Shawna McKinley

GUEST POST
by Shawna McKinley

When I grew up I wanted to be a park ranger. What could be cooler than being in nature, teaching kids about pond ecology to bears? Somewhere along the way I took a summer job as a community event planner and the rest, as they say, is history! Today I specialize in a pretty unique area: sustainable event management. I work with organizations to understand and reduce their event footprint, consider ways they can provide positive community benefits and ensure events deliver quality, high-return experiences.

My advice? Include sustainability in your event skill-set. Why? Sustainability is no longer just the forte of those passionate about the planet and community service. It is emerging as a core competence for professionals in all sectors. It is a fundamental business practice.

So what sustainability basics should event professionals know? It can help to understand impacts events can have in terms of waste, energy and water. It can also help to know the business case for reducing impacts, and where cost savings are possible. But you don’t need to be an environmental specialist, or social services expert to plan a sustainable event. Being mindful of six simple things can get you started on the right path:

Think simplicity. There is a reason environmental citizenship often gets summed up in the mantra of the three R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. The environmental hierarchy works; we get it without needing a degree in environmental science. My mentor Nancy Zavada sums sustainability up another way: “Be a Good Human” which to me acknowledges sustainability is about how we treat the planet as well as each other. If you start from a place of minimizing harm you’ll be off on the right foot to planning a sustainable event.

Be intentional. You can choose to control your sustainable event, or let it control you. Skilled event professionals set deliberate and specific objectives about everything from registration to ticket sales, sponsorship and attendee evaluations. Why would sustainability be any different? If you want to ‘go green’ state your intentions in a few clear and measurable objectives and stick to them. Common event sustainability objectives can relate to things like reducing travel, minimizing waste onsite or saving money from sustainable actions.

Set boundaries. There are many important environmental and social issues related to events: waste, labor issues, climate impacts. Trying to address too many will burn you out, so prioritize and be reasonable. What can you influence and control? What issue is most important? Pick something, even if it is just one thing. The most important thing is to start.

Image Copyright Digital Juice

Patience and progress, not perfection. Sustainability is a journey – be in it for the long haul. Sometimes you’ll take steps forward, other times backwards. Be prepared to make tradeoffs. For example it’s tough to afford 100% local, organic and seasonal food for events, even if you can find it. Some venues will not be able to recycle or source renewable energy. Expect everyone to have an opinion about what you should and shouldn’t do to hold a green event, and that their advice will be conflicting! I’ve come to accept that knowledge is transitory and imperfect at best. New and better information comes available every day that will make you question if you did the right thing at your last sustainable event.  All you can do is research as best you can, seek the advice of others, make a decision and learn from it. This provides another lesson…

Involve. Include your suppliers. Seek advice from others. Join a CSR network. Accept you won’t always have all the answers, but there are many out there who are passionate about helping and learning with you. A team of sustainability champions can accomplish much more than one person, so gather yours together and get started!

Don’t judge. Meet people where they are. Most of us are decidedly penitent about the environment, feeling guilty for the abuse we sometimes cause the planet. If you take an adversarial approach your partners will likely only get defensive. It is much more productive to have an open conversation about what everyone can bring to the event to support a sustainability ethic. Securing commitment for event sustainability will not happen overnight, but it will happen if people are encouraged and feel rewarded for participating.

If you’re interested in learning more contact me, or look to organizations like the Green Meeting Industry Council www.greenmeetings.info for help. Those of us in the field could use the support and energy of new event professionals passionate about sustainability to help us make events even better!

:: ABOUT SHAWNA ::

Shawna McKinley grew up on Vancouver Island and lives in Vancouver.
She is the Director of Sustainability for MeetGreen where she helps companies, associations and meeting suppliers improve their events through sustainable practices.

I’m teaching a class right now on Customer Service, Sales and Relationship Building. A topic that came up was how to deal with racist, sexist, homophobic, and other prejudice comments made by clients.

