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Staffing Your Trade Show - The Most Important Asset You Have

An important factor many corporations overlook when creating their Trade Show budget is the cost in man hours. Most corporate Trade Shows run 2 to 3 days in length, some longer. Add in travel time and the average employee will be out of the office for 3 to 4 days. Since they are typically held on week days, these shows are able to eat up considerable production time

For those participating in the show, the days are long and can be physically and mentally draining. These shows typically run 6 to 10 hours in length. The busier the show, the easier it will be for your staff to be overwhelmed.
Make certain staff get adequate breaks. An hour on the show floor can easily translate to the energy of 2 to 3 hours in the office. Unless you have a Trade Show department or the show is local, your employee’s normal week is being compromised. They cannot retreat to their own surroundings; they have traveled a long distance, and may be working unusual hours. They are away from friends and family and their typical after hour routine. In other words, their entire schedule has been disrupted. It is useful to find employees who enjoy a break from the norm, that find this to be an adventure, but who are not expecting a free vacation. Give them time to roam the show. They will get a better feel for the industry, get some time to unwind, pick up a few freebies and feel better when they are in the booth. Standing for more than a few hours at a time is a big physical burden, even with comfortable shoes, so rotate your staff.

This is why many companies hire outside help, professionals who work the Trade Show circuit. While often referred to as “Booth Bunnies” and dismissed as excessive or wasteful spending by staff, smart companies have long realized professional models are usually quick learners who can effectively convey their corporate message. For a three day show, these models, usually from the local area, can be much more cost effective than flying in staff and losing production time. The models are typically given the simple duties of passing out freebies, collecting names, etc.

The reason many are turned off by using professional models is there only experience with them are at local festivals where they stand in the middle of the walk way trying to get people to fill out contest forms. If they come off as being obnoxious, it is usually because they got inadequate instructions from whomever employees them. Spend 15 minutes with the models before the first day and give them a one page sheet of what you would like them to do and say. Introduce them to the rest of the staff, so they know who they can send attendees to who have important questions. They want to work for you again or get good recommendations, so they usually adapt easily to corporate standards.

Some corporations hire professional speakers. They will be more costly than models, but they also hold more responsibility. Attendees walking around at a Trade Show all day will welcome the chance to stop and listen to some giving a clear message that they don’t have to interact with too much, so a good speaker can be worth his or her weight in gold. Unless you have someone in house your company can spare for a few days, if you are making presentations on the show floor, hire a speaker.

If your company does numerous shows and you find models or speakers who are a great fit for your company, it may be worth the extra money to fly them to other shows and put them up during their stay. Remember, Trade Shows are usually the only face the outside world gets to connect with when it comes to your corporate image and it should be a pleasing experience.

You will still want to have an appropriate number of in house employees who will be more effective in fulfilling your Trade Show goals. This can include technical support, sales staff, and PR representatives. Make sure you have enough staff to accommodate booth traffic. If attendees have to wait too long to speak to a corporate representative, it may leave a sour taste in their mouth. Remember, attendees already have their senses overloaded, have been walking around all day and anything you can do to give them a more pleasurable experience, will be a plus for your company.

A successful Trade Show requires good communications, not only verbal, but non verbal. It is for staff to have other ideas about how things will and should happen. Have a meeting before the show to cover agendas and make sure there is an itinerary for everyone covering show hours, hotel accommodations, special events, etc. This is especially important for those who have not done many shows or who step in last minute.

NEXT: Preparation and Set up of the Trade Show

Last Update: July 18, 2011

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