Trade shows are expensive, even small shows require displays, personnel, and transportation, and larger shows can cost thousands of dollars to rent space and set up a display, let alone accommodations for staff,  marketing materials, and more. So, with so much at stake, you want to be certain you include the people you’ll need on your trade show staff to meet your goals and cover those expenses.

10 Types of Trade Show Staffers

Greeters

The Greeters role is “…to engage prospects in conversation about their needs, wants, or desires for your products or services. The initial approach should be courteous, polite, quick, laid-back, and confident, and then followed with questions to open up the conversation.” — Using Greeters and Consultants at a Trade Show

Consultants

These are your experts, regardless of their role in the organization whether they’re from engineering or sales they know your product and can answer any question a prospect might have. They also understand your target audience’s problems and the solutions you offer.

Sales

If one of your purposes for attending a show is to generate business, then add sales professionals to your trade show team.

Marketing

Sales and marketing may overlap, but if your goal is lead generation marketing may be your best bet for gathering information and following up.

Presenter

This could include a spokesperson, demonstrator, speaker, or mascot. A presenter puts on a show to gather prospects to your booth.

Interpreter

Will there be a large population of foreign language speakers at the event? If so, it would be wise to include a staff member who speaks the language.

Executives

For bigger and more prestigious shows a member of your executive staff should be available. People like to talk to the boss especially if your leader is known in the industry.

Partners

Sharing booth space with a supplier or vendor can be a win-win. And if you’re not ready to share space try inviting a vendor to spend time in your booth as an expert.

Customers

What better way to share your story than to invite loyal, satisfied customers to your booth. It says a lot when a customer sings your praises.

Hired Hands

You may not have the specific personnel on your team that you need to properly staff your booth. In that case, you may need to hire from the outside. This could be a host or hostess, model, lead generation expert, demonstrator, or more depending on your needs.

Who Do You Need on Your Trade Show Staff?

So, who do you need at your show? I’m certain it’s not all ten examples, and some people may be able to double up, for example, a greeter might also be an expert. The key is to know your purpose for being in the show, and then determine the personnel that will help you achieve that purpose.

 

Photo Credit: iAuthor: Brentano fabrics ID: 7298784824 Provider: Flickr