elevisions and trade shows go together like men and remote controls. The courtship began in 1939 at the New York World’s Fair, where attendees lined up to see the world’s first commercial-television broadcast. Since then, trade shows have been the birthplace of countless television-related technologies, including the video cassette recorder in 1970, Atari Inc.’s Pong video game in 1975, DVD players in 1996, and HDTV in 1998.

But the love affair between trade shows and television runs deeper than product launches and world premieres. Almost every exhibit, regardless of its size or industry, incorporates televisions into its design. From flat-panel LCD touchscreens to wall-mounted plasmas, televisions are as popular on the trade show floor as they are in living rooms around the globe.

With today’s mega exhibits covered in floor-to-ceiling flat-panel displays, simple video loops are less likely to make an impression. And if your small-screen presentation doesn’t hold attendees’ interest, they’re likely to channel surf their way to your competitors’ exhibits.

According to Trent Oliver, CEO at Blue Telescope, a New York-based interactive marketing company, traditional promotional video loops are becoming little more than pretty wallpaper, as attendees are increasingly less interested in watching videos of paid presenters reading cue cards about how great your products are.

Take a tip from two of the hottest trends in television and video: reality TV and consumer-generated media (CGM). Reality TV is a fairly self-explanatory concept. People like to see themselves, their peers, and their co-workers on screen. They want to watch people they can identify with. So put actual attendees in front of the camera, and you’ll not only capture more attention, you’ll likely lend yourself a little added credibility and authenticity in the process.

Taking that idea one step further, CGM is the trend behind blogs, podcasts, and video/multimedia posts created by consumers (think YouTube). Much like reality TV, it allows everyday individuals to take center stage, sounding off on any topic under the sun.

But how can you take these trends to the trade show floor?

The following seven examples represent innovative ways to add a little reality-TV buzz and CGM flair to your next in-booth presentation.

Fun With Ford

Ford of Europe wanted to do more than just talk to attendees at the Geneva Autoshow in Switzerland last March, it wanted to let them talk as well. So the company searched for a way to design its exhibit around user-generated media, actually incorporating attendees into the architecture of the space. The result: a cutting edge Visual Jockey (VJ) experience developed by communication company Imagination Ltd. The VJ experience began at one of two in-booth media hubs, where attendees found numerous pieces of technology, including iMacs and Bluetooth hot spots. There, Ford staff invited booth visitors to use the technology to submit their comments, text messages, images, or even video footage in any of four different formats: SMS, images and video sent via Bluetooth, pictures and messages recorded on iMacs, and video footage shot by on-site film crews who conducted “Vox Pop” interviews with attendees. After submitting their content, the data was saved onto a central server where it was collated into a visual timeline made up of texts, images, videos, and interviews. Two VJs worked at a mixing desk in the center of the exhibit, where they edited, zoomed, replayed, and mixed the visuals before outputting the mixed media onto a 19-by-32-foot LED video screen at the center of the exhibit. Visitors to the Ford exhibit could watch as their content was sent from the media hub to the VJs and then to the LED screen, all within a matter of minutes.

Heads Up

Apartment-search resource Apartment Guide, a division of Primedia Inc., rocked out at the Florida Apartment Association show with a lively rock-and-roll themed exhibit that had attendees shaking their groove things for the camera. To generate traffic inside the booth, Apartment Guide hired Dance Heads Inc., a company that specializes in what it calls technology-based interactive entertainment. Attendees who stopped by Apartment Guide’s exhibit were invited to step in front of Dance Head’s green screen and star in their own music videos. Dance Heads superimposed attendees’ heads on images of professional dancers’ bodies within fully animated backgrounds while attendees sang along, karaoke style, to pop-music hits. Following the attendees’ performances, which were displayed on 42-inch monitors for all to see, Apartment Guide provided participants with copies of their performances on DVD as mementos of their trade show claim to fame. The memorable in-booth activity reinforced Apartment Guide’s rock-and-roll booth theme, while adding a high-energy draw to the exhibit that had attendees lined up to take the mike.

