In a crowded trade show environment, it’s the booths that encourage hands-on interaction that truly capture attention. These spaces can turn attendees from passive observers into active participants, encouraging them to explore new products through VR or gamified experiences, or to create new memories and build brand affinity through creative challenges and other memorable moments.  

Here, we’ve gathered 13 recent examples that showcased the power of interactivity to boost engagement, draw crowds, and leave lasting impressions. Get inspired by these smart ideas from brands like Reddit, Instacart, eBay, Prime Video, and Google... 

Reddit at CES 2023 

For its first-ever CES booth in 2023, Reddit introduced its “Future Tellers” installation. The space was anchored by an oversize, Reddit-branded crystal ball-type structure fabricated by Giant Spoon. Here, visitors could get a glimpse of what Redditors are talking about today that may sound ludicrous now but will become mainstream in the coming years. After selecting a topic—which spanned entertainment, crypto, Web3, and culture—user-generated content (UGC) of real conversations that happened on Reddit populated the LED ball. 

In another area, “The Communi-Tea Bar” (seen back left corner) invited guests to “read the communi-tea leaves” and further interact with futurism on Reddit’s platform. Tea bags were individually wrapped based on their subreddit, and featured future-telling posts (like “I think the 2032 presidential election is the first ‘gas prices don’t matter’ election” from the r/electricvehicles subreddit). After your tea was brewed, a QR code was revealed at the end of the tea bag’s string, which led to the actual subreddit thread on the platform. 

And in another interactive moment, a quiz asked visitors true and false questions about what they think Redditors are future-telling about. For example, “grasshoppers are the new kale,” which was true. 

Photo: Courtesy of Reddit 

Instacart at Groceryshop 2024 

At Groceryshop 2024, conventiongoers could visit Instacart's eye-catching booth, conceptualized and produced by MoonLab Productions and its in-house fabrication partner, BloqLab. The team crafted a realistic home and store environment, elevating the experience through strategic gamification, dynamic lighting, and playful graphic elements.    

A highlight was the custom Plinko game. Winners had the opportunity to choose from an assortment of premium Instacart swag, gift cards, and even Instacart+ memberships in the dedicated prize zone while enjoying fall-flavored popsicles.

Photos: Courtesy of MoonLab Productions

Cisco IMPACT 2022 

At the 2022 edition of Cisco IMPACT, the company’s annual sales kickoff, the center of the show floor hosted the Shared Stories Gallery (see main image). The 23-foot-tall-by-46-foot-wide frame-like structure was inspired by the event's key visual, a kaleidoscope of energetic shards conveying a moment of impact. As attendees walked inside the Shared Stories Gallery, they found 24 screens displaying social posts of their peers, along with moments to celebrate their colleagues. 

The space ultimately resulted in 1,129 social posts and 1,929 Shared Story Gallery interactions, averaging an interaction every 30 seconds. The event was produced in partnership with George P. Johnson (GPJ), TENCUE, Sans Serif, and Jaguar Design Studio. See more: Most Innovative Meetings 2022: Cisco IMPACT FY23 

Photos: Courtesy of GPJ 

Canon at CES 2023 

An unexpected partnership at CES 2023 came from director and producer M. Night Shyamalan and Canon. Together, they produced Canon’s largest-ever booth at CES, which featured a life-size replica of the cabin from the then-new horror film Knock at the Cabin; the booth was tucked away in a fabricated forest in a 10,000-square-foot space on the show floor. 

Using Canon’s Kokomo technology—VR technology that utilizes a headset—guests could insert themselves into the film. And in the spirit of the movie’s plot, where a young girl and her parents are taken hostage in their own cabin while vacationing in the woods, participants could also barricade the cabin with virtual objects in a three-minute VR game, plus speculate how the story ends. 

Photo: Courtesy of Canon 

eBay at ComplexCon 2023 

A standout moment from 2023’s ComplexCon was the 2,500-square-foot activation from eBay, which organizers liked to refer to as a full-scale “hype house” rather than simply a booth. The vibrantly colored, interactive space highlighted the marketplace's selection of authentic fashion and collectible goods, including handbags, watches, sneakers, streetwear, and trading cards. The eBay House included five main spaces, each of which adopted a different color and theme. 

The house-centric theme evoked how both buyers and sellers engage with eBay at home. The red game room space, for example, focused on the brand’s collectibles market and featured vintage stand-up arcade games like Ms. Pac-Man and NBA Jam. (In a clever, on-theme twist, the foosball table had collectible cards in the place of players.) A yellow office, meanwhile, was focused on luxury items that can be found on eBay. The team created various LED backlit arch photo moments, plus a custom display case with tubes where fans could visualize luxury watches on their own wrists. Media.Monks was the creative agency behind the booth, while Stoelt Productions handled production. See more: See Inside eBay’s Massive Five-Room ‘House’ at ComplexCon 

Photos: McKelvey Photography 

Google Android at CES 2024 

For Google Android's booth at CES 2024, visitors could scan a QR code to access an augmented reality experience with “The Bot” as a guide. In one area, attendees learned about Magic Compose in Google Messages, a beta feature powered by generative AI that offers suggested responses based on the context of your messages. (You can also type what you want to say and select from a broad range of tones like “lyrical” or “Shakespeare” to transform your message.) At giant green mailboxes in the booth, attendees were able to compose a message, print it out like a physical postcard, and mail it. 

The booth’s lead agency was Media.Monks and structural fabrication was handled by Sparks. Pink Sparrow fabricated all of the interior elements. 

Photo: Courtesy of Pink Sparrow 

Visit Wichita at Connect Marketplace 2022 

Of course, interactivity doesn’t always have to be high-tech. At our own Connect Marketplace in 2022, an out-of-the-box engagement idea came from Visit Wichita. The CVB set up a giant colorable column in the middle of its booth; attendees could grab colorful pens and channel their inner creative as they learned about the city's history and must-see attractions. 

Photo: Octane Design 

Want to check out more exciting interactive booths? For the full story, which originally published in our sister outlet, BizBash, go here. 

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