Three days in Tampa. One 20×20 booth. Three interactive experiences, one mascot debut and, by the end of the show, some new hardware to bring home.
At Connect Marketplace 2026, we built our space to show event professionals exactly what thoughtful engagement can look like in practice. That meant competition, data capture, giveaways, social interaction and plenty of reasons to stay a little longer. It also earned us Most Engaging Experience at The EXHIEs, an award presented in partnership with Connect and Trade Show News Network.
Most Engaging Experience at The EXHIEs
We came to Tampa to demonstrate what an engaging trade show experience could look like. Getting recognized for exactly that was a pretty good way to close out the show.
Our booth was named Most Engaging Experience at The EXHIEs, recognizing the way the different pieces of our 20×20 worked together to create consistent interaction throughout Connect Marketplace.
The award made the larger strategy behind the booth especially meaningful. Nothing was there simply to fill space. Each experience gave attendees a different reason to participate, while also showing how the same technology could work for their own events.
Three Experiences, Three Different Jobs
- Pickle Play: A natural fit for Tampa, bringing a sporty, high-energy feel to the booth with both solo and 1v1 gameplay.
- Experiential Vending Machine: Turned branded giveaways into a lead-capture opportunity while letting attendees experience firsthand how the technology could work at their own events.
- Crack the Code: Digital Prize Vault: Combined data collection with a Wordle-style challenge, giving attendees ten chances to crack a four-digit code and unlock the prize inside.
Pickle Play Takes Tampa
Pickle Play felt especially fitting for Tampa. The sunny, sports-forward setting made it a natural match for the show floor, giving attendees a quick hit of competition while tying the experience back to the destination itself.
Attendees could play in two ways. Solo players stepped up to test their accuracy by returning balls toward digital targets on screen, while the 1v1 mode divided the screen into two dartboard-style targets, giving each player their own side to attack.
The entire experience was customized with our branding, showing firsthand how gameplay can become an extension of a brand without slowing down the action. Easy to understand, quick to play and built for repeat participation, it kept a steady rotation of attendees stepping up throughout the show.
Swag With a Data Strategy
A giveaway table gets the job done. We wanted the giveaway itself to do more.
Our custom-branded Experiential Vending Machine was stocked with:
- Experiential Architect Tee
- Pickle Baller Tee
- Booking Boss Pouch
- Cooling Companion, a purple handheld fan that came in handy in the Tampa heat
- Experiential Fuel, a custom Dunkin gift card
Before receiving a prize, attendees entered their information into the experience, allowing us to collect valuable attendee data while keeping the interaction quick and rewarding.
Just as importantly, attendees were able to experience the technology exactly as their own guests could. Instead of simply explaining how the vending machine combines lead capture, custom branding and prize distribution, we could let the experience make the case for us.
For brands, that creates a more useful exchange. Attendees walk away with something tangible, while the activation captures information that can keep the relationship going after the event.
Crack the Code
Crack the Code brought a different kind of energy to the booth.
We locked a speaker inside the custom-branded digital safe and challenged attendees to solve a four-digit combination in ten guesses or fewer.
The puzzle worked Wordle-style. Green meant the digit was correct and in the correct position. Yellow meant the digit belonged in the code but was in the wrong position. Red meant the digit was not part of the combination.
Before taking their shot, attendees entered their name, email and company, giving us another way to capture valuable lead data through the experience itself.
Every attempt revealed another clue, turning a giveaway into something attendees had to actively win. It also showed how lead capture can be built naturally into an activation rather than feeling like a separate step before the fun begins.
Multiple speakers were locked, cracked and given away throughout Connect Marketplace.
Iggy Clocked In
Connect also marked the official debut of Iggy, our mascot and newly appointed Chief Interaction Officer.
He arrived fully credentialed, complete with his own Connect badge, and spent the show floor meeting attendees, posing for photos and putting a very oversized face to Team IEG.
For a company built around interaction, the job title felt appropriate. His first assignment was simple: meet people. He understood the brief.
Booked & Busy
We kept the engagement going beyond the booth with our Booked & Busy Sweepstakes.
Attendees entered by following us on Instagram, liking our giveaway post and commenting with the destination of their next work trip. One winner walked away with a BÉIS Carry-On Roller, a fitting prize for a crowd of event professionals who usually have another trip on the calendar.
The sweepstakes gave us another way to extend the booth experience onto social and keep the interaction going beyond the show floor.
Experiential Events, Expertly Executed
The EXHIE recognition was a strong way to end the week, but it also reinforced what we wanted the booth to demonstrate from the start.
Pickle Play created competition. The vending machine paired giveaways with data capture. Crack the Code made lead collection part of the challenge. Iggy brought personality. The sweepstakes extended the interaction onto social.
Different touchpoints, one cohesive experience.
