Najah Expo Dubai 2026: Student Lead Capture Game

Many students will scan a QR code before they read your banner, so a 60-second Gem Rush game from BoothBuzz can get you a real name and email sooner than a pile of prospectuses. The show listing gives Najah Expo Dubai 2026 as 25 to 27 Oct 2026, held at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), so confirm with the organiser before you book staff or the game.

Who stops at a university stand

The crowd at an education fair is often mixed: high school students, their parents, school counsellors and education agents. Students tend to ask if they can get in, parents about cost and safety, and counsellors and agents often collect details to pass on.

Many of them will leave without giving you a name. A student with a bag of leaflets has likely seen many stands that look alike, and a paper form asks for effort nobody offered. The scan takes about 3 seconds, then comes a short form and the 60-second game.

For parents of younger children, see how schools capture parents, not just brochures. For teachers, see the GESS Dubai 2026 edtech stand guide.

Why Gem Rush on hard mode

Gem Rush is a match-3 puzzle played on the visitor's own phone. Players swap neighbouring gems to make a line of three, and a cascade that sets off a second match adds combo points, so the top scorer leads the board. In the admin you pick the difficulty for each game: the easy setting deals 4 gem types, the hard setting deals 7.

Hard is the right setting here. Students are unlikely to chase a rank in a game they beat on the first go, and with seven gem types a strong player should finish well ahead of a casual one, which is what makes a ranking worth defending.

Expect some students to try tampering with the board. The phone only reports its moves and the server works out the score, so a doctored number is refused, and odd results are flagged so staff can look before any prize changes hands. Ten people can play at once, which suits a school group arriving together. See both games or which game suits which crowd.

Two questions that sort the evening's follow-up

Visitors enter name, email, mobile and company, then your own questions. Use two: "Intended programme" and "Intake: 2027 or 2028". The first tells your admissions team which faculty or adviser should reply. The second tells them how urgent the reply is, because a 2027 enquirer needs a call this week while a 2028 enquirer suits a slower run of emails.

Every lead sits in your dashboard with those answers, so the team can download Excel, CSV or PDF that evening and sort by programme and intake.

Some visitors will be under 18. Each sign-up stores a consent record, and the marketing opt-in is a separate box that starts unticked, but how your university treats under-18 contact details is a question for your compliance team. Also ask where the data is hosted and name the hosting location in your privacy notice. This is practical guidance only, not legal advice.

A peer leaderboard pulls the whole school group in

The usual stand opening is a cold interruption: an adviser steps in front of a teenager who is already eyeing the next stand. A game reverses that. The student pays for a go with a real name and email before anyone speaks, so your adviser can start from the student's own result: "Fourth place, and one good cascade from the top. Which programme are you looking at?"

After that the board does what a form never could. A rank is worth defending, which is a reason to come back. A classmate is worth beating, which is a reason to bring friends. And the prize draw puts your team in front of a crowd as hosts, not behind a counter as sellers.

Students often arrive in school groups, and when one classmate climbs the board, the rest have a reason to walk over and beat them. By the time a lead reaches your spreadsheet the conversation has already begun, and the row records when that student was at your stand.

Prizes that fit this crowd

Pair one hero prize with runner-ups and a small item for everyone who finishes.

Speakers and tech gadgets as the hero: many students would like to be seen collecting one in front of friends, and it photographs well on the stand TV.
Power banks as a runner-up: a day of scanning drains a phone.
Caps and hats as a runner-up: winners are likely to wear them out of the hall, and your name goes with them.
Custom USB drives for everyone who finishes: counsellors and agents who carry documents between stands are likely to keep one.

Put the draw time on the game start screen, in the prize line, for example "Speaker draw today at [your time]". A student who plays at 11:00 then knows when to come back, and so do their friends. Before you order any prize, read the price and lead time shown on its product page, then look up prize draw rules in your exhibitor manual.

Print the QR where people stop

Many students slow down at the aisle edge, so stand a roll-up banner there and set its QR 1.6 m up, at eye height. A second code goes on the promotional stand at the front counter, turned to face the aisle. Student ambassadors can wear the code on the back of a staff T-shirt above the line "Scan me, beat me", while admissions staff in polo shirts carry the same code. A flyer with a QR can reach the students who keep walking.

Send the SVG file to the printer and keep the PNG for the TV and your iPad kiosk. Until the start date, anyone opening the public link lands on a Coming soon page, though a staff password box lets your team through, so a printed proof can be scanned and the real game played in advance.

FAQ

Can I run a lead capture game at Najah Expo Dubai 2026?

BoothBuzz works at any venue with mobile coverage, including DWTC, and visitors play on their own phone. Confirm with the organiser for any stand rules on screens and prize draws.

How much does the game cost for a three-day expo?

Each exhibition day is AED 300 with nothing added: no set-up fee, licence or per-lead charge. Three days at Najah Expo Dubai 2026 therefore come to AED 900 and an order is usually ready inside 24 h.

What should I ask students on an education fair lead form?

Keep it to two custom questions: "Intended programme" and "Intake: 2027 or 2028". They tell your team who should reply and how soon.

Can I collect contact details from high school students?

Under-18 contact details need a decision from your compliance team before the show. Treat this as practical guidance, not legal advice.

Reserve your game for Najah Expo Dubai 2026 once you have looked at the pricing.