A great stand is only as good as the people running it! Select staff whose skills and seniority align with your event goals, blend technical experts with charismatic sales professionals, and avoid overcrowding the space. Prepare your selected stand staff for action with clear roles, daily briefings, and a standard operating procedure (SOP) doc so everyone’s on-message.
You can have the most exciting and engaging stand in the world, but what will really make or break your tradeshow is staffing your exhibition stand correctly (or incorrectly!).
From creating a buzz to closing deals, the people you choose shape how your visitors will experience your brand. But, finding the right people to staff your stand – and then finding space for them when it’s (hopefully) packed with visitors – can be tricky.
So, follow our top tips for strategic exhibition stand staffing to ensure you have the perfect blend of people with the right skills, energy, and preparation.
How to choose the right exhibition stand staff
As with so much of the exhibition decision-making process, choosing your stand staff comes down to having a solid understanding of your aims for the event.
If you’re attending a B2B or tech-focused exhibition such as the All Energy Show, UKCW, or InstallerSHOW, and your goal is to speak with as many high-authority decision-makers as possible, your exhibition stand should be staffed with individuals who can effectively communicate with them.
“Your exhibition stand staff need to be of an equal seniority and knowledge level to the people you’re engaging with”, says Dave Hennessy, Motive Exhibitions co-founder and managing director.
“We’ve seen it all too many times when an important prospect – like a key specifier – has approached a stand and the only person available to chat to them has been an out-and-out salesperson who doesn’t know the product or service in detail. When, actually, that visitor wanted an in-depth and very nuanced conversation with an engineer – not a great first impression, and often a lost opportunity”.
If you’re attending a consumer event where the goal is to build brand awareness or rack up on-the-day sales, then you’re probably hoping to create a high-energy, fun atmosphere on your stand: that’s where your most charming salespeople and marketing geniuses really come into their own.
That’s not to say, of course, that you need a B2B stand full of engineers or a B2C booth packed with marketeers; but think about the first impression you’d want to give your absolute dream client.
Your exhibition stand staff need to be of an equal seniority and knowledge level to the people you’re engaging with”
David Hennessy, Motive Exhibitions co-founder and managing director
Which departments should your stand staff be from?
If your company has different business areas or sub-brands which essentially function as their own entities, then during the exhibition planning process, you’ll need to give careful consideration to how those departments are represented on your exhibition stand.
Think about whether it’s more appropriate to have experts on your stand who can discuss their specialisation in-depth but maybe don’t know much about the other products or services, or whether you should take a few people who can talk in more general terms about everything you sell, and can nurture the lead then set up a meeting for them with a specialist post-show.
“A lot of this will come down to stand space, your events and marketing budget, and your business objectives for that financial year, so sadly we can’t give you a definitive answer: but it’s something that we see a lot of brands failing to consider so it’d be remiss of us not to mention it at least!”, says Dave.
What qualities or skills make someone a strong representative for a company at a trade show?
You’ve heard of the phrase, “It takes all sorts”? That’s never more true than on an exhibition stand!
While we’ve obviously mentioned that the core of your stand staff will depend on your aims for the show and the kind of people you’re going to be delegating with, you do need a blend of people with varying skills to ensure your event is successful.
And while we’d never recommend taking staff to an exhibition for the sake of it (that’s a surefire way to make a massive dent in your exhibition return on investment!), we’d recommend a mix of:
- Salespeople. Choose your sales force based on the likely seniority of your visitors. If you’re going to be engaging with directors and leaders, send your most senior salespeople.
- Specialist staff. Your highly knowledgeable audience will want to speak with specialists who are familiar with the correct industry terminology and can provide them with all the information they need about the product or service they’re considering investing in
- Marketing/ comms/ PR specialists. Having people who can create content to drive traffic to your stand, as well as handle media inquiries and address any potentially tricky queries, will make your show experience much more efficient. (On that note, make sure you have outgoing staff on your stand who are willing to appear in videos and photos for social media!)
- Hosting/ reception staff. If you’ve got a large stand, consider bringing staff whose role is to meet and greet visitors, ensure they’re well looked after, and make a great first impression.
- A runner. If you’re exhibiting at a huge venue like ExCeL London, it can be a real mission to get to places. Need a bottle of water? That’s a 20-minute round trip once you’ve queued. Want the on-site electricians to take a look at your TV? Another 10-minute walk. Have to pop to another stand to grab some brochures? You don’t “pop” anywhere at the ExCeL – that’s 15 minutes at least! Having someone who can help with off-stand tasks can be a real time-saver.
