Using Videos For Conventions & Trade Shows

Video displays are essential for making a big impact on audiences at conventions and trade shows. Whether your company is hosting the event or showcasing products and services via a booth, using dynamic and colorful visual content is a surefire way to not only grab attention but also energize conventioneers.

Using video display is also a great way to optimize branding efforts and share important messages with attendees during the hustle and bustle of these typically busy shows. But there’s an even bigger purpose behind convention videos, and that’s to encourage conventioneers to come back and also attract wider audiences to the next event. Furthermore, you’ll want to convert conventioneers into clients!

Establishing a unique convention or trade show video that allows you to stand out at these exhibits as well as achieve successful results is a crucial undertaking, but lucky for you, our video creative team at Trifactor can help your company to do exactly that, and more. In the meantime, there’s a lot that you’ll need to know about the process of using videos for conventions and trade shows; we discuss them further below.

Video Graphics For Convention Programming

Video graphics for convention programming should allow brands to tell their stories, and present a product or service in a succinct format that will excite and engage people. 

Whether you’re creating video graphics as the host of a trade show or as a vendor, how you program your convention video must follow some set guidelines to generate success. For the most part, a great video should have strong graphics to highlight the main features within the first few seconds of viewing. The visuals should follow through with high-energy graphics to keep the tone and mood optimistic, and of course, emphasize your brand and the call to action (CTA). 

Now let’s explore these strategies in more detail for booth vendors and the convention planner.

The Role Of Video At Trade Show Booths

A trade show booth video is instrumental in showcasing what your brand is bringing to the table. It’s a powerful medium to tell folks who you are, what you’re offering and ultimately encourage them to do business with your company. Incorporating video into your booth setup provides several advantages, including:

Show Off Your Brand

Trade show booth videos are the perfect opportunity to highlight your company and brand to conventioneers in an attractive way. By utilizing high-resolution imagery vendors can grab people’s attention from across the room and lure them to visit their booth. A well-executed booth video also maximizes the potential of your CTA. Videos displaying the CTA’s preferably at the top and bottom of a video, and especially at the beginning and end of a video will deliver more impact.

Make A Bang!

Creating a striking, eye-catching presentational display that portrays clear, bold graphics can boost your brand and let it stand out in a crowded convention. Step away from boring displays to instead focus on the best product placement and branding effects. That means employing applicable concepts to bring products and services to life; a simple example would be to show products in use rather than displaying a still-shot of the said product. Always try to evoke emotion from viewers and make the branding feel as organic as possible.

Drive Conversions

One of the most important goals you can achieve at a convention or trade show is to prompt participants to bite your bait. This starts with crafting savvy videos with effective programming. Best practices in creating successful convention videos should employ loop viewing as opposed to linear, where short videos are placed in rotation. That way you have a better chance of letting people see your complete brand message and call to action (CTA) quickly. 

Keep in mind that conventioneers are almost all the time distracted, extremely attention-deficit, and always on the go. The chances of them standing around to watch a 20 or even 15-minute film, is near impossible. A quick CTA, like “Visit Booth 45 For The Ultimate VR Experience!” with an effective branding approach and product placement on a 90-second clip will not only have a better impact and keep attendees around longer to watch all of your brand’s offerings but ultimately encourage them to do business with you.

Importance Of Convention Recap Videos

For companies hosting conventions and trade shows, video offers a whole new set of benefits to engage and excite participants while executing their campaign’s goals. Convention recap videos, in particular, play an important role in motivating attendees to come back for the next show. Moreover, they are essential for engaging wider audiences, such as prospective customers, franchisees, etc.

Recap videos are usually prepared during the convention to capture key moments and the conventioneers taking part in activities and seminars, and then shown on the last day. Often enough, recap videos also allow companies to showcase their collaborative, fun-loving culture, for instance, their staff beach trip, summer BBQ, charity event, or bikeathon. Having attendees watch these recap videos encourages community building and a sense of camaraderie while boosting their optimism plus people simply love seeing themselves on the big screen. 

It would be in your best interest however to expand the focus of a convention recap video from merely an enjoyable piece for attendees to watch to one that achieves results. 

Recap Videos As A Marketing & Promotional Tool

With smart planning, recap videos can serve as an effective marketing and promotional tool during a convention. This means knowing what elements to include at the initial stages of production. 

Get A Variety Of Shots

When it comes to creating a trade show marketing video, including a variety of shots wins every time. The more variety you can show in the video, the more compelling it becomes as a promotional tool. So you’ll need to include scenes with the speakers, testimonials, break-out sessions, exhibit halls, networking events, parties, entertainers, recreational activities, and so on.

Capture Emotions

Ultimately what moves an audience is when you capture the emotion of others in your video. So it helps to show attendees having fun, listening with interest, laughing at a speaker's joke, applauding, being moved by information, etc.

Include Speaker Presentations

Showing speakers address the crowd is a compelling aspect of a convention video. Adding background sound or music while showing speakers in action is great but also including a brief and compelling sound bite from their presentation will definitely go a long way. 

Interviews & Testimonials

Capturing interviews and testimonials is one of the most effective tools for success in a convention recap video. There's nothing more persuasive than having your target market’s peers rave about the experience. You’ll also want to include interviews with presenters, staff, and management. Interviews can happen right at the venue while the trade show is taking place so as to capture the excitement of the event or in a quiet location via an interview set in a meeting room – this allows clients to showcase branding in the backdrop as well as control the set. Opting to use a green screen in postproduction is also an option to consider.

Hi-Def Screen Treatment 

Take your convention recap marketing video to the next level by showcasing them on high-resolution video equipment via LED screens. Brands can produce a unique, media-rich experience by taking advantage of a variety of trendy LED displays, from wavy and curved-shaped video screens to 3D hologram imagery with floating videos. Utilizing this attention-getting technology will undeniably stop attendees in their tracks, especially during a busy crowded trade show.

Recap Videos For Franchise Development 

There’s no better way to explain a franchise than with an engaging video. Besides communicating a franchise’s mission, message, and program, video helps to create trust and transparency. Using a convention recap video can deliver a plethora of information about a franchise system in the shortest amount of time, all while establishing a deep emotional connection with a brand. Similar to marketing videos, stakeholders can be sold on a compelling franchise story through conventional recap videos that offer authentic testimonials from conventioneers and corporate interviews.

Want to get started on your convention and trade show video? 

If you’d like to discuss how to create a convention or trade show video for your company or franchise, our video creation team at Trifactor is happy to share ideas and strategies that will let your brand stand out and succeed. Let's talk today!

SEE OUR AGENCY EVENTS DEMO VIDEO HERE