I would love to be able to say that these types of behaviours and comments have now been completely eradicated from the world, however, the reality is that there will always be people that disagree on a variety of topics – some in more extreme ways than others. Although I believe and agree that these behaviours should never be tolerated, sometimes we have to be cautious about our reactions within a professional environment. To be clear – this article is not to debate whether these comments should be tolerated or not, it is simply to discuss ways of responding to customers with views different than our own in a professional environment.

So what do you do when you’re faced with a customer making inappropriate comments? Depending on the severity of the situation, you may decide to react in different ways. Here are some ideas (again, keeping in mind that you want to maintain your integrity, professionalism, and your job);

1. Ignore It
   You have to ask yourself – Is it worth getting into a debate? Most times, people that have strong enough views to publicly make comments about them have such strong conviction about their beliefs that there is nothing that you could say or do to change their views. Responding to these comments would only open up a debate or argument in front of other customers, which really doesn’t help you in a customer service or sales position. People tend not to buy from people they argue with. Ignore their statement as if you didn’t hear it. Do not provide any indication whether or not you agree or disagree with their views. Just take a breath and move on with the sale as you would with any other customer. Of course, this depends on the severity of the situation.

   Yes – Some people can be offensive and I’m not saying that it’s right or that their behaviour in general should be tolerated, but you have to think of the time and place. If you treat them with respect without entering into a debate, it is likely that they will continue with the sale and tell others how nice you were.

   Again – I agree that these types of comments should never be tolerated, and that you should be able to express your own opinion, however, we are exploring ways to react in a professional environment.

2. Respond With Disinterest
   Sometimes people are just looking for a fight, and sometimes people are just ignorant about their own prejudices. Often people just don’t know that times have changed and certain comments or phrases are inappropriate. So telling them how prejudice they are might come as a surprise to them.

   Respond with disinterest in getting into a conversation on the topic. You can say “Well…” or “I don’t know”. Shrug your shoulders as if you don’t know what to say. Smile, and then get right back onto topic. Yes, I realize this is nearly the same as ignoring it, but now you’re showing them that you are not interested in entering into the conversation. In sales, we teach to build rapport through dialogue and questions as well as mirror their overall demeanor because people like to buy from someone that is similar to them. You can achieve this without engaging yourself in the conversation, and you probably don’t want to be like them even if you’re trying to get a sale.

3. Walk Away & Get A Manager or Someone Else
   There are some lines that just shouldn’t be crossed. If a customer goes too far, makes comments that are directed at you, or continues to be offensive, don’t respond – because that’s what they want you to do – simply excuse yourself. You may be boiling inside, or extremely hurt, but don’t let them see this. They wanted a reaction! Don’t give them that benefit. This may not be possible in all situations, however, if you are in a position where you have a manager, get them involved. So how do you walk away?

   Say something along the lines of, “Sorry, I’m going to have to excuse myself. I’ll see if the manager is available” or “Just a moment”. Don’t say why, just do it. If you say “I’m leaving because you’re a jerk”, that is what they wanted – a reaction and a reason to argue or debate with you. Opportunists use this to get discounts or other forms of deals or compensation for “bad” customer service. Don’t let them reap benefits for their offensiveness and manipulation. Maintain your professionalism at all times. Be the bigger, and more intelligent person!

4. Decline Service
   In extreme cases, you could decline to serve them and ask them to leave, however, be careful how you do this because you are giving them the opportunity to damage your reputation without a chance for you to respond. More about this below. In any job, you shouldn’t have to take any form of abuse, but don’t lose your job over a decision on how you react. Continue to be professional right until the end, and involve someone else if you can’t handle it anymore so that they can make the decision to ask the customer to leave rather than you. If you are a manager – get yourself trained on conflict resolution. It will come in handy when dealing with these types of situations. Of course, it should go without saying that if a person is making threats or is abusive, you should call security or the police. Don’t get into an altercation.

