John Doney
As Community Coordinator for Underabuck, John Doney connects the company’s services with organizations, businesses and entrepreneurs to equip their branding efforts.
Equip Your Team for a Successful Trade Show, Even If You Can’t Join Them
August 15, 2017
Most business owners don’t have the time to attend trade shows themselves while running and growing their business. But as your company grows, there will be more critical trade shows and great opportunities than you can attend yourself, so you’ll need to appoint some well-trained team members.
How do you make sure your team is equipped to succeed at trade shows (even without you)? Here are a couple of tips to consider.
Take every opportunity to practice
There are multiple ways your trade show team can get customer service experience. Take a look at volunteer events in your area that require the same skillset they would need in a trade show and see if any of those causes resonate with your team. Allow them the day off to volunteer (if it’s a weekday) or give them a workday off if the event takes place on a weekend.
If your company has internal events that would need someone to handle things like registration, organization, information dissemination or other related-skills, see if any team members would be willing to handle those roles as preparation for working at a trade show.
Finally, if your trade show team needs to learn more about your product or service in order to interface with potential customers, ask them to do a round of training with your sales and customer support teams. If your trade show team communicates regularly with your clients, they’ll understand pain points, desires and how to answer common questions.
Diversify your teams
Not every business can be so fortunate as to have multiple trade show veterans on their teams, so mix up the people you send every time. You should have at least one experienced team member at every event but be sure to mix in others who haven’t worked a trade show yet. Having teams with varying trade show experience will allow the newer employees to learn and gain experience so that eventually they’ll be veterans as well.
Pro tip: Give one person ownership of the trade show preparation to make sure one person always has accountability. This will help you avoid oversights with the excuse, “I thought so-and-so was taking care of it.”
Bonus tip: Have a system in place for follow-ups. Even if your team couldn’t make a lasting impression at the trade show, you have a chance to convert as long as you were able to capture information. If you got email addresses or business cards in exchange for a giveaway, you can reach out and re-connect to make yourself relevant to their needs.
Partner Voices
Overview:
The award-winning Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) goes the extra mile to make every day extraordinary by offering customer service excellence and industry-leading partnerships. From their dedicated in-house Rigging team to their robust Exhibitor Services, The Center of Hospitality brings your imagination to life by helping you host unforgettable meetings and events. With more than 2 million square feet of exhibit space, world-class services and a dream destination, we are committed to making even the most ambitious conventions a reality.
In October 2023, the Orange County Board of County Commissioners voted to approve allocating Tourist Development Tax funding for the $560 million Phase 5A completion of the OCCC. The Convention Way Grand Concourse project will include enhancements to the North-South Building, featuring an additional 60,000 square feet of meeting space, an 80,000- square-foot ballroom and new entry to the North-South Building along Convention Way.
“We are thrilled to begin work on completing our North-South Building which will allow us to meet the growing needs of our clients,” said OCCC Executive Director Mark Tester. “As an economic driver for the community, this project will provide the Center with connectivity and meeting space to host more events and continue to infuse the local economy with new money and expanding business opportunities.”
Amenities:
The Center of Hospitality goes above and beyond by offering world-class customer service and industry-leading partnerships. From the largest convention center Wi-Fi network to custom LAN/WAN design, the Center takes pride in enhancing exhibitor and customer experience.
The OCCC is the exclusive provider of electricity (24-hour power at no additional cost), aerial rigging and lighting, water, natural gas and propane, compressed air, and cable TV services. Convenience
The Center is at the epicenter of the destination, with an abundance of hotels, restaurants, and attractions within walking distance. Pedestrian bridges connect both buildings to more than 5,200 rooms and is within a 15-minute drive from the Orlando International Airport. The convenience of the location goes hand-in-hand with top notch service to help meet an event’s every need.
Gold Key Members
The OCCC’s Gold Key Members represent the best of the best when it comes to exceptional service and exclusive benefits for clients, exhibitors and guests. The Center’s Gold Key memberships with Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld Orlando and Walt Disney World greatly enhance meeting planner and attendee experiences offering world-renowned venues, immersive experiences and creative resources for their events.
OCCC Events:
This fiscal year, the OCCC is projected to host 168 events, 1.7 million attendees, and $2.9 billion in economic impact.
The Center’s top five events during their 2022-2023 fiscal year included:
AAU Jr. National Volleyball Championships 2023
200,000 Attendees
$257 Million in Economic Impact
MEGACON 2023
160,000 Attendees
$205 Million in Economic Impact
Open Championship Series 2023
69,500 Attendees
$89 Million in Economic Impact
Sunshine Classic 2023
42,000 Attendees
$54 Million in Economic Impact
Premiere Orlando 2023
42,000 Attendees
$108 Million in Economic Impact
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