Aspire to Greatness at Your Trade Show

October 25, 2015

Lisa Apolinski

Lisa Apolinski is a professional speaker, blogger, and digital strategist. With her company, 3DogWrite.com, she works with event managers to get their message to attendees, particularly through digital channels, on and off the show floor.

I recently was in Dubai and had afternoon tea at the Hotel Jumeirah. This was a great experience, including how the staff added to it.  It got me thinking about things you can do with your trade show to enhance the booth experience.

Every staff member counts:  Every staff member can either add or detract from an experience. If you don’t empower your staff, or train them effectively, you may have staff members who miss opportunities for great engagement. It is true that every staff member counts when it comes to providing a great booth experience. Empower every staff member to provide it.

Attendees rule:  At the Hotel Jumeirah, every guest was treated as important.  At your trade show, attendees should also be treated as important, and as individuals.  Giving your attendees the attention they deserve is a key component.  And what is more important is focusing on each individual attendee.  Focusing on each attendee as individuals keeps your staff focused on a genuine and unique engagement.

Redirection for better engagement:  We tried to go into the area for guests (unbeknownst to us), and the security guard, rather than just send us back, used the opportunity to chat with us and send us into an area we could explore, and one we didn’t know about. Redirection at a trade show booth is helpful when your booth is crowded and you need to buy time with your attendee until a demo is open.  Use the interaction as an opportunity to find out more about your attendee’s pain points, so you can hone your message to address them.

Aspiring to greatness takes focus and work, and every trade show engagement can be part of that aspiration.

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