The Selection of Fair Personnel

Too many businesses rely on cheap event staff who lack experience, such as students or volunteers who are just looking to earn a few dollars on the side. That is a fundamental mistake! The staff at your booth are your public face and will remain in visitors’ memories for a long time afterward. Important factors to consider are speaking and presenting abilities, specialist skills, an attractive appearance and, quite simply, overall experience. Particularly if you want to win new customers, you need to convince them of the capabilities of your staff.

The need for sensitivity

Customers who “just want to look around” shouldn’t be bombarded with questions and explanations by the booth personnel; instead, they should get the chance to discover the products for themselves. If they have any questions, however, the personnel should be available: observation is everything! Questions that are often heard in shops—such as “How can I help?” or “What can I get you?”—are out of place here. A good rule of thumb is that staff who have a successful background in the field, especially in sales, are usually well suited to roles at the booth.  

You can either look internally to find the right event staff, or you can book team members via an agency that specializes in supplying these skills. You can even choose from offices that are located near the agency site, as many agencies operate on a nationwide basis. Moreover, you can hire staff to work for you across national borders. When taking part in specialist trade fairs and leading international events, excellent foreign language skills are vital, and, wherever possible, you should use native speakers to staff your booth and deal with your visitors.

“Types” of event personnel

At any event, there are a lot of different types of booth personnel. Here’s a short overview:  

Event hosts:

• can be booked via specialist agencies
• cover reception, hospitality and promotions
• should, ideally, be booked during the planning stages

Bar staff:

• treat guests to drinks and cocktails
• always professional services

Interpreters and translators:

• can be booked via agencies that operate internationally
• can be used for negotiations with foreign customers and prospects
• foreign language skills are also important for booth personnel across the board

Serving and wait staff:

• use professionals
• book multilingual staff
• often booked alongside the booth decor

Artists and musicians:

• important for booth parties
• leave a lasting impression, hopefully positive
• good for the kick-off event
• different kinds of artists are available: dancers, performers and musicians

Guest speakers and entertainers:

• to introduce products professionally
• to appear at the booth party

Make-up artists and stylists:

• to give booth personnel a professional appearance
• particularly important at beauty and healthcare events
• to prepare entertainers and artists
• to prepare the people leading the press conference

Sales personnel:

• inform the sales team about the goals for the event
• rely on trained specialists
• always pay close attention to product knowledge

Coaching:

• to train and prepare the event staff
• can be booked via specialist agencies

Even if you work consistently as a business toward your goals for the event, you will only achieve them if you have the right personnel, with the right skills, at your disposal. Even though it may appear superficial, external appearances make an enormous difference, and in addition to the pure visuals, self-confidence and specialist knowledge and skills make a difference, as does a certain talent for sales!

provided by FAIRworldwide GmbH