CALL US: 01733 511030 MON - FRI 8:30AM - 5:30PM
Your Shopping Basket
Your shopping cart is empty
Start Shopping
PRICE MATCH PROMISE
Found it Cheaper? We'll Beat it!
Next Day Uk Delivery
On Selected Display Products
Instant Credit
Government, Schools, NHS
In-House Design & Print
Made & Printed in The UK
Quality Guaranteed
Industry Leading Warranties
Upload Artwork
Free Artwork Checks & Preflight

How to Work an Exhibition Stand

Posted By:

XL Displays

Date:

07 July 2015

Reading Time:

6 Mins

This news article is also featured in:

How To

How to Work an Exhibition Stand

Exhibition Do’s and Don’ts!

If done well an exhibition can create great business opportunities and the success of your stand depends on a number of factors – an important one being the staff who mans the stand.

So you have your exhibition stand, you have a design that will wow your visitors, you have all your branded give-aways and your competition along with a brilliant prize to win – now you need staff who can tie it all together.

Picking staff to run the exhibition stand needs some thought. It’s OK selecting a few from sales, one from marketing and a couple of stocking fillers from admin to make up the numbers, but is this an exhibition crew that will get you results?

Research shows that over 75% of exhibition success is down to the people who run the stand. Having invested a lot of time and money into the show you don’t want your staff to mess it up. How they conduct themselves during the time on the stand will have a lasting impression on the customer – good or bad!

Making sure all your staff are well-trained is imperative – it’s not enough just to have an amazing looking stand. Conduct an exhibition training session before the show – each member of staff needs to know:

  • Why your business is attending the show
  • What your exhibition stand objectives are
  • What you expect from them
  • Which products/services you are exhibiting and why

You may wish to add in some sales training too – selling face-to-face at an exhibition is entirely different selling over the phone.

When selecting your staff always consider the people who have these qualities:

  • Personality
  • Exhibition experience
  • Industry/company knowledge
  • Communication skills

Take time to select the right people for your stand. Product knowledge can be taught but there is no point in sending someone who hasn’t got the right attitude or personality. People attract people so your staff must be completely approachable.

It comes down to people’s attitude, body language, people skills, listening skills and ability to have confidence in what they are promoting.

What’s next?

You have selected your winning team so now think about a dress code. It is important for your staff to be recognisable, even when not on the exhibition stand. A smart dress code will look professional but it can sometimes look a little rigid.

If you have a staff uniform, consider using this. Alternatively think about investing in some branded clothing your staff can wear at exhibitions, for example, branded polo shirts. This means everyone one the stand is dressed the same and is smart and recognisable.

Exhibition Do’s and Don’ts!

Exhibition halls can be an extremely oppressive environment and can leave you feeling in a bit of a daze. There are a number of things you can do to avoid making the mistakes that may cost you the success of the show.

Exhibition Stand Do’s

  • Look happy and welcoming – always look approachable, without over doing it and being too enthusiastic. Visitors need to be confident you’re the person they want to talk to.
  • Wear comfortable shoes – you will be on your feet all day long, it is important to be comfortable. If your feet hurt you will be grumpy.
  • Have plenty of business cards – if visitors like you enough to come talk to you it is important to give them a business card to leave with, otherwise you will be forgotten about by the end of the day.
  • Keep your stand looking neat and tidy – if your stand is cluttered and messy it is unlikely that many people will consider visiting it. Always keep it clean and clutter-free.
  • Eat and drink plenty – make sure you drink plenty of water and eat regularly to stay alert. It’s a long and tiring day and you don’t want your peak to be over too soon.

Exhibition Stand Don’ts

  • Don’t eat or drink on the stand – never eat and drink whilst on your stand it looks unprofessional to all passing visitors.
  • Don’t huddle together – you may look too busy to talk to customers if you are all standing together chatting. Remember to look ready and approachable at all times.
  • Don’t play with your mobile phone – we know business doesn’t stop whilst you’re at an exhibition but you have a voicemail and you can return calls and check emails during your next break.
  • Don’t pounce on everyone – make yourself available to passing clients but don’t pounce! It’s OK to approach people but don’t be forceful.
  • Don’t stand there yawning – if you look bored then your stand will become very unattractive, keep alert and enthusiastic throughout the day.

We hope these hints and tips will help you to choose the right team members for your next exhibition stand. For help sourcing the right exhibition stand we can supply everything from a custom built exhibition stand to a pop up display stand.

We also offer a graphic design service and our in-house graphic designers can create a unique design specific to your brand.

For more information contact us or call our sales team 01733 511030. 

Permalink:

https://www.xldisplays.co.uk/news/how-to-work-an-exhibition-stand.aspx