Trade Show
Trade shows are long days of smiling and repeating the same message in different ways to a wide range of people. They can be days of watching non-qualified attendees grab your pens or sit in your booth. It is a day filled with rejection for those who staff the booth. I have a few tips to help keep your booth staffers happy – especially if they are also your sales team.
- Let them figure out their own schedule
This was an eye opener for me. My last two shows I asked the sales people when they wanted to work and for how long, keeping in mind that the booth had to be staffed for the whole show. They stepped up and worked out the schedule that worked the best for them and their family. If your sales people want to work in one hour shifts, break for an hour and then come back for four more hours – let them. Just be firm in the number of people you need in the booth and the time frames. I had a dramatic drop in complaints and many of them actually stayed on the show floor – if not in the booth 80% of the day.
2. Make sure they know why they are at the show.
Explaining the benefits of trade shows is helpful, but put it into terms they will understand. What is in it for them? The lead list that you will distribute at the end of the show. The industry connections that they can make. Then make sure to follow through with the lead list.
3. Keep water, mints, and snacks on hand.
If the show will be more than 8 hours in a day or two days long, I always make sure that I keep water and snacks on hand for the booth staff. This ensures they are not wandering around looking for something to eat and drink when they should be in the booth. When the show starts early, I will often bring in breakfast for the first shift. (This also helps with the hangovers that often occur at trade shows)
4. Listen to them
I give anyone who was on the trade show floor from our company (staffing the booth or not) a survey that I ask them to complete within a week of the trade show end date. I ask them about the booth, the quality of the attendees, competitors, and what they would change next year or if we should attend next year. This allows me to keep upgrading my designs and gives them input into the shows.
I work hard to ensure my people are happy and taken care of when working my booths. I will go so far as to book hotel and airfare for them. Working trade shows has become much less of a drag and more of a perk. The biggest being – if you work the booth, you have access to the leads and can help shape the future of the trade show program.
How do you keep your trade show staff happy?
Events, Trade Show
Juggling multiple events with different deadlines and requirements is challenging. I had missed a deadline or had to pay extra for electricity before I found my system. Here are the top 4 things that I do to keep my events organized and on time.
1.Cover Page and Notes
I have a cover page for each event that I do. I have created an adobe form template that allows me to track where I am in the process and the deadlines for each event. I was organizing over 100 trade shows year at one point but all were 10 x 10 or tables. This allowed me to systemize my cover letter and help me know what was going on with each at a glance. You can see my trade show cover letter here.
I used Adobe forms because it allowed me to input information without having to reformat the page every time. This does require the full version of Adobe Acrobat. If you do not have that, excel or number should work.
This cover letter lets my team members know what is happening with an event at a glance. It also allowed me to have a quick historical guide in one place.
Most events you can create a basic cover letter and then use an extensive notes section to cover the details.
2. Folders
I keep everything that I get for an event in digital folders. These folders are in date order and completed events are archived to another folder. This allows me to access all of the information I need in one place. I PDF emails, scan in contracts, add pictures, and keep post event surveys in this folder. This allows every team member to know what is happening should you be out of the office and keeps you from sorting through the hundreds of emails you have saved. I save everything in the naming convention of date-category-description. You will figure out what system works best for you.
3. Color-Coded Calendar
My calendar looks like a kindergarten classroom walls. I keep things color coded to allow me to recognize at a glance what needs to be done that month, week, and day. Events are purple, tailgates are red, trade shows are green, personal items are blue, marketing materials are yellow. I use lighter shades of these colors to indicate deadlines.
4. Calendar at a Glance
I keep a one-page yearly calendar that I have my major events color coded in. The codes match the above codes. I hang this above my phone next to my computer. It allows me to know at a glance if I have upcoming events, what kind, and what I should be focusing on.
Putting it All Together
It can seem time consuming to start but the time it saves in looking for that piece of paper or email more than makes up for it.
For Trade Show A, I make a folder and create a cover page for it. I go through the exhibitor package and note all deadlines on the cover page, noting any special circumstances that are stated in it.
I will often fill out the forms I know I will need (electricity, carpet, etc.) right then.
I then save the approval/ request for the show in the folder along with the cover letter. (Side note: I always use the character ( ‘ ) at the beginning of the cover page name so it sits at the top of the file structure.) I then take the cover letter and put the event and all deadlines on my calendar. I subtract a week from each deadline to ensure that I am never late and add a reminder on that calendar event.
I then pull up my Calendar at a Glance and add the event to the calendar and reprint it.
As I get emails and other communication in from the events those are saved to the folder and notes are placed on the cover page.
Let me know your tips and tricks for keeping your events straight.
Trade Show
Accepting help is something that I can have a problem with – especially for setting up an event. I have my process and it can feel easier to just handle items rather than explain them. My current trade show booths are 10 x 20 or smaller and often require only one person for setup. But, I have a group of sales people who will offer to help. So I have created the below flowchart to help me decide when to accept their help.
Once I have a good group of people who are willing to help and have proven themselves, I will ask for their help and cut my time in half.
Never be afraid of help, but always weigh the time cost-benefit of explaining what needs to be done, and if the people helping will accept your direction.
Happy planning!
