Our games are an eclectic bunch (having spent thousands of hours developing them, we should know). Each one boasts its own unique attributes and gameplay characteristics, meaning there’s a range of options to choose from depending on the specific objectives of your campaign.
But what about when the game is to be used at a physical event such as a trade show, exhibition, or expo? Which types lend themselves to a busy stand or are good for bringing in the crowds in the first place?
Let’s explore what’s involved in choosing the right game for your trade show!
Defining your objectives
When it comes to planning for your event, your first step should be defining what you want to achieve and how you’re going to measure success. Here are just a few of the potential objectives for exhibitors at a trade show:
Be fun and memorable
Stand out from the crowd
Build brand awareness
Start more conversations
Launch a new product or service
Capture lead data to follow up after the event
Give away prizes and freebies such as branded merch
Once you’ve defined your objectives, it’ll be much easier to choose a game that suits your target audience and industry.
Trade show games
With your trade show objectives clear in your mind, let’s take a look at the different types of game and what they bring to the table! 👇
Quick-play/instant-win
An endless runner or matching pairs (memory) game might be ideal if you’re exhibiting at a high-footfall event. They’re easy for visitors to play, great for giving away lots of low-value freebies, and encourage fast-paced movement through your stand (players are drawn in but won’t usually spend more than a couple of minutes playing).
Peek & Poke recommends: Rooftop Runner or Flippin’ Faces 🏃
Educational
A quiz or simple trivia game might be the way to go if you’re launching a new product or sharing a technical concept in a specialist industry.
An industry-specific quiz can go down particularly well where delegates are from highly technical or specialist job roles.
Peek & Poke recommends: Mini Quiz or Get Quizzy 🤯
With the Mini Quiz, we now offer 20+ colour schemes to choose from!
Puzzle
If you want to challenge and engage your delegates for longer, consider a Match-3 or Tetris-style game that requires a little more time and logic to complete.
Peek & Poke recommends: Cyber Match-3 📱
Nostalgic/retro
Well-known retro-themed games can create genuine emotional connections with your delegates if you’re looking to engage on a deeper level and offer a memorable experience.
Peek & Poke recommends: Trade Show Conga or Maze Raider 👾
Industry-specific themes
If you’re heading to an industry-specific event and aiming to connect with a B2B audience, this might inform whether the game would benefit from a certain style or theme.
Our collection of tech games , for example, is ideal for any B2B companies in the software/tech/IT space who are looking to stand out from the crowd and draw visitors to their stand. Games are great for attracting delegates who wouldn’t usually engage with staff on a booth, providing a fun ice-breaker that sparks conversations.
You may also be interested in our campaign recipe B2B Trade Show Engagement for Small Stands – a two-page guide demonstrating a practical, real-life example of how to run a trade show game at your next event!
Seasonal or sporting themes
Depending on when your event is taking place, you may want to include a little nod to a seasonal or sporting event. This could be an Easter-themed match-3 , a Halloween-themed conga , a Christmas-themed runner , or a football-themed quiz .
Prizes, prizes, prizes!
We talk a lot about the importance of a solid prize structure for online campaigns, and the same goes for games used at in-person events.
Whether it’s on-the-spot prizes such as t-shirts for achieving a certain score, or a top prize drawn from all the leaderboard entries at the end of the event, a good prize competition will give players an extra incentive to come and play.
Who knows – word might get around and create an even greater buzz about your stand!
Check out our ultimate guide to trade show giveaways for more inspiration.
Ordering a game in event mode
When ordering a ready-to-go game for use at an event, you’ll want to select an ‘event’ campaign type from the drop-down menu on the product page. This ensures that the game will be set up in the correct way for an environment where multiple players are using the same device.
Learn more about event mode .
Devices/hardware for trade show games
Our games will work on a range of internet-enabled devices such as tablets, large touchscreens, or even arcade machines. We can provide detailed setup guides to make sure that everything runs smoothly – you’ll just need to ensure you have a WiFi or 4G/5G internet connection at your event.
Learn more about the different trade show setup options .
Need a hand deciding?
We love chatting about all things branded games and are well-versed when it comes to helping brands find the right game for their event. If you’d like advice or you have any questions, book a free discovery call and our team of experts will gladly help out!