Image Copyright Digital Juice

You might be asking yourself why would I want to give them the satisfaction of ignoring them? Why shouldn’t I let them know how much of a bigot they are? Why shouldn’t I tell them my own views, after all they are telling me theirs? You need to remember that you are in a sales position and that all of your actions represent your products, services and brand. People with such strong and extremist views tend to tell many people about those views and have a hard time holding back. If you get into an argument with this type of customer, they now have ammunition against you and your company – and unfortunately, they will likely not be telling the entire truth when telling the story of what happened to others. The last thing you want is this highly opinionated, vocal and offensive person telling everyone what terrible service you offer and how rude you were. Even if you are right, it doesn’t matter because you don’t have control of what this person will be telling others, and if you’ve given them the satisfaction of getting into a debate or argument, they will probably embellish the story in their favour.

Ask yourself, “Is this person really worth losing my job over?”  Remember – they are a customer at the end of the day, and if they walk away because they got a reaction out of you, then they have won. Especially if they start to tell everyone they know about the incident. If you lose just one other customer that believes their story then you’ve lost. If you behave professionally and service them to the highest standards, you get their money, and you have won!

ATTN: Professional Sales People! What Do You Do?
I would like to hear what you do in these types of situations so I can share your knowledge, stories, and experience with my students. Please comment below and write about specific incidents that have happened and how you dealt with them, or how you deal with situations like this on a regular basis. Any tips are welcome!

Please note that we are looking for ideas on how to react strictly in a professional environment and any inappropriate comments will not be read or approved for comment. It’s ok to explain how upset you were, or how you reacted or would react, but please be professional so that your story can be shared and most importantly – others can learn.

Heidi Thorne

GUEST POST
by Heidi Thorne

Mention “sales position” to most newly-minted college grads and you’ll likely get an “Eeewww, I’ll never be in sales!” I find this a bit amusing, especially when you ask them what they want to do. The response is usually marketing, event management, advertising, etc. Well, guess what, you’re really in sales in any of those capacities.

Here’s the cold hard truth: Nothing happens until somebody sells something. (This gem has been attributed to both Tom Watson, founder of IBM, and Arthur Motley, CEO of Parade Magazine.)

When you’re in event management, your career success will be based on your ability to obtain enough quality attendees and exhibitors for your tradeshows or events. Sure, all the things you do to create a stellar experience for attendees—such as great food, comfortable atmosphere, well-organized show floor, signage—contribute to how satisfied they are with your event. That’s the customer service side of the business. But the most difficult thing is getting them there. And without the revenues that attendees and exhibitors bring, there is no show or event for you to manage. Period.

I began my tradeshow and events career in the hotel business. I needed a better job to get funds for college and got a position as an assistant to the director of sales for a major Chicago convention hotel. I was absolutely stunned at the amount of revenue that their sales team could generate for hotel rooms, meeting space, catering, and more. And I also thought, “Hey, I could that.” I kept bugging them to move me into sales. Finally jumped the administrative hurdle and my sales career was launched.

But I wanted to go farther in the industry. So after going back to school to finish my business degree, I got into the tradeshow management arena in exhibit sales. That was where the bigger money was! In fact, my commissions allowed me to pay off my college debt. Nice. Then after a few years, I moved into marketing and public relations for tradeshows.

Since 1999, I now own my own marketing and promotional product company. But none of this would have been possible if I hadn’t said yes to taking on a sales position. So don’t be afraid to take on a sales position in this industry. You’ll learn what makes attendees and exhibitors tick which will help you create successful events and be a valuable resource to your clients.

ABOUT HEIDI

Heidi Thorne is a promotional products marketing and social media expert, specializing in serving the events and tradeshow industries. Her PromoWithPurposeToday.com blog educates marketing and events professionals on how to select promotional products and strategies aligned with their marketing objectives, image, and values so that they can build their brands, businesses, and communities.

GUEST POST By Nadine Zrinzo

A tip for Event Management Students…

A lot can be said for how an Event Manager handles a crisis. Let me warn you from now, you will be putting out fires all over the place, especially whilst you are onsite and actually running the event.

As event management students you are being equipped with a multitude of resources, processes and techniques to enable you to put together great events. You know that being well organised is a key pre requisite and let’s face it you are good at it.

However, no matter how organised or great you are, you will not have control over everything and everyone. Something is likely to stray from your original plan. So the trick is to be flexible, prepared and to keep CALM.

