How to Design an Engaging Showfloor with Event Technology
September 9, 2019
You just got your approved layout for your next event…now what? Looking at a sea of 10-by-10-foot booths can be daunting for any show manager. How are you supposed to know what worked and what didn’t when this year’s event isn’t for another month? How can you design a floor plan to show your exhibitors there are truly no “bad booths” and drive attendee traffic to every corner of the exhibit hall? Here are a few tips.
Secure anchor exhibitors early.
Anchor exhibitors are your most recognizable brands — the real traffic-drivers to areas of your show. To help support other exhibitors’ goals, use your anchor exhibitors to create traffic hub areas on the showfloor by strategically placing them throughout your floor plan. Once you’ve placed your anchor exhibitors, use your floor plan management tool to create other breakout areas to help spread attendees throughout your showfloor.
Securing your anchor exhibitors can be challenging, but having on-site booth sales with a configurable floor plan helps accelerate this process. Strong booth creation and manipulation functionalities within floor plan management allows a booth sales representative to create custom booths on the fly. Your floor plan tool gives you the ability to adapt to your most important exhibitors’ needs in real time.
Create and promote themed spaces on the showfloor.
Creating themed areas on your floor plan is simple: Just mark locations within your floor plan management tool and determine the theme for the space. Creating these areas allows you to control the movement of attendees at your show and create a natural path throughout the exhibitors.
When you create these spaces using your floor plan management tool, leverage the distance measurement and layering functionalities. If a themed area needs at least 70 feet of space and access to electricity and water, for example, you can rely on floor plan management technology to find the perfect location on your showfloor.
But, it’s not enough to just create new zones; you also need to promote them. Take advantage of your mobile app and send push notifications to draw attendees to these sessions. You can also use your event website and online contracting to further promote the events at the venue. Use your digital tools to secure early sign-ups and leverage those numbers during booth sales.
Optimize low-traffic booths.
No exhibitor wants to get stuck in the back, but not everyone can get the perfect location. It’s important to add value for exhibitors that are likely to see less traffic due to distance or obstacles.
Offering digital extras to certain booths, like a premium digital package or an exhibitor directory upgrade, can help offset a perceived poor location. This works in tandem with your mobile exhibitor directory and floor plan to highlight these exhibitors. As attendees navigate the showfloor using the mobile app, digital upgrades help these exhibitors stick out among the better placed competition.
Kristen Skibbe is a senior project manager with Personify, specializing in strategic technology implementation for events, trade shows and conferences.
Partner Voices
Overview:
The award-winning Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) goes the extra mile to make every day extraordinary by offering customer service excellence and industry-leading partnerships. From their dedicated in-house Rigging team to their robust Exhibitor Services, The Center of Hospitality brings your imagination to life by helping you host unforgettable meetings and events. With more than 2 million square feet of exhibit space, world-class services and a dream destination, we are committed to making even the most ambitious conventions a reality.
In October 2023, the Orange County Board of County Commissioners voted to approve allocating Tourist Development Tax funding for the $560 million Phase 5A completion of the OCCC. The Convention Way Grand Concourse project will include enhancements to the North-South Building, featuring an additional 60,000 square feet of meeting space, an 80,000- square-foot ballroom and new entry to the North-South Building along Convention Way.
“We are thrilled to begin work on completing our North-South Building which will allow us to meet the growing needs of our clients,” said OCCC Executive Director Mark Tester. “As an economic driver for the community, this project will provide the Center with connectivity and meeting space to host more events and continue to infuse the local economy with new money and expanding business opportunities.”
Amenities:
The Center of Hospitality goes above and beyond by offering world-class customer service and industry-leading partnerships. From the largest convention center Wi-Fi network to custom LAN/WAN design, the Center takes pride in enhancing exhibitor and customer experience.
The OCCC is the exclusive provider of electricity (24-hour power at no additional cost), aerial rigging and lighting, water, natural gas and propane, compressed air, and cable TV services. Convenience
The Center is at the epicenter of the destination, with an abundance of hotels, restaurants, and attractions within walking distance. Pedestrian bridges connect both buildings to more than 5,200 rooms and is within a 15-minute drive from the Orlando International Airport. The convenience of the location goes hand-in-hand with top notch service to help meet an event’s every need.
Gold Key Members
The OCCC’s Gold Key Members represent the best of the best when it comes to exceptional service and exclusive benefits for clients, exhibitors and guests. The Center’s Gold Key memberships with Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld Orlando and Walt Disney World greatly enhance meeting planner and attendee experiences offering world-renowned venues, immersive experiences and creative resources for their events.
OCCC Events:
This fiscal year, the OCCC is projected to host 168 events, 1.7 million attendees, and $2.9 billion in economic impact.
The Center’s top five events during their 2022-2023 fiscal year included:
AAU Jr. National Volleyball Championships 2023
200,000 Attendees
$257 Million in Economic Impact
MEGACON 2023
160,000 Attendees
$205 Million in Economic Impact
Open Championship Series 2023
69,500 Attendees
$89 Million in Economic Impact
Sunshine Classic 2023
42,000 Attendees
$54 Million in Economic Impact
Premiere Orlando 2023
42,000 Attendees
$108 Million in Economic Impact
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