Like it or not, the success of your trade show is not all about your striking booth display or pre-show marketing strategies. Having well-trained, motivated staff at your booth is one way to guarantee a strong team that will drive the best results and maximize your return on investment.

So how do you go about building this rock star team? There are many details to consider. How large should your team be? What should determine who goes? And, who should the team leader be?

Determine the Size of your Team

We’ve put together an easy to follow formula for determining the right number of staff that’s needed to guarantee a strong team for covering all the bases. If math isn’t your thing, don’t worry – we’ve made it simple.

The rule of thumb is to have one staffer for every 50 square feet of booth space. For example, if you have a 10 x 10 booth, total up the square footage (10 x 10 = 100), and divide by 50. So, for a 10 x 10 booth, you would need two staffers. For a 10 x 20, four staffers – and so on. This will ensure that you have a team that’s available to efficiently handle the size of your booth. The last thing you want is for a lead to come to your booth, be kept waiting too long to speak to one of your staff members, get a little impatient, and end up walking away. Even a lead who’s really interested in your product or service will not want to wait around too long, so having the correct number of staffers is key.

Personality and Performance Matter

Having a well-trained team will only go so far if they don’t possess a dynamic and friendly personality. Remember, they are the “face” of your company, so their attitude and approach must be spot on, as they can make or break your trade show results. To build a strong team, choosing staff that deserves to be there (i.e., drives in X amount of leads per quarter; generated X in revenue last year) is very important. Employees who drive in results likely have a motivated and appealing personality.

Choose a Team Leader

Once you have your team in place, it’s time to appoint a booth captain. This person will be responsible to oversee booth operations, train and organize the staff, and properly maintain a schedule for optimum coverage. The key to keeping a free-flowing schedule and making sure everyone remains fresh and alert is by limiting shifts to between two and four hours, as well as rotating the staff. A strong team captain knows how to keep the booth running like a well-oiled machine, which in turn, will generate positive results.

Here are some other responsibilities of a booth captain:

• Organize and conduct pre-exhibition meetings
• Conduct daily briefing and post-event reviews
• Supervise the collection of leads and lead information
• Address staff and visitor needs, issues and questions
• Manage staff decorum and keeping the staff focused on show objectives

Have a Strong Follow-Up Process in Place

Be sure to follow up with each lead with a phone call, email or their preferred method of communication. Every lead is a potential client, so be courteous and mindful of their interest in your company and offer them an invitation for an opportunity to discuss next steps.

Matching the right personalities with the right number of staffers for your booth is a critical step in having a successful trade show exhibit. And selecting a strong team captain to tie it all together is extremely beneficial.

Need help building a strong booth staff? Contact us today!