Choosing your stand staff

So, you are clear about your objectives – you just need the team to make sure you achieve them!

You need people who have no fear of stepping to the front of the stand and even into the aisle to give a friendly smile and start a conversation. That means you need people who will not take the inevitable frequent rejection personally.

Of course, some product knowledge is important, but in those first few minutes it’s all about setting the scene and finding out needs. Then – and only if appropriate – your “front line troops” may want to hand over the prospect or customer to a more specialist colleague.

Exhibitions can be tiring places; they can also be fun, but you need to have a very “can do” attitude. Don’t force people to man a stand if they feel uncomfortable in that environment. Make sure that those who do volunteer are going to be busy participants, and not bystanders.

Those who are the best at generating leads on the stand are those who really do want to be there. It can sometimes be good to choose people who may not often leave the office and are grateful for the opportunity and will be enthusiastic on the stand.

Remember, manning a stand is long, hard work. Staff will need regular breaks so you may need more staff than you think!