When attendees see the T-Rex twins roaming the venue, they know they’re in for a ‘Dino-mite’ interaction. Courtesy of Matt Keowen

Meetings, conventions and trade shows are powerful business tools through which companies can showcase their products, connect with existing/potential customers and build brand recognition. However, to make a lasting impression in today’s competitive market, you need the right strategy.

That’s where activations come in. Designed to engage and captivate, these interactive experiences can elevate a company’s presence at a trade show or meeting, making a real impact.

The activations being offered should also be promoted within your marketing material to entice your audience and potential attendees by letting them know what they could win. Will they have a chance to meet a celebrity, or maybe even a celebrity lookalike? What else might evoke fun and get people involved? Whatever you come up with, remember that creativity, imagination, and people-centric ideas will help drive traffic.

In-Person Events Help Build Relationships

According to Freeman’s 2025 Gen Z Report, the majority of that particular demographic believes that attending live events will benefit their careers, business relationships and personal growth because technology has been hindering their ability to effectively communicate and connect with others.

Key findings from the report:

• 91% of Gen Z professionals consider in-person events one of the best ways to build social and interpersonal skills
• 84% of Gen Z working professionals cite in-person/face-to-face as the best setting for building strong business relationships, in line with Millennials and Gen X
• 86% of Gen Z want their companies to allocate more spending to live events to help build stronger business relationships

In addition, according to the Freeman Event Organizer Trends Report: “While 51% of organizers perceive technology that makes consuming the event easier (i.e., apps, digital displays, etc.) to be the top experiential element, most attendees (64%) would prefer immersive experiences instead.”

Meanwhile, according to the company’s 2025 Freeman Trust Report, in-person events create lasting positive impressions that build deeper trust between brands and their audiences. The report also states that: “While Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z have different expectations from brands, all generations agree that interacting at live events builds trust in brand character. In fact, 92% of working professionals stated that live events have a positive impact on their perception of brands.”

Freeman’s chief marketing officer, Mickey Wilson, also shares examples of how her company has embraced interactivity.

“For IAEE Expo! Expo!, just two weeks before Christmas, we fully embraced the holiday spirit with a life-size gingerbread village as our booth.” Wilson says. “Attendees personalized their experience with festive F&B — peppermint lattes, hot apple cider, holiday cake pops and Freeman-branded gingerbread cookies — while creating laser-etched gingerbread ornaments and hot chocolate to-go kits. A gingerbread-scented diffuser added to the immersive atmosphere, drawing attendees from aisles away.”

“For another event, our ‘Be Well, Do Well’ theme focused on wellness-driven engagement,” she adds. “Timed activations throughout the day got attendees coming back to our booth, [which featured] morning sound meditation, aromatherapy stations, custom pickleball paddle designs and crystal energy readings. A wellness wall stocked with electrolyte drinks, brain shots, collagen packs and healthy snacks let attendees curate their own self-care kits. Drinks ranged from smoothies to hard kombucha, keeping the energy high from morning to happy hour.”

“At PCMA Convening Leaders, our ‘Love What You Do’ activation radiated vibrant energy with heart-themed experiences,” Wilson says. “Highlights included tote screen printing, heart-shaped photo ops, a custom candy heart wall and a boozy milkshake bar. The biggest buzz? Our lip-reading stations, where fortune tellers analyzed attendees’ lip prints, revealing personality insights and playful predictions.”

Another extremely inspirational activation at PCMA Convening Leaders was a pickleball court sponsored by Visit Seattle. But why pickleball?

“[The game] was invented on Bainbridge Island, which is a short ferry ride across Elliott Bay from Seattle. When we activate at trade shows, we look for ways to showcase Seattle’s distinct offerings. Pickleball’s popularity is growing, and we think it’s a great way to show off our region’s innovative, yet playful, identity,” says Kelly Saling, senior vice president and chief sales officer for Visit Seattle. “Seattle prides itself on its accessibility to nature and outdoor recreation. Pickleball on the trade show floor was a great way to infuse that spirit into our activation at key events such as PCMA’s Convening Leaders, ASAE’s Annual Meeting and IMEX America.”

Visit Seattle pickleball courts have generated serious energy.

“When we activate these courts at trade shows, we often host VIP matches between association board presidents or CEOs,” Saling says. “These matches become can’t-miss events for attendees, who pack the area around the court to cheer on their player. Additionally, we created pop-up banners with QR codes that direct attendees to a Visit Seattle-created guide outlining how they can bring pickleball to their own meeting.”

