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7 Supercharged Trade Show Activation Ideas to Inspire Your Sponsorship Program

by | January 24, 2022

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According to Statista, in 2019, trade show attendance in the United States was at an all-time high. After a lull of several years, trade shows are ready to move back to the forefront. If your company or organization plans on hosting an in-person or virtual trade show this year, you need activation ideas to take your event from ordinary to extraordinary. Which activations do I recommend?

Here are 7 fantastic trade show activation ideas to consider for your sponsorship program:

  • Scavenger hunt
  • Attention-grabbing display element
  • Augmented reality
  • Free food samples
  • Live music
  • Rest area
  • Wearable swag

If you’re looking for more information about these creative trade show activation ideas, including examples and tips on how to emulate and recreate them (with tweaks), I’ve got plenty to talk about ahead! 

7 Creative Trade Show Activation Ideas to Take Your Event to the Next Level

7 Supercharged Trade Show Activation Ideas

Scavenger Hunt

One of my favorite activation ideas for trade shows and expos continues to be the scavenger hunt. 

Why is that? It just checks so many boxes. 

Whether you’re holding an in-person trade show or a virtual one, a scavenger hunt is doable. 

Second, you usually don’t have to spend too much money putting together a scavenger hunt. If your company or organization is trying to execute a sponsorship program on a moderate budget, scavenger hunts are one of those activations you should be able to afford.

Why else do I love scavenger hunts as an activation idea? They’re a great way to get your audience making a concerted beeline for your sponsor’s booth. If your sponsor has a fantastic prize, then most event attendees will want to get in on the scavenger hunt.

Even the ones who weren’t initially interested in participating in the scavenger hunt might find themselves changing their minds due to the contagious energy of the hunt. 

If you’re thinking that a scavenger hunt will fit as an activation idea for your trade show sponsorship program, I recommend making the hunt somewhat difficult but not impossible. 

The key is to keep attendees engaged in the scavenger hunt for a while so it’s not over too quickly but not for so long that everyone loses interest. 

After all, trade show event attendees usually have a full schedule. Respect that schedule but give attendees a break from listening to speeches or hustling from one part of the event hall to another through a fun activity like a scavenger hunt. 

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Attention-Grabbing Display Element

If you’ve been keeping up with the blog lately, then you’ll recognize that this is the second time I’ve recommended an attention-grabbing display element as an activation idea. 

In the context of trade shows, this especially makes sense.

Your sponsor’s booth is one of hundreds. How do you get event attendees to gravitate towards their booth over everyone else’s? Well, I have a few ideas for that which will come up throughout the rest of this article. One of those ideas is a good display element.

The sponsor’s entire booth might be an attention-grabbing display or only part of it; that’s up to the two of you. Here’s a good example of a display that makes you want to walk right over to it that comes from the mattress giant Sleep Number.

You can spot this Sleep Number booth from across the event hall since the booth has a large display with the Sleep Number name. The display is also suspended higher so that you can look up and find your way. 

The large canopy is appealing, as are the beds. Can you try Sleep Number’s beds and take a nap during the event? That’s a question that event attendees are naturally going to have, which will make them want to check out the booth to learn more. 

When it comes to display elements, usually, bigger is better. As I’m sure I don’t have to tell you, a larger display element is going to be costly.

If your company or organization doesn’t have room in the budget for such a big display element, you can downsize and still make an impact. For example, check out this Google booth.

It’s small and doesn’t have a lot of dangling overhead elements, but it’s colorful, and that catches the eye. 

Display elements that get people talking will also inspire them to take their phones out and snap some photos. Since the display likely includes the sponsor’s name somewhere, once other people see the booth by tracking the social media feed for your trade show, they’ll likely decide to check out the booth too even if it wasn’t on their to-do list. 

Once you get attendees to your sponsor’s booth, it’s up to them to begin the conversion process. 

Augmented Reality

Have you ever played Pokémon Go? Even if the game isn’t your thing, you’re probably at least likely familiar with it. If not, then you’ve likely used apps such as Snapchat and all those fun filters, correct? 

I’m only asking because these are some accessible examples of augmented reality or AR. 

Although it’s still not common technology today, it seems like it’s only a matter of time before AR becomes a part of our everyday lives. In the meantime, before that happens, you can harness the power of AR as an activation to make a real splash during your trade show.

For example, at the 2017 North American International Auto Show, Ford utilized virtual reality to showcase what the inside of their new vehicles looked like. The VR feature was almost like having X-ray vision, as you could see into the car to glimpse upon its impressive array of parts.

NAIAS is a huge auto show with a floor that’s filled to the brim with the latest cars, trucks, and SUVs. If you want your booth to have any chance of standing out, then you need to go out on a limb, and that’s exactly what Ford did.

