At a show built around business travel, the smartest booth experiences speak the same language as the brand. For Emburse at the GBTA Convention 2026 in Chicago, that meant taking a message about speed, spend and better decision-making and putting it directly into attendees’ hands.
We customized our Reflex Battle to become part of the Emburse booth experience. The two-player reaction game challenges attendees to hit illuminated targets as quickly as possible, creating a natural crowd-builder while giving Emburse a more active way to communicate its message on the show floor.
Turning a Brand Message Into Gameplay
The custom wrap did more than add a logo. It connected the experience directly to Emburse’s positioning at the show with the line:
“Travel Is a Spend Signal. How Fast Can You React?”
That messaging was especially relevant at GBTA, where Emburse was showcasing its Travel Intelligence solutions and encouraging organizations to use travel data to uncover savings, improve visibility and make better spend decisions.
The physical challenge gave that idea a simple translation. See the signal. React quickly. Perform under pressure.
The design also incorporated Emburse’s role as the Official Travel and Expense Solution Partner of TGR Haas F1 Team, extending a partnership centered around precision, pace and operating efficiently in fast-moving environments.
Built for the GBTA Show Floor
GBTA Convention brought more than 5,500 attendees from 47 countries to McCormick Place from August 3–5, creating plenty of competition for attention across the expo floor.
Reflex Battle gave Emburse a reason for attendees to stop rather than simply pass through. The head-to-head format makes the action easy to understand from the aisle, while the lights, movement and quick rounds help keep participation moving.
More importantly, the experience felt connected to what Emburse was there to talk about. Instead of adding entertainment for entertainment’s sake, the activation turned one of the brand’s core ideas into something attendees could physically experience.
When the Experience Fits the Message
The strongest trade show activations give the brand another way to tell its story.
For Emburse, speed and reaction time created a natural bridge between its GBTA messaging, its TGR Haas F1 Team partnership and an interactive challenge designed to pull people into the booth.
A few seconds of fast hands became a much easier way to start a conversation about smarter spend.
