When we say ‘gamification’, we’re not talking about sullen black-clad teenagers playing Xbox in their bedrooms. We’re talking about exhibition stands with added fizz and energy, creating spectacular traffic while engaging visitors directly with your brand.
Gamification is basically the addition of play elements to your display. If you’re exhibiting at a trade event any time soon, you won’t want to miss out on all the amazing benefits adding a few fun and games can offer…so here’s the lowdown, just for you!
Why add anything else when I’ve already got a great stand?
An injection of interactive play will do a fantastic job of attracting people to your stand...arguably a much better job than your best-looking salesperson in their best exhibition outfit!
Trade shows are, as we’ve so often mentioned, a blessing for businesses looking to promote themselves. With so many visitors primed to buy, they offer an unsurpassed opportunity to vastly increase sales.
But this won’t happen if visitors aren’t motivated to visit your stand, and with so many others to choose from you’ll need to give them good reason to stop by. Adding a unique element of fun will create an effortless, vibrant buzz that may result in a queue of people waiting to talk to you!
Exactly what kind of gamification should I add to my display?
We’re not talking about lugging a secondhand Playstation along to the exhibition to add to your stand, then letting visitors play whatever they like (although of course you’re very welcome to do this if you want to!)
What you should always be looking to create with gamification is an enjoyable and immersive experience that’s properly tailored to your brand and will get people talking about and remembering it for all the right reasons.
Simple ideas can often be the most effective, such as a touch screen quiz about your brand, product or service, maybe with answers hidden around the stand or in your literature. How about an interactive puzzle for people to solve, or even an electronic shooting range or a simulated car racing track to add some fun competition?
The only limit is your creativity, but don’t forget to make sure your game ideas are relevant to your brand. You want people to have fun, but you also need them to remember you – and we’re sure you’d quite like a return on your investment, too!
What else do I need to consider?
It’s not enough, of course, for your games to simply attract visitors to your stand; if you’ve been following our blog for a while then you’ll know the real name of the game is to get their details so you can follow up with them later on.
Your chosen method of gamification will do the job of breaking the ice, immediately engaging people with your stand and brand, then leading you on to more business-focused conversations.
Running a competition with your games, such as the shooting range example we’ve given above, provides an easy way for you to take visitors’ details as they begin. Picking a winner later on is an excellent opportunity for an automatic follow-up, with a sympathetic ‘commiserations’ message to those who weren’t so successful!
Whatever route you decide to take with your gamification ideas, at Guardian Exhibition & Display you’ll find a friendly team of game-loving event display experts – so why not let us help you plan your winning strategy?
