5 important points for your employees at the trade fair

The employees at the trade fair stand are a decisive factor for success. If they are not engaged and inviting, how else will the company generate new leads? In this article, we give you tips on everything from the number of employees and which employees should stand, to training and how to keep their motivation up!

1: How many employees do you need at the trade show stand?

As you may have noticed, there is something varied from booth to booth when it comes to the number of employees. There may be a number of reasons for this, but the smartest way is to think strategically about what stand you're going to have.

You should decide what is the goal of the stand and what roles you need to fill. For example, if there are various activities on the stand that require more resources. Have specific roles ready, so you don't have to put up with a stand of excess resources. It costs both unnecessary money and it also does not give a good impression to passers-by if some employees are standing and bored.

Another thing is to base the number of employees on how many leads an employee recruits. For example, if an employee manages an average of 4 leads per hour, there will quickly be 20 in five hours. By knowing your employees and where in the landscape they are in generating leads, you will get a rough estimate of how many leads you will recruit at the trade show stand.

2: Which of the employees should stand on the stand?

After you figure out how many employees you need at the stand, the next question is about which of them to ask. Here, both enthusiasm and expertise in the field are two decisive factors. Not all employees are fit to stand. You will not get far if you choose an employee who is senior in the field, but does not particularly want to run for office.

The same applies in the opposite case: do not choose the one who has a huge desire and at the same time lacks the skills needed. Therefore, choose the representatives wisely, where you are aware of who is at the forefront of the professional field and bring a high level of enthusiasm. It's visible when someone is passionate about what they're doing — and it's contagious!

Have you organized a trade show in the past? There is no point in changing something that works well. If the employees who ran last time did a good job and had fun on the stand, they should definitely be first in line when selecting representatives this round.

3: Prioritize good training

Make sure you prepare well before sending your employees to the fair. They need introductions in everything from what the fair will be about and the activities that will take place there, to a refresher in the professionalism and techniques for generating leads. Training will vary based on the starting point of the representatives. Some need more thorough introductions than others, for example if they have not attended a trade fair before. The most important thing is to give them an overall impression of how the business will be presented and what you offer. Clarify expectations and goals for the event ahead of time — this also provides a good indicator of motivation.

4: How should the employees behave at the exhibition stand?

In order for you to be sure that visitors who meet your staff at the stand are accommodated the way you want, it is advisable to take a look at this before the fair. Establish a common understanding of what impression you want potential customers to have of your company.

If the purpose is for visitors to learn something, it can be beneficial to tease the representatives on the various activities related to the topic, and that they have the information they need to be able to explain a concept, etc. If the exhibition stand is a more general promotion, where the purpose is to showcase the company and what it offers, it is advisable to ensure that all employees have the product knowledge they need to pass this on.

The employees who represent your company's booth should reflect who you are and the message you want to convey. On the stand, your employees are simply the face of the company outwardly. That's why it's very important to keep them motivated by making their planning interesting and engaging!

If there is a conference to be held, it may also be useful to read this article with 10 useful tips on how to organize a conference.

5: Establish good routines

Document experiences and set aside time to evaluate afterwards. Things to go through could be:

Did we achieve what we wanted?

Was it the right venue for us or is it better to try something different next year?

What did we do well, and what can we do better for next time?

It is important to prepare employees to report the number of leads after the trade show, so that they know what is expected of them. In addition, these leads should be followed up — it is advisable to take this rather quickly after the fair when it is still fresh in the memory of visitors. Allocate responsibility for who follows up on what, and set deadlines on this.

Good luck, and good Mass!

See more tips and advice on trade fair

Perhaps you are also wondering what else should be fixed in advance of a trade show stand? Then you can read more about this here, where we give you our 8 best tips!

Compass Fairs rents out all the equipment you may need for your booth, and to make it easier for you, we have created a neat overview of our small and large packages.

Feel free to take contact us here if you have any questions!