Trade Show Etiquette for Booth Staff

Successful trade show exhibitors know how important staff training and booth etiquette is. The employees that are working in the booth are representing your company to the trade show attendees. Trade show attendees make up the most important buyers in your industry; they are the decision makers and the purchasing influencers. We have broken down this infographic into sections to highlight the details and tips on trade show booth etiquette.

BrandMe - Trade Show Booth Etiquette

Trade Show Staff Appearance

BrandMe  - Trade Show Appearance

This may seem like common sense or second nature for most businesses and most sales people; however, it is something that still should be part of your training of trade show booth staff. Even in a busy and stressful trade show, maintaining appearance is very important. Booth staff should be easily recognised so that attendees can easily spot them. Name tags are also an important part of appearance. Place name tags on the right shoulder so that they can easily be seen when shaking hands. A smile is the best sales tool an employee can have. Smiling staff makes your booth inviting and shows they are approachable.

Training: Brand Knowledge

BrandMe - Trade Show Knowledge

Trade show employees must show their knowledge of the brand just the same as a showroom, sales representative, or call centre employee would. They should participate in the same training that all other employees go through. This maintains that consistency in company knowledge across all sales channels. Trade show staff must understand the brand messaging and be able to speak in the company’s voice. Trade show staff additionally must be trained to cope with a more fickle audience since they have many other booths to visit and might only spend a short time in your booth. Have FAQs, online resources, takeaways, promotional products, and printed materials ready to hand out so that the buyers can look through the information later. Understand the importance of the trade show staff’s role in the success or failure or a trade show exhibit:

  • 85% of an exhibitor’s success is due to staff performance.
  • 27% of attendees were inclined to buy when they learned something new.
  • Only 6% of trade show attendees were inclined to buy when they did not learn anything.

Training: Staff Engagement

BrandMe - Trade Show Engagement

Remember that the competition is stiff at a trade show. The staff engagement can really make the difference because being engaging greatly reduces the chances of shoppers leaving the trade show booth area. Follow the tips illustrated in the image above: be enthusiastic, maintain eye contact, be hospitable, and maintain good posture. Good sales people always listen to discover the wants and needs of the customers or clients. The 80/20 rule is used in business a lot. It can also be used in trade show booths by the staff who should always remember to listen 80% of the time and speak only 20% of the time.

Top Things Trade Show Staff Should Avoid

BrandMe - Trade Show things to Avoid

The chart above shows some of the biggest turn offs for trade show shoppers. Avoiding these habits or practices will ensure that the staff follows through on appearance and shows effective sales techniques. Think about the things that put you off in a reverse situation when you are the buyer and make sure to keep those ideas in mind to make you a better sales person.

Infographic Credit: Pinterest


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