Here is a short-but-sweet little article from the Booth Mom, a trade show booth professional. Candy (the Booth Mom) and Matt, a fellow trade show professional, put together “ten trade show tips” for your enjoyment.

1. Always have a “Plan B.” No matter how well you plan, there will still be surprises.

2. Give every visitor to your booth a different experience from what they will receive from other exhibitors by making it a personal experience – an experience focused on them.

3. Understand and honor the union’s work rules. They have their job to do and their rules, just as you have yours.

4. There are no private conversations in the public areas of the booth so it’s okay to politely interrupt any conversation.

5. Good, Fast, Cheap. Pick any two. (But you can’t have all three.)

6. Set the visitor’s expectation as to how much time you can spend with them. For example, “Let me take five or ten minutes to show you this new service.”

7. Spoil your exhibit staff whenever and however you can to make them as comfortable as possible. Your exhibit staff is what the attendee will remember when the exhibit is back in its crates. A happy team is a productive team!

8. Ask your exhibit staff to take care of themselves; get enough sleep (at night, not during the show!), drink lots of water, and if their feet get sore, suggest they soak them in cold water back at their hotel.

9. Be someone the union laborers will want to come back to work with on dismantle.

10. Ask, encourage, and/or insist that your exhibit staff be at your booth 15-30 minutes before the doors open.

 

Candy Adams is a top-notch independent exhibit project manager – and much more. You can visit Candy’s website at boothmom.com.