You can have the best looking trade shoe display at the exhibit, but it will be your staff that will make or break the show. The actions and manners of your staff can hinder your success and turn prospective customers away. To have a successful trade show you must have properly trained staff who are knowledgeable and portray your organization in a good light.

Remember that you staff will have an impact on how your product is perceived and your organizations reputation. One of the keys to success is to put forward a consistent message and the delivery of the message is the key. Make sure that your staff practices and rehearses their sales messages.

Don’t let them go onto the floor unless they are knowledgeable and comfortable getting your sales message across. Potential customers want to feel confident that you know exactly what your product does. This is not the time to put just anyone in your booth; someone who is inexperienced will give off the wrong impression to prospects.

You shouldn’t eat, drink, or smoke at or around your booth, even if you think you are out of the visitors view. You should always be standing and not sitting down even when your feet are killing you. You need to be always looking alert and attentive. One of the worst things that can be done is for your staff to be engaged in conversations with friends or co-workers and ignoring people passing by. This is a big turn-off to potential customers.

Your want to make sure that your staff has on name tags and always introduces themselves to visitors. Your staff should be trained to be good listeners and to ask about the prospect’s needs and concerns. This is the key to the whole sales process. People want to feel like you are interested in what they say and want. Make sure that your staff is trained to get as much information from visitors as possible so you can follow up on leads after the show. Just remember your staff is the key to having a successful trade show.