Trade Show Industry Spotlight: Portable Digital & Interactive Billboards for Trade Shows & Conferences
Trade shows, conferences, and industry award events are all back in full swing. With indoor event restrictions finally off the table, it’s time for businesses to get back out into the world and make the kind of crucial connections only industry events can offer.
BIG Digital is ready to deploy portable digital billboards where you need them, when you need them. Portable digital billboards extend the communication reach of brands, sponsors, advertisers, and event organizers. They’re an integral tool for any business getting back on the conference circuit and sparking new B2B or B2C connections.
Today we’re taking a look at the role portable digital billboards can play at trade shows and conferences.
Make a Big First Impression
They say first impressions are everything, and that’s as true on the trade show floor as anywhere. With so much competition for attendees’ attention, you don’t have much time to make your case.
People form their initial opinions of a brand in less than a second. You need a combination of good design and eye-popping visuals to impress in those fractions of a second that it takes passersby to decide what they think of you.
It’s not always easy to display what you do. Digital billboards put your creative vision front and centre.
Create an Immersive and Interactive Experience
Everyone at trade shows is doing giveaways, and that’s not to say you shouldn’t too. A creative giveaway idea is a great way to create a line. But it’s not free food or branded merch that people will remember you for.
One of the best ways to create a memorable experience is to get interactive. BIG Digital’s portable digital billboards have full interactive capabilities, while our solutions include gamification experiences and Augmented Reality.
Gamification experiences open the door to creating fun and meaningful interactive experiences that still put your brand in focus. You can also integrate digital billboard experiences into mobile phones for a multi-channel experience.
BIG Digital will help turn your vision into a unique gamification experience. If you’re looking for an experience that won’t just draw a crowd but stick in the minds of attendees, get in touch.
Get the ROI for Your Efforts
A key part of making trade shows successful is the follow up, and part of your post-show debrief should include hard metrics. Digital billboards can collect on-site event analytics that provide you with real numbers to help you calculate your ROI accurately and come away with important insights for your efforts. Learn how many guests you’ve had, their dwell time at the screen, engagement, and visitor flow. More in-depth information will help you identify your strengths and weaknesses for future efforts.
Brand Activations: Lighting Up Conferences & Conventions
Trade shows are great opportunities for companies focused on B2B relationships, but some industries want their marketing budgets to go directly to the end user. For that, they’re hunting down conferences, conventions, and festivals where the general public has access.
Events like SXSW, originally a film festival, have evolved to include exhibitions and brand activations from industry leaders.
Effective brand activations at events like these need a way to stand out. With so much going on, you need a plan to grab the public’s attention and the hardware to follow through. That means vibrant, interactive portable digital billboards.
Benefits of Portable Digital Billboards for Event Organizers & Venues
It’s not just businesses attending trade shows and conferences that can use digital signage to great effect. Event organizers have complex wayfinding and communication needs.
Organizers can use portable digital billboards to make sure trade show participants and attendees can navigate trade show aisles and find their way to key events and locations. Digital signage also makes sure organizers can communicate with attendees in real time, helping organizers with crowd control and keeping events safe.
Ticketed events can also deploy portable digital signage for self-check-in and self-service. Interactive kiosks reduce the need for manual processes and can save event organizers on labour costs. Digital billboards can free you up to focus on throwing the most successful event possible.
Digital Billboards and Event Sponsors
Event organizers have a responsibility to make sure trade show sponsors are getting great value for their participation. Digital billboards will give sponsors the feeling that their investment has been worth it. They allow event organizers to create dynamic playlists to feature sponsorship fulfillment alongside public communications and wayfinding information without detracting from either essential messaging.
Now Deploying: RUBY
This April saw the return of the Home Show, and with so many of our clients looking to make a big impact, BIG Digital deployed our biggest indoor digital signage for some of our participating clients: RUBY.
RUBY is a 55” interactive touch display, double-sided and portrait-format. The display has unmatched colour and brightness, as well as the flexibility to meet just about any function. RUBY can be integrated into indoor event network digital signage, gamification experiences, brand and sponsor activations, Augmented Reality, data entry and check-in, donation kiosks, and self-service with payment processing. RUBY is fit for just about any indoor environment and always ready to make a splash.
And if RUBY isn’t the solution you’re looking for, BIG Digital has other types of digital billboards. We’ll find the solution that matches your needs and goals to find trade show success. If you want to know what we can offer your next trade show, look no further than one of our latest testimonials from the Home Show:
“I booked Big Digital for several displays at the National Home Show, April 2022, at the Enercare Centre. As part of the show management team, we were able to reduce the number of signs we produced by using the rotating image capability of the display. This meant we could have directional, sponsor recognition, schedule, and promotional slides all on one unit. Big Digital made it easy to update the slides remotely (i.e. when a presenter had to cancel) and it was a slick look overall.”
Sharon Donaldson, Show Director
Trade shows are widely regarded as one of the most useful ways to make purchasing decisions. They get your brand out there and connect with buyers. As trade shows and conferences come back into full swing, make sure you have the right technology to get noticed and make a splash.