When it comes to branded content and entertainment in the trade show space, in general, show associations control every square inch of a show.

At the biggest trade show events, brands spend millions on fancy booths, talent, digital games, and contests, with the goal of driving traffic and getting noticed. Traditionally, American Express OPEN does too. It’s pay to play—and you have to play within their rules.

Unless, of course, you rethink the entire trade show channel.

Within American Express OPEN, the acquisition team targets 240+ B2B tradeshows a year to offer our premium charge cards to the small business owners who attend en masse. Essentially, we fish where the fish are.

OPEN was looking for a better way to reach our small business owners at scale, while driving increased value for our Cardmembers as well as increased awareness with prospective Cardmembers.

So we asked ourselves, if we were going to drive incremental value for the highly utilitarian small business audience that attends tradeshows, was another branded concert, contest, or socially focused digital game really what our target wanted? What they needed?

For starters, attendees said our marquee locations got their attention. They saw the American Express OPEN Business Lounges and asked how they could get in.

Physically, the glass exteriors to the OPEN Business Lounge at the entrance to the Las Vegas Convention Center and the unique Skybox overlooking the floor of the Javits Center have inspired curiosity and traffic.

Dynamic animation loops showcase lounge benefits on outward-facing LCDs. VIP day passes handed out at kiosks throughout the convention centers are driving trial. Cardmembers are bringing guests who are then telling others. Foursquare check-ins, tweets and posts are spreading the word.

The lounges enable OPEN to reach 54 of the top 200 tradeshows in the US without purchasing tradeshow floor space. We’ve had over 10,000 guests since opening and a 27% year over year increase in new account applications. Cardmembers are closing deals, seeing new value in having an OPEN Card, are bringing in clients and creating new leads for OPEN.

Small business owners said it best:

“@AmericanExpress @AskAmex The Amex lounge at #CES is a brilliant move—very impressed!”

"It's an effort level above what most companies go to provide their customers benefits." - Doug Marsden, Cardmember