Trade Show Booth Etiquette Can Attract or Repel Attendees

While attending the 2007 Motivation Show in Chicago, I was walking down the aisles and wondering to myself how incredibly easy it is to spot a well organized booth where the trade show staff delivers a stellar performance. And top honors go to the event organizers of the Bath and Body Works booth.

The fact that Bath and Body Works was a major sponsor of the show has nothing to do with the selection. They had an average size booth -- a 20' x 20' space -- that had an integrated, holiday theme. But what was outstanding about the booth was the staffing and how effectively they applied trade show booth etiquette.

Bath and Body works had eight representatives standing in the front of their booth, handing out 2 oz. lotion samples of a preview product being launched this fall. The representatives were energetic, friendly and greeted everyone. While I was walking by, one immediately offered me a sample of my own, and a 30 second pitch about the benefits of that and other available products for corporate clients.

I glanced at the other attendees who were in front of the booth and watched another representative actually applying the lotion directly on a woman's hand, massaging it in, and explaining the product.

This is how you engage attendees at a trade show.

Unfortunately, too frequently we see trade show staff violate every rule of etiquette imaginable, and it happens more than we'd like to admit. In fact, I'd venture to say that the 80/20 rule probably applies here: 80% of the staff violate one or more of the basic rules of trade show etiquette.

This brings me to my point that I believe event managers need to be more proactive with the trade show staff who work booths, and highlight staffing rules for trade show etiquette prior to the event. This may be done formally or informally, or it can be handled simply by sharing a checklist to each staff member for the show. Regardless of how it's communicated, this will help ensure a successful program at the show.

Photo: (c) 2007 Rob Hard, RH Communications, Inc.