Crush Your Next Trade Show: Integrate Games, Product Kiosks

Tie together interactive experiences on large screens, kiosks and tablets to create a rich sales journey in your trade show booth.

In my role as director of ViewPoint Interactive Solutions I talk to scores of companies about ViewPoint’s interactive touchscreen experiences and the impact they can make for a brand at a trade show. I’m often asked to walk my contact through the journey an attendee might take when visiting a ViewPoint-equipped booth. They want to better understand exactly how our interactive experiences can fit into their sales framework, how we can help them better engage prospects, and ultimately drive more sales.

To that end, I offer the following use case. One note: though based on a recent customer engagement, this scenario is hypothetical. All booth experiences we create are custom — designed to meet the unique needs of a particular client — so your particular situation may call for a different approach.

Use Case

Meet gastroenterologist Dr. Jeremy Wexler. He’s come to this leading industry trade show to learn more about promising new medical devices, check out the latest in IoT and medtech innovations, and connect with vendors that might one day supply his practice.

Strolling the exhibition hall, something catches his eye. It’s a giant, elevated screen with what looks to be some type of medical procedure, as well as a leaderboard. He swings by the booth to discover that the presentation is actually an interactive game, which leads players on a journey through the digestive system while posing a series of increasingly difficult questions.

A competitive guy, he wants to test his skills. He launches the game, navigating with precision through the small intestine while collecting points for correct answers to questions — like Pokemon — that randomly pop up on screen. With every question he’s becoming more deeply engaged. He’s barely noticed the crowd that has gathered around him, laser-focused on beating the top score. The crowd grows as more passersby stop by to see what’s up. Think FOMO (fear of missing out, if you don’t speak millennial). As he plays, the lookee-loos get restless. They want to play too!

Dr. Wexler answers the final question and pauses for a moment to see his name atop the giant, blinking leaderboard. That game was pretty cool, he says to himself, wonder what this company (your company) is all about. He takes a few steps to his left and begins exploring a large-screen information kiosk, which features interactive, user-driven content about your business. His interest already piqued by the game, Dr. Wexler examines your products in detail considering whether your [latest-and-greatest medical device] would be a fit for his practice.

He’s primed to find out. You step in to start a one-on-one conversation. Your whole sales team has the same branded, interactive product-and-services presentation on iPads or tablets so you are free to move to a quieter part of the booth for an in-depth sales discussion.

With the interactive presentation on your tablet you're armed with everything you need — all the product specs, video demos, catalog options and company backstory — to answer any questions he might have about your products or your business. And you can uncover Dr. Wexler’s specific pain points — why is he considering a new scope? What challenges is he facing? — so you can deliver a highly specific and relevant pitch.

Dr. Wexler appreciates this personalized approach and feels like you truly understand his business and his concerns. He also likes your product and asks you to come by his office the following week, once he’s back from the show, to talk numbers and explore possibilities.

Let’s review: Dr. Wexler attended the show with a vague goal of checking out the latest medical devices and left with a substantive relationship with a new supplier for a product he wasn’t actively shopping for.

Putting it All Together

Have you ever passed a storefront window display, seen something that caught your eye — something you didn’t already know you wanted or needed — and walked out of the store a satisfied new customer? I have. Many times.

Certainly Dr. Wexler’s experience in your booth was not as impulsive — after all, purchasing precision medical equipment is a far more serious undertaking than snagging the latest pair of Adidas lace-ups — but the fundamental premise is the same.

The takeaway: Offer something eye-catching but educational (and relevant to your business and value proposition) to pique a show-goer’s interest, provide an interactive information kiosk to deliver details on your wares, and follow up with a one-on-one sales conversation that you can tailor to your now-intrigued-and-motivated prospect’s specific needs.

And do it all in an interactive, visually compelling way proven to drive engagement. That’s what ViewPoint is all about.

If this hypothetical use case speaks to you, let’s talk. I’ll show you how we can make this a reality for your business. Reach me at info@viewpointtouch.com.