When preparing for the dizzying atmosphere of a trade show, it is important to remember, as it is in everyday life, the unwritten rules for behavior. People have expectations that govern how they view your actions, and expect you to understand the etiquette of working in exhibition stands at trade shows.
This is especially true if you will be working in exhibition stands at a convention or show. After setting up your trade show displays and getting your pamphlets and booth in order
Sometimes, a trade show floor can look and sound like the floor of the stock market: loud, noisy, even hectic and unappealing. This should not be the case within your own exhibition stands. How you approach, speak, and appeal to customers makes as much of a difference as the layout of your trade show displays.
Here are a checklist of etiquette tips to remember for a long day on the trade show floor:
- Approach, not assail: You will notice that the suggestion is that you can approach people to pique their interest. This is entirely true. So many trade show participants sit in their exhibition stands and expect people to walk over to them. Bring colleagues to work your booth who are at ease with initiating conversations with new clients. They should dress in a business casual manner that still suggests sharpness. This look suggests a serious attitude but with a less pressurized first impression.
- Take the time to invite: Do not stray too far into the other direction however. Equally as egregious is the idea of “speed-dating” your clients. Don’t approach somebody looking like you are in a hurry to talk to them and shove a pamphlet in their face. Ask an inviting question and don’t push the issue if they don’t respond with a welcoming answer.
- Own the company: Act with the confidence of an owner of a successful company. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you lie if you are not the owner. But show the confidence that your products deserve. When clients sense confidence (rather than anxiety to grab their attention), they tend to respond with more warmth and that is your opening to make them aware of what they can purchase from you.
- The 1st Amendment: As far as interaction with other exhibitors, think of it as exactly what the First Amendment stands for. Freedom of speech means you can say and do nearly anything you want – unless it directly damages somebody else. You have a right to walk away from your exhibition stands and network with people. Some exhibitors get testy when they see a rival booth team member walk in front of theirs and “steal” their clients. As long as you are not camping in front of their trade show displays (you should always be in motion in any case), you are within your rights. You are being proactive, and they are being reactive.
Inevitably, you will see fellow exhibitors breaking the rules of etiquette: hard selling their products, chasing down clients, underdressed, timid, waiting for clients to come to them. In addition to the effectiveness of exhibition stands, surviving a trade show with a healthy amount of guests to your booth also requires a level of etiquette that charms your trade show neighbors as well as your clients. At the end of the day, it is the personal human interaction that will sell your product even better than your exhibition stands can.
For more, learn what trade show tactics don’t work or how to do a post show analysis.