3 Unique Trade Show Booth ideas that increase Attendee Engagement & Buzz

July 16, 2016

Randy Doran

Randy Doran is the Co-Owner & Photographer at NextGen Event Co., (http://nextgeneventco.com) an Experiential Event company that specializes in brand activations that drive engagement, brand awareness and social media exposure onsite for brands.

Unique trade show ideas and promotional concepts can help make your booth exhibit an amazing experience and sought after destination for attendees at your special event, trade show and convention.  

Successful exhibitors are constantly on the lookout for new, creative marketing concepts that differentiate their display areas from the competition and attract crowds that ultimately convert into new sales revenue. Stick out from the sea of other exhibition booths and provide your attendee with instant excitement and value.  

Listed below are three activation ideas that can be implemented by almost any company at Trade shows that deliver great results:  

1.   Headshots taken onsite in a "Photo Lounge"

Drive traffic to your trade show exhibition booth with a Digital Headshot Photo Lounge providing complimentary headshots taken immediately onsite. A fresh, updated headshot gives your guests the online presence necessary in today's business world to get ahead. It's a great business tool that they can employ right away and receive their photos taken with a professional photographer and retrieve their best selected looks & headshots from an online gallery. The gallery can be fully customized with company logos & branding. The participants can also receive their photos via email directly onsite.    

Additionally, it serves as a great lead generation tool collecting valuable registration information such as name, email, title, company and even quick surveys from participants. The headshots are complimentary provided by sponsor and offer a practical solution that every professional can use for their careers that directly benefits your brand- both during and post event.

2.   Green Screen Activations

Photo and Video Entertainment can be used at your exhibition booth to take photos of guests and super-impose their images on unique, custom backgrounds relevant to your event theme or Brand. Chroma Key technology uses various background themes that can include Around the world, News magazine, Hollywood, Step and repeat red carpet, Cityscapes, Beach scenes or customized to your event.  

Green Screen Photography & Videography is an excellent choice for creating a buzz and post event activity. Attract visitors to your booth with a promotional instant printed photo favor, animated GIF image or video upload which can immediately be shared on social media networks extending your brand awareness in post event activity.

3.  SMM Social Media Marketing with onsite photo & video sharing

Upload event photography images immediately taken onsite at your event directly to email, text or social media networks fully branded with company logos and unique event hashtag.  Perfect for extending event awareness and also compliments traditional marketing methods before, during and after the show. 

Create contests, new product sneak peaks and offer promotional coupons to registered attendees who follow your event in real time.  Also offer exclusive interviews and content only accessed via selected social media channels.  By utilizing these techniques, you can effectively market to younger demographics and be on the cutting edge using latest social platforms and side step ahead of your competition.  

Your Attendees will share your content!

Give them a great reason to share your content and they will in social media.  Try to leverage Instagram and Snapchat, which are some of the fastest growing social networks building up audiences quickly over the past few years.  Instagram offers incredible Reach & Potential: 300M monthly users • 30B photos shared • 2.5B like daily • 70M photos a day Its undeniable ... People love to Instagram!  37 percent of Instagram users are 18-29, and another 18% are in the 30-49 bracket. It’s an amazing network that really has widespread appeal.  Regarding Snapchat, 45% of Snapchat’s users are under 25, a great way to reach this younger audience.

We hope some of these ideas can help benefit your Trade Show promotional marketing initiatives and generate new sales leads driving revenue.  Keep us posted on how you incorporate the above ideas and how they work for you!

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Overview: The award-winning Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) goes the extra mile to make every day extraordinary by offering customer service excellence and industry-leading partnerships. From their dedicated in-house Rigging team to their robust Exhibitor Services, The Center of Hospitality brings your imagination to life by helping you host unforgettable meetings and events. With more than 2 million square feet of exhibit space, world-class services and a dream destination, we are committed to making even the most ambitious conventions a reality. In October 2023, the Orange County Board of County Commissioners voted to approve allocating Tourist Development Tax funding for the $560 million Phase 5A completion of the OCCC. The Convention Way Grand Concourse project will include enhancements to the North-South Building, featuring an additional 60,000 square feet of meeting space, an 80,000- square-foot ballroom and new entry to the North-South Building along Convention Way. “We are thrilled to begin work on completing our North-South Building which will allow us to meet the growing needs of our clients,” said OCCC Executive Director Mark Tester. “As an economic driver for the community, this project will provide the Center with connectivity and meeting space to host more events and continue to infuse the local economy with new money and expanding business opportunities.” Amenities: The Center of Hospitality goes above and beyond by offering world-class customer service and industry-leading partnerships. From the largest convention center Wi-Fi network to custom LAN/WAN design, the Center takes pride in enhancing exhibitor and customer experience.  The OCCC is the exclusive provider of electricity (24-hour power at no additional cost), aerial rigging and lighting, water, natural gas and propane, compressed air, and cable TV services. Convenience The Center is at the epicenter of the destination, with an abundance of hotels, restaurants, and attractions within walking distance. Pedestrian bridges connect both buildings to more than 5,200 rooms and is within a 15-minute drive from the Orlando International Airport. The convenience of the location goes hand-in-hand with top notch service to help meet an event’s every need. Gold Key Members The OCCC’s Gold Key Members represent the best of the best when it comes to exceptional service and exclusive benefits for clients, exhibitors and guests. The Center’s Gold Key memberships with Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld Orlando and Walt Disney World greatly enhance meeting planner and attendee experiences offering world-renowned venues, immersive experiences and creative resources for their events. OCCC Events: This fiscal year, the OCCC is projected to host 168 events, 1.7 million attendees, and $2.9 billion in economic impact.  The Center’s top five events during their 2022-2023 fiscal year included:  AAU Jr. National Volleyball Championships 2023 200,000 Attendees $257 Million in Economic Impact MEGACON 2023 160,000 Attendees $205 Million in Economic Impact Open Championship Series 2023 69,500 Attendees $89 Million in Economic Impact Sunshine Classic 2023 42,000 Attendees $54 Million in Economic Impact Premiere Orlando 2023 42,000 Attendees $108 Million in Economic Impact