Cool … just breathe and listen. Resist any temptation to say no, or be disrespectful to anyone

Aware … gather all the facts

Logical … work out a solution

Move … implement your solution

Events are made up of people: clients, participants, suppliers, stakeholders. Your role is to deliver a successful outcome for all involved.

As soon as an issue arises, panic tends to be a default emotion, making people aggressive or angry, often at you. At this point you need to keep Cool, calm and collected. Do not get angry back, even if the request is illogical or the person annoying. Ask everyone to calm down and to explain what the problem is, enabling you to be become Aware of the facts. Remember that you are a professional and need to act as one.

Once you have a good understanding of what the issue is, work through a solution Logically. You are the one in control, who has all the answers so you need to negotiate your way around an amicable solution. As soon as you think you have an adequate response to the issue Move to implement it.

A simple example: I was managing a conference and exhibition recently where the keynote speaker (and major sponsor) was unhappy about the stage set up. The speaker approached the client, who unsure of what to do, passed the problem onto me.

I could have just said no, sorry we can’t do that, it is too late. But that would have left the speaker/sponsor with a bad taste. So instead, I made a couple of calls, got consent to pay for additional equipment and escorted the speaker to his newly set up stage. Everyone was happy and the solution cost a minor fraction of the sponsorship deal so was worth implementing.

Keep in mind that your clients might not be aware of what can or cannot be done. Just resist any first instinct to say no and work to find a solution that satisfies the most needs. It will help turn you from a good Event Manager into a great one!

| ABOUT NADINE |

With years of experience in producing events across Europe, the US, Asia and Australia, Nadine brings strong research, business and project management skills to the art of conference management in order to design relevant and commercially viable events. Her initial focus was on programme development and speaker acquisition, eventually moving onto providing full conference services including venue sourcing and management, event marketing, financial management, speaker and delegate management and other operational requirements.

Nadine manages a boutique conference management agency in Australia called Bright Conferences – www.brightconferences.com

Image Copyright Digital Juice

You know you’re a parent when…

This weekend, I was thinking about all the weird things that I do that are purely a result of being a parent. Below is a list that I will be periodically updating as I continue along the journey of being a parent. I’d love to hear your thoughts! Do you do any of these things? Please comment below – I’d love to hear from you!

As a parent, do you ever…

• Sway side to side and then finally realize that you don’t have any kids in your arms to rock.
• Hum children’s songs in your head at work.
• After a long night trying to put your baby to sleep, you can’t think of any more kids songs to sing or hum. You can’t stand the thought of singing “Twinkle Twinkle” one more time, so you start humming some of your favorite 80’s tunes – adding a baby-like flair. (Ok… the 90’s for you young parents!)
• Try adding a little more funky beat or swing into some of those kids songs when humming.
• Dread seeing red lights when you drive because if you slow down the car your baby might wake up.
• Pray or recite mantra while driving… “Please no red lights, please no red lights”.
• Look like a complete goof rocking your car at a red light by pumping the brakes to help baby get back to sleep.
• Rock an empty stroller or baby carrier out of habbit.
• Have more children’s apps on your iPhone than adult ones.
• Laugh and force a smile when you stub your toe to cover up the profanity you’d like to yell at the object that obviously had it in for you.
• Almost tell co-workers to go wash their hands before eating.
• Wonder why people give parenting advice, especially when they don’t have kids of their own, and they certainly don’t watch Supernanny.
• Can’t remember the last adult movie that you’ve seen.
• Gone to work with spit-up or stains on your clothes from your kids.
• Didn’t care about what the stains looked like in public.
• Thought about the clever things you would retort if someone ever said anything to you about breastfeeding in public – especially since mom was covered up.
• Made a decision on which mall to go to based on the quality and cleanliness of their parent’s washroom.
• Sworn at the car seat while installing or uninstalling it.
• Placed a note on the door that reads “Do not ring the doorbell, please knock gently”. Although what you really wanted to write was “Ring this doorbell and you’ll lose your fingers! I dare you.”
• Shhh’ed your baby to sleep for so long that you’re out of breath and your lips are sore from staying in the same position.
• Upgraded cable TV to get Treehouse.
• Used the TV to get a little break, even though you swore that you’d never be “one of those” parents.
• Become exhausted because of one little word… “Why?”
• You go to a show like Disney On Ice and you spend more time staring at your kids to see their reaction rather than watch the show itself!