Which would you rather look at: another aisle of shiny, new vehicles or an AR car? I think most people would say the AR car is the more attractive option. 

With projection mapping, you can make your sponsor’s VR trade show booth even more irresistible. Projection mapping projects an image onto a surface rather than a flat screen. Whether the projection mapping occurs on a sloped wall, a domed surface, or even a car (hey, why not?), the effect is immersive and very cool.

Of course, as I always say on the blog, activations have to be more than flashy. They must have substance to them as well. 

In showcasing your sponsor’s virtual reality booth, they might also have product demonstrations, a contest or giveaway (that requires signups to participate), or even–as I’ll talk more about in just a second–freebies! 

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Free Food Samples

You know what trade show event attendees are? Busy. And you know what else they are? Hungry. 

Sure, the event hall will have places to eat, but these can be few and far between and usually require taking a hike to get there. If your sponsor can make food accessible to the masses, they’ll be the hero of the day.

Free food samples will get people lining up in droves to try some, especially if the food is utterly delectable.

Okay, you’re saying, but what if my sponsor has nothing to do with food? The sponsor company might be able to partner up with a food brand. Even though the sponsor doesn’t prepare the food, they still get most of the glory (or at least half of it). 

If even that’s not feasible, that’s okay. The crux of this activation idea is that you’re providing something your audience needs, which is usually just a basic need. Perhaps your sponsor gives out branded water bottles instead of free food. The effect is the same. 

Live Music

Rather than only appealing to the trade show attendees’ visual and gustatory tastes, treat them audibly as well. 

Live music is a surefire way to capture the attention of even weary booth walkers. They’ll hear a catchy tune or appealing music and want to figure out where it’s coming from.

The key here is to feature live music, not a recording from a boombox (that feels like cheating; plus, it’s not an activation. It’s not much of anything). 

I’m not saying you need a four-piece brass band to make an impact. Far from it! Even soft, ambient background music will be effective.

When should you recommend live music as an activation to your sponsor? If they plan on selling products or services at your trade show. 

According to multimedia resource Holdcom, music is proven to keep people around longer, as it’s more comfortable than dead silence. 

The article also mentions that the speed of the music usually matches shoppers’ speed as well. Slower, more relaxed music is going to keep event attendees browsing for longer, which might be necessary in some instances.

Ultimately, the type of music your sponsor selects for their booth should be an extension of their brand. For example, if they’re an upscale brand, then slow, classical music fits. For companies with a large youth audience, you can’t go wrong with today’s top 40 hits.

Although it’s an element of branding that doesn’t get nearly as much attention, audio branding is indeed a way to bring out a side of your sponsor that customers and potential customers have maybe never seen–er, heard–before. 

Rest Area

This goes back to my idea before of your sponsor providing something to the trade show audience that they need. 

Beyond food and drink, you know what else event attendees need? A break every now and again.

Your sponsor can erect a rest area in lieu of a booth that gives everyone at the trade show a chance to stop. The rest area can act as a lounge, with couches, chairs, and maybe a few bean bags thrown in for good measure. A phone charging station is something that event attendees will appreciate as well. 

What I like about this trade show activation idea is that any type of sponsor company can utilize it. Your sponsor doesn’t have to specialize in beds or tech or anything like that. 

You know you can get people to your sponsor’s rest area, but then what? How does the sponsor benefit from an activation like that?

Good question! Perhaps some TV screens in the rest area can display the sponsor’s products or services. If an event attendee wants to learn more, they can sign up for the sponsor’s email list. You can even use part of the rest zone as a product demonstration area. 

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Wearable Swag

Or your sponsor can combine a rest area with my last trade show activation idea, and that’s free wearable swag. 

Yes, I do want to make the distinction here that your sponsor’s freebie should be wearable.

After all, if the sponsor gives event attendees a pen, what’s the good in that? The pen will go in the attendee’s shoulder bag or purse, and maybe they’ll use it again, or perhaps they’ll lose it by the end of the day (this is more likely).

Sure, pens are cheap, but for more money, the sponsor can produce something that event attendees will actually want. Maybe that’s a custom-printed t-shirt or tote bag. 

As I talked about in a recent post, even branded temporary tattoos are an idea that companies have tried. 

The key is to give the event attendees a quality item they’ll want to proudly carry all day. 

If they do, then the attendees will give the sponsor free promotion for the rest of the event as well as whenever they wear their freebie post-event. 

Conclusion 

Trade show activation ideas should send people to your sponsor’s booth in droves while still delivering on objectives such as fulfilling an audience need and a need of your sponsor. 

This means that while a flashy activation can work, it must contain substance if you hope to impress your sponsorship prospects.

The best activations are those that you and the sponsor work together to refine. The sponsor knows their own pain points best and can relay that information to you in a way that helps you craft excellent activations. Best of luck!