Preparing for a trade show is not an easy feat. In the months leading up to the event, you spend hours every day pouring over your marketing strategy and revisiting budgets to ensure that you have the booth of your dreams without breaking the bank.
However, even the most attractive booth on the floor would be rendered absolutely useless without the right kind of staff.
Ideally, the individuals who are working in your carefully-created booth should have excellent communication skills, be polite, warm and welcoming, and also have a wealth of knowledge about your brand and what it stands for.
Unfortunately, finding individuals who possess all these qualities and are available for your show can be quite a task. So, if you haven’t managed to find a dream team to look after your trade show booth rental in Orlando just yet, don’t worry.
We’re here with some incredible tips that will help you find the staff you need for your upcoming trade show in Orlando.
Start by Defining Roles & Responsibilities
Before you even begin to look for volunteers or professionals to staff your booth, it’s imperative that you outline what their jobs and responsibilities will be. This will help you find ideal candidates.
Typically, you should have different people taking on different roles and responsibilities. At most trade shows, you will notice four types of people in and around every booth – namely hosts, crowd gatherers, presenters and lead gatherers. Let’s take a quick look at their responsibilities:
Crowd Gatherers
Their sole purpose is to engage with people outside your booth. They need to be charming and have excellent verbal communication skills. Ideally, they should direct people towards your booth in case attendees happen to miss it.
Hosts
As the name suggests, hosts are the people who stand at the entrance, welcoming people into your booth and giving them a little bit of information about your brand. They should be well-versed with your company’s products and keep an eye out for those people who look like they may benefit from your company’s offerings.
Presenters
These talented individuals should be in charge of all the presentations and demonstrations happening at your booth. They must be skilled orators and speakers and need to create enough interest with their presentation or demonstration to drive your sales.
Of course, it goes without saying that they need to brush up on your company’s offerings to be able to deliver seamless presentations to rapt audiences.
Lead Gatherers
These individuals will focus on gathering the contact information of potential leads. It’s important that your lead gatherers have in-depth knowledge about your products and services so that they can answer any questions that come their way.
Once your roles and responsibilities are defined, you have a better idea of what kind of individuals you need to look for.
Look for Staffers Who Have the Right Attitude
More often than not, companies spend a whole lot of money on hiring hosts and hostesses who look good so that they add to the overall aesthetic of the booth.
However, these people may not be adequately equipped to deal with the kind of guests you’re hoping to bowl over at the show.
Instead, ask your company employees if they would be willing to spend some time at the booth. This is helpful not only because your employees would already have a wealth of information about your products and services, but also because only motivated individuals will be manning your booth.
However, if you must outsource the job for your trade show booth rental in Orlando, it’s important that you find people who truly believe in your business and what you do. If staff members can relate with the kind of work a company does, they are likely to do a good job.
Don’t Underestimate Your Numbers
The number of staff members you need will depend on the size of your booth and the volume of guests you’re expecting.
Of course, it’s also important to consider lunch and snack breaks as well as the number of hours that you’re expecting staff members to work.
As a rule of thumb, you should insist on your staff arriving at the booth before the doors even open and staying on until the event is over.
This is why it might be a good idea to consider working in shifts. This way, the people in your booth won’t appear exhausted at the end of the day, and you will have a few extra staff members available should anybody call in sick at the last moment.
Educate the Team
Once you’ve got a list of the people who will be manning your booth at the trade show, it’s time to ensure that everybody is on the same page.
Organize an orientation to better acquaint the staff members to your company’s history, products and services. It’s important that you highlight your trade show goals and objectives to the staff, so that they better understand their own roles and responsibilities.
If you’re attending a trade show with the specific intent of launching a new product in the market, it’s a good idea to ensure that everybody working in and around your booth knows everything about the new product.
This includes understanding how and why it is different and better than other products that are currently available in the market.
This means that you will have to invest some time and money into doing research and sharing your findings with the staff, but it will definitely be worth it in the long run.
The purpose of this education is to ensure that your staff are not left fumbling or stuttering when a guest asks them queries during the show.
Build Trust Within the Team
A conflict between two staff members could end up having a devastating impact on your trade show’s bottom line.
This is why it’s absolutely crucial to spend some time getting the team to work together and feel comfortable around one another. Before the show commences, spend a day doing trust exercises with the team, to ensure that they’re all able to work well together and can count on one another to fulfil their duties.
This will also serve as a good chance for team members to learn a little more about the people they will be working with and give them a chance to bond.
Lay Down the Rules
In the days leading up to the show, you need to ensure that all staff members are made aware of your expectations. Ensure that the uniforms you have provided them with fit properly and all of them are aware of how they should be dressed while manning the booth.
You can go so far as to lay down grooming standards as well. At many booths, individuals are instructed to comb their hair a certain way or ensure that their nails are neat, tidy and short.
These somewhat insignificant details are what makes the overall booth experience a wholesome one for your guests.
Some important rules to consider apart from grooming include break timings and where and when to consume food and drinks during the duration of the show.
It’s also a good idea to provide staff members with a basic script of things to say and do, along with a list of topics that they should try and avoid at all costs. These small things could make a huge difference to the wholesome experience that attendees have at your booth.
Sweeten the Deal
To really boost productivity in the booth, provide staff with an incentive. You can offer a bonus to the individual who gathers the most leads or converts potential clients with flawless demonstrations and presentations.
An incentive or bonus will urge individuals to work harder and focus on the task at hand while they’re working at your trade show booth rental in Orlando.
Every trade show booth is only as good as its least-motivated staff member. With this in mind, it’s important that you spend the time and resources required to select only those members of staff who are really motivated to be at your booth and give their 100% every single day.
A trade show is an important marketing tool, but it is expensive. With a well-trained team on your side, you’ll be able to get high returns on your investment and make the most of the trade show atmosphere.
Read here – Quick tips to generate leads at your next trade show in Orlando.