With all of our clients, one of our standard discussions is about what to have our Trade Show Experts wear at our client’s booth. This is, in fact, a vital part of the companies branding strategy and definitely warrants and a few words to be written.

With the many different types of shows out there, and lots of different approaches that our clients take to project their brand, it can sometimes be a little confusing on how to narrow down what to have you Booth Expert wear. After all, she is situated at the front of your booth, and is most likely the first thing that an attendee will notice as he/she passes by (note: if you hire an expert from us, the attendees wont be passing by, they will be stopped!). Having your trade show talent standing out in the isle stopping traffic in an inappropriate outfit could quite possibly be the deciding factor as to wether the attendee’s take you seriously or not. There is such a thing a getting the wrong kind of attention.

While many trade shows can be a lot more casual these days, do not be fooled into thinking that this means your Booth Expert can be dressed like it’s Halloween night. You might run the risk of attracting the wrong kind of attention while loosing the serious leads that you are out to generate. Now, if this last paragraph got you confused, let me paint a picture by telling you a true story, I kid you not… (DISCLAIMER – the model mentioned in the following story was not booked by Ten Model Management). In the recent past, a major manufacturer of kitty litter decided to hire a “model” at their booth. They weren’t entirely sure how to correctly utilize this “model”, and requested that she wear a catsuit, tail and ears and they provided a human sized litter box that they filled with their brand of litter…. you can only imagine how uncomfortable the poor model was having to scratch around a big box of sand for 3 days straight! Needless to say, the outfit was not a big hit and the company suffered the loss of clients, one being their largest account, a big box national chain. If only they had not decided on a rediculous outfit, their show may have actually been a success! The moral of the story is that if you have a gorgeous, motivated, eloquent Booth Expert, you have her dress for nothing, but SUCCESS!

In our extensive experience, here are a few key words to describe how you would like your hostess to dress – powerhouse, sharp, professional! You can describe the attire to be that of a “Fox Network News Anchor”. Black is always a good color, but it is also a good idea to have your Booth Expert wear your company colors so that she compliments your booth. For women, knee length pencil skirts is preferred over pants and heels are a must! Our 3 favorite options are either business suit, business dress (for shows that are more casual) or company branded polo or T shirt tucked into a knee length pencil skirt. These three options are tried and tested winners on the trade show floor.

Go for gold, and don’t get bogged down or tempted into having you Booth Expert dress in a silly outfit. You want the attendees to take your hired gun seriously so let her dress for success, this will empower her to do her job of lead retrieval on a mass scale!