Samsung NEC 2026

The Challenge

InstallerSHOW is one of the UK's largest events for the heating, cooling and HVAC industry, attracting thousands of installers, engineers, contractors and specifiers over three busy days.

Like many exhibitors, Samsung wasn't simply looking to increase visitor numbers.

The objective was to:

• attract more people onto the stand
• increase dwell time
• encourage repeat visits
• generate qualified leads
• create more natural sales conversations

Traditional exhibition marketing often relies on product demonstrations, brochures or promotional giveaways.

Samsung wanted something visitors would genuinely remember.

The Solution

Together with Samsung Climate Solutions and HH Global, Pavegen designed and built an interactive football experience powered entirely by human movement.

Three custom Pavegen kinetic energy Chevrons were integrated into Samsung's exhibition stand.

Participants generated renewable energy by running on the spot before taking a virtual penalty.

The more energy they generated, the faster their player's run-up became. At the decisive moment, participants jumped left or right to choose the direction of their shot.

Would they score? Or would the goalkeeper make the save?

Every goal and every joule of energy generated was captured instantly and displayed on a large digital screen, creating a live competition throughout the exhibition.

With England playing Ghana in the FIFA World Cup during the event and the UK experiencing its first-ever June red weather warning for extreme heat, the activation couldn't have been better timed for Samsung Climate Solutions.

.

Creating an expo experience people wanted to join

The football challenge did far more than entertain visitors.

It gave people a reason to stop.

It encouraged colleagues to compete against one another and it created a buzz and demand around the stand.

And perhaps most importantly, it encouraged delegates to come back throughout the day to improve their score.

The live leaderboard became a talking point, turning a single interaction into multiple return visits.

Rather than waiting for visitors to approach, Samsung's team were already talking with installers and engineers while participants watched colleagues play or waited for another attempt.

The experience became a natural icebreaker that made conversations easier, warmer and more memorable.

That's where the real value of interactive exhibition experiences lies.

Not replacing the sales conversations, but creating the perfect opportunity for one to begin.

Experience Design

Every element of the activation was designed to increase engagement while supporting Samsung's commercial objectives.

Human-powered kinetic flooring

Three custom Pavegen Chevrons formed the heart of the experience, generating renewable energy from every participant's movement while controlling the speed of the player's run-up.

Interactive football gameplay

Working closely with HH Global, Pavegen developed bespoke animated gameplay inspired by the FIFA World Cup. Participants controlled every shot through their own movement, making the experience intuitive, competitive and highly engaging.

Large-format digital display

A large gameplay screen transformed Samsung's stand into a live sporting arena, attracting attention from across the exhibition hall while allowing spectators to follow every penalty and leaderboard update.

Human-powered LED lighting

LED lighting integrated into the installation responded to the renewable energy generated by participants, providing a visible demonstration of kinetic energy harvesting in real time.

Integrated lead capture

Every participant registered before playing, allowing Samsung to capture names and email addresses while creating a seamless visitor experience.

Live analytics dashboard

Samsung's marketing team had remote access to a real-time reporting dashboard throughout the exhibition.

The platform monitored participant numbers, qualified leads, games played, dwell time, renewable energy generated per game, total energy generated and live leaderboard performance, providing measurable insight into the activation as it happened.

Competitive leaderboard

Live rankings encouraged repeat participation throughout the event, increasing dwell time and giving visitors another reason to return with colleagues and customers.

Why Gamification works at trade shows

Visitors rarely stop because they see another exhibition stand.

They stop because something captures their curiosity.

Gamification creates participation.

Participation creates conversation.

Conversation creates commercial opportunity.

By combining football, friendly competition and renewable energy generation, Samsung transformed a traditional exhibition stand into an experience that visitors actively wanted to join.

Results

The activation successfully demonstrated how interactive exhibition technology can transform visitor engagement at trade shows.

By combining kinetic energy technology with gamified gameplay and live analytics, Samsung created an experience that:

• attracted visitors from across the exhibition hall
• increased dwell time
• encouraged repeat visits
• generated qualified leads
• created measurable engagement
• helped sales teams start more meaningful conversations

Most importantly, it demonstrated that the best exhibition stands don't simply display products.

They create experiences people remember.