Experiential marketing displays for engaging trade show experiences

Experiential marketing displays, also called interactive marketing displays or sensory marketing displays, let visitors experience a brand rather than just see it. Instead of a wall of graphics, they create a space or activity: a room to walk into, a material to touch, a demonstration to watch or a product to try. For furniture and interiors brands, experiential display is natural, because a room you can sit in is the best demonstration there is.

This guide is part of the trade show displays series.

What types of experiential display are there?

Comparing experiential display setups covers space, cost and impact for each.

How do you design an experiential display?

Start with one feeling you want visitors to leave with, design a short activity that creates it and build the space around that activity. Keep the story simple, the activity under a few minutes and the exit leading to a conversation. Steps to create an immersive brand experience sets out the process.

How do furniture brands create experiences?

By building rooms. A dining room with a handmade solid-wood dining table, chairs, a sideboard, a rug and a pendant light invites visitors to sit, touch the grain and imagine it at home or in a client's project. Warm lighting and real accessories make the difference between a display and a room. Retailers and designers can build such sets with pieces bought through a trade account and reuse them afterwards.

What makes an experience effective?

Relevance to the product, ease of joining in, short duration, staff who invite and guide, and a clear next step such as booking a meeting or opening an account. An impressive experience that has nothing to do with the product creates crowds, not customers.

How do you measure success?

Count dwell time, conversations, leads and follow-up meetings, and compare them with a passive display at a previous show. Ask leads afterwards what they remember.

How do you plan the event?

Plan goals, audience, concept, layout, materials, budget, timeline, vendors and staffing together. The experiential event planning template gives a ready framework.

Which events and organizations focus on experiential marketing?

The Experiential Marketing Summit, the Event Marketing Institute and the IAEE publish case studies and research.

What do experiential displays cost?

Costs depend on space, build, furniture, technology and staffing. Room sets cost little more than a standard stand if you own the furniture; live demonstrations need skilled staff; digital immersion needs equipment and content. Budget by cost per qualified lead rather than total spend, since experiential stands usually produce fewer, better leads.

How do you staff an experiential display?

Assign hosts who invite people in, guide the activity and move visitors into a conversation, plus one person responsible for capturing leads. Brief everyone on the story and on what to offer at the end, such as a meeting, a catalogue or a trade account.

Which mistakes undermine an experience?

Activities that take too long, queues with nothing to do, experiences unrelated to the product, harsh lighting and no next step at the end.

Passive displays instead?

Passive displays (graphics and products on shelves) are cheaper and simpler, and suit small booths. Even then, adding one small experience, such as a chair to sit in or a material to touch, usually improves engagement. See interactive trade show technology for digital options.