Case Study · Trade Show Activation
How a racing-simulator activation drove 589 drivers and three days of booth traffic at MD&M West.
MD&M West 2026 · Anaheim Convention Center, Hall E · February 3–5, 2026 · 4 simulators · 21.5 hours over 3 days
Live activation footage
That’s a new driver strapped in roughly every 56 seconds the show floor was open — for three days straight.
1,384
Race sessions
589
Unique drivers
~323
Hours of brand exposure
89%
First-time drivers
2,192
Simulated miles
3
Days · 21.5 hrs live
The queue outgrew the booth
At peak the line did not fit the footprint. The post-event report records queue overflow extending past the booth and organic spectator clusters forming around it. On a floor of 1,700 exhibitors, an activation that visibly cannot contain its own audience is doing the one thing a booth is there to do.
The neighbors felt it too
The same report notes increased observed foot traffic in adjacent exhibitor areas. A destination anchor pulls people down an aisle they had no other reason to walk, and every stand on that aisle benefits. It is worth knowing which side of that trade your booth is on.
Fourteen minutes, not fourteen seconds
Average wait ran 5 to 15 minutes, and the report puts the average total engagement window — queue plus seat — at roughly fourteen minutes per driver. That is the window your team has to start a conversation in, and it is two orders of magnitude longer than a walk-by glance at a banner.
526 people who had never done this
Behind the 89% is a raw count: 526 of the 589 drivers were first-timers, and 63 came back for a second run. First-timers are the reach number, repeats are the quality number, and a booth that produces both at once is building new audience without burning through it.
“The activation was well received and a lot of fun — I appreciate all that you and your team did to make this part of our event a success.”
— Adrienne Zepeda · VP, Growth Portfolio Leader · Manufacturing by Informa
The Setup We Ran
What this activation needed
- Motion
- Full-motion
- Every one of the 4 rigs. No static seats, no exceptions.
- Footprint
- 5′×8′
- Per rig in operation. 10′×12′ for a pair with room to queue.
- Power
- 2 outlets
- One standard 110V outlet per two rigs — 4 rigs needed 2. No generators, no special wiring.
- Throughput
- 60–80
- Guests per hour across 4 simulators, at 15–20 each.
What this means for your event
- 01
Motion stops traffic
89% of our 589 drivers had never touched a simulator. On a floor of 1,700 booths, novelty in motion pulls the passing glance that signage never will.
- 02
Dwell time becomes conversations
A staffed queue held people at the booth — ~323 hours of brand exposure your sales team can work, instead of seconds of walk-by.
- 03
You get numbers, not vibes
Sessions, unique drivers, exposure hours — every metric on this page came from the post-event report we hand every client.
From the Floor
The booth the show floor talked about.
MD&M West is the West Coast’s largest medtech design & manufacturing show — 13,500+ qualified buyers and 1,700 exhibiting companies at the Anaheim Convention Center. Every frame below is from our client’s footprint.
A booth that became a three-day destination.
Exhibiting at the Anaheim Convention Center?
Tell us your show and your traffic goals — we’ll come back with an activation plan and the numbers to expect.