Episode 10- Anders Boulanger – The Neuroscience of Attendee Engagement
Neuroscience, The Secret Code To Understanding Your Attendee’s
Trade shows are noisy, chaotic, and overwhelming. Attendees walk the aisles bombarded by flashing screens, booming audio, and sales reps eager to pitch. Exhibitors invest heavily in booths and graphics, yet many struggle with the most fundamental challenge: how to capture and hold attention long enough to start a meaningful conversation.
That’s why this episode of The Expo Factor with Anders Boulanger is a must-watch for anyone exhibiting at trade shows. Anders isn’t just another presenter – he’s an infotainer who blends performance with psychology, and he’s spent years perfecting the art of pulling people out of their “trade show trance.” In this conversation, he reveals the neuroscience behind engagement, how to trigger curiosity, and practical frameworks exhibitors can use to transform casual passersby into interested prospects.
Key Takeaways From The Episode
1. The Engagement Gap
“Attendees come in overwhelmed and overbooked, while exhibitors are often untrained and uninspired. That’s the engagement gap we need to bridge.”
Boulanger describes what he calls the engagement gap: the space between the attendee’s mindset and the exhibitor’s approach.
- Attendees are overwhelmed, overbooked, and often overlooked.
- Exhibitors are often untrained, unremarkable, or uninspired.
2.Harnessing the Brain’s Chemistry
Our brains are wired to pay attention to certain triggers. Anders breaks it down into a few key neurotransmitters:
- Dopamine: anticipation and reward.
- Oxytocin: connection and belonging.
- Norepinephrine: alertness and novelty.
“Dopamine is why swag works so well, oxytocin makes people feel they belong, and norepinephrine gives that little jolt of surprise that wakes people up.”
3. Attention, Curiosity, and Connection
Attention alone isn’t enough; curiosity is what drives conversations forward.
“Curiosity is the most powerful state in a sales environment. It makes people lean in and say, wait a second, tell me more about that.”
4. The SAVEU Framework
To maintain engagement, Anders uses the acronym SAVEU:
Simplify, Authority, Vary the senses, Emotion, You-focused.
“Our brain is only two percent of our body weight, but it consumes twenty percent of our energy. That’s why you need to simplify. If things get too complicated, people just tune out.”
5. Defining the Next Step
Exhibitors often fail to guide attendees smoothly into the next action.
“I’ll ask people a couple of qualifying questions during my presentation, and then I’ll point them over to a rep and frame it as a three-minute save session. It’s about giving them a reason to take the next step without overwhelming them.”
6. Technology vs. Human Connection
Anders sees technology as both a help and a hindrance.
“There’s something nice about just having a conversation without your head down typing into your phone. Technology can help, but for me it’s about going back to the basics of connecting face-to-face.”
Final Thought
As Anders Boulanger reminded us, most booths fail because they don’t make attendees feel anything.
“Ninety-eight percent of booths don’t make people feel anything. If you want to stand out, ask yourself: what do you want attendees to feel when they walk by your booth?”
Because in the noisy chaos of the trade show floor, the exhibitors who engage the brain – and the heart – are the ones who win.
Ways to watch
Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/episode/3LR9pxixNOPMSQcFOyGTIL?si=BTLmdXERSU-kn9hubh9ixg
Youtube – https://youtu.be/mSY4vK5eF5U
About Anders Boulanger
Website – http://www.engagify.ai/
Anders Boulanger is the founder and CEO of Engageify, a company dedicated to transforming how brands connect with their audiences at trade shows, events, and beyond. Starting his journey as a magician at the age of five, Anders honed his performance skills early, eventually merging his love of magic with a passion for communication. His unique career path led him into the world of trade shows where he became known as an “infotainer” – an entertainer who delivers valuable information in a way that captivates, educates, and inspires. Over the years, Anders has helped some of the world’s most recognized brands stand out on crowded show floors by turning fleeting moments of attention into meaningful engagement.
During the pandemic, Anders rebranded his business from “The Infotainers” to Engageify, expanding beyond live trade shows into training and consulting on virtual engagement, presentation skills, and booth staff coaching. His mission is simple but powerful: to help organizations bridge the engagement gap by making every interaction count. Whether on stage, in a booth, or in training sessions, Anders is focused on helping people connect before they convert. His upcoming book, Engage First: Capture Attention, Build Trust, and Drive Real Results (available October 7), distills his years of experience into a practical guide for anyone who needs to capture and hold attention in today’s noisy world.
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