I was at a conference recently. After attending the last session of the day, which was at 4pm, I hurried over to the exhibit hall, as it was closing in an hour at 5pm. In the exhibit hall, I saw an exhibitor on his mobile phone or on her laptop at every corner. Many an exhibitor was sitting down. A few even looked grumpy.
Look I get it. I have been the “Booth Hunk” exhibitor before. I dread working long hours, the setup and take-down, standing all day, eating my lunch like a starving alligator, and smiling such that my cheeks hurt. Working as an exhibitor is always a challenge, across many fronts…constant “rejection,” low success rate of just getting people to talk to you, averting eyes away from you, other booths competing for the same attendees, and so forth.
Here’s the thing, we all have to remember. As an exhibitor, you are here for the attendee, the person who is walking the exhibit floor. What is he or she expecting? They are expecting the exhibitors, YOU, are smiling, attentive to their needs, and able to answer any and all questions, happily.
As an exhibitor, you only have one chance to make a first impression and one chance to make a lasting impression. If you are doing activities other than “waiting patiently and happily” for the prospective visitor, what messages are you sending?
Smile at everyone. A smile means the same thing in any language.
FURTHER READING ON BEING AN EXCELLENT EXHIBITOR
- 10 Tips for Networking at Conferences as an Attendee (read)
- Interest Questions, Your Key to Conversation Success (read)
- Don’t Listen to Your Mother. Talk to Strangers at Networking (read)
- 3 Communication Strategies to Attract and Keep Great Customers (read)
- Business is Personal – 3 Tips to Accelerate Relationship Building with Small Talk (read)
Photography Source: Flickr, official gdc 10
