Ten Secrets of Super Successful Exhibit Managers

By Susan A. Friedmann, CSP

Whoever said that being an exhibit manager was easy, lied! Rather, it should be classified under the tough and demanding job category. But, along with being tough, it’s also fun, exciting, exhilarating, stimulating, and never, never boring. You have the opportunity to go to exotic places, stay in luxurious hotels, and experience life from a totally different angle. Who could ask for anything more? For those of you ready to shoot me at this point, know that I fully understand your pain!

The purpose of this article is to look at ten skills that help make a super successful exhibit manager, and how you can take this expertise and use it to enhance the great job you’re already doing.

1. Planning and organizing
   
   The most common reason shows go wrong lies in the simple fact that not enough time is devoted to adequate planning and preparation. And, many of those shows that are believed to have been successful, are often more by chance than through actual organization. Super successful exhibit managers have both a strategic exhibit marketing and tactical plan of action. They then use the following five basic questions as their foundation before making any arrangements:
   
   
   • Where does this show fit into our corporate marketing strategy?
   • Why are we exhibiting?
   • What are we exhibiting?
   • Who is our target audience?
   • What is our budget?
     
   
   
2. Taking care of details
   
   So much of putting a tradeshow together means taking care of the details, and there are usually more of these than you care to think about. Being detail-oriented is a definite plus. The key to so much of an exhibit manager’s success is having a system that works. Creating checklists is one of the best I know. With the hundreds of pieces that make up the tradeshow puzzle, the only way to put them together and keep tabs on all the details, are with a checklist. Become a checklist fanatic and consider having a checklist for each checklist. I’m getting dizzy just thinking about it.
   
   
3. Practicing savvy marketing
   
   A significant part of a successful exhibit manager’s role involves developing a pre-show, at-show, and post-show marketing plan. Most exhibitors fail to have a plan that encompasses all three areas. Budget is naturally going to play a major role in deciding what and how much promotional activity is possible. Super successful exhibit managers know the importance of developing a meaningful theme or message that ties into their strategic marketing plans, and that will guide their promotional decisions. They know and understand their target audience and plan different promotional programs aimed at the different groups they are interested in attracting.
   
   
4. Being a team player
   
   Super successful exhibit managers know exactly how to work together as a team, helping each other out whenever and wherever necessary. They help everyone get acquainted, develop a level of trust, and familiarize and understand each other's strengths. They know what it takes to create an environment of camaraderie where the staff, as a whole pulls out all the stops to succeed and set themselves apart from the competition.
   
   
5. Knowing how to manage time
   
   Super successful exhibit managers have mastered the art of managing their time. They are well organized and have essential information at their fingertips, which means that their work environment is orderly and efficient. They know their priorities, don’t over commit themselves, and can differentiate between important and urgent tasks. They are superb delegators and are not afraid to ask for help whenever they need it. And, finally, they don’t procrastinate; on the contrary, they practice the “do it now” habit.
   
   
6. Negotiating skillfully
   
   Skillful and savvy negotiators know exactly what they want. They spend time doing their research so that they know as much as possible about their opponent. They are prepared with strategies and tactics, questions, and possible concessions. They are masters at finding alternative ways of talking about, reacting to, and solving problems. They use their talents of intuition, flexibility, and concern for others to reach an agreement where both sides win. They look to create a feeling of cooperation to build a mutually beneficial working environment.
   
   
7. Applying a positive attitude
   
   Research successful people and you’ll find that having a positive “can do” attitude ranks high on their list of characteristics. Not only are they positive and upbeat, they surround themselves with naturally positive and successful people. Give it a try and see it their attitude rubs off on you. When you focus on what you can do versus what you can’t do, expect to find solutions to your various challenges. Try changing your vocabulary to reflect your optimistic thoughts and feelings, and see what happens. People find you more attractive and want to be around you, especially when you focus and direct your conversation onto the outcomes they want.
   
   
8. Evaluating results
   
   Any master continuously looks to improve on his or her performance, and a super successful exhibit manager is no different. Create a system to evaluate your results. Ask booth visitors for their feedback. Find out what they liked about your booth and general show participation, and what would they like to see improved. In addition, ask yourself what you thought went well and what you would do differently if you had to organize this show again. Chronicle your data and keep accurate records so that you can refer to them the next time around.
   
   
9. Being a perpetual learner
   
   We live in an information age and are surrounded by more stuff than we can possibly cope with. However, successful people love it, as they are perpetual learners. They know the pitfalls of relying on what worked in the past as a guide to what will work in the future. That’s why they constantly look for new and improved ways of doing things, learning from the masters and staying open and willing to try different approaches.
   
   
10. Keeping a sense of humour
    
    If you don’t laugh you cry and in the exhibit industry there’s no lack of situations where it’s easy to shed a tear. Keeping a sense of humor will definitely help prevent you getting mad, angry, and frustrated with those incompetent and disorganized suppliers. Learn to laugh at their mistakes as well as your own to keep a saner perspective on life. If nothing else, remember that laughing is good for your health and will help reduce your stress and blood pressure levels.
    

Susan A. Friedmann, CSP, is The Tradeshow Coach, Lake Placid, NY, working with exhibitors and show organizers to improve their tradeshow success through coaching, consulting and training. For a free copy of ExhibitSmart Tips of the Week, e-mail: susan@thetradeshowcoach.com; or visit her Web site: www.thetradeshowcoach.com.

Published in Networking Today, August 2002.