The attention economy of trade shows

Every major industry event is a hall full of strong products competing for delegates' attention. At SBC Summit Lisbon 2026, ENJOY Gaming took its first standalone stand and built its presence around its Diamond Slam slot, a tournament, and a real black diamond, sealed in a display case. Carla Ruoho, Marketing Brand Manager, and Yeva Karapetyan, Marketing Manager at ENJOY Gaming, look back at what it took to cut through the noise, how the activation kept the product at the centre, and how the team is measuring whether attention on the show floor turns into commercial results.

In a hall full of great games, why isn't product quality alone enough to capture attention? What else has to be working?

Yeva Karapetyan: Most stands in Lisbon had a game worth stopping for, so quality alone no longer sets a supplier apart. Operators now assume certification, maths models, and solid RTP ranges; they don't reward them on sight. What gets someone to stop is something outside the product itself: a hook that promises a payoff in the next thirty seconds, staff who can turn a mechanic into a commercial argument before the badge scanner beeps, and a name delegates already half-recognise from the weeks before the show. Product quality earns the follow-up meeting. It rarely earns the walk-up.

Why did a real-world stunt like the diamond giveaway work as a way to draw delegates to the stand?

Yeva Karapetyan: It worked because the stunt was the product, made physical. Diamond Slam is our strongest-performing title, and the diamond in its logo became a real black diamond, contained in a secure display case delegates could walk up to and see for themselves. We seeded the story on LinkedIn weeks before the show: the diamond had gone "missing" from the game, and Lisbon was where we would find it. Delegates arrived already following the plot, and plenty came to the stand looking for the vault. The tournament added a competitive pull, giving people a reason to stay longer than a glance. And it worked. We registered over 170 entries, which led to more than 3,400 rounds played on Diamond Slam. The top ten qualifiers were selected from a raffle, and the winner was from operator Pasino.ch.

How did you balance making the activation entertaining with keeping it commercially credible?

Carla Ruoho: Entertainment had to serve a strategic purpose. Before we developed the activation, we set the commercial objective: who we wanted to attract, what we wanted them to engage with, and what action we wanted them to take afterwards.

Exhibitors compete with bigger prizes, better merchandise and increasingly elaborate experiences, so visibility alone achieves very little. An activation needs to be distinctive and memorable enough to earn attention and give people a reason to stop.

Memorability is only the starting point. The activation has to attract the right people and create the conditions for a relevant, product-led conversation. It opens the interaction.

Once we had someone's attention, the product did the real work. Its quality, performance, player appeal and commercial value turned an entertaining moment into a credible business opportunity. The activation earned attention and the product earned trust.

How did you make sure the activation pointed delegates back to the product, rather than becoming the whole story?

Carla Ruoho: We built the activation around a game people genuinely enjoy and that we knew would get a positive response. Diamond Slam is a proven, high-performing title that represents the quality and player appeal we want ENJOY to be known for, so it was the natural choice.

That kept the product at the centre of the experience. The campaign centred on the Diamond Drop and the chance to win a real diamond, and Diamond Slam was the reason the story existed. It was also the game people played at the stand, so every session gave our team a natural opening to discuss its mechanics, performance and value to operators.

The activation opened the door. The game kept people engaged long enough for the conversation to carry lasting commercial value.

Once delegates were at the stand, what made the game stand out on its own merits?

Yeva Karapetyan: The activation got people to the stand. What kept them there was a game that explains itself in the time it takes to play two spins. That means a mechanic a rep can describe in one sentence, maths an operator can picture running live on their own site (volatility, pay structure, session shape), and a hook players will still recognise once the game is live. Diamond Slam does all three, which is why we put it at the centre of the stand.

What did success look like for the activation, and how are you measuring ROI now the show is over?

Carla Ruoho: We judge success against the business objectives we set before the show. For Lisbon, those were building awareness of ENJOY through its first standalone stand, attracting qualified delegates, generating product demos and supporting lead generation. We measured interaction quality alongside visitor volume.

Footfall and social reach show that an activation gained attention. ROI depends on what happens after the event: the number and quality of leads, the follow-up meetings secured, and whether those conversations progress into commercial opportunities.

Lisbon gave us a strong set of qualified conversations, and the follow-up with operators is now well underway.

What brand story did you want delegates to carry away from the stand, and did it land?

Carla Ruoho: This was ENJOY's first standalone stand, so leaving delegates with a clear understanding of who we are and what we bring to the market was one of the most important objectives of our whole presence.

We wanted to be recognised for the strength and range of our portfolio across Slots, Live Games and Hybrid Live Games, and for content built to perform across different markets and operator needs. Our aim was for delegates to see ENJOY as a developer that delivers consistently strong games across its whole portfolio. Just as importantly, we wanted to reinforce that we are a trusted partner for established, successful operators, combining creative ambition with proven performance and commercial reliability.

The diamond created the initial attention. Based on our conversations since the show, the lasting takeaway has been our products, our expertise, and our corporate motto: "Games made right."

Marketing strategy moves as fast as product innovation and development. How much do the two influence each other, and how do you see the relationship developing?

Yeva Karapetyan: Marketing and product already work as one conversation for us, and Lisbon showed it. Diamond Slam's biggest activation moment came straight from the game's icon, with no separate creative brief. That only happens when marketing has visibility of a title well before launch and product teams are open to a mechanic being borrowed for something outside the game. I expect that loop to tighten further, with marketing weighing in earlier on what a mechanic means to a player, and product briefs written with one eye on what is brandable, so the story is built in from the start of development.