A session delivered at Exhibitor Live 2023 by Lee Ali and Deanna Krause
A common question we often ask exhibitors is are you getting the most out of your trade show exhibitions?
If you’re finding it difficult to measure your Return on Investment (ROI), you’re not alone. In fact, according to Display Wizard in 2017, 54% of exhibitors face difficulties in measuring ROI. So, what’s the secret to improving your trade show ROI? It’s your booth staff!
The Centre for Exhibition Industry Research reported 85% of an exhibitor’s success at a trade show is dependent on the performance of their booth staff. We previously discussed the importance of hiring the right booth staff, however, in this blog, we’re going to dive deeper into how to optimise their productivity and effectiveness with three simple tips.
- Team-based objectives
Instead of giving your staff individual performance targets, give them team-based objectives.
By giving setting team-based objectives over individual performance targets, your booth staff will work together to achieve a common goal, rather than competing against each other. Team-based objectives are more impactful and motivational than individual performance targets. When team members have mutual accountability and work together to achieve a common goal, they’re more engaged and motivated to succeed. They’re also more likely to assist each other, trust each other, and learn from each other’s skills and feedback.
- Provide adequate training and support
Training your booth staff is essential to ensure they have the skills and knowledge to engage and convert prospects. If you have staff members who receive training, they can convert qualified leads at twice the rate of their untrained colleagues.
It’s important to support your staff throughout the show by providing them with motivation, individual support, and daily debriefs. By recognising their achievements, addressing their challenges, and celebrating their successes, you’re on your way to a successful exhibition.
- Track your metrics
To better understand your booth staff’s effectiveness and justify your show expense, you need to track your metrics. Metrics help you evaluate your performance, identify areas for improvement, and plan for future shows. But how do you measure your staff’s effectiveness?
- Booth Interaction Rate: Measures the effectiveness of engagement.
- Percentage of Leads with Agreed-to-Action: Measures the effectiveness of lead qualification.
- Staff Interaction Rate: Measures the quality of your audience.
Tracking these metrics is crucial and if you’re not getting the metrics you need, you must review your data and ensure all lead qualification questions are answered. If not, it’s time for staff training or hiring additional staff.
Highly productive booth staff are crucial to your tradeshow success
Optimising your booth staff’s productivity and effectiveness is key to improving your trade show ROI. By setting team-based objectives, providing training and support to your booth staff, and tracking your metrics, you’ll be on your way to achieving your best results yet.
If you want to learn more about how to optimise your trade show ROI with effective booth staff, contact us today for a free consultation.