The Hawthorne Effect

Cookies?  Coffee?  Free lunch?  How to keep your booth staff in the booth and effective is an age old question.

Companies today still follow lessons learned from a study done some 80 years ago dubbed the "Hawthorne effect".  The experiment found that performance improves when people perceive they are receiving special consideration.

Turn consideration of your booth staff into productivity with treats and perhaps modest but special "thank-you" awards of $10 or $20 gift cards.  And be sure to let them know you recognize their toil by thanking them for their hard work and support.  It works!

How much space do people need?

Most of us are uncomfortable in narrow aisles - especially when there isn't enough space to pass someone without brushing them. We don't like being squeezed tight when perusing a booth.  When designing your booth, leave enough room between display elements so visitors can maneuver in your booth space untouched.  And instruct your staff to avoid blocking the narrow spots.

Find more tips at www.espexhibits.com

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As an exhibit manager, you are expected to know everything about everything - including graphic production - when it comes to managing your trade show program.  Graphics used to be my least favorite topic simply because I didn't know a PMS from a CMYK.  While I still defer to experts when it gets too deep, just knowing the basics gives me comfort.  Hopefully it will do the same for you.

Know Your Suppliers
Make sure your graphic designers are capable.  Review samples of their work from concept to end product.  Evaluate quality and compare to your need.  Is the work relevant to the scope of your project in terms of graphic size, materials, and level of difficulty?

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Sell your old exhibit – it’s as simple as that. Pack rats are obvious critters. Heaps of old record albums crowd the cd’s off their shelves; worn work shirts and bell bottoms spill out of their closets. They are graduates from the school of "you never know - I might need/want/wear that again someday." Pack-rat-edness among exhibit display owners is especially hazardous, since exhibit storage space comes at a premium far higher than a closet shelf or a dresser drawer. In many cases display owners are paying by the cubic foot to warehouse that old exhibit, and it hasn’t seen daylight since The Greatest Show of 1992. If you are not paying for outside storage, then you are using your own valuable warehouse space.

Why not sell it? There is a growing market for used exhibits - plenty of up-and-coming exhibitors want the look without the price. You’ll bring in some revenue as well as get rid of those nasty storage fees. To make the selling process easier for you as well as your prospective buyer, keep the following guidelines handy when prepping your exhibit for the market:

• Papers, papers, papers - Proper documentation is the key to selling an exhibit. Pull together all records you have for the exhibit and its operation. Include: blueprints and set-up drawings; inventory and crate packing lists; I&D and service bills; and especially photos.
• Selling parts - If you can sell 85% of your booth in one shot – do it. However think through the idea of selling certain parts – selling the centerpiece by itself may leave you with items that you can never sell.
• Repairs – Buyers should know that they are buying “as is.” Cosmetic changes do not increase the value of your exhibit. And, forget selling the sliced and diced carpet – it has no value.
• Pricing – this is a real guessing game and negotiating is the rule. This sale is definitely not a profit center – set a price and be prepared to bargain. Remember the buyer has to make alterations, add new logos, buy new fixtures and carpet – so think 30% of the original cost as a starting point and be prepared to go down from there.

See you on the Show Floor!
Jan Koren - jkoren@AbsoluteExhibits.com