April 2, 2013

The key to finding the right personnel is in choosing those employees that will advance an organization’s business objectives through their skills. The same is true of finding the requisite staffers for trade show displays. Companies may succeed or fail with their marketing initiatives based on the performance of their staff at key industry events. Here are two tips to ensuring the right choice of trade show representatives:

1)      Select Staffers with a Knowledge of Sales

Trade show displays hosts don’t necessarily have to be experts in their company’s products and services. But they must be prepared to do one core activity – Sell. The art of salesmanship is one that very few employees, even within the sales department, possess. Keep an eye out for those that are conversational and easy-to-approach, with a keen eye for business. Those will be your company’s trade show stars for the main event.

2)      Conduct Mock Trade Shows In the Office

Taking just 15 minutes out of each day for a week should give managers enough time to see which staff members are prepared to handle the duties involving in hosting trade show displays. Mock trade shows conducted within the office will allow decision-makers to see which company employees are suited to the role. Those that are intuitively interactive and can think on their feet are usually the ones that get selected during the mock trade show phase. Treat all staff equally and see which ones meet your personal expectation before deciding.

With thousands of dollars spent on trade show architecture, a poor performance by reps simply isn’t acceptable. Review the previously outlined tips to ensure all display hosts are ready to help your organization thrive during its time in the trade show spotlight.