Author: William Griggs
Founder @ Trade Show Labs
Published: November 4, 2026
Last Updated: September 14, 2026
Indianapolis trade show booths that get walked past are usually the ones with nothing to do. The ideas below fix that.
Trade Show Labs delivers branded games and booth activations to Indianapolis from Houston. Our event managers run them in your booth from open to close.
What we bring to Indianapolis
Racing first, because that is what Indianapolis asks for. The F1 race simulator is the unit local exhibitors request most, and we have run it at the convention center more than once. The VR flight simulator and the golf simulator are the other big-draw rigs.
For a booth that needs to pull people in off the aisle: Batak Pro, the branded claw machine, the giant Plinko board and mini-drone racing. For a booth that has to qualify leads while it entertains: Tablet Jeopardy, the Are You Smarter Than An AI Bot? trivia game, the AI photo booth and the social media vending machine. VR headset packages ship as equipment-only kits, and swag gets made in the booth with SwagBot Beam laser engraving or SwagBot Print 3D printing.
If you are not sure which one fits, our guide to the best trade show booth games compares them, and the longer list of interactive trade show ideas covers the rest. Photos of every unit sit on the full list of trade show games and activations page.
For a full VR booth with more headsets and staff, our sister company VirtualRealityRental.co handles VR booth rental in Indianapolis as well.
Trade Show Labs in Indianapolis
Cvent ran our F1 racing simulator for two days in Indianapolis in August 2026. Brenntag North America booked the race sim for a May 2024 show. The Indiana University Alumni Association rented VR headsets and told us "it was a cool experience, and so easy to handle with all your materials." We have shipped a Batak Pro to the Children's Museum of Indianapolis for a client event, headsets to Naptown Real Rollers, and equipment rentals to Human-I-T and The Path School.
How a job in Indianapolis runs
From our Houston warehouse to the Indiana Convention Center
Most of what we run in Indianapolis lands at the Indiana Convention Center, the 46225 zip where Cvent put our F1 racing simulator for two show days in August 2026. That one was full service. One event manager travelled with the rig, had it running before the hall opened, kept the lap times moving all day and packed it down after close on the second night.
Equipment-only jobs work differently. The kit ships from Houston in its case, your team sets it up with our instructions, and there is a phone number to call if a headset misbehaves. That is how Naptown Real Rollers took three VR headsets in July 2026, and how The Path School got a kit shipped on short notice for a May 2024 delivery. When one client booked Batak Pro twice in the same spring, Long Beach in April 2026 and then Indianapolis in May, the second unit went straight to the Children's Museum of Indianapolis at 4750 W 16th Street.
The city itself helps. The Indy 500 crowd, a metro of about two million people and a downtown that kept its historic neighborhoods make Indianapolis a show town where a race sim fits the local mood instead of fighting it.
Indianapolis Trade Show Venues:
Indiana Convention Center & Lucas Oil Stadium
Chamber of Commerce:
Top Indianapolis Hotels:
Omni Severin Hotel
JW Marriott Indianapolis
The Alexander
The Westin Indianapolis
Additional Resources:
Trade Show Ideas that Work: https://www.bizbash.com/meetings-trade-shows/trade-shows/media-gallery/22262561/advice-and-inspiration-for-trade-show-booths
Inspo for Your Expo Display:
https://american-image.com/finding-inspiration-for-your-expo-displays/
Some of the Best Booths: https://meetings.skift.com/trade-show-booths-100-best-ideas-2018/
Attract Visitors with these Ideas: https://www.bizzabo.com/blog/tradeshow-ideas/
Bottom line
Create the Best Booth
Looking for an exceptional trade show experience in Indianapolis? Turn to the experts at Trade Show Labs! Our team has a proven track record of creating immersive and interactive events that help businesses generate leads and boost brand recognition. With a range of Indianapolis trade show ideas to choose from, including engaging games and high tech VR attractions, Trade Show Labs has everything you need to make your event a hit. Don't settle for anything less than the best - contact Trade Show Labs today to learn how we can help take your event to the next level!
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