Forum - July 2008

During your training course prior to the exhibit, you must ensure your booth staff is extremely knowledgeable about your service mix, and incredibly effective in their listening skills. Take time to review booth materials, your six-second association selling points, competitive analysis, attendee demographics, meeting logistics and other pertinent information.

Additionally, refresh your staff with new and old exhibit marketing protocol. Remind them to greet attendees at the edge of the aisle, not inside the booth; guide the attendees into your booth for more information; attempt to address complaints in an area away from the booth; etc.

Another lesson to include in your booth training is non-verbal communication. Approximately 60 percent of your staff’s communication in the booth is non-verbal, so be sure to include instruction on best practices. In addition, your staff should develop non-verbal cues to alert other members of the team when they need assistance or need to be relieved from their conversation.

Most importantly, teach your booth staff to seamlessly walk the line between assertive salesperson and friendly service provider, while maintaining your association image.

Additional training should occur onsite each morning to review successes

and failures from the previous day or refresh materials before the floor opens.

Try to maintain the same exhibiting staff team throughout the course of the meeting. Consistency in your booth staff will directly correlate to the attendee’s perception of your organization’s consistency. Remember, this staff person is a sample of your services. Moreover, this • will reduce the amount of training and increases recognition among meeting attendees.

YOUR BOOTH

In a sea of booths, you must figure out how to ensure your booth makes an impact in the exhibit hall.

In terms of signage, simplicity can guide you:

• Select simple graphics to shine through the other hall distractions. Content should be placed on your signage with the most important information on the top and the least at the bottom. For example, highlight your

TIPS AND TRICKS

Never turn your back on a visitor. You want to maintain some form of eye contact, but more importantly, you always want to watch where your visitor’s eyes stop. This way, you can prolong the conversation by explaining programs that their eyes indicated interest in.

Business cards belong in the back of the booth. This tip is great for luring visitors who are hesitant to enter the booth. You simply ask them if they will take your card, and step back toward the back of the booth. Typically, the visitor will follow your movement and enter the booth. Once you’ve given them your card, discuss programs with materials in your immediate vicinity. If this idea concerns you because you want aisle-grazers to have your contact information, consider the contact information contained in each of your marketing pieces.

Be loud and proud. If you have brightly colored premiums or materials, display them proudly throughout your booth. If your image allows it, introduce music and scents into your booth ambiance. Any change from the monotonous marketing literature is typically welcomed by meeting attendees.