CNBNews

unsplash.com image

Trade shows can be really important for businesses to showcase who they are and network with potential clients, enhancing their brand presence in the long run. Ensuring that your event staff are well-prepared is crucial for a successful event, even if they are temporary. Here are some tips to get your temporary staff ready for a trade show, ensuring they are knowledgeable, confident, and effective representatives and ambassadors of your brand.

1. Select the Right Staff

The first step in preparing for a trade show is selecting the right team. Individuals who are not only presentable and articulate but also quick learners and enthusiastic about your brand can help when it comes to sitting on the stand and selling your product or service.

Temporary event staff can have excellent interpersonal skills, be able to handle pressure, and display a positive attitude, which makes them ideal for hiring.

2. Give them Training

Once you've assembled your team, especially when it’s temporary event staffing, the next step is thorough training. This includes:

• Product Knowledge - Educate your staff so that they can sell and talk about your products or services. They should understand key features, benefits, and be able to answer the most asked questions that come about. Provide them with product manuals, fact sheets, and access to online resources to help but also speak with them to make sure they know what they’re talking about at the trade show.
• Company Background - A product is one thing, but understanding the company’s history, mission, values, and market position can help them feel more connected to the brand and portray its ethos authentically.
• Target Audience - For staff, especially temporary to know what they’re walking into, briefing them on the type of audience expected at the trade show can help everyone to prepare. Knowing the target audience helps them tailor their communication and engagement strategies.
• Objectives - Clarify what you aim to achieve from the trade show with them beforehand so they know how to work. Whether it’s lead generation, brand awareness, or networking; having clear objectives helps them align their efforts accordingly.

3. Develop Effective Communication Skills

Effective communication can be really key with trade show success.

Active Listening can be a good training technique, teaching staff to listen actively to understand the needs and interests of visitors.

Clear and Concise Messaging can also help to convey key messages succinctly and clearly and develop and practice pitches or upsells that encapsulate your brand’s value proposition.

As people walk by, friendly greetings and asking the right kinds of questions can also be really helpful.

4. Getting the basics right

Ensuring that your staff is comfortable with the logistics of the trade show can be really helpful with temporary staff. Layout of the show, schedules, arrival times and break times and providing them with helpful material can help clear their mind before they get there and ensure you have a team that is there on time and well prepared.

Things can often go wrong when it comes to events, so ensuring your staff are well prepared can go against the odds and give you more of a chance of success. Even a team of well prepared temporary staff, such as brand ambassadors, event managers and hospitality staff can all be effective in making an event a complete success.

5. Let’s be professional

Your event staff represent your brand, so their appearance and behaviour should reflect professionalism. Guidelines surrounding dress code and professional behaviour in terms of being polite, friendly and respectful can really help make your brand stand out and get people talking within your trade show stand. 

Even within a busy environment, if they know their stuff it can be integral in keeping someone at a stand vs. just walking by and taking the free merchandise.

6. Motivate your team

A motivated team is a productive team. Boosting morale and helping them with the above can help them perform at their best. Incentives such as gift cards or competition bonuses can maybe help them generate new leads or secure meetings. Team building beforehand can also help as can a supportive management team.

7. Plan for the worst

Even with thorough preparation, unexpected situations can arise as it is with most events. The organiser has the most pressure but it can be helpful to-prepare your staff to handle contingencies with confidence.

Train them in problem-solving techniques and empower them to make decisions on the spot, just in case you’re not there and have backup plans just in case. Also first-aid and safety team members can be useful to have on hand.

8. Post-Event Follow-Up

Finally, having a debrief and follow up, even with data collection can be helpful so that you may develop a loyal team for future events. Email marketing campaigns and following up on leads can ensure you get what you need to fully understand if it was a success. And the temporary event staff should know how well of a job they did so that they may come back for the same event or different ones moving forward.

Conclusion

Preparing your temporary event staff for a trade show involves meticulous planning, comprehensive training, and ongoing support. By investing in their preparation, you not only enhance their performance but also ensure that your brand is represented effectively. A well-prepared team can make a significant difference in achieving your trade show objectives, leaving a lasting impression on attendees, and driving business success.