That’s all I have for now. I’ll be posting more as they come up and as our kids get older! Please add your own habits to the comments below! Us parents probably do a million weird things that we don’t even realize we’re doing.

Happy parenting!

Learn It!!

You’re Not As Dumb As You Think!

It amazes me how many planners in the events industry say things like; “I’m so dumb when it comes to tech stuff”. If you’re one of those event professionals that constantly puts themselves down, has a fear of technology, refuses to learn anything about tech, or if you are a supplier that has experienced these types of clients – then this article is for you!

You’re not dumb!! Don’t be afraid! Yes – some technology can be complicated, but it doesn’t mean that you have to make yourself sound ignorant or of lower intelligence. You simply haven’t learnt the language yet! Once you learn the language, it will make it easier for you to communicate with your suppliers and become more efficient in your job. This doesn’t mean that you have to learn how to plug in every piece of equipment or program a lighting board. It just means that if you knew some of the language and had some basic understanding of the processes involved, it would not only make your life easier, but also your supplier’s.

So what should you learn? Simple – terminology and process. Do you know what an Ellipsoidal is? What about a Fresnel? Do you know the differences between these two and what each should be used for? If you answered no to at least one of those questions, it means that you would be a prime candidate for some education. There are some easy ways for you to get educated without breaking the bank.

1. Attend technical seminars at industry conferences. (Don’t be afraid of them!)
2. Ask your suppliers to spend a couple of hours training you on the terminology that they refer to.  Most quality suppliers would be happy to spend some time with you in their shop.
3. Take notes! Keep a little journal and create your own technical dictionary. If you encounter a term you’re not familiar with at an event. Ask for an explanation, take a picture on your iPhone or Blackberry, and keep it for future reference.
4. Read a book like Doug Matthew’s – Special Event Production – The Resources. Some books like these are also available in a portable format for devices like Kindle, so you can take it on the road with you.

Ignorance is not bliss! Unfortunately, some planners choose not to learn terminology and have even told me that they would rather not know. There is some sort of inherent fear of technology with a perception of extremely complicated terminology and process. If you simply spent some time learning about technology, you wouldn’t have to preface all your questions with “Stupid question, but…”.

Key advantages to learning the terms and jargon;

1. You will be able to order the equipment you need without using the words “Thingy” or “Doo Dah”.
2. You can speak with your suppliers in a common language, helping you communicate faster and with greater efficiency.
3. Your clients will have more trust in your abilities. Isn’t that why they hired you in the first place? Shouldn’t you know this stuff? Aren’t you the expert in everything?
4. Your suppliers will have greater respect for you. Not that they don’t already, but it helps in the communication to really show that you know what you’re talking about.

It’s not that hard! At first learning the terms may seem like a daunting and unpleasant task, however, the more you learn and the more you use the terms yourself, the easier it will become over time. Don’t set an expectation that you read one book or attend one seminar, and you’ll be fluent or an expert. It takes some time just like learning any language. Learning tech is something that should be part of your professional development plan, and should never have a completion date. Since technology and process is always changing, you will also need to keep up to date.

So get started today. Learn something new… and stop saying you’re dumb or stupid! Nobody thought you were dumb until you said it yourself.

.

:: Learn From Mike ::

Mike Granek, CSEP has 18 years of experience in the special events industry while specializing in technical production. Mike is often invited to deliver seminars and workshops on technical production as well as other industry related topics.

Click Here for Mike’s full bio.

Click Here for more information about Mike’s speaking engagements.

Click Here to contact Mike about having him deliver a seminar or training workshop for your organization.

Image Copyright Digital Juice

The following is an excerpt from a guest blog post that I wrote for Jenise Fryatt’s Sound n’ Sight Blog…

What would you do if your linen supplier suddenly disappeared and closed up shop? What about your décor, lighting, staging, rental, or audio visual suppliers…or perhaps your favorite florist? Would you be able to conduct business as usual? Would you be able to continue producing events without them?

