As with your pre-show event marketing strategy, it’s important to incorporate both tactile and tech into your trade show experience, especially if there’s an online component to the show or you’re doing a hybrid event.  

Now that your prospects have taken time from their hectic conference schedule to hang out in your booth, what can you do to offer them a unique and memorable experience?  

For our full list of engagement ideas for your next event and to learn more about how to create authentic connections through trade show marketing, be sure to check out our latest resource here.

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1. Treat your guests as VIPs
   In our fast-paced interactions, simply slowing it down a bit and minding some basic manners will go a long way in forming lasting connections. At any trade show, sadly, many booth staffers are just not engaged. They don’t look up when people walk by, make eye contact, or give an inviting approach.  
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   By doing the simple things: making eye contact, smiling, shaking hands, or even fist-bumping, you’ll make your guest feel immediately invited into your space.  
   
   In a virtual booth, this might be harder to accomplish but certainly not impossible. Try to acknowledge the user when they enter your space, if not verbally then via the chat feature. Let them know that you know they’ve arrived.
   Also, small tokens of appreciation can go a long way. Treat your top prospects and clients to a small, personalized gift. We like the Thnks app for this reason, and it’s suitable to use in both physical and virtual events.  
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2. ‍Gamification
   Most people enjoy games, especially when they have a chance to win a cool prize!  We love the idea of mixing a little old-school with modern tech. Try having a tactile game in your booth such as corn hole or Plinko. These items can be branded and they guarantee a few moments of FUN for your prospects!  
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   In a virtual trade show, there are many options for online games as well. Either way, keep it simple and streamlined. You don’t necessarily need the latest tech and expensive gear to offer up a fun, memorable brain break for your guests. ‍
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3. Make every high-traffic area in your booth an experience    
   When you’re planning the layout of your trade show booth with your designer, of course, we need to flush out high-level details such as where the reception desk will go, which direction it will face, how many demo stations, etc.  
   
   Beyond functionality, it’s important to get really intentional about what each of these spaces should feel like to your guests. The reception desk should be set up and staffed appropriately so that every guest has a VIP greeting, for example. Or having a comfy lounge area for your guests to enjoy the local hospitality. For private meeting rooms, we like playing upbeat background music to drown out the outside noise but not too loud to distract from the conversation.

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For our full list of engagement ideas for your next event and to learn more about how to create authentic connections through trade show marketing, be sure to check out our latest resource here.