Tech Arena deals: why live demos beat slideware

In the Tech Arena, attention has to be earned in seconds – so your demo is critical. 

Pitch decks aren’t bad, but for people on the ground at the event, seeing a product behave right in front of their eyes removes the guesswork that slows decision-making. 

It’s the difference between ‘I understand’ and ‘I believe you’. 

If you’re exhibiting for visibility, sales, partnerships, or investment, a live demo is a kind of wind tunnel: it shows what your product does when the air hits it, not when it’s described in calm conditions.

Instead of interpreting a deck, buyers want to experience your product 

Recent buyer research supports what we’ve seen firsthand across each edition of LEAP. 

Wynter’s 2024 study of B2B SaaS marketing leaders, for example, found that 49% said sales demos are the linchpin of the selection process, with interactive website demos coming in second at 23%. So when it’s time to choose, people lean on product experience more than polished messaging.

One interviewee in that research put it like this: “If it is software, then an online demo is a MUST-HAVE.” 

Translate that to LEAP and the principle holds: when visitors can touch, test, and question what you’ve built, you’re no longer asking them to imagine the value. You’re letting them discover it.

Live demos reduce ambiguity (and speed up the next step)

The key advantage of a good demo is clarity. It can instantly show: 

• how intuitive the user journey really is
• what ‘real-time’ actually looks like
• whether your product holds up under curious (and sceptical) questions

And that’s why live demos are highly effective at moving conversations from early curiosity to specific, adoption-based questions – pushing people to ask you how your product would work for them. 

A 2025 buyer behaviour report from Consensus, based on 6 million anonymised customer interactions, emphasises how product experience content influences outcomes. One line stood out to us: “Deals with nine or more demo views see a close rate increase of over 8-10x.”

Obviously, that’s Consensus’ own dataset – so we can only treat it as indicative of the wider market. 

But it’s still a useful exhibitor lesson: demos create momentum when they’re easy to revisit and share across a buying group.

The same report also gives a valuable warning for you if you’re planning your Tech Arena loop this year: “The average demo length clocks in at over 15 minutes, yet buyers spend just 5:44 engaging.” In other words: design for drop-in attention. Make value visible early.

The modern buying journey is multi-channel – and demos travel well

According to McKinsey’s 2024 B2B Pulse Survey (covering nearly 4,000 decision makers across 13 countries), your demo won’t be judged only in-person. It’s part of a wider, omnichannel journey. 

McKinsey’s ‘rule of thirds’ is a clean summary of today’s preferences: one-third want in-person interactions, one-third prefer remote, and one-third want digital self-serve options at any stage.

That’s your cue: build a demo that performs live – and leaves behind something that can be shared internally the next day.

What this looked like at LEAP last year 

LEAP 2025 offered a clear example of why proof beats promise. Coverage of the event by Arab News highlighted Aramco’s presence, including the Saudi Accelerated Innovation Lab introducing Aramco’s Robotics Assistant, SARA, as part of the on-floor showcase narrative.

We’re not suggesting every exhibitor needs a robot (although if you do, we can’t wait to meet them). It’s that when complex tech can be experienced in the moment, it gains traction faster. 

What to do before LEAP 2026

If you’re aiming for real outcomes from your stand or Tech Arena demo slot, here are our top tips: 

1. Open with the problem in one sentence. Then show how your tech solves it.
2. Build a loop, not a lecture. Design so someone can join at any moment.
3. Make value visible within the first minute. If it takes five minutes to get it, most people won’t.
4. Plan the ‘after’. A QR code, a short follow-up video, a mini-tour – something shareable.

Deals start when someone sees your technology withstand the wind. 

So bring your innovation to life in the Tech Arena – and turn passing attention into real conversations that last beyond the show floor. Apply to demo in the Tech Arena now.