Training does not end after the briefing. On the day, staff should arrive early, stay approachable and record interactions promptly. The event lead should observe, give short feedback, review capture quality, adjust staffing and run a short debrief at close of day.
Small habits decide how the booth feels to a visitor. Coach them in the moment and review them every evening.
On the booth
Staff should
- Arrive before opening
- Keep phones away except for event work
- Stand or sit in an approachable position
- Avoid blocking the entrance
- Watch for visitors who need help
- Use names when known
- Respect conversations already in progress
- Keep the booth tidy and follow break schedules
- Protect private discussions
- Record interactions promptly and escalate issues early
Staff should not
- Cluster in groups
- Eat in visitor-facing areas
- Ignore visitors while using personal devices
- Make assumptions from appearance or job title
- Pressure people to scan
- Promise unavailable features
- Discuss confidential information publicly
- Leave sensitive notes exposed
- Criticise competitors casually
- Treat low-intent visitors disrespectfully
Reference
Difficult visitors and situations
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| A visitor asks for a discount straight away | Do not improvise pricing. Share approved commercial guidance or route to the owner |
| A visitor criticises the product | Listen, thank them, ask for the detail and record it as feedback without arguing |
| A visitor wants to talk about something unrelated | Be polite, point to the right contact and keep the booth free for prospects |
| A long conversation blocks the booth | Offer to continue in a meeting space or by follow-up so others are not left waiting |
| Someone asks for confidential information | Decline politely, share only approved information and escalate if pressed |
| A visitor refuses a scan | Respect it and offer a card or link instead |
| Two visitors need attention at once | Acknowledge both, take one and ask a floater to greet the other |
| A visitor seems upset or unwell | Stay calm, offer help and call the event lead or venue first aid if needed |
Checklist
Event-day coaching
- Observe conversations
- Give short feedback
- Review capture quality
- Identify recurring objections
- Adjust staffing and reassign specialists
- Recognise strong behaviour
- Correct privacy or safety issues immediately
- Review priority-account progress
- Run a short close-of-day debrief
Checklist
Daily debrief questions
- What conversations were most valuable?
- Which audience appeared most often?
- Which question worked well?
- Which objection repeated?
- Which demo path worked?
- Were notes useful and handoffs complete?
- Did the capture technology work?
- Which accounts need attention tomorrow?
- What should change?
Worksheet
Worksheet: daily debrief
| Most valuable conversation | |
| Most common audience and objection | |
| Best-performing opener and demo | |
| Capture problems | |
| Handoff problems | |
| Priority-account progress | |
| Privacy or compliance concern | |
| Staffing issue | |
| Tomorrow change | |
| Owner for each action |
For the plan if something goes wrong, see the Event Risk, Contingency and Compliance Toolkit.
Frequently asked questions
How do you coach booth staff during an event?
Observe conversations, give short feedback, review capture quality, spot repeated objections, adjust staffing, recognise strong behaviour and correct privacy issues straight away.
What should booth staff not do at a trade show?
Cluster in groups, eat in visitor-facing areas, ignore visitors for personal devices, pressure people to scan, promise unavailable features or discuss confidential information publicly.
What should a daily debrief cover?
The most valuable conversations, repeated objections, what worked, whether notes and handoffs were complete, capture problems, priority accounts and what to change tomorrow.