Most companies still treat trade shows as expensive decor and swag, rather than as high-intent sales stages. Anders Boulanger’s work with Engagify shows that when you engineer engagement, simplify your message, and train your booth team intentionally, you turn random foot traffic into memorable moments and real opportunities.
- Stop leading with tchotchkes; lead with curated, shared experiences that change a prospect’s emotional state.
- Apply the SAVE U framework: simplify, signal authority, vary the senses, use emotion, and obsess over the “you.”
- Design your booth flow like a funnel: attract, engage, qualify in public, then hand off for deeper demos.
- Invest in booth staff training; untrained staff can destroy the ROI of a six-figure event investment.
- Use gamification and story loops to hold attention long enough for your message to land.
- Treat live events as a trust channel that AI cannot fake—show up with real expertise and authentic interactions.
- Measure success by qualified conversations and booked next steps, not by badge scans or stress balls distributed.
The SAVE U Engagement Loop: From Glance to Genuine Conversation
Simplify the Message Until It’s Obvious
Anders’ first move is always to strip away jargon and complexity. If a passerby cannot tell “who you help” and “what you help them do” within a few seconds, they keep walking. Use metaphors, analogies, and clear outcome language so your value lands instantly in the chaos of the show floor.
Signal Authority and Authenticity Immediately
Authority is not just what you know; it is how you present it. A confident voice, composed body language, and a professional appearance all signal to prospects that they are in the right place. Authenticity comes from speaking plainly, owning your role, and avoiding the overhyped, too-slick persona that erodes trust.
Vary the Senses to Maintain Attention
Trade shows are sensory overload, so you win by being intentional about how you engage the senses. Anders cycles among visual demonstrations, auditory hooks (a mic, a strong opening line), and kinesthetic elements (participation, physical props) to keep different types of learners engaged and attentive.
Evoke Emotion Through Stories and Surprise
Memorability lives in emotion. Anders uses magic, humor, risk (like the staple-gun Russian roulette routine), and client stories to move people from bored to curious to engaged. When prospects feel something with you in the booth, your brand anchors to that moment rather than blending into the noise.
“You”-Focus Every Message and Moment
Every interaction is filtered through the prospect’s internal radio station: “What’s in it for me?” Anders keeps the spotlight on the attendee—saving their time, money, or sanity—not on the company’s greatness. Questions, language, and calls to action are all framed around their world, not your feature set.
Use Public Qualification and Clear Next Steps
Once a crowd is formed, Anders transitions from pure entertainment to business outcomes. He uses short qualification prompts (“Who is looking at this type of solution in the next 6–12 months?”) to surface real prospects in front of the booth team, then directs them to demos or deeper conversations. The loop ends with clear, low-friction next steps that move qualified people further into the pipeline.
Booth Filler vs. Deal Maker: A Trade Show Engagement Comparison
Approach | What It Looks Like | Impact on Attendees | Impact on Pipeline |
|---|---|---|---|
Swag-Only, Transactional Booth | Untrained staff, shallow chit-chat, badge scans in exchange for giveaways. | Brief dopamine hit, no emotional connection, brand quickly forgotten. | Bloated lead lists, low intent, frustrated sales team, weak ROI. |
Static Product-First Booth | Heavy product slides, dense technical copy, passive screens, no facilitation. | Prospects are overwhelmed or confused; they’re unsure what you actually do or why it matters. | Missed opportunities with genuine buyers who walk by or tune out. |
Engagify-Style Infotainment Booth | Live facilitator, magic or interactive elements tied to clear business outcomes, structured handoffs. | Shared memorable experience, emotional shift, and clear understanding of benefits. | Fewer but higher-quality leads, honest conversations, and a direct path to demos and deals. |
From Crowd to Conversation: Field-Tested Leadership Insights
How should marketing leaders rethink the purpose of a trade show booth?
Stop treating the booth as a branded billboard and start treating it as a live-stage sales system. Your fundamental objective is not traffic volume—it is orchestrated moments that attract the right people, earn their attention, and guide them into meaningful conversations. Design everything—layout, staff roles, scripts, and experiences—around that single purpose.
What is the most significant missed opportunity Anders sees at events?
The chronic underinvestment in booth staff training. Companies will spend six figures on floor space, build, and then send unprepared staff to “wing it” on the front lines. Those people become the living embodiment of your brand. Training them to approach, open, qualify, and hand off skillfully is one of the highest-leverage moves a marketing leader can make.
How can teams ethically use “showmanship” without feeling gimmicky?
The line between gimmick and value-add is relevance. When your entertainment or magic routine is tightly tied to a business problem or outcome—and you make that link explicit—it becomes a teaching device, not a trick. Anders’ crowds stay because the experience is fun, but they remember the message because it is woven directly into the performance.
What should leaders prioritize when budgets only allow a small event presence?
Go narrow and deep rather than broad and shallow. A smaller booth with a strong engagement plan, a skilled facilitator, and a clear call to action will outperform a bigger, passive footprint. Focus on one or two signature interactions that stop people, shift their state, and give your experts the opening to talk specifics.
How does AI change the stakes for live engagement?
As AI makes it easy to fabricate images, content, and even fake “crowds,” live events become a proving ground for what is real. When buyers can look you in the eye, challenge your claims, and speak with subject-matter experts, trust is built in ways an algorithm cannot replicate. Leaders should treat event programs as a strategic channel for trust and align them closely with their broader AI-enabled marketing engine.
Author: Emanuel Rose, Senior Marketing Executive, Strategic eMarketing
Contact: https://www.linkedin.com/in/b2b-leadgeneration/
Last updated:
- Boulanger, Anders. Engage First – Capture Attention, Build Trust and Drive Real Results.
- Engagify.ai – Trade show engagement resources and training programs.
- Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) – Reports on event trust and attendee behavior.
- Strategic eMarketing client event performance benchmarks and case notes.
About Strategic eMarketing: Strategic eMarketing helps growth-minded companies turn complex offerings into clear, outcome-focused marketing systems that generate qualified opportunities and long-term customer relationships.
https://strategicemarketing.com/about
https://www.linkedin.com/company/strategic-emarketing
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marketing-in-the-age-of-ai
https://open.spotify.com/show/marketing-in-the-age-of-ai
https://www.youtube.com/@EmanuelRose
Guest Spotlight
Guest: Anders Boulanger
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andersboulanger/
Company: Engagify – founder and CEO
Email: anders@engagify.ai
Bio: Anders Boulanger is the founder and CEO of Engagify, and the author of Engage First – Capture Attention, Build Trust and Drive Real Results. For nearly two decades, he and his team of Infotainers have been generating crowds of qualified prospects at trade shows for leading tech companies worldwide. With thousands of hours spent engaging audiences face-to-face, Anders has codified the art and science of engagement. Today, he trains teams and individuals to command attention, spark meaningful interactions, and create deeper business connections.
Podcast episode: Marketing in the Age of AI with guest Anders Boulanger, recorded Monday, October 6, 2025, at 4:30 pm PDT / 6:30 pm CDT.
About the Host
Emanuel Rose is a veteran marketing strategist and agency leader who helps B2B and B2C brands harness AI, storytelling, and human-centered outreach to drive revenue. He is the host of the “Marketing in the Age of AI” podcast and can be found on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/b2b-leadgeneration/
Turn Your Next Event Into a Memorability Engine
Walk your team through the SAVE U loop, redesign one signature booth interaction around a shared experience, and commit to a short training session before your next event. When you pair authentic human engagement with clear outcomes and disciplined follow-through, every show becomes an opportunity to deepen trust and accelerate deals—not just hand out more stress balls.