The Best Games To Boost Your Trade Show Marketing
You may exhibit at trade shows to develop sales leads, but you have plenty of competition from other vendors with the same idea. Even if fellow exhibitors present a completely different product, you still vie with them for the attention of attendees who are making their way through the show maze. To ensure that your booth gets noticed, boost your trade show marketing efforts by adding games and entertainment to the mix.
Why Convention Games Pull In Traffic
Trade show and convention games have proven to be effective traffic magnets that not only pull attendees into your exhibit but also keep them there longer, giving you time to share your message. While participants are anxiously waiting for their chance to win, you have the perfect opportunity to connect with them on a personal level without the triteness of a typical sales pitch. Given that we live in a visual, sound bite world, colorful, interactive games engage visitors and create good feelings about your company while making your presentation memorable.
What’s Hot In Trade Show Entertainment
Modern tradeshow entertainment is a blend of old and new favorites. Depending on the game, you can either allow anyone who comes to the booth to play or pre-qualify those who come to the booth by, for example, having them answer a trivia question. Most games are able to be imprinted or customized so that visitors are very conscious of your business’s name, logo and marketing message.
Here of are some of the most popular trade show games:
Prize wheels, as seen on the TV show Wheel of Fortune, offer contestants the chance to spin for cash or prizes. Add excitement and value to your brand by giving promotional items emblazoned with your company logo to the winners.
Money machines offer attendees the chance to enter a chamber and grab money or discount coupons that are swirling around. The excitement created by a money machine will turn your booth into the spectacle of the tradeshow and is sure to draw a crowd of potential customers.
Plinko boards allow contestants to drop a chip down a field of staggered pegs to reach a bottom row of prizes. The distinctive “plinking” sound gives the game its name and also builds excitement as the chip moves from side to side and downward to reach prizes.
Toss N’ Win tests the skill of participants as they try to toss a bean bag into a hole on a large board. The boards can be completely customized with your company logo and message. Portable, lightweight and fun, theToss N’Win is an ideal convention game for a variety of industries.
Matching contests often begin as part of pre-show marketing efforts, where attendees are sent a badge or sticker in the mail. If the number or symbol on their sticker completes something on display at the show, they win a prize.
Social media games use Facebook or Twitter to encourage visitors to interact online. By showing the tweets or posts on a big screen TV at the booth, the company can create buzz and respond back online to reward someone who has posted with prizes.
Treasure chest games encourage visitors to bring in a key they received in the mail prior to the event to see if it opens a chest of prizes. The keys can also be offered at the door as attendees arrive, leading them straight to your booth to try their luck.
Drawings offer the potential of wining prizes to those who drop their business cardsinto a bowl.
Video games offer a nostalgic approach to attract visitors to your booth. When was the last time you had the chance to play PacMan or Pinball? Chances are the show attendees passing your booth feel the same way.
Popular trade show and convention games are a big and bold way to transform your booth into a destination for some attendees and draw in visitors who are passing by.