Your event staff at trade shows have only seconds to engage with prospective clients or risk losing them to the sea of competitors on the exhibit floor. In order to generate a positive trade show ROI, it’s important that your team understands the unique aspects of trade show selling.
At the end of the day, the success of a trade show is measured by how much effort your business puts into it. Without a well-trained event staff, your giveaways, booth design and marketing efforts could go to waste. Use the following tips to help your event staff make the most impact at your next exhibit.
The Power of First Impressions
While attendees are initially drawn to your trade show booth design or the brand itself, what makes them stay or go is your staff. If they see staff grouped together like they’re socializing, eating, drinking, or laser-focused on their phones, it makes your brand appear unprofessional and not worth the attendee’s time.
Booth personnel must be professional, friendly, and fully engaged. Emphasize the importance of body language, and discourage staff from sitting down. They should avoid leaning against booth walls or furniture, fidgeting, and crossing their arms or stuffing their hands in their pockets.
Focus on Attendee Engagement
Smiling, making eye contact and asking questions that require more than a “yes” or “no” answer goes a long way to keeping attendees engaged. A greeting or introduction script facilitates initial interaction as potential prospects step into the booth. Asking open-ended questions builds a rapport with attendees and helps staff identify current customers and qualify new prospects.
Attendees at trade shows expect to be approached, but the goal isn’t to pitch to everyone who visits the booth. Instead, focus on talking with visitors about their needs and how your brand solves those needs. From there, staff should ask specific questions to identify prospects, obtaining contact information for additional interactions after the trade show is over.
Provide Adequate Staffing
Custom trade show exhibits are long days, so make sure your booth is adequately staffed. Employees shouldn’t work more than four hours in the booth. Otherwise, fatigue and stress could set in, resulting in poor performance and less than expected results.
Ensure that you have enough staff to handle the crowds. Understaffing a booth could result in not connecting with potential prospects, while overstaffing a booth can be overwhelming to trade show attendees. You also need to make sure your staff appropriately for lunch and other breaks.
Measure Trade Show Results
Trade show ROI goes beyond just the cost per lead. The Results Division at Exhibitus helps companies identify ROI metrics that drive marketing strategies and design goals. Also, we can help you determine the appropriate staff size to accomplish your corporate and event objectives Contact us today at 800.770.4392 to start measuring what matters.