Don’t Just Sit There!

I couldn’t believe it.

They would have spent a truck load of money for the stand. I wont mention who it was but it was a highly recognisable airline. I was at the Asia-Pacific Incentives and Meetings Expo in Melbourne. It was hard to tell there was a global financial crisis going on. Some amazing stands (multi-level with suites for discussions) and some amazing marketing going on. A surprising amount of traffic was moving around also, apparently attendance was up by almost 10%. From an organisers perspective, it would have to be seen as a success.

There Was Static

So how would you take advantage of all this traffic? Well the airline in question had a reasonable size booth. Nice comfy chairs, welcoming decor, plenty of marketing collateral for people, an attractive woman in the booth and the plasma screen in the background was playing static. I thought it must be a glitch that they would fix but when I went past again 45 minutes later, it was still showing static.

The woman in the booth was not interested in much that I could see. She was still sitting in the chair waiting. I am not sure what for.

Take Responsibility

I understand that technology deserts you just when you need it. But surely there would have been a better way than just showing static. Some thoughts I had on what the company representative could have done:

  • Turn off the TV – Nothing was showing, better a blank TV than a distracting one.
  • Say “Hello” – At no time did she try and engage me in conversation
  • Ask “Do you know how to make the DVD work?” – Who knows I may be an AV wizard and she could then sell me her product
  • Stand up – It was horribly apparent that she did not care and did not want to be there, simply standing up would have changed her approachability
  • Smile – The easiest and simplest thing to do.

Again this points to a key part of a trade show. Train your people and never forget you are the face of the company. At the very least, don’t just sit there!!

Warwick Merry
The Get More Guy
www.warwickmerry.com
www.GetMoreBlog.com
www.GetMoreShowSuccess.com

Image by Pablo Sanz

One thought on “Don’t Just Sit There!”

  1. Anonymous

    Maybe the problem was hiring a ‘booth babe’ solely for her attractiveness rather than her product knowledge or skills. It’s a mistake made all too often, and one that also relies on an assumption that all potential customers are (straight) men.

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