Written By Rebecca Bell, Skyline Displays Australia
There is no denying that the events industry has been filled with uncertainty and concerns about what the future held after 2020. However, It was a welcome relief after the success of the Brisbane Care Expo in September 2020 and the introduction of COVID-Safe practices in exhibiting. The success of this event reinforced the irreplaceable nature of face-to-face events and gave insight into what to expect for future exhibiting.
Fast forward to the return of events, conferences and exhibitions paired with a noticeable rise in confidence from event professional’s ready to make up for lost time! We’ve been thrilled to see displays that were planned and created over a year ago make their debut, new exhibitors and countless rebrands of longstanding partners of Skyline.
Our team had the opportunity to attend local shows in Brisbane and witness how smoothly events are running, the response for attendees and the chance to hear feedback from exhibitors. It’s been apparent that COVID-Safe practices are the new ‘normal’ and everyone attending and exhibiting are happy to comply.
What to expect if you’re attending a COVID-Safe Event:
- Registration – You have to register for all events (even free ones)! Your ticket will be sent to you via email with a QR Code attached to assist with contact tracing.
- QR Codes – Registered attendees QR code is scanned upon entry and exit to help to maintain the number of people allowed within the venue.
- Hand Sanitiser Stations – An abundance of hand sanitiser stations are located throughout the venue from both event organisers and exhibitors. Exhibitors are even using this as a promotional product to give to attendees.
- Aisle Spacing – Aisle spacing across many events have been widened to allow for free-flowing traffic and social distancing. This is giving exhibitors the opportunity for interactions to take place at either side of booths without concern of blocking walkways.
Observations:
While it’s fantastic that people are eager to get back in front of their prospects and to qualify leads, it’s important to keep in mind how important training your booth staff is! Our team have made a few observations, some great and some that could be fatal to your return on investment. While some booth staffers were really energetic and fantastic to interact with, other staffers seemed disengaged and unapproachable. Those who were disengaged seemed more interested in their devices or personal conversations than connecting with the people in front of them!
Lead generation is the #1 goal for 85/90% of trade show exhibitors. If your booth staff are not creating meaningful connections, they are mostly just generating cold prospects. For an easy way to separate a hot lead from a swag collector, we suggest following “CHAMP” (CHAMP: Challenge, Authority, Money, & Prioritisation).
To have success with your event, it’s important that your booth staffers stay on task and are across all duties that are required from them. We’ve put together some strategies that will help your event run smoothly with engaged booth staffers.
8 Things to Remember at Your Next Event:
1. Assign your Team Leader
It’s important to assign a leader for the event that is knowledgeable about the company and able to answer any questions. This person should keep an eye on booth staffer’s presentation quality, encourage and motivate the team and set expectations for the event. This individual can also be responsible for dividing up equal shares of jobs to each staffer.
2. Pre-Show meeting –
Having a Pre-show meeting with your booth staff, it allows you to all be on the same page and have a clear understanding of goals and objectives for the day. A post-show meeting will help your team
3. Use Your Marketing –
You’re investing time, money and effort into going to the exhibition, so why not let people know you’re attending in advance! Invite key stakeholders, pre-book meetings, post live updates of the show and use your marketing channels to help draw people to your stand and engage!
4. Dress to impress –
Get noticed with coordinated outfits that use your brand colours or go bold with bright attention-grabbing colours. Invest in matching shoes or vests that will set you apart from your everyday khaki pants and company polo.
5. Put the phone down –
If your staffers are on their phones, they are not getting what the face to face time they came for at the show. People will walk right by the booth if they feel the staffer is disinterested.
6. Snacks/food –
Leave the snacks/food for the after-party! Eating during the show sends the message that you are not ready to conduct business. Eat before or after the show or find someone to cover you so you can go get a snack or lunch. A great way to avoid eating on your stand is to rotate your booth staffers so they get a break!
7. Make it memorable –
While you don’t need to create a party atmosphere, you should make sure your booth is one people want to visit. A fun activity that ties to your brand is a fantastic way to do that. Get creative, think outside the box and get people interacting!
8. Follow up your leads –
Did you know that 85% of exhibitors don’t follow up their show leads? Don’t make that mistake and get in touch with your show prospects within 48 hours before your warm leads, turn cold!
Overall, Skyline is thrilled to see the events industry booming and we continue to hold great hope for the future of trade shows. It’s great to see the activity increasing each day as clients begin to refresh and restart their event seasons!
Want more Trade Show Tips on better booth staffers? Check out our blog: Training Your Booth Staff to Qualify Leads or request our Better Booth Staffing Workbook!