Sometimes, event managers take the relationships they have with suppliers for granted, and don’t realize the impact these suppliers have on the events they produce.

CLICK HERE to read the rest of this blog post on Jenise Fryatt’s Sound n’ Sight blog.

After reading the post, feel free to leave a comment with your own tips and ideas here using the comment form below…

Image Copyright Digital Juice

Dear #Eventprofs industry leaders!

I am looking for industry leaders that would be interested in writing a guest post on my blog, specifically under one or both of the following categories;

1. Event Horror Stories – AKA Learning Experiences
2. How I Got Started In The Events Industry – Inspirational Stories & Tips For Students

My hope is that we can begin collecting a variety of stories that can be used by event management students as case studies or for discussion within the classroom. This way they can learn from our mistakes and use our stories as learning opportunities. Each post should contain a body and should end with the following bullets or sections;

Horror Stories

• What I Learned From This Experience

How I Got Started

• What Helped Me Succeed
• Tips For Event Management Students Entering The Industry

Other topics are more than welcome, so don’t hesitate to send me any ideas you have about stories that can be shared with students.

If you are interested in guest blogging, kindly comment on this post below or send me a DM via Twitter.

I really appreciate you taking time to read this invitation and considering writing a post for my blog. Your contribution will help students not only in my program, but also from programs throughout the world.

Thanks again, and I look forward to hearing from you!

Mike Granek, CSEP

Jenise Fryatt - Guest Blogger

GUEST POST
by Jenise Fryatt

Imagine:  you’ve landed a new client during difficult economic times. Your first event with them sets up in 4 days, 2,000 miles away. You’ve paid the “Good Deal” (not their real name) trucking company 10 days in advance to pick up your gear on Sunday. It’s Saturday and Good Deal isn’t returning your calls.

OH, IT GETS WORSE

Finally Good Deal’s representative Mr. Salesguy returns a call.  He says he had no idea it would be so tough to find drivers.  Apparently all are busy trucking gear for a big tradeshow.  You ask if you should start looking for trucking alternatives. He says “Consider all alternatives.”

You start to sweat.  You get on the phone and have the same difficulty finding free truckers as Mr. Salesguy was having.  You stay at the office all weekend, calling, waiting for calls to be returned.

Mr. Salesguy is less and less available.  In fact, you lose hope that you will ever hear from him again.

At last you email off one final desperate plea to Mr Salesguy and you CC all of his bosses.  “Have a heart!” you implore at the end of it.

Not until Monday morning, JUST HOURS BEFORE YOUR GEAR WAS SCHEDULED TO BE PICKED UP, do you finally get a response.  First from Mr. Salesguy who says, “Sorry about that but I’m a noninterested sales contractor and I don’t work weekends.  I’m on my way into work now to try to find drivers for your shipment.”

Shortly after that you receive an email from one of Mr Salesguy’s bosses who says, “Mr. Salesguy has been working very hard to find drivers for you.  We are so sorry it didn’t work out.  Mr. Salesguy is a great employee. ”

After you inform Mr. Salesguy’s bosses that, contrary to what he told them, you weren’t informed of any problems until two days ago, you never hear from Mr. Salesguy or his boss again except in email blast spam.

Yes this is a true story and it happened to my poor husband very recently.  It continues to shock and amaze us.

Don’t get me wrong.  Stuff happens.  Sometimes there are unforseen circumstances that we can’t do anything about. But business is about building  and nurturing relationships. Do you think the “Good Deal Trucking” company gets that?

If ONLY, Mr. Salesguy had:

1. started working on our order at least one week before we needed our gear to be picked up;
2. let us know in a timely manner that he was having trouble finding a trucker;
3. kept communications lines open and actually tried to help us find a replacement over the weekend;
4. if only Mr. Salesguy’s bosses had done something, anything, to make us feel that they cared about our dilemma and wanted to make it right;
5. if only SOMEBODY from Good Deal had taken responsibility for the situation and sincerely apologized;

THEN there would have actually been a reasonable chance we would try using Good Deal again in the future and if things went well, would recommend them to our friends.

