What puppies at a good taught me about attention

Every yr at major franchise conferences, the identical conversations find yourself happening amongst exhibitors.

Someone mentions how slow the traffic felt at their booth, one other wonders if the placement of their booth hurt them, and a 3rd begins to query whether the investment in trade shows remains to be value it. And sooner or later someone will say it.

“We just didn’t get enough people to our booth.”

Whenever I hear this criticism, I normally ask one easy query: What did you truly do to get people there? Because the fact is that almost all stands follow the identical predictable formula. A banner, a looping video on a monitor, a stack of brochures and perhaps a small giveaway for anyone willing to scan their ID.

In a convention hall stuffed with a whole bunch of firms doing the identical thing, every little thing starts to blur together. No one walks across a crowded showroom floor to get a $10 gift card. At this yr’s International Franchise Association (IFA) convention in Las Vegas, our team approached the booth with a distinct mindset. Instead of specializing in what materials we might display, we focused on what sort of moment we desired to convey to people as they walked by.

That’s why we partnered with an area animal shelter and brought adoptable puppies to the stand.

We’ve been doing this for 3 years now and each time the response is immediate. People decelerate once they notice them, someone stops to pet a puppy, and inside minutes a small crowd forms as conversations between strangers begin naturally. This yr something even higher happened.

Two of those puppies were adopted directly on the fair.

Why most stands don’t attract attention

Trade fairs are an environment of constant stimulation. Bright signage, product demos, speakers, music and a whole bunch of competing brands compete for a similar limited attention span of often drained and overwhelmed attendees.

In such an environment, information alone rarely attracts attention. People move too fast and process an excessive amount of to stop for an additional brochure or one other product explanation. What breaks this pattern is emotions.

When something makes people smile, laugh or be curious, it breaks the rhythm of the trade show floor. Instead of scanning and leaving, they pause—and in that pause, real engagement begins. The puppies created this moment immediately.

Passersby who would normally glance at a booth for 2 seconds suddenly stopped and remained standing for several minutes. Some knelt to carry a puppy. Others began telling stories about their very own pets at home. Conversations that normally start with a pitch as an alternative began with laughter. The entire tone of the interaction modified.

Authentic experiences result in stronger conversations

What surprised many individuals wasn’t just the presence of puppies at a franchise conference. So the conversations afterwards flowed quite naturally.

There was no need for a sales opening or a rehearsed introduction. People approached us because they were pleased and curious, and that meant every interaction began off relaxed and sincere. From there, the conversation naturally shifted to storytelling, marketing, and the way brands emotionally engage with their audiences. Authenticity has a robust influence on engagement. When people feel comfortable, they listen more closely, share more openly, and remember the interaction for for much longer than a typical transactional exchange.

Experiential marketing works since it replaces predetermined pitches with shared moments.

Why authenticity is much more vital within the AI ​​age

There’s another excuse why experiences like these are so resonant right away.

We live in a marketing environment that’s increasingly stuffed with artificial content. AI-generated images, archival footage, and messaging templates make it easier than ever to create sophisticated marketing materials.

But this convenience has also created a way of equality.

When every little thing looks perfectly produced, it often feels impersonal. Audiences sense when something is being manufactured fairly than experienced, and respond way more strongly to content that feels real. That’s why real storytelling has change into such a strong differentiator. Real footage, real stories and real emotional reactions create a level of believability that scripted content often struggles to realize.

For us, this philosophy goes beyond the videos we produce and extends to the way in which we perform at events. If our brand is about capturing authentic stories, the experience at our booth should feel just as real.

Create moments as an alternative of cubicles

Entrepreneurs often spend months planning the logistics of trade fairs. They design signage, print materials, and promotional items while also preparing talking points for the conversations they need to have.

These things are vital, but they rarely determine whether someone remembers your brand after the event. The moment once you create something is way more vital. People may forget the product features you explained or the brochure you gave them. But they may remember the experience that made them stop walking and become involved with you in the primary place.

At this yr’s IFA, two puppies went to recent families.

But a whole bunch of attendees walked away with something different — a reminder that essentially the most effective marketing doesn’t at all times seem like marketing. Sometimes it looks like an actual moment in the course of a busy trade show floor, with people stopping, smiling and sharing something real. And in a world stuffed with artificial content, these real moments are more vital than ever.

Every yr at major franchise conferences, the identical conversations occur amongst exhibitors.

Someone mentions how slow the traffic felt at their booth, one other wonders if the placement of their booth hurt them, and a 3rd begins to query whether the investment in trade shows remains to be value it. And sooner or later someone will say it.

“We just didn’t get enough people to our booth.”