You hear it all the time: “Trade shows are no fun.” Square disagreed.
For the 2026 National Restaurant Association Show, which took place May 16-19 at McCormick Place in Chicago, the brand activated the “Surprise and Delight” sponsorship during the busiest moments just before the doors opened with a skate show and mini-troopers falling from the sky with gift cards, building excitement and brand awareness.
JBSkate roller skating group turned the concourse into a stage, blending breakdance and jazz with the distinct swagger of James Brown showmanship, before rolling onto the show floor and doing a mini-performance in front of the brand’s booth.
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“We wanted it to feel local to Chicago and also tied to our booth, which was a Square-branded diner,” says Katie Plack, experiential marketing lead at Square. “This group has a rich history dating back to the ’70s, so it really brought that Chicago flair.” (Agency partner: Nook Agency)
The Restaurant Show is a major purchasing event for the restaurant industry, bringing together more than 55,000 attendees and 2,300 exhibiting companies from 44 countries. Now in its 105th year, it continues to grow and is making strides with Gen Z attendees, whose attendance was up 23% YOY.
Capturing the attention of this audience in a unique auditory and visual way was key to Square. The engagement started before attendees ever got to the show with branded “guerrilla stickers” on the streets leading up to the convention center, along with pedicab wraps and other visual branding opportunities around the city. Plack sees these off-floor touchpoints as a growing trend in trade show marketing.
At the 20×30-foot booth, the focus was on one-on-one conversations with operators and partners as well as live demos of the newly launched Square for Drive-Thru and Managerbot. But that didn’t have to be boring either. With Drive-Thru, attendees could order useful items such as branded bar cloths and tape used in the back of the house, as well as the new, most coveted item—custom pins.
“We’re noticing that folks are collecting them and putting them on their lanyards or hats,” Plack says. “At Coffee Fest, we did a coffee cup with Square branding, and for this event, it was hot dogs for Chicago.”
Plack is also noticing a growing number of ancillary events, which raises the question of noise vs. quality. This trend is making her reassess the brand’s own events during the show and focus on unique and valuable culinary experiences.
So is having a presence on the show floor still relevant? Plack says: yes. “I view it as much as the brand awareness play as a bottom-up funnel lead generation play. You have to be in the room. All of your competitors are there. All of your partners are there, and it’s such an industry moment.”
Plack sees the value of unique, fun programming at trade shows extend beyond the brand. “We’re creating a moment at this trade show that didn’t exist, and now, people know that if they’re there before the doors open, they will be a cool performance. When I look at sponsorships, I think of a value-add to the overall event.”
Photos: Courtesy of the National Restaurant Association Show