Instead this stands out as the WORST customer service experience we have ever had, providing a text-book example of what not to do when things go wrong.

WHAT WE LEARNED

Of course good business demands that we always do whatever we can to create the best outcome for all of our clients.  But when things go wrong it’s very important to:

1. keep communication-lines open
2. take responsibility and apologize when appropriate
3. do whatever you can to make things right

Above all, be on your client’s team!! Once you agree to provide a service to someone, make it your responsibility to help make sure it gets done, even if you wind up not being able to do it. When you created the problem, it’s just the right thing to do. It can go a long way toward making up for mistakes and make the customer more likely to give you a second chance.

When I feel that a company cares about me, even when they aren’t getting paid by me, it makes me want to do business with them. Helping people builds trust, loyalty and a solid reputation for your company. Doing what the Good Deal Trucking company did leaves a very bad taste that won’t be forgotten and will probably spark the kind of talk you don’t want.

About Jenise

Jenise Fryatt’s blog Sound n’ Sight covers events industry thoughts and features with an audio visual and social media bent.  Jenise is also co-owner/marketing director of Icon Presentations Audio Visual for Events located in Southern California.  She describes herself as an “events industry cheerleader” who is also a yoga and improv devotee trying to stay in the present.

One of the most valuable marketing tools for a company, product or service can be a exhibiting at a trade or consumer show. It can generate a great amount of interest through product or service demonstrations as well as allow you to reach a targeted audience. Trade and consumer shows put you directly in front of potential customers and provide an opportunity to develop relationships with them.

While there are many more benefits to exhibiting at these types of shows, a few companies don’t make great use of their investment, and then complain about how useless it was. Yet, the exhibitor in the booth right next to them had the exact opposite experience, having the best results they’ve ever had. So what is the difference between these two exhibitors? It really comes down to who is in the booth, and what are they doing while they are there.

Here are some tips:

1. CHOOSE THE RIGHT STAFF
   Nobody can sell your company like you can – and if someone can, than they should be in your booth if you can’t. Not all staff will have the same enthusiasm about your company, product or service. Whoever is in your booth should have an outgoing positive personality, can engage people in conversation, and is authentically excited about your brand. 

   Many attendees avoid booths simply because the people in the booth don’t look very approachable. They’re not making eye contact, not smiling, and look downright miserable. You can almost hear them saying; “I can’t believe I’m here doing this stupid trade show when I’m such an important person” or “I’m so tired, my feet hurt, I hate smiling” etc. etc. The worst thing you can do, is hire someone to man your booth that is not engaging and really doesn’t want to be there. If a staff member shows any signs of negativity towards the task – get someone else to do it otherwise you could be wasting your investment.

   Having the right people in your booth can make all the difference in the world, and can dramatically impact your exposure and sales. These people represent your brand and if they look bored and uninterested, what does that say about your company? Remember – first impressions are usually made within the first 90 seconds of meeting someone. The timer starts the moment they see you! (Whether you see them or not)

2. TRAIN YOUR STAFF
   So you’ve found the right person – they are energetic, engaging, funny, full of positive energy, and most importantly they just love your company and believe in your products or services! They are your dream sales person and you have high hopes for them. 

   Do they know what your mission is? Do you have any measurable goals for them to strive for? Do they have the answers to potential questions customers may ask? Do they understand the products and services inside out? They may be fantastic relationship developers, but without some training on why they are there and what your expectations are, you’ve really given them free reign to say and do what they want.

   Some companies invest in exhibit space and assume that the staff member they’ve chosen has all the answers and knows exactly what the goals are. Even if they are your best sales person, it is important to establish and explain objectives for the show. Trade and consumer show sales can be very different than what they are used to. For example; They could be speaking to eight people at one time rather than only the one which they are accustomed to. This could prove overwhelming for even the most seasoned sales person, especially if they haven’t done trade show sales before. Your dream staff has now turned into a disaster! Easy solution – train them!

   Train them on what to do and what not to do in a trade show booth, on what to expect, and how to handle customers differently. If you’re not sure what to do yourself, there are many trade show and exhibit companies that can either refer you to the right person or provide you with the necessary training themselves.

