44 Things A Booth Staffer Does

One summer during college I had a job as a busboy at The Old Ebbitt Grill, just around the corner from The White House.  The best piece of advice given was that a busboy had to be like a shark, and never stop moving.  That same advice works wonders for a trade show booth staffer.

Your best booth staffers have a strong work ethic, a wide variety of skills, and Gumby-like flexibility.  Booth staffers are more than eye candy at the edge of the booth; they are the epitome of multi-taskers.

Here are 44 things booth staffers can do, in your booth and throughout the show:

1. Set up your trade show displays
2. Take leads
3. Be a brand ambassador
4. Advance the buying cycle
5. Engage attendees in the aisle
6. Establish relationships with prospects
7. Qualify leads to establish needs
8. Present how their company can solve a prospect’s specific needs
9. Overcome objections
10. Record each prospect interaction
11. Give presentations
12. Demonstrate products
13. Introduce your new products
14. Answer technical questions
15. Recruit potential employees
16. Gather competitive intelligence
17. Gather market research
18. Give interviews to industry press
19. Meet with potential suppliers
20. Forge new business alliances
21. Network with industry peers
22. Attend keynote and seminar sessions
23. Dine with clients, prospects, and business partners at breakfast, lunch, and dinner
24. Attend hospitality events
25. Host hospitality events
26. De-clutter the trade show display of accumulated cups, empty water bottles, scatter literature, and other trash
27. Spot-clean the booth surfaces and flooring
28. Enter leads into the database
29. Fix or find fixers for technical glitches with computers or internet connections
30. Sort leads by quality and pass on hot leads right away
31. Restock promotional items, literature shelves, business cards and candy bowls
32. Unwrap giveaways (or wrap with company branded paper)
33. Serve food and drink to prospects
34. Meet with existing clients
35. Refill lead form print pads and staplers
36. Take a break to recharge
37. Walk the show floor and take the pulse of the industry
38. Help rookie staffers learn faster
39. Ask veteran staffers how to succeed
40. Share with management their insights on what’s on the mind of the attendee
41. Share with management what went well and how to further improve the company’s trade show performance
42. Dismantle the trade show exhibit
43. Ensure the crates come back
44. Ensure the exhibit ships with the right shipper to the right place

That’s a lot for booth staffers to do, and rare is the person who can do it all.   The first sign of civilization was the division of labor, so do the civilized thing and give your booth staffers the jobs they do best.  For example, it’s almost certain that your top management prefers to meet with business partners rather than refill lead pads.

Choose your booth staffers who will both take full advantage of the many valuable business activities possible at a trade show, and will roll up their sleeves and smilingly complete even the most unglamorous tasks.

And never stop moving.

What else do you or your booth staffers do at a trade show?  Share with your peers in the comment box below.

85% of your trade show success depends on your booth staff’s performance.  To help you multiply the results you get from your booth staffers, read the Booth Staffing Guidebook.  Click here to request your free copy of the 48-page book filled with insightful articles, worksheets, and checklists.