Elmia Polymer serves as a central meeting place for the Swedish manufacturing sector, providing companies with a platform to showcase innovations, exchange ideas, and forge new connections. As part of the six parallel trade fairs under the Elmia Production Fairs umbrella, Elmia Polymer focuses on the latest technologies, services, and products in the polymer industry. Below, you’ll find 15 game ideas—across four categories—that can excite fairgoers, reflect the polymer theme, and foster memorable experiences within a quick playtime (most under two minutes per round).
Imagine a compact but high-energy obstacle course inspired by the polymer manufacturing process. Participants wear safety-themed gear (e.g., hard hats, rubber aprons) and race through stations symbolizing different steps of plastic production: crawling under “extruder pipes,” hopping over “mixing vats,” and balancing across “conveyor belts.” This setup is large and specialized enough that no one could casually build it at home, ensuring it feels exclusive and worth the booth visit. Each run is timed—fastest finisher of the day claims the top spot on the leaderboard.
Recreate the feeling of operating a large crane at a manufacturing site—except here, it’s a human-powered version. Set up a small, booth-sized rig with elevated rails, a sling or harness, and a secure joystick that participants use to maneuver themselves (or a large claw) to “pick up” oversized polymer pellets scattered around. The physical challenge and the specialized rig make this game visually impressive, draws crowds, and is impossible for a casual fairgoer to replicate. The winner is the person who collects the most “pellets” within two minutes.
Give fair attendees the thrill of an injection molding process with a sporty twist. Design a sturdy, oversize pneumatic cannon that launches lightweight foam “polymer blocks” toward a target shaped like a mold frame. Players need to fire as many blocks into the mold’s open section within a short time limit. This fast-paced, visually impactful setup underscores polymer themes and draws attention through the excitement of launching objects in quick bursts.
This game uses the falling-text mechanic to teach visitors about the essentials of polymer quality control. Here’s how it works:
This simple but purposeful game highlights common do’s and don’ts in polymer processing, educating visitors while entertaining them.
Below are three well-known casual skill games that are quick, fun, and have proven success—offering inspiration for how they might be re-skinned or adapted to the polymer trade fair context.
Below are five fresh casual game ideas specifically designed with a polymer industry flair. Each is quick, skill-based, and can run on touchscreens or mobile devices at a booth—ideal for short, memorable interactions.
Players guide a small conveyor belt at the bottom of the screen, moving it left and right to catch falling polymer pellets of various colors. Certain pellets (e.g., black pellets symbolizing contaminants) must be avoided. The game ends if the player misses too many valid pellets or catches too many contaminant pellets. This fosters quick reflexes and ties neatly to polymer processing accuracy.
In this game, players control the temperature and speed dials on a virtual extruder. Pellets travel through the extruder tube in real-time. If the temperature is too high for too long, the polymer “burns,” and if it’s too low, the flow stalls. Players must quickly adjust the controls to keep the flow optimal for 90–120 seconds. This emphasizes the delicate balance in real-world extrusion processes.
A high-speed tap game where you see a rotating ring divided into segments. Each segment represents a different resin or additive. The ring cycles quickly, and players must tap only when the correct resin lines up with the injection port in the center. A single wrong tap (injecting the incorrect resin) ends the run. It’s a fun nod to precise formulation mixing in polymer production.
Players see an assembly line of small mold templates gliding across the screen. Each template shape requires a specific press-and-release timing to inject “virtual polymer” into it. If you over-press, the mold overflows. If you under-press, the mold is incomplete. The goal is to fill as many molds perfectly as possible within two minutes—highlighting the real-world challenge of injection molding precision.
A top-down digital maze, stylized as a labyrinth of pipes and mechanical gates representing a polymer plant’s layout. Players tilt or swipe to roll a polymer ball from the start to the exit. Obstacles include heated zones (where the ball might melt if it lingers) and coolant chambers (slowing the ball’s movement). The challenge is to find the quickest safe path before the clock runs out.
Finally, chance-based digital games offer an element of excitement and unpredictability, drawing in crowds who want to test their luck. Below are three ways to customize such games for Elmia Polymer.
These 15 game ideas—including physical, digital knowledge, digital skill, and digital chance concepts—are designed to spark high-impact engagement at Elmia Polymer. They blend quick-play excitement with relevant themes, showcasing the dynamism of the polymer industry while giving visitors a fun, memorable fair experience. By weaving manufacturing processes, product design, and polymer innovation into creative game formats, you ensure that each booth visit entertains and educates—perfectly aligning with the spirit of Elmia Polymer’s mission to propel the Swedish manufacturing industry into the future.
