The whole secret of trade show success is in the people. According to research, 60% of potential customers walk away from a booth if your staff does not make contact with them within one minute. Therefore, take a qualified, professional and smiling team to the fair.
Staff features at pet industry trade show
Trade fairs are a team game. Therefore, choose the best staff, selected for professional skills and interpersonal qualities. Experience, professionalism and commitment are the key words when selecting staff for the fair. The people who will represent the company must be perfectly familiar with the offer. And also have the right skills, such as:
- ease of networking,
- openness,
- flexibility,
- ability to work as a team,
- Knowledge of the rules of business etiquette.
The company’s representatives will either encourage you to stop by the booth, learn more about their offerings and engage with them, or not. According to research, 60% of potential customers walk away from a booth if its staff does not make contact with them within one minute.
When preparing for a trade show, put people first. They are the business card of your company. With them you can succeed or lose a lot in the eyes of competitors and customers. A smile and professionalism are better perceived than hiding behind a computer monitor.
Tip #1
Employees are the business card of your company.
Who not to take to the fair?
Unfortunately, many visitors to trade show booths say that employees do not listen to their needs. And this is because staff are often forced to go to trade shows. Their negative attitude makes them not engage with potential customers. And this results in a lack of interest in the offer by visitors.
There may be several reasons for poor employee attitudes:
- feel uncomfortable at the fair because it is not their natural working environment,
- Do not have the necessary knowledge or skills,
- they can't work on weekends for family reasons (and that's when fairs are most often held).
Therefore, the most important thing is to properly train those in charge of the booth. Each company representative should know in advance the objectives of participation in the fair and the design of the booth. And most importantly, the employee should be assigned detailed tasks. To know what he is responsible for.
Tip #2
Take people who like direct contact with customers to the fair.
What does every employee need to know?
If you have already selected a team for the pet fair, meet with them and discuss the most important issues of participation in the event.
Every employee should know:
- objectives of participation in the fair,
- The company's offerings with product characteristics and features,
- profile of potential customers,
- promotional activities (both before and during the event),
- Company activities during the fair,
- special trade fair offer - discounts,
- Competitors' strengths and weaknesses, etc.
Division of duties among employees at the fair
A very important task is the distribution of duties among employees. How your booth will be perceived by customers depends on it. Everyone needs to know what they are responsible for. A cohesive team will efficiently serve visitors, take care of taking notes, and feel responsible for what happens at the booth.
Choose people at the fair who can work together and communicate quickly. Assign them the tasks they feel most comfortable with; this is not the time to test employees.
Tip #3
Every employee must know his or her responsibilities.
Every employee must know the offer!
Each employee should be able to present the company’s offerings, and adjust the amount of information to the situation. If there are many people at the booth, then the information should be short and concise. On the other hand, if there is more time, the employee can talk about the products in more detail.
The ability to adapt to the situation is therefore very important. Also ensure that the information is presented in a professional manner. Although providing information is an absolute must at trade shows, failing to make such an obvious point can lead to a negative perception of your company.
Team composition for the pet fair
The composition and size of the team largely depends on the booth area. On the other hand, each booth should have decision makers and salespeople who:
- will present the company's offer,
- will present products,
- will conduct business talks.
Also important is the person responsible for planning and organizing the work of the staff, as well as overseeing the conduct of the trade show speech. Also make sure to have people to answer technical questions comprehensively.
In the case of large booths, a receptionist will be perfect to greet visitors and direct them to the right people. If there are interns or apprentices at the company, take them to the fair to perform tasks assigned by employees.
Tip #4
Your booth should include decision makers and salespeople.
Hostesses at trade fairs
That the operation of a trade show booth is a key issue is no longer in doubt. Sometimes, however, companies go for the easy way and hire hostesses to solve the problem of lack of suitable people at low cost. Hiring someone who is unfamiliar with the company’s offerings creates a negative impression of the visitor. The customer feels that he is not important. This puts the company in a bad light. Hostesses, on the other hand, are perfect for distributing flyers.
If you decide to enlist the help of hostesses, meet with them beforehand, as they will end up being the business card of your company. Prepare materials for them about your offerings so they have time to familiarize themselves with them. And determine exactly what they should do.
Tip #5
Choose your hostesses wisely.
Dress code at pet industry trade shows
The dress code of the personnel at the booth is undoubtedly one of the elements that builds the overall impression with the visitor. Some parts of the outfit should be related to the colors or elements of the company’s corporate identity, such as a tie or scarf. An interesting yet simple solution is corporate T-shirts. Visitors should be able to easily identify who is manning the booth and who is another visitor. It is important to remember that 85% of consumers first associate a brand with colors.