Should you hire agency staff for your exhibition stand?
This depends on three main factors”, begins Dave. “The size of the show, the size of your stand, and the size of your team”.
“For example, we have one really big international client that attends major shows at some of the biggest exhibition venues. However, their UK team is relatively small, so they don’t have a tremendous amount of resources. But they simply have to attend those shows – not doing so would be missing a massive opportunity for them.
“So they hire freelancers to do the non-product-specific and non-sales tasks: staffing the bar and making drinks, meeting and greeting visitors, and going off-stand to pick up food etc, which can take ages at these big venues. This leaves their small but knowledgeable team free and focused on engaging with their visitors”, Dave explains.
If hiring staff – whether that be a hosting team, runners, or reception staff – is financially viable for your event and will allow your own employees to fully concentrate on their tasks, then it’s always worth considering. But it’s not crucial: do you really need to hire someone to make tea and coffee, or can your sales team and marketing department do it on a rota?
“Don’t hire staff just for the sake of it”, warns Dave. “We see it a lot where companies have something like a 12-metre stand, they’ll bring ten of their own staff, then hire people to do the hosting because they think their own team won’t have time.
“But all that creates is a cramped, uninviting stand where no one has space to move around and have a comfortable conversation.
“When it comes to stand staff, less definitely is more”.
Don’t hire staff just for the sake of it. All that creates is a cramped, uninviting stand, where no one has space to move around and have a comfortable conversation. When it comes to stand staff, less definitely is more”
David Hennessy, Motive Exhibitions co-founder and managing director
Our top 5 tips for getting the most out of your exhibition stand staff
So, you know who’s best suited to staffing your stand: now, it’s time to get the best out of them so they’re primed to create an engaging and productive sales experience with your prospective clients.
Here are Dave’s top tips for getting the most out of your exhibition stand staff.
1. Ensure exhibition staff are well-prepared in good time
Provide staff with a comprehensive event overview at least a month before the show, including date, location, timings, and logistics.
Then, a week before, hold a team meeting to confirm responsibilities, answer questions, and ensure everything from travel to clothing is sorted. This avoids last-minute panic and helps everyone arrive calm and focused – no sleepless nights here!
2. Create a standard operating procedure (SOP) document
Prepare a concise yet clear manual outlining how the stand should operate, detailing key product and service benefits, agreed-upon messaging, expected staff conduct, and other relevant information. This helps set clear expectations and ensures consistency in customer interactions, even if staff members vary in experience or product knowledge.
3. Share a daily action plan
Before the show opens each morning, gather the team for a quick stand briefing. Go through the schedule, rotas, key events, and any special appearances or demos. Make sure to also say well done for the good work they’re doing so far – praise and recognition go a long way in keeping tired staff motivated!
4. Avoid common staffing mistakes
We see the same staffing mistakes made over and over again, but most of them are so simple to correct! These include failing to clearly identify staff with branded lanyards, badges, or uniform, leading to confusion over who’s part of the team; staff sitting down or appearing passive to potential visitors, or relying on visitors to approach them, rather than proactively drawing them in; and visibly eating on the stand, which just looks unprofessional – staff should take breaks away from view.
5. Look after your team’s wellbeing
Keep energy levels high by providing snacks and drinks for your staff to grab on the go. Even with the best intentions, it’s not always possible to take a full lunch break at these events, so ensure everyone has access to food and that your team is well-hydrated.
However, if possible, ensure that staff members take regular breaks away from the stand and that they have a chance to eat a proper lunch. While we agree they’re delicious, eating Mars Bars three meals a day for a week isn’t ideal for anyone! A well-rested, well-fed team is far more effective at attracting and converting visitors.
Oh, and we know you’re going to ignore this bit, but from our experience, we feel duty-bound to tell you anyway. Don’t get over-excited with the drinks on night one: we can’t tell you how many times we’ve walked past an exhibition stand on day two where the staff are looking a bit peaky and are struggling to maintain a conversation with their visitors!
Let’s give your exhibition stand staff the perfect environment to work in!
Ready to transform your exhibition experience?
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Motive Exhibitions, 3 Orion Court, Ambuscade Road, Colmworth Business Park, Eaton Socon, St. Neots, PE19 8YX
