First time exhibitor!

Staffing your exhibition can be just as important as developing the right exhibition stand.

This is because in order to gain the results you are expecting, a well-organised and enthusiastic team is essential. Before the exhibition develop a strategy with your team to ensure that the day runs smoothly for everyone.

The first matter to discuss is a roster, having a roster avoids confusion and disturbances in productivity on the day of the exhibition. This will ensure that your team are aware what their different roles are at different times of the day.

Not only do roles become clear but also the number of staff members you have on-site – enough to cater to prospective clients but not too many to give the appearance of idleness. Without a roster, confusion can ensue and an appearance of unprofessionalism can develop. This can be detrimental to the success of your event.

Rosters should include start and finish times, the role/job title of individuals for specific time slots as well as scheduled breaks so your team can refuel and refresh in the middle of a busy day. Breaks keep people productive and energy levels high, so make sure that a break is scheduled in for all employees.

During a pre-event team meeting set goals. How can your sales team know what to achieve if you don’t? Give your staff a clear sense of purpose and intention, this ensure they know what attitude and tactics to use with prospective customers. These goals don’t necessarily have to be widely ambitious but they need to be specific and clear. Instead aiming for as sales in general, aim for 5, 10, 15 or 20. This way, your team will be more conscious of their time and their methods.

Although many consider the main objective of an exhibition is to generate sales, leads are an excellent source of future sales and networking and should be carefully recorded. This can be done either electronically or manually, however, contact details such as name, number and email are essential for follow-up conversations.

Organising and briefing your team prior to the event allows them to confidently execute their roles throughout the day of the exhibition. Instilling this confidence and sense of purpose will inevitably lead to increased performance and more positive customer feedback.