- Has a dress code been established?
Well before you arrive at the event, a dress code should be established. Uniforms may be appropriate for your company, but if they are not, clearly specify what you want your team to be wearing. “Casual business” gives far too much leeway. Instead, spell out “Black trousers or skirt, white shirt, black blazer, red tie,” or the equivalent.
- Have badges been ordered for all booth personnel?
Everyone on your team needs a badge to enter the show floor, access hospitality areas, and move freely about. Order these badges well ahead of time, so that any errors or omissions can be remedied in a timely fashion.
- Do booth personnel have sufficient business cards?
It is amazing how many business cards you can hand out during the course of one trade show. Make sure your team is adequately prepared.
- Has a booth schedule been planned?
A complete schedule will cover every moment from show arrival to departure. Include who will be staffing the booth, break times, technical support and assorted responsibilities. It may be a good idea to include ‘check in’ time into the schedule, so sales people acting as booth staff can check messages back at the home office and make needed phone calls. This will alleviate a great deal of staff anxiety.
- Who will oversee booth installation and dismantling?
Often overlooked, these two items can quickly become logistic nightmares if no one is prepared to address them. Delegate two people to this detail. Many show organizers provide this service for a fee, but you may still want to have staff members on hand supervising.
- Does that person understand the move-out procedure?
Someone has to arrange for moving the exhibit out of the convention center, ensuring it is properly packed, and coordinate shipping the whole thing back to the home office. Again, a team should be clearly delegated this responsibility, and provided with all the tools and resources they’ll need to succeed.