3. 

   Don't Do This In Your Booth!

   SET GUIDELINES & EXPECTATIONS
   At every single trade or consumer show I’ve ever attended, there is always at least one booth where the staff are either playing or talking on their phone, or sitting at the back of their booth reading a paper and waiting for customers to come in. News flash – People are not going to visit your booth if you don’t look like you want to speak with them. In fact, you might as well leave the booth completely empty, as it would have the same effect and net the same results. One of the points of these shows is to meet customers and develop relationships with them. Here are some suggestions on a few basic guidelines that you could provide staff;

   1. Cell phones, PDA’s, or other devices should be turned off and stored away from the client’s view. A client will not approach you if they feel you are too busy for them or that they will be interrupting you.
   2. Stand at the front edge of the booth. Never wait at the back of the booth or sit behind a table. Make yourself approachable without any barriers or great distance.
   3. Greet every single person that walks by. You don’t need to invite them in, but a simple “Hello”, or “Hi! How are you enjoying the show?”, is enough to spark a conversation without making the client feel that you are immediately laying on a high pressure sales pitch.
   4. Always stay positive, even if the client is not. The client might like to complain, but at the end of the day, they likely don’t really care if you’re tired too. So change their mood or perspective with some positive comments. For example: “Well, it’s definitely been a long day, but I’m really having fun here. It’s a great show and I’ve met a lot of fantastic people!” as opposed to “ Yeah – I hear ya! My feet are killing me. I’ve been here since 7 am and haven’t been able to take a break yet. I’m so tired and I still have to be here for the tear down until 9pm”. Clients probably won’t sympathize or empathize with your situation. Stay positive and smile.
   5. Fell free to talk to your neighbouring exhibitors, but stop immediately when there are customers approaching any nearby booth. You should focus on meeting attendees.  Also – don’t fall into the trap of complaining about the show with your fellow exhibitors. You need to stay focused and positive. Complaining will only drain you and will also provide others with a perception about you and your brand. You never know who they know, or if they could become a customer. So speak with other exhibitors in the same way you would your best client.

There are many more ideas for guidelines that you can create depending on your industry, needs and company goals. The point is that if you want your staff to behave or represent your brand in a certain way, then you need to tell them and not assume that they already know.

One last tip;

MONITOR YOUR BOOTH
It is important that you observe what is happening with your investment as well as the attitude of the staff at your booth. Are they representing your brand correctly and in a positive light? How do you know? |

Do you have a manager or someone locally that could act as a secret shopper? If you can’t do it yourself, you can either ask an industry colleague or hire someone to observe what is taking place. This won’t be necessary for everyone, since you’ll likely trust most of the key employees you’ve selected to run the booth. The only thought for you to consider is – How do you know?

.

I’ve heard exhibitors complain about the lack of traffic at shows or how they didn’t get anything out of it. These are the same exhibitors that I observed letting me walk by their booth without saying hello or inviting me in. The same people that looked miserable or busy on their cell phones – and yes, I can tell when you’re on your Bluetooth headset! It’s annoying oh big and important one… so why would I want to talk to you? The show had a lot of traffic, but you were too busy complaining and checking email to notice.

Trade shows don’t provide you with automatic customers. It takes effort on your part. They simply provide access to a target market, and you’d be a fool not to take advantage of that.  Unless you’re a vending machine, don’t except customers to walk up to your booth and hand you cash.  You need to work for it and develop relationships with attendees.

In short – Don’t waste your investment! Hire the right people, train them well, set some guidelines and policies, and make sure that they are doing what they are supposed to be doing. It’s the people in your booth that will have the largest impact and net a greater return on your investment.

:: Learn From Mike ::

Mike Granek, CSEP has 18 years of experience in the special events industry while specializing in technical production, sales & customer service. Mike is often invited to deliver seminars and workshops on industry related topics.

Click Here for Mike’s full bio.

Click Here for more information about Mike’s speaking engagements.

Click Here to contact Mike about having him deliver a seminar or training workshop for your organization.