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Survey Reveals Most Exhibitor Staff Training Is Hit or Miss

Exhibiting is a powerful extension of a company's marketing strategy. Yet how well do companies train their staff in exhibiting essentials? 

The purpose of this survey was to examine in depth the role and content of staff training as conducted by individual exhibiting companies. The questionnaire focused on how often companies conduct exhibitor training, why they conduct the training, how long it lasts, what
material is included, when and where it is conducted, who attends, who conducts the training, and finally, its impact on overall results.

This article, the first in the "Guru Reports" series for exhibitors to appear in Convene, is adapted with permission from the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR). Written by industry experts, the reports are geared to help exhibiting companies achieve better results and gain value from exhibition participation.

The respondents cover a wide range of exhibiting experience and participate in as few as one and as many as 300 exhibitions per year, with the majority (57 percent) falling into the 10-50 exhibitions per year range. Approximately 40 percent train prior to every exhibition; by contrast, 43 percent train only before major exhibitions. A few respondents pointed out that they often combine their training with a sales meeting. Eighty-six percent of all training is accomplished in less than two hours; half of that group take one hour or less.

The main reasons why companies conduct their exhibitor staff training are ranked fairly equally:

To train new sales representatives  (26%)
As a reminder of exhibiting skills  (24%)
To increase exhibition leads  (22%)
To create team spirit  (20%)

With regard to the material covered in the training programs, exhibition logistics  which includes booth schedules, transportation arrangements, hospitality events, booth layout, and lead management devices was ranked by most companies as the most essential area to review.

The distribution ranked as follows:

Exhibition logistics (16%)
Booth etiquette do�s and don�ts (15%)
Company exhibiting goals and objectives  (13%)
Meeting and greeting techniques  (11%)
Lead management techniques  (10%)
Product training (10%)
Qualifying techniques  (9%)
Demonstration techniques (6%)
Closing techniques (5%)
Follow-up techniques (5%)

Among the other findings:

• Fifty percent of the companies indicated that training is done just prior to the exhibition; roughly one quarter (22 percent) stated that it was conducted one week prior to the event.
• Respondents were divided in their preference for conducting training at their regular office location (33 percent) or at a hotel or the exhibition site (32 percent). A lesser number (22 percent) opt to train at the booth location on the exhibition floor (22 percent). 
• Eighty-one percent of companies indicated training was mandatory. The three main groups that attended the training were new sales representatives (19 percent), veteran sales representatives (19 percent), and marketing personnel (19 percent). Technical experts (12 percent) and top management (12 percent) were the other two groups who were strongly represented.
• Seventy-eight percent of all the training was conducted by the company's own staff; only 18 percent of the companies used outside experts. Interestingly, 75 percent of those using an outside expert indicated that their exhibit team responded more positively to someone from the outside, and 17 percent responded that no one in the company knew enough to do the training.  In those companies that provided their own training, the responsibility fell mainly on the exhibit manager (40 percent). 

When asked about the impact training makes on the overall exhibition outcome, companies responded that it is most effective in reminding the team of necessary exhibiting skills (27 percent), forming a cohesive team (26 percent), and enhancing team spirit (21 percent). Only 17 percent were able to demonstrate that training increased the number of leads gathered.

However, for those exhibitors whose training programs focused on the number of leads gathered, 43 percent indicated that they realized a 10-20 percent increase.

A whopping 93 percent of responding companies indicated that they conducted a debriefing session.  Approximately two-thirds stated that they held this session immediately after the exhibition.

Exhibiting Companies Need To Reorder Training Priorities

As the accompanying chart indicates, a surprisingly large number of companies do not focus on vital exhibiting � such as closing and follow-up techniques. Equally baffling is the low number of respondents who do not put a priority on Exhibiting Goals and Objectives. Cross-tabulation reveals that those companies that train their staff in exhibiting goals and qualifying and closing techniques are those that reported the greatest increase in the number of quality leads gathered.

About The Author

Susan Friedmann, CSP, aka The Tradeshow Coach, writes frequently about the exhibition industry. She can be reached at www.thetradeshowcoach.com.
For more information on the �Guru Report� series, visit www.ceir.org or contact ceir@mpea.com. Convene�s publication of the �Guru Reports� is sponsored by the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau.