Although running an exhibition stand can be exciting it can also be hard work and extremely tiring. The long days are often followed by long evenings which aren’t always the best preparation for the second day of exhibiting.
Keeping staff enthusiastic and their morale high can often be a real challenge especially if you are exhibiting for more than one day at a time.
With this in mind we have come up with some simple tips that will help boost the team and beat the dreaded fatigue.
1. Know exactly what you’re doing
Knowing what you’re doing will eliminate any stress caused by worrying about what to say or what to do. Stress uses up a lot of energy so try to introduce relaxing activities into your day. If you are well equipped and knowledgeable then you won’t be stressing about your exhibition.
Staff preparation will help the exhibition to run smoothly and successfully. Senior management should run a meeting before the exhibition to brief all of the staff members who will be working the exhibition stand.
This briefing should include your SMART objectives, target audience, the products or services that you are pushing and key knowledge about those products.
Each member of staff should be fully aware of their goals and objectives so that they are able to maximise their potential for success.
2. Have enough people to man the exhibition stand
Having enough people to man the stand will help manage fatigue as there will be enough cover to allow team members to take regular breaks.
Having too few members of staff manning your exhibition stand will increase stress and tension. Ideally there should always be at least 3 members of staff on the stand at a time, possibly more depending on the size of your stand. This allows for at least one person to leave the stand if they need a comfort or lunch break.
3. Take a break
Have a rota of designated snack and lunch breaks and make sure your staff take them.
Our bodies need energy to get through the day and this energy comes from food. It is important to eat regular meals to ensure your body gets the energy it needs to perform and stay focused. If regular meals aren’t eaten, your staff will feel tired and deflated.
Plan everyone’s breaks and lunch times to allow for constant stand cover. You don’t want to leave your stand under maned as this will result in either an overflow of visitors that don’t get the attention needed, or people avoiding an empty stand.
4. Get a good night’s sleep
Sleep helps your brain work properly. While you're sleeping, your brain is preparing for the next day. Having a good night’s sleep will help you be more awake and alert during the day.
5. Eat a sufficient breakfast
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day as it prepares you for what the day has to bring.
Sugary breakfasts, such as processed cereals, pastries, muffins and toast with sugary spreads will give you a quick surge of energy as your blood sugar peaks, but your sugar levels will slump just as quickly a couple of hours later.
To get a steady release of energy all morning, eat a breakfast that’s based on unrefined starch. For example, porridge with semi-skimmed milk and a little honey, wholemeal cereal with fruit sliced over it, or an egg with whole wheat or granary toast. Try to choose breakfast cereals that are wholegrain and low in salt and sugar.
6. Stand up straight
Standing straight will not only make you look more professional but it will also help to reserve your energy. This is because lot of your energy is used on keeping you upright. Bad posture, such as hunching forwards and slumping in your seat puts your spine out of alignment. The more out of balance your spine is, the more your muscles have to work to compensate.
7. Go for a walk and get some fresh air
Being outside can be a great revitaliser. If you feel tired, go for a short walk outside. This will help because a lack of light and fresh air is a key cause of tiredness.
Even a 5 minute walk in the fresh air will stop you feeling tired. A change of scenery can often help to wake you up too – perhaps arrange some meeting with clients on their exhibition stands rather than staying on yours all day.
During an exhibition there are often seminars throughout the day. Try to visit these as they are a good way of breaking up your day and may help to meet potential new clients.
8. Drink plenty of water
Sometimes you feel tired simply because you’re mildly dehydrated. A glass of water will help do the trick. Even a small drop in your body's water levels can affect you.
Keep bottled water on your stand for your staff to stay hydrated. If you have room a nice idea may be to keep some on hand for visitors. It can be just as tiring walking round the exhibition all day and refreshments are great for attracting more visitors.
A recent study from Tufts University found that mild dehydration, a loss of just 1 to 2 percent of body weight as water, was enough to impair thinking.
The recommended daily amount is around two litres per day, but this depends on other factors such as your work environment or how much physical activity you do throughout the day.
9. Take a seat
When you’re planning the design of your exhibition stand, try to incorporate a seating area, if space allows.
Invite customers to come and sit down for a more detailed chat which will enable you to have a rest whilst you talk to your customers. Standing up all day uses a lot of energy and it will be good to have the chance to sit down.
Remember, your customer is probably tired too, as they are likely to have been walking around all day.
However, do not sit on your stand all the time – this does not look welcoming and may discourage potential clients from stopping by.
10. Make your exhibition stand exciting and interesting
Your exhibition stand needs to not only appeal to the customer but to you as well. You need to believe in what you are selling and by creating a visually appealing exhibition stand will encourage your enthusiasm.
Be proactive, try to get as involved as possible when approaching customers, don’t just wait for them to come to you.
Make sure the design of your display is intriguing so that customers come over and have a closer look – a busy stand will make your day of exhibiting fly by.
The design of your stand doesn’t necessarily just mean the artwork, it also incorporates all of your various accessories and technology too. A screen displaying interesting video or image content about your products and good lighting to complement your artwork are important design features that will help to attract visitors.
At XL Displays we can supply everything from custom built exhibition stands to portable display equipment such as pop up displays.
We hope these tips help your next exhibition to run smoothly. For help designing your exhibition stand or more information please contact us or call us on 01733 511030.
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