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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Partner Voices
MGM Resorts is committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse culture, not just among employees and guests but also within its supply chain. The company prioritizes procuring goods and services from businesses owned by minorities, women, veterans, people with disabilities, LGBTQ individuals and those facing economic disadvantages. This commitment is integral to MGM Resorts' global procurement strategy.    Through its voluntary supplier diversity program, MGM Resorts actively identifies and connects certified diverse-owned suppliers to opportunities within its supply chain. The company is on track to spend at least 15% of its biddable procurement with diverse-owned businesses by 2025, demonstrating that supplier diversity is not only a social responsibility but also a strategic business imperative.    Supplier diversity isn’t just the right thing to do – it’s good for business. A diverse supply chain allows access to a broader range of perspectives and experience, helping to drive innovation, entrepreneurship and resilience, while strengthening communities. At MGM Resorts, engaging diverse suppliers ensures best-in-class experiences for guests and clients. Supplier diversity ensures a more resilient supply chain while supporting economic development in the communities in which it operates.   The impact of MGM Resorts' supplier diversity initiatives is significant. In 2023, these efforts supported over 3,500 jobs across more than 30 states, contributed over $214 million in income for diverse-owned businesses and generated more than $62 million in tax revenue. The story extends beyond the numbers – it reflects the tangible benefits brought to small and diverse-owned businesses, fostering economic empowerment in their communities.    MGM Resorts also supports the development and business skills of diverse-owned businesses through investment, mentorship and education. Through the MGM Resorts Supplier Diversity Mentorship Program, the company identifies, mentors and develops diverse-owned businesses to fill its future pipeline, while providing businesses with tools and resources to empower and uplift. Since 2017, the program has successfully graduated 105 diverse-owned businesses and is on track to achieve its goal of 150 graduates by 2025.     MGM Resorts’ commitment to supplier diversity not only enhances its business operations but also plays a crucial role in uplifting communities and fostering economic development. This approach reinforces the idea that diversity is a powerful driver of innovation and resilience, benefiting both the company and the wider community.