Experiential marketing for trade shows is like the chocolate and marshmallow part of a s’more. Without it, the graham cracker (or trade show) would be bland, boring and completely forgettable. Trade shows are all about the audience experience – and did you know that your love for the outdoors and travel can help make that experience even better? Here’s how:

Be interesting and interactive

Trade show attendees see hundreds of booths in one day. They’ve been asked for their contact info dozens of times, and they’ve probably already been stocked with a lifetime supply of branded pens from other booths. YAWN.

Be the booth that sticks out with the help of your adventuring expertise. What travel experience gets your heart pumping and your adrenaline going? Riding a rollercoaster? Hang-gliding over a scenic coastline? Try to recreate that experience for your audience (just make sure it’s relevant for your brand and marketing strategy).

VR is a perfect way to do this. It gets the attendee totally involved with whatever you’re selling – their senses are flooded, and they’re focused on what is happening to them in the moment. That’s real engagement, and that’s what is going to make them remember you . This also goes for any trade show booth and any audience – a manufacturing company can showcase their product in an interactive VR environment, or a software company can show firsthand a new software model.

Make personal connections – find others with similar interests

One of the best opportunities that comes from trade shows is getting to make face-to-face, personal connections. You no doubt love to travel – and if you’re at an outdoor or travel expo, then your audience obviously does too. You can use these similarities to forge connections with other people.

Maybe you meet an attendee who has been to the same tiny village in Italy as you. Maybe they’re also planning on seeing the Northern Lights someday. Whatever the connection is, it can start a conversation and a really human connection. And when it comes time for them to choose a brand, they’ll remember your friendly face – and give you their business.

For those who aren’t marketing for travel, the human connection aspect of trade shows is still vital, the subject may just be something other than travel.

Have a presence outside of the booth

As a marketer, you know that the booth is just one aspect of the trade show. There’s the marketing that comes before the show and the marketing that comes after the show. Plus, in addition to the booth, there’s more marketing to be done during the show.

You know all of the details of an adventure are what makes it great. Highlight those details to attract attention from your brand outside of your booth. Outside the door, you can have brand ambassadors handing out sweet tea that’s reminiscent of the little Southern town you’re marketing for. Before the trade show, you can host a VIP party that transports clients you’ve met at the show in the past to a dream location. Or you could wow attendees on the street outside with a fleet of mobile billboards of the scenes they could be seeing while traveling. Non-travel marketers, this goes for you to! No matter what brand you’re putting out there, attract attendees to your brand and keep your name at the forefront of their minds.

Your outdoor expertise may be exactly what you need to enhance your travel show exhibit. Make yourself memorable and create those personal connections. Don’t forget to keep it interesting, keep it engaging and keep it relevant to your brand.

Ready to take on a trade show? Ideate with us for your next unforgettable experience!