Case Study: Enhancing Trade Show Engagement for Kikkoman USA

Situation

Game Shows To Go was consulted to help draw traffic to a trade show booth and educate attendees about Kikkoman USA and their products during the School Nutrition Association Convention. The resulting collaboration spanned four years, focusing on boosting engagement, brand awareness and sales.

Drawing a crowd is only a part of the solution. Educating a willing audience is key.

Objectives

1. Fully engage attendees by getting them to stop at the trade show booth.
2. Encourage attendees to learn about Kikkoman’s products.
3. Create camera concious and social media-worthy images.
4. Identify interested attendees.
5. Ensure attendees leave with a positive impression of Kikkoman USA and its products.

Solutions

Game Shows To Go collaborated with Kikkoman representatives to develop an interactive show that acted as a traffic magnet while disseminating key product information. The implementation for trade show engagement included:

• Integration of Information: Historical and product details about Kikkoman USA were woven into the trade show game show questions.
• Prize Incentives: Participation was encouraged through budget-conscious prizes.
• Engagement Strategies: Patrons were engaged through interactive and visually appealing game shows.
• Thorough Research: In-depth research was conducted on Kikkoman’s products to craft relevant questions.
• Accessible Questions: Questions were designed to be answerable even without extensive knowledge of Kikkoman’s products.
• Visually Appealing Setup: A game show set was constructed to fit the available space.
• Full Production: Comprehensive production including sound, lighting, and software in a compact 10×10 space.
• Skilled Hosting: An energetic game show host operated non-stop during the trade show hours.
• Custom Signage and Branding: Logo integration and custom signage were incorporated throughout the show.

Evaluation

The team conducted an extensive evaluation of Kikkoman’s history and products, focusing on items like Pearl Organic Soy Milk and Lower Sodium Kikkoman Soy Sauce, emphasizing their benefits for the School Nutrition market.

• Targeted Questions: Game Shows To Go’s Trade show engagement specialists crafted questions to provide additional product information post-answer. For example, a question about Kikkoman’s shelf-stable soy milk was paired with product samples and visuals, allowing easy identification of the correct answer.
• Informative Host Interactions: The host enhanced learning by adding detailed product benefits after each correct answer.
• Visual and Auditory Engagement: Game show buzzers, modern graphics, and hosts in bold suits created an engaging experience that drew attendees in.

Results

The innovative approach led to significant outcomes for their trade show engagement game show:

• High Engagement: Attendees were drawn to the booth, engaged in the game, and learned about Kikkoman’s products.
• Social Media Impact: Photos from previous years were featured in subsequent event programs, showcasing the fun and engaging atmosphere created by the booth.
• Brand Visibility: The Kikkoman logo was prominently displayed in all visuals, providing invaluable brand exposure that would have been costly through traditional advertising.

The client praised the effectiveness of the event in the provided video testimonial.

Watch the video below to see what the client thought of the event!