorable experience.

Analog Social Media Wall: Create a physical "social media" wall where attendees can post notes or pictures, simulating the experience of digital social interactions in an analog format.

Relaxation Zones: Trade shows can be exhausting and overwhelming. Offer a small area where attendees can relax and recharge, physically and mentally. A comfortable seating area away from the hustle of the trade show can be a welcome respite for attendees. Combo this with a “wellness corner”, where they can color or create visual tokens that get added to your display.

Below are some awesome examples from the interwebs. Please note, this is not our work.