EMT #44 with Anders Boulanger - Engage First: Bridging the Attention Gap in Events

Event Marketer's Toolbox

On this episode of Event Marketer’s Toolbox, Chris Dunn and Dana Esposito sit down with speaker, author, and Engagify CEO, Anders Boulanger, to break down how attention becomes connection—and connection becomes real pipeline—at trade shows.

From the “engagement gap” model to practical booth layout fixes, Anders shares how to give attendees a reason to stop, a reason to listen, and a reason to buy. Expect tactics you can use at your next show: building micro-crowds, placing aisle-view presentations, writing sharper booth messages, and training staff so the gains live in the engagement—not just the structure.

• Engage before you educate. “It doesn’t matter what you know if people aren’t paying attention.” Anders’ magician’s background taught him that capturing attention is step one; information only lands after that. Think dopamine spikes, curiosity, and crowd dynamics.
• Close the Engagement Gap. Attendees are overwhelmed, overbooked, and often overlooked; meanwhile many booth teams are untrained, unmotivated, or unremarkable. Your job is to remove those “uns” with real training and a welcoming presence.
• Three bridge-stones: Stop → Listen → Buy. Create an undeniable draw to stop traffic, build meaningful interactions so people stay, and deliver a memorable message that moves them to a next step (demo, meeting, or follow-up).
• Design to the aisle, not behind a blockade. Don’t bury the theater; avoid a reception desk blocking the “hot corner.” If you’re running internal talks, set seating where the path of least resistance keeps people watching.
• Micro-crowds create macro-gravity. Three people is the “magic number” that turns a few onlookers into a crowd—social proof and FOMO kick in fast.
• Right-size your activation. A compact aisle-view presentation (Anders uses an 8-lb portable stage) can outperform big footprint gimmicks and hand-offs cleanly to the demo area.
• Budget where it moves the needle. Most spend goes to booth/build; the gains are in engagement—including staff training delivered live, virtually, or on-demand.
• Message like a human. If a passerby can’t quickly tell who you are, what you do, and why it matters, they’ll keep walking. Keep the first read crystal clear.

Events work when people work—when teams spark curiosity, host with intent, and deliver a message that sticks. Take one idea from this episode (hot-corner fix, aisle-view mini-stage, or a tighter first-read) and put it in play at your next show. Then share what changed.
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챕터

1. Welcome & sponsors (00:00:00)

2. Anders’ origin story & “Engage First” (00:04:34)

3. What’s working now & cultural differences (00:14:24)

4. The Engagement Gap explained (00:16:47)

5. The three bridge-stones (00:20:04)

6. Messaging & flow (00:24:13)

7. Designing space for engagement (00:49:45)

8. Aisle-view presentations & hand-off to demos (00:51:46)

9. Final takeaways & staff training options (00:56:11)