How Your Brand Can Stand Out in a Travel Expo

Travel expos are noisy and crowded, where every booth competes for the same thing: attention. Some brands fade into the background, handing out brochures that end up forgotten in tote bags. Others stop people in their tracks, spark curiosity, and make memories that can translate into sold out trips and packages.

If you want to be one of those successful brands, you can’t just show up at an expo. You have to show off with intention. Here’s how to make your travel brand impossible to ignore at your next event.

Hand Out Giveaways People Will Keep

Giving away freebies is an old event staple for every exhibitor. Unfortunately, most giveaways don’t survive the ride home because they end up in trash cans. To avoid this, give something people actually want to keep and use. This means skipping the usual pens or keychains. Instead, offer practical, on-brand items that travelers appreciate: portable chargers, reusable travel utensils, sustainable toiletry kits, or beautiful notebooks.

Better yet, make your giveaway part of the expo experience. For example, you can host a “Glow & Go” experience. Give your booth visitors Xylobands, then encourage them to wear these fun, sound-activated wristbands around the expo. You can then reward prizes to those spotted glowing with your brand’s colors. It’s a playful, visual, and unforgettable strategy that attendees will love.

Create an Experience, Not Just a Booth

Instead of just banners and brochures, create an atmosphere that draws people in. In fact, think of your booth as a destination, not just a table. When expo goers approach, they should feel like they’ve arrived somewhere worth exploring.

Turning your space into a photobooth is a brilliant start. Use a backdrop featuring the destination you’re selling—a café in Paris, a beach in Bali, or a mountain in Patagonia. Visitors can snap fun photos, tag your brand, and instantly become part of the story. Beyond would-be travelers, sponsors love this setup, too, because they can co-brand the backdrop, provide makeup touch-ups, or offer styling stations. Everyone wins.

You could also do live demos, cultural performances, or even quick classes tied to your destination. You might, for example, host a dalgona carving demo if you’re promoting a trip to Korea. Or, if you’re showcasing adventure travel, offer a VR rock-climbing experience. You might even showcase a cute mascot if you’re promoting a specific town or prefecture in Japan.

The key is interaction and conversation. The more reasons you give people to linger, the more likely they’ll engage with and remember your brand. And once a few people stop to watch, others will likely follow.

Bring Your Brand Story to Life

Every travel brand has a story worth telling—how it began, who it serves, what it believes in. The best expo booths make that story tangible. For example, if your company promotes eco-tourism, let sustainability shine through your setup. Use recycled materials, natural textures, and signage explaining your eco-initiatives.

On the other hand, if you’re selling luxury escapes, go for sleek finishes, soft seating, and curated scents that match your destinations. This creates a mood that will make attendees feel what your brand stands for before they even speak to you.

Train Your Team to Be Irresistible

Your booth design gets people to stop, but it’s your team who gets them to stay. In fact, a well-trained, energetic crew is your best marketing asset. Make sure everyone representing your brand knows everything—from your products or services to the story behind them. When your team can talk passionately about your brand, they will convey enthusiasm and confidence from their voice to their body language, and that will draw people in.

Encourage your team to also get out from behind tables, make eye contact, smile, ask questions, and listen to people. After all, the best expo interactions feel like conversations between travelers swapping stories, not sales pitches. More importantly, tell your team to put their phones down. Nothing says “uninterested” faster than a booth staffer scrolling during show hours.

Build Buzz Before, During, and After

Your travel expo strategy should start long before you step onto the floor. One great strategy is to tease your presence on social media weeks before the event. Post behind-the-scenes glimpses, countdowns, or a “what to expect” video. Then, tag the event organizers and use official hashtags so you pop up in the right feeds.

During the show, keep the momentum alive with real-time updates. You can go live, share stories, or post attendee photos. And, as mentioned, encourage visitors to share moments of their visit to your booth. Those glowing Xylobands with your branded hashtag will look really good on social media.

After the event, don’t let the spark die. Post a highlight reel, tag participants, and thank them publicly. It keeps the conversation going and extends your reach well beyond the event floor. Even better, send personalized messages to each participant who gave their contact details. Attach relevant content like destination guides, itineraries, or event photos, and include a clear next step. These meaningful follow-ups continue the conversation you started at your booth.

Maximize Your Expo Exhibition

Standing out in a crowded expo isn’t about doing something merely as a stunt. Instead, it’s about staying on-brand and being committed to connecting with expo attendees. So, the next time you’re setting up for an event, ask yourself: are we here to be seen, or are we here to be remembered? Because the brands that rise above the noise are the ones that make people feel something—excitement, connection, and inspiration. That’s what turns an expo moment into a lasting relationship with your target consumers.

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