8 Clever Conversation Starters at Exhibitions

Standing in an exhibition booth waiting for people to approach you is uniquely uncomfortable. You're trying to look approachable but not desperate, engaged but not busy, friendly but not creepy.

And when someone does wander near your stand, you've got maybe three seconds to say something that makes them want to stay rather than mumble "just looking" and escape.

"Can I help you?" doesn't work. Neither does "Have you heard about our product?" Most opening lines people use at exhibitions are either too pushy or too passive, and both fail equally.

The good conversation starters do something different. They create genuine engagement without triggering the defensive shields people activate when they sense a sales pitch coming.

Ask About Their Day So Far

This works better than it should.

"How's the exhibition treating you?" or "Found anything interesting yet?" are simple openers that acknowledge the shared experience you're both having. You're not immediately making it about your product - you're establishing a human connection first.

People are surprisingly honest in their responses too. They'll tell you their feet hurt, that they've been overwhelmed by information, that they're looking for specific solutions. All of which gives you valuable context for the actual conversation that follows.

The key is genuinely listening to their answer rather than just using it as a segue into your pitch. If they say they're exhausted, maybe offer them somewhere to sit. If they mention looking for something specific, ask what brought them to the show.

Comment On Something They're Carrying

Most exhibition attendees accumulate bags full of promotional material, branded lanyards, samples, notebooks. These provide natural conversation hooks.

"I see you've been to the [Competitor] stand - how was their demo?" This sounds bold, but it's actually quite effective. You're showing confidence in your own offering while getting intelligence about what else they've seen.

Or something lighter: "That's quite a collection you've got there - been here since opening?" It's observational, not salesy, and creates an opportunity for them to talk about what they've discovered.

Just avoid anything that sounds judgmental. "You've got a lot of bags" can feel like criticism. "Looks like you've had a productive morning" is the same observation framed positively.

Reference Something Specific To Your Industry

Generic conversation starters work, but industry-specific ones immediately establish credibility.

If you're at a tech conference: "Have you been following the [recent industry development]?" If it's a retail show: "What's your take on [current trend affecting the sector]?"

This positions you as an insider rather than just a vendor. You're demonstrating that you understand the landscape they're operating in, which makes them more inclined to hear what you've got to say.

The risk here is asking about something they don't know about, which can make them feel defensive. That's why you phrase it as their opinion rather than testing their knowledge. "What's your take on..." is safer than "Are you aware of..."

Engaging visitors with the right questions matters enormously, and industry-specific questions signal expertise without showing off.

Offer Something Useful Immediately

Not your brochure. Something actually useful.

"Would you like some water?" at a hot, crowded exhibition is genuinely welcome. "Need somewhere to sit for a minute?" when someone looks exhausted creates goodwill.

Or information: "If you're looking for [X type of solution], there's a good demo happening at Hall 3 in ten minutes." Yes, you're directing them away from your stand. But you're being helpful, which they'll remember.

The reciprocity principle kicks in here. You've done them a small favor without asking for anything in return, which makes them more inclined to hear what you have to say when you do get to your pitch.

Ask About Their Specific Challenge

This requires quick observation and a bit of boldness.

If someone's studying your display about efficiency solutions, try: "Are you dealing with workflow bottlenecks at the moment?" If they're looking at your sustainability materials: "Is reducing environmental impact on your agenda this year?"

You're making an educated guess based on what caught their attention, which shows you're paying attention to their behavior rather than delivering a generic script to everyone who passes.

When you guess wrong, which happens, just pivot: "What actually brought you over to our stand?" Most people will tell you honestly, giving you a better angle than any scripted opener would have.

Make An Observation About The Event

Shared experiences create connection. The exhibition itself provides plenty of material.

"This venue's layout is confusing, isn't it?" or "Have you tried the coffee here yet? Avoid the machine in Hall 2." These aren't about your product at all, but they break the ice effectively.

Or comment on a speaker or session: "Did you catch [keynote speaker]'s talk this morning? Interesting point about [specific thing]." If they did, you've found common ground. If they didn't, you've given them potentially useful information.

The advantage of event-based openers is they're naturally time-limited and non-threatening. You're just two people at the same event making small talk, which is socially acceptable in a way that "Let me tell you about our product" isn't.

Compliment Something Specific

Generic compliments feel insincere. Specific ones work better.

"That's a really clear way of explaining what you do" if you've overheard them talking to a colleague. Or "Interesting choice of [notebook/tech/whatever they're carrying] - how do you find it?"

The compliment itself matters less than showing you're actually paying attention to them as an individual rather than just another prospect to process.

Avoid anything that could be interpreted as personal commentary on appearance, which gets uncomfortable fast. Keep it professional - something they chose or did, not something about them physically.

Lead With Your Most Surprising Fact

If you've got a genuinely counterintuitive stat or insight related to your product or industry, lead with it.

"Did you know that 60% of companies using [your type of solution] are actually making it less efficient?" Then pause. If they're in that category or adjacent to it, they'll want to know more.

Or: "We found something weird in our research - [surprising finding]. Have you noticed that in your organisation?"

This works because humans are naturally curious. Present something that contradicts what they assumed to be true, and they'll engage to understand why. It's not a sales pitch, it's information that happens to lead naturally toward your solution.

Your full LED product range might be interesting to you, but leading with features puts people to sleep. Leading with a surprising insight about why most LED implementations fail? That gets attention.

What Doesn't Work

Anything that sounds like you're reading a script. People can tell immediately, and their defenses go up.

Asking them to guess what you do or solve. "What do you think we offer?" makes them feel tested, which nobody enjoys.

Being overly enthusiastic. Yes, you should be energised, but matching the energy of a children's TV presenter when they're tired and overwhelmed just creates disconnect.

Launching straight into your pitch. "We help companies reduce costs by 30% through..." Right, cool, I'm walking away now.

The Follow-Through Matters

The conversation starter is just that - a start. What you do in the next 30 seconds determines whether it leads anywhere.

Listen more than you talk initially. Their responses tell you what they actually care about, which gives you the angle for your eventual pitch. Trying to steer the conversation back to your prepared script wastes the rapport you just built.

Be comfortable with silence. You don't need to fill every gap with words. Sometimes they're processing, or thinking about how to answer, and rushing in breaks that.

And be genuinely okay with them not being a good fit. Not everyone at the exhibition is your ideal customer. The conversation starter that helps you quickly identify and gracefully disengage from poor-fit prospects is just as valuable as one that hooks great prospects.

The goal isn't to trap everyone who passes into a conversation. It's to start natural, relevant dialogues with people who might actually benefit from what you do. That requires conversation starters that feel like conversations, not sales techniques dressed up with question marks.