Pipe Hype

Attendees got the chance to make their big-screen debut inside Microsoft Corp.’s exhibit at the 2005 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). Inside the 50,000-square-foot gaming Oz, attendees entered “The Pipe,” an 8-foot-diameter steel cylinder with padded interior walls. Once inside the structure, Xbox aficionados recorded their own digital confessions, including Xbox testimonials and colorful commentary on subjects ranging from gaming to music. The video clips were then edited on site by Xbox staffers, and featured on a 120-foot-long video screen located on the second floor of the company’s exhibit. Unlike monotonous video loops that bore attendees when they start to repeat themselves after a few minutes, The Pipe’s testimonials created a dynamic, ever-changing visual attraction as new video clips were constantly added to the mix. The mixed messages kept the video loop interesting and fresh, and gave attendees — and enthusiastic Xbox gamers — a chance to be in the spotlight and soak up their 15 minutes of fame at the show.

I’m Ready For My Close-up

At the TS² show in Washington, DC, last July, BD Metrics Inc. wanted to demonstrate how easy it is for clients to use its Face2Face Interactive technology. In a nutshell, Face2Face Interactive’s so-called human-rich media technology allows companies to create videos that can be incorporated into trade show Web sites. When attendees perform a search on the show’s site, using a key word sponsored by the client, the company’s CEO, for example, walks on to the screen and delivers a brief presentation or key message via the video. But rather than demonstrating its product with a traditional video presentation, BD Metrics created an interactive demonstration that allowed attendees to take center stage. One at a time, attendees stepped in front of a green screen at one end of the company’s 10-by-40-foot booth. There, they read from a teleprompter while a cameraman captured the action, which was displayed in real time on a 42-inch plasma television mounted to the exhibit’s back wall. After filming their videos, attendees could discuss the product with staffers and stop back the next day to pick up a DVD of their performance as both a trade show memento and a product sample showing the ease and effectiveness of the company’s offerings.

Multiply Your Groove

Intel Corp. brought its “Multiply Your Groove” ad campaign to life at the 2007 International Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas with an in-booth activity that begged the question, “So you think you can dance?” In one corner of its 100-by-120-foot exhibit, Intel constructed the Personal Media Creation station, where attendees could star in their own Intel TV commercials. Two presenters/crowd gatherers coaxed interested attendees on stage where they danced in front of a green-screen backdrop. Four high-definition video cameras inside the station captured attendees’ moves. Within minutes, the 30-second commercials appeared on overhead plasma screens, and each attendee received his or her own commercial on a USB drive. Staffers also helped attendees upload the clip to YouTube. Not only did 500 attendees step in front of the cameras, 20,000 people logged on to YouTube to view the uploaded commercials.

Testimonial Television

All eyes were on Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. at Heli-Expo 2006 in Dallas. Well, actually, all eyes were on Bell’s new clients. To generate buzz on the show floor, Bell equipped its 12,000-square-foot exhibit with its own mini video studio. Each time an attendee signed a contract to purchase a new helicopter, video cameras captured the momentous occasion, broadcasting live footage of the contract signing on two plasma screens inside the exhibit. To add drama to the signings, Bell spliced the live footage with pre-recorded footage of its helicopters in action. The live events did triple duty, attracting attention from passersby, increasing energy inside the booth, and making new clients feel like the stars of their own TV shows.

Movie Montage

At the 2005 Healthcare Convention & Exhibitors Association (HCEA) show, Blue Telescope created a video collage inside its 10-by-10-foot exhibit, using two 20-inch LCD screens and four 15-inch LCD screens. Staffers asked attendees a series of multiple-choice questions, which they responded to using a 15-inch LCD touchscreen monitor. Next, staffers filmed attendees as they responded to the question, “What’s your favorite part about attending HCEA?” Within seconds, the attendees’ answers and video footage became part of the montage that looped video clips and survey data. Passersby stopped in the aisles to soak up the opinions of fellow attendees, while Blue Telescope demonstrated its capabilities and collected show-site survey data from attendees.