Most industries, no matter how niche or boring it is, has at least one major trade show or conference every year. These events can be huge opportunities to network, find new leads, and promote new products with creative trade show exhibit design.
And few such events are as huge as E3, the annual videogame conference. In fact, with the possible exception of Comic Con, you won’t find a bigger conference or trade show anywhere in the world. That’s because not only does E3 see the biggest names in the massive videogame industry, it’s also a huge cultural event. That leaves video game companies, software developers, and tech companies with a huge opportunity, which is why so much money is spent on custom exhibit design for these events.
So what can other industries learn from massive events like E3? More than you might think.
If you’re in the process of hiring interactive exhibit design services or planning custom exhibits for an upcoming industry trade show, then here are some important lessons you don’t want to learn the hard way.
Interactive or Bust!
Okay, so it’s way, way easier to feature an interactive exhibit design when you’re a video game company. True story. But that doesn’t let you off the hook. Even at E3, the booths and companies that draw people in from the crowd are the ones that offer interactive exhibits that hold your attention.
Know Your Audience
Like Comic Con before it, E3 is in a weird transition. Once an event for industry insiders, it’s now opening itself up to the general public. That might seem great at first, but you need totally different strategies and trade show exhibit designs for those audiences. Before you go to a trade show, you should know exactly how your trade show exhibit design will draw in your audience.
You Need Something Unique
While both Microsoft and Sony (that’s Xbox versus Playstation for those keeping track back home) both unveiled some impressive looking new products, most videogame writers agree that Sony actually won the battle for E3. It’s not just because Sony had better custom exhibits, it’s because Sony had more exclusive content to show off. Much of Microsoft’s reveals included previously seen products and games.
If you’re going to a trade show, make sure you have something that differentiates your exhibit from years past. Otherwise, why bother going at all?