It’s also a great way to build camaraderie. “These pickleball courts allow for friendly competition that often turns into an informal networking opportunity,” Saling adds. “At the end of the day, it’s important to remember that we’re all human beings that enjoy having some fun and need a break from conducting hard business on the trade show floor. Ultimately, this reflects the ethos of Seattle: We mean business, but we love to have some fun along the way.”

How FOMO Attracts Attendees Year After Year

“Attendees want experiences and hands-on approaches when learning about companies, brands and products,” says Matt Keowen, senior vice president of marketing for Nth Degree, an event marketing and management company. “We help create meaningful moments and memorable experiences for event attendees. Whether it’s immersive activations, interactive product demos, or social media-worthy photo ops, today’s trade show exhibits need to go beyond static displays and truly engage audiences.”

Nth Degree’s and its general service contracting organization, Fern Exposition Services, helped to build the recent 7-Eleven Experience, where attendees enjoyed a wide range of interactive moments — from tasting the latest Slurpee flavors to snapping photos with Jurassic World T-Rexes, life-size Keebler Elves and other characters. Visitors at the event also had the chance to connect with NBA star James Harden at the Diageo booth. With something for everyone, activations such as these create the kind of FOMO that keeps attendees coming back year after year.

This is the mindset behind iconic events such as Comic-Con, which thrive on communities of like-minded fans eager to share their common passion for and enjoy memorable experiences together. The same is true for any industry or demographic. Successful activations resonate deeply with their target audiences, creating moments that attendees want to capture, share and relive again and again.

Interactivity Is Now Essential to Event Success

“More organizations are recognizing that interactivity isn’t just a nice-to-have but a core part of successful event strategies,” says J.R. Spiess, president and CEO of The 180 Group, an event production company. “In a world where many attendees are overloaded with digital communication, offering tactile, engaging or emotionally resonant moments helps events stand out. Attendees crave experiences that go beyond passive observation. They want to participate, connect and feel seen. Interactivity also fosters memorable brand moments and increases attendee satisfaction. Elements like live demos, gamification or even small gestures like therapy dogs help break down barriers, spark conversation and create positive associations with the event.”

Spiess insists that the best event activations evoke emotion.

“Events and conventions are ultimately about people, and no amount of cutting-edge technology or flawless logistics can replace the connection attendees feel when they experience something authentic and meaningful. How people feel during an event — relaxed, inspired or connected — directly influences how they engage with content and with each other,” he says.

Of course, few things elicit happiness and real connection the way an adorable animal can, which is why the recent PCMA Convening Leaders event in Houston, TX, included a “puppy cuddling booth,” where attendees could play with tiny dogs — and even adopt them.

“Interactivity, whether it’s through puppies or other creative experiences, provides that emotional anchor, leaving a lasting impression far beyond the event itself,” Spiess says.

As for the canine cuties from PCMA, one of them now calls Las Vegas home thanks to Shannon Coldon, a regional sales leader for Caesars Entertainment. She fell in love with a puppy at the event, but getting it from Texas to Las Vegas was not without its challenges. When Coldon found out the rescue organization affiliated with the activation could not transport the animal to her home in Nevada, she took to social media for help, writing on Facebook: “If this doesn’t work out, we’ll accept that it wasn’t meant to be, and we can certainly look for a Las Vegas-based baby, but I wanted to give it one last shot.”

In the end, with a little networking and a lot of perseverance, everything worked out.

In fact, transporting the puppy became a group effort that extended the event activation, with PCMA members (and other online spectators) rooting for both the pup and their fellow industry professional.

Happier, Healthier Attendees Are More Engaged

At Caesars, interactivity is incorporated into every company event. The goal is to ignite all five senses — and the recent Zero Proof Botanical Challenge did just that. Tying into Caesars’ many wellness offerings, the Challenge was an immersive health and wellness “mocktail-making” activation held at The London Club at Planet Hollywood Las Vegas Resort & Casino.

“Happier, healthier attendees are more energized, learn better [and] are more engaged, which ultimately provides better conferences,” says Kelly Gleeson Smith, vice president of sales, Caesars Entertainment.

Destination and event management company CSI DMC created, produced and managed the team-building program for about 70 attendees, and the winning team had its cocktail featured at IMEX America.

“Everybody loved this activity, and the energy was infectious,” says Reina Herschdorfer, director of marketing, meetings and events, Caesars Entertainment. “Curiosity combined with competition, which was so great.”

