Trade Show Booth Staff Training Expert, Susan Friedmann, CSP, The Tradeshow Coach

Did you know that there is a universal tradeshow language, and, almost everyone of you reading this knows how to speak it, even though you, perhaps, don’t recognize it as such?

Regardless of language or culture, we learn this communication style at a very early age, but often tend to forget it as we grow older.

You’ve probably guessed that I’m referring to the language of “smiling.” A language we so admire in kids, who just know how to beam from ear to ear to show their pure joy.

On the tradeshow floor, there are many gestures that communicate a host of different gestures both positive and negative. Some are offensive, and some misunderstood. However, a smile speaks to, almost everyone, as a sign of friendliness, and approachability.

Plus, it’s been said that speaking the “smiling” language is good for your health.

Here are three reasons why you should practice this simple, easy, yet highly effective, communication tool on the show floor:

1.  Smiling makes you more approachable.
When you smile, you attract people to you.  This attraction factor acts like a magnet. People do business with people they like and they trust.  Being approachable is the first step to encourage this relationship. Grimaces that show your lack of enthusiasm, or interest for being at the show, are more likely to repel prospects rather than attract them to you — but a smile draws them in.
Plus, smiling people come across as being more confident. Check out the difference in the way people react to you when you smile, rather than frown.

2.  Smiling is a mood changer.
Often, the long show hours, the stale show floor air, and the slow traffic, can make you feel down, and depressed. Put a smile on your face, and there’s a high probability your mood will make a shift for the better. It’ll help you stay positive, and add some energy when you most need it. It’s been said that smiling can trick the body into helping you change your mood.  Plus, any time you’re feeling a little stressed on the show floor, smile and you’ll be amazed at how this little “pick me up” works.  Give it a try next time you feel a little down or stressed.

3. Smiling is catching.
When you smile, there’s a strong chance that you make others do the same.  Just think of the last time you “coo-cooed” at a baby, they smiled at you, and you probably returned the compliment. When you smile, you lighten up the environment, change people’s moods, and set the “likeability factor” into action.

According to my good friend, and colleague, Rick Segel, the retail guru, “logic makes us shop BUT emotions make us buy. Many times, the biggest thing that differentiates one business from another is the “likeability factor.” We are in the people business. Customers don’t buy logically; they buy emotionally.”

Smiling speaks to that. But, don’t take my word for it, give it a try!

As you plan next year’s trade shows, take advantage of the new decade as a marketing tool. When the calendar flips over, people—including your customers—enjoy the chance to do a little reflection. That’s why the beginning of any new decade is heralded by predictions about upcoming trends, as well as the usual end-of-year summaries of the best and worst.

This kind of self-examination is not just a natural human instinct. It can be a great tool for gaining honest feedback from customers, for gaining their involvement, even for the much-sought-after viral marketing. Here are four ideas to get you started:

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I was teaching an exhibitor workshop recently when a participant told me about this GREAT giveaway item she’d recently picked up at a trade show. It was a can cozy, an insulated foam wrap designed to slip over beverage cans and keep them cold. She thought it was the most amazing product.

“That’s great. Can you tell me what company gave it to you?” She could not.

“And what did you do with the can cozy?” I asked.
“It was so nice, I gave it to my dad!” she promptly replied.

Now, was this a great giveaway item? No. The participant couldn’t even remember who had given it to her. To add fuel to fire, she’d given it to someone completely unrelated to the business. This marketing message definitely failed the “keep it” test!

The purpose of a giveaway is to increase recognition of your company. Make your giveaways memorable and effective by considering these four essentials:

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Every company on the tradeshow floor has a few things in common. They all want to capture attendee interest, and lure them into the booth with the new, the exciting, the irresistible. They’re all facing similar challenges: short attention spans, myriad shows, and increased competition from every corner of the globe.


However, there’s one extra special way that savvy exhibitors can differentiate themselves from their competitors. The company that has the best understanding of their target audience — their wants, needs, problems, and challenges — has the ultimate advantage in the exhibiting forum. It is these companies that take the time to learn about their customers — and more importantly, their customer’s customers — that succeed on the show floor and beyond.

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Why do your customers buy from you? Why do attendees stop at your booth, and not your competitors? Or, if we’re going to consider things from the opposite view, what is happening at your competitor’s booth that draws the crowds — the same crowds that pass you by?

It may seem as if there’s no rhyme or reason behind attendee behavior. It’s an inexplicably mystery why one company attracts throngs of attention while another — perhaps with an equally attractive display, a skilled booth staff, and compelling incentives — stimulates hardly any interest. Analyzing the difference between the two exhibits can be frustrating: there may be no quantifiable, logical reason why attendees prefer one to the other.

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