The Great Debate: Qualified Crowd Gatherers or Mere ‘Booth Babes’?

Hey Newman, do “booth babes” actually make a difference at a trade show, or are they just a financial drain? -Richard in New Jersey

Richard, I have really strong feelings about this topic. First of all, I don’t like that term. I resent references to “booth babes” or “booth bunnies” or “booth bimbos” … really “booth anything” other than booth assistant or booth hostess.

But I do understand where you’re coming from. All too often you have a fashion model just sitting on a high stool with her legs crossed, checking her nails and handing out literature. That is not a particularly valuable investment for a trade show.

But a real booth assistant can be a substantial asset for a relatively small amount of money. I’m talking about a skilled, experienced person who goes out into crowds and asks the right questions and can deliver a killer 30-second pitch on your behalf. I’m talking about someone who knows what to do if an attendee asks, “Is your marketing director here?” … And here’s a hint: It’s doesn’t involve just pointing to the opposite end of the booth.

That person has real value at a trade show for about $400 a day or less. But a lot of people feel “we don’t need that.”

In fact, they do.

Otherwise, they’re not going to have any one person who is dedicated to that “crowd gathering” task. Booth staff should be engaging people at a deeper level and getting involved in potential sales and qualifying leads and showing off technology.

It’s the job of the booth assistant to bring people into striking distance for a trade show presentation or booth demo. That being said, you can’t just go to a modeling agency and select someone 6-feet-tall who looks like Angelina Jolie.

The value is in selecting someone with years of trade show experience who knows how to behave when an attendee brushes them off. You want someone who can smile in the face of trade show adversity. Those are the types of people you look for, and those are the types of people we have worked with at Magnet Productions for at least 10 years. They are real trade show professionals who deserve respect and have an important role in delivering a highly successful trade show that brings in lots of qualified leads.

So, before you dismiss them as mere “eye candy,” consider all there is to be gained from professional booth assistants as part of your trade show presence.

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Tags: affordable options, booth assistants, booth buzz, crowd gathering, trade show opportunities
Posted in Booth staff, Trade show news & trends | 2 Comments »