At a trade show, a visitor walks past dozens of booths an hour. Most look alike: a roll-up, a counter, flyers and someone trying to make eye contact. People have learned to walk past. To make someone stop, a booth has to give them a reason — within seconds. Here are seven ways that work.
1. Be visible from across the hall
The decision to come closer is made metres away. Anything above the crowd that glows helps: a lit brand sign, a moving image, an unusual shape. A booth designed like a stage set beats a counter and a roll-up.
2. Give people something to do, not to read
A game, a quiz or a timed challenge stops people — best if it is tied to the product. That is the idea behind our Salon gier: retro arcade stations where the hero, graphics and mechanics come from the brand.
3. Rules clear in seconds
Nobody reads instructions at a fair. A joystick, two buttons, one goal. A round should last a minute or two so the queue keeps moving.
4. A daily leaderboard
A high-score board turns a single game into a competition. People come back to beat the record and bring friends from other booths.
5. An audience attracts an audience
People go where others are already standing. A big screen showing the game turns one player into a show for everyone around.
6. Collect contacts — with consent
Let players save their score via a QR code and leave their contact voluntarily. The list is smaller, but these are people who actually engaged with the brand.
7. Give a reason to return
A final at a set time, with prizes for the top of the leaderboard, gathers a crowd again — and gives sales a chance to talk to people who already know the brand.
What to avoid
- A game that needs explaining. The queue stops and people move on.
- An unstaffed booth. Someone has to invite people in and run the leaderboard.
- Entertainment unrelated to the brand. A rented machine draws people, but nobody remembers whose booth it was.
Measuring the result
Count the number of games played, contacts left and sales conversations that followed. The game system can collect this automatically. Planning a booth? Write to us — we’ll prepare a concept with a game in your brand’s colours.