How to Manage Fatigue and Stress at a Trade Show

Trade shows are a great way to expand your business connections and promote more interest in your company. In fact, in a recent survey 70% of businesses said they generated new leads & brand awareness from trade shows.

These exhibitions can really put you on the map and help you gain the traction you need to expand.

That’s why it’s so important that you know how to make the most of them. While they are incredibly effective from a business standpoint, they can be very draining and tiring.

That’s why we’ve put together this ultimate survival guide tailored to help you fight fatigue and stress at your next trade show.

Have Enough Staff with You

One of the most important parts of preparing for a trade show visit is bringing the right team members along.

You want to make sure they are confident in your business as well as their own work - great sales skills and dynamic, friendly personalities won't go amiss either.

You also need to ensure you bring the right number of staff. Having a solid team with enough people to cover breaks will make for a smoother-running exhibition – the last thing you want is for everyone to burn out because they've not had a chance to sit down and grab something to eat.

Having enough staff means you can really interact with potential customers and give them your time, rather than stretching yourself too thin.

Go in with a Clear Sales Strategy

Making sure your team are fully prepared and ready to face the day is essential, and having a clear strategy outline will help you achieve this.

You can't leave this up to chance, so before you even get to the trade show, make sure you have a cohesive sales strategy and that everyone knows what approach you are taking.

This includes the unique selling points you want to get across and any discounts or incentives staff can offer. A united front is a professional one and will be very impressive to potential customers.

Use Breaks to Rest!

An essential part of the day is taking some breaks! You will need this time to recharge and re-group. Trade shows are long and tiring, and a drop in energy levels is not good for impressing potential customers. It also increases the likeliness of mistakes being made!

Exhaustion and tired-induced stress can cause you to make little mistakes in your delivery and knowledge of the company, or you may even seem less approachable.

Neither of these is good for business, which is why you should set specific break times and make sure you stick to them.

Wear the Right Footwear

Trade shows are long days and involve a lot of standing. However, standing is really important at these events as you're more likely to engage with people walking by. If you are sat down and hidden by stands and banners, they are likely to completely miss you.

When you're on your feet, you also come across as being engaged, approachable and interested, which is more enticing for customers – even those who didn’t think they needed your service! So, we recommend choosing appropriate footwear.

For women, this means avoiding heels and wearing dress flats or boots instead. For men, brogues or a dark pair of trainers should be fine. Never wear a new pair of shoes either!

Rotate your Sales Staff

If you take enough staff with you, you shouldn't need to have them all working in the booth at one time. Make a plan for how they will rotate around different responsibilities.

You might have some manning the stand whilst others are walking around handing out flyers or leaflets, for example. You can also encourage staff to attend some talks or training events to expand their skillset or learn about new industry trends.

This will mean you can cover more bases and reach more people. It also means a more varied workload to keep morale and staff energy levels high.

Have Fun!

One of the most important things you can do at a trade show is to have fun! Enjoyment is what life is all about and showing customers that you care about your team's enjoyment presents your company as caring and thoughtful.

By setting reasonable sales goals and letting your staff know you simply want them to do their best, they are more likely to want to be there – and it may draw customers in too. It will also keep your staff at the top of their game and want to help you at the next trade show.

Exhibit Stress-Free with Display Wizard

One of the biggest causes of stress at a trade show can be ordering and assembling your exhibition stand at the show.

To combat this, Display Wizard offer a range of easy-to-assemble stands such as pop up displays, roller banners and fabric display stands.

If you want an end-to-end solution where we design and build a stand at the exhibition venue, take a look at our exhibition stand design service.

Get in touch today to see how we can help make your next event more stress-free!