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Weekly Email Series

For over 35 years, I have exhibited at hundreds of consumer trade shows and other events. Moreover, in the past decade, I have launched and expanded my own events whilst continuing to exhibit in my events along with others. This email series is my means of giving back what I have acquired through observation, firsthand experience, trial and error, and interviews with industry sources and hundreds of exhibitors.  —Frank

Staffing

Your booth staff’s job is to engage with show attendees and filter through those contacts to find folks that you can help either immediately or in the near future.

For this to happen efficiently and effectively, the booth staff must be prepared, trained, focused and professional in both appearance and attitude. They must also have reasonable, believable goals and expectations.

So, deciding who is going to represent your company to a stream of prospects and how you need to support their efforts is obviously a VERY important part of pre-show planning.

How do you staff your booth for success?

Preparation is the key. Both from the company level as well as the individual staffer’s personal level.

Each staffer must have:
• A positive attitude about spending all or part of their weekend at the show
• Product or service knowledge to be able to answer all common questions
• Stamina to be able to work their shift with enough energy to stay focused on the objective

Each staffer needs to:
• Know how to properly dress and present themselves
• Be freshly bathed and have fresh breath
• Not smell like the’ve been smoking

Training points:
• How to engage with attendees (eye contact, smile, asking open-ended questions)
• How to separate attendees that need you now or in the foreseeable future from the rest
• How to ask for referrals
• How to present the product or service
• How to set appointments
• How to gather personal contact information
• How to close sales

Staff scheduling:
• Allow for meal and restroom breaks
• Never leave the booth unmanned
• Never under staff and miss engagement opportunities
• Never over staff which can scare away prospects


 
Questions or Comments about Staffing