
Using Contests to Drive Traffic and Make the Most Out of Your Booth
Nearly every exhibitor at a trade show uses contests to help drive traffic to their booth and make the most out of their investment. Contests are an excellent way to help engage passers by and prospective customers, as well as create a fun environment within the hustle and bustle of the trade show. By drawing traffic to your booth, you are working with a larger pool of Keep reading to learn about different contests you can use at your next exhibit booth.
Business Card Drawing
The standard drawing for a prize will entice trade show attendees to leave a business card. The trade-off in offering the prize is that you not only draw people to your booth, but you also have the opportunity to engage them in conversation, which could turn into a sale. An added bonus is that you’ll have a long list of contacts that you can follow up with after the show concludes.
Social Media Contests
Combining two elements that help drive traffic to your booth can result in even better chances at establishing a higher return on investment. Social media is a tool that you can use in a variety of ways — before, during, and after the show. Incorporating a social media contest is a great way to unite the two options to drive traffic to your booth. Some options include taking selfies at the booth to enter to win a prize after a drawing. The same premise can be applied for having followers share or retweet a post on your social media page. There are a number of options that you can utilize online and in the booth.
Guess The Quantity
Whether you use jelly beans or some other item, guess the amount is a game of essentially just that. The game involves having visitors cast a ballot stating how many of a certain item they think is contained in a sealed object, such as a mason jar. People have fun trying to imagine how many, and it brings them right to you, helping to drive traffic to the booth.
Wheel of Prizes
Having a prize wheel generates a lot of buzz and excitement around your booth when someone is competing to win. The familiar clacking of the wheel as it hits each prize option can be heard down the hall, which will draw people to your booth. Having enough booth personnel to tend to the prize wheel and engage visitors is key in making the most out of the extra traffic coming to your booth.
Drive Traffic With Contests
Overall, contests are a great way to help bring some new people to your trade show booth. This post just focused on some of the more popular contests, but don’t be afraid to try something different. Having new, unique offerings at a trade show will definitely be a driving force in bringing visitors to your booth. People get tired of the same old, same old. Regardless of the size booth you have, offering visitors a slice of excitement make your booth memorable and increase your return on investment.

Christian has over five years of professional event marketing experience. He has handled everything from on-site labor supervision to managing exhibit design projects in-house. He also enjoys rock climbing and any other outdoor activities. He is a critical thinker who is constantly challenging the status quo.