Maximising your stand's impact at Ecobuild – part 2

Following his advice on the practicalities of stand design and presentation in February's Monthly Briefing, CIMCIG's Rick Osman examines how staff should – and shouldn't – behave at trade shows such as Ecobuild.

Having a stand at an exhibition can sometimes come across as a bit dual-purpose. On the one hand, it might play a vital role in your marketing strategy, approached in a hard-nosed way and with a series of tough but achievable objectives. On the other, it's often perceived as a bit of a staff jolly - staying up late, in nice hotels, with a bit of social ‘bonding' thrown in for good measure.

And in reality, a successful strategy is often to combine elements of both.

Attending an exhibition can be a real pain for employees, which is why using a light management touch is essential. If your staff don't want to be there, it will show. Potential customers will be put off and existing business put in jeopardy. Of course this all has to be weighed against the fact that attending an exhibition can be very expensive. It's often not just the cost of the space and the stand. There's travel, hotels and meals to take into account – not to mention the hidden cost of staff not actually doing the job they would normally be doing.

So how do you make sure that your employees are properly geared up to deliver a return on your investment?

First, acknowledge that they're your key asset at the show and reward their attendance in some way. This doesn't have to take the form of money. You could treat them to a nicer meal, or a better quality hotel.

Second, get them organised. If you have sufficient staff, draw up a rota so that everyone can have a break, to eat or wander around. If there are only two of you, make sure that meals are taken away from the show floor. There's little more off-putting than seeing people eating on an exhibition stand. Visitors will simply turn away rather than disturb you. If you're by yourself, and there's no-one available from a neighbouring booth to briefly provide cover, leave the stand to have your lunch but make sure you leave a plentiful supply of brochures readily accessible.

Third, explain to all staff how they should behave while at the venue. Exhibitions are competitive environments and the smallest detail can affect how well you do. No matter how long the day, or how low the attendance, it's important that staff stay focussed upon the show's visitors, not to each other. They mustn't huddle in groups, or turn their backs on passing visitors. Nor should they sit and chat to each other. If you have chairs or stools on your stand keep them for guests, not staff. Newspapers, magazines and books should be banned, or kept well out of sight. It's fine to read the paper over lunch, but it's an absolute no-no to read it while on duty.

The most successful stands employ staff that are friendly without being pushy, unfailingly polite and helpful, and able to interact easily with colleagues without appearing pally – which can again be off-putting to others. Bear in mind too that you don't want to end up with a line of staff staring outwards like guards, scrutinising passers-by and looking as if their about to pounce.

Not everyone can do this, so sometimes it's better to bring fewer staff than make up the numbers with unwilling bodies.

Fourth, maintain the stand throughout the show. Visitors react negatively to mess, so keep coats and bags out of sight. Remove rubbish regularly and keep tables and surfaces clean and uncluttered.

Finally, make sure you set clear objectives. Don't worry about making them tough but achievable. Just make them achievable. What they are will of course depend on your product or service and your target audience. Some examples might be to arrange five client visits, or engage with ten architects on each day, or sell 15 units, or get product information into the hands of 20 potential users. Only you know what you want to achieve. Simply ‘raising your profile' is fine, in its way, but you need to have a plan of how to go about it.

Staff summary

• No moaning
• No eating on the stand
• No chatting to each other
• No turning backs on visitors
• No sitting down except with guests
• No ‘guards'
• No mess
• And finally, know what your objectives are.

Following these simple rules will increase you chances of having a successful exhibition. 

Rick Osman is a CIMCIG committee member and a partner in Highwire, a design and marketing agency that specialises in the construction industry.

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