The winning drink was something called Double Bs (Bourbon Berry Smash), combining simple syrup, non-alcoholic bourbon, fresh raspberries, lemon, mint, ashwagandha and ginger beer.

Robots, Elvis Impersonators and Brazilian Dancers

For nearly five decades, Jaki Baskow has been booking event entertainment and talent. Through her companies, Baskow Talent and Las Vegas Speakers Bureau, she stays ahead of trends, ensuring that conventions and trade shows deliver the most engaging experiences possible.

According to Baskow, interactive entertainment is especially popular right now — particularly robots, which captivate attendees with their futuristic appeal.

In Las Vegas, classic attractions never go out of style. The iconic “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign, Elvis impersonators and showgirls all remain popular additions to trade show booths, creating an instant connection to the city’s legendary entertainment scene, says Baskow.

For one recent event, Baskow curated a high-energy activation featuring a Caribbean band and Brazilian dancers. “The dancers interacted with attendees, sparking photo opportunities that flooded social media and amplified the exhibitor’s message,” she says. “Plus, music is universally loved. It adds emotion and makes any event more memorable.”

Another innovative activation involved a digital caricaturist, who sketched personalized portraits of booth visitors, incorporating the trade show’s name into each keepsake. “It was a creative way to engage attendees and ensure they left with something special,” Baskow says.

She also recently arranged for a fortune teller to provide personalized readings using custom-branded cards, an unexpected touch that drew crowds and sparked conversation. And for clients looking to elevate their presence, celebrity meet-and-greets are another popular choice, but when budgets don’t allow for A-list appearances, celebrity lookalikes offer a fun and cost-effective alternative, says Baskow.

Even simple activations, such as a wheel of chance, can be highly effective, but whether she uses high-tech entertainment or classic Vegas flair, Baskow continues to set the standard for creative and engaging trade show experiences.

“Everyone loves the excitement of winning,” Baskow says. “I help my clients create enticing prizes that make their booth unforgettable.”

The Need for Shared Experiences

A former global events manager for Dell and IBM, Liz Lathan, CMP, teamed up with meeting-design veteran Nicole Osibodu to create Club Ichi, which focuses on B2B event marketing.

Lathan says she feels it’s important that today’s conventions and trade shows have an interactivity component.

“I think that we are all so overcome with ‘push’ content and can consume it anywhere, anytime — podcasts, videos, social media, YouTube videos, webinars,” she says. “When we go onsite to events, we want to actually interact in 3D — not 2D — with the world around us. We need that sensory experience to bring the emotional bond to life as a shared experience with others. If you can literally experience the same event via a screen, then there’s no reason to get on a plane and go to it.”

Creativity drives Lathan. “I’m always drawn to things that are clever puns,” she adds. “Like the MinneSODA Dirty Soda Bar at PCMA sponsored by Minnesota, or hands-on, like in-booth games that you can play with other guests, or things that let you collaborate with others, like onsite recording booths where you can have a conversation with a few other attendees and it lives on as a podcast.”

And according to Lathan, interactivity will continue to be important. “As the AI revolution takes over our digital landscape, people crave authentic, human interaction when they come to events,” she says. “Events will be the one place where attendees can trust the content source and build relationships that drive business. Interactive elements add to that connection and help break down the walls and let people laugh and play and really meet each other in a new way.”

Activations That Speak to People’s Hearts

It’s important to know whether or not your activations are resonating with attendees. Zenus is a company that places unobtrusive sensors throughout a trade show floor to collect data on audience engagement. For example, it gathers facial recognition analytics pertaining to dwell time, traffic flow and attendee emotions.

“In a nutshell, our technology helps event professionals measure the behavior and experience of attendees. It is one of many tools that provide the full picture of attendee engagement,” says Panos Moutafis, president and CEO of Zenus AI.

“Within an activation context, our solution measures a handful of KPIs,” he adds. “These include traffic and stop rate in front of the activation area.​ In addition, the platform measures visits within the activation area and dwell time. Last but not least, the AI models analyze facial expressions to quantify the attendee energy within the area of interest.”

Zenus has been used a handful of times to assess puppy activations, including the one at the 2025 Convening Leaders event in Houston.

Says Moutafis: “Overall, activations that speak to people’s hearts tend to work better with quality metrics such as dwell time and energy levels. This seems to be particularly true for millennials and younger generations.” | AC&F |