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Exhibiting at a trade show is far more than showing up and talking to prospects.  Your sales staff needs to prepare days ahead of time.  In order to maximize your time and money spent on these shows, it's best to assign each staff member a role.  From supervising setup, prospecting, and scoping your competitors its best not to miss a single opportunity!

 

When you exhibit, assign each staff member attending the conference a trade show specialty or responsibility to ensure you fully leverage your participation and impact. Depending on the number of people you bring to the show, some individuals may be responsible for more than one the following assignments that have to be managed when you arrive:

Booth Set-Up and Dismantling:
Give a staff member the task of picking up all items shipped to the exhibit hall site and arranging for booth set-up in advance of show opening. This individual must make sure your display is ready each morning before attendees arrive, as well as dismantled, packed and shipped back to your office upon conclusion of the event.

Prospecting:
Have a senior member (or yourself) conduct daily staff briefings to ensure everyone is using the most effective sales and communication strategies that were rehearsed prior to the conference. Have him or her continuously

1. Monitor the professionalism and attentiveness of booth staff to prospects
2. Check to be sure that lead generation and qualification are being handled according to the procedures you have put in place
3. Closely manage the staff schedule for the booth to ensure seamless servicing of prospects.

Competitor Insights:
Assign someone the responsibility of “shopping the competition” to learn as much as possible about product lines, new developments, sales strategies, literature, promotional message, and pricing. While you should already be aware of the competitive marketplace, seeing and hearing information first hand may give you additional insights.

Other Learning Opportunities:
Have one or more of your team members attend conference sessions, if permitted, to learn about trend data or other information impacting your industry. The opportunity to mingle with attendees away from the exhibit hall can be advantageous to your goal achievement.

In addition, assign someone the trade show specialty of walking around the exhibit hall and evaluating displays to see how your booth compares to others. Ask that he or she document sales techniques, giveaways, graphics, and communication strategies that are being used.