1. On January will take place the London Art Fair. You've worked there before so, how was the experience?
We had an excellent time at the London Art Fair back in 2013, when we supplied five great hostesses to greet and register visitors and handing out leaflets. We would definitely look forward to more involvement at the Fair in future.
2. How would you suggest selecting a hostess agency?
Things that one should look for when choosing the right hostess agency for an event are; a long-standing quality reputation in the hospitality industry, an agency that values engaging personalities, well-spoken mannerisms, previous successful experience, intelligence and hard-work in their hosts and hostesses and that prides itself on all-round quality service from start to finish.
3. What does a hostess bring to a trade show stand?
What doesn’t a good host(ess) bring to a trade show? Quality exhibition staff can be used for a number of great marketing opportunities, such as attracting more traffic to the stands, collecting business cards or other contact details, handing out promotional materials like leaflets and flyers, assisting with competitions, and even generating sales leads to name a few.
4. Provide three tips that you would give to an entrepreneur who's choosing a hostess agency.
- Make sure to find a recruiter that provides quality service from start to finish.
- Find an agency that is always keeping in direct contact with you at every step.
- Always ensure that you’re working with a reputable, well-respected agency.
5. What basic knowledge do you think a hostess needs to work at a trade show like the London Art Fair?
- Everyone should be fully briefed on the brand they are representing before going into the field with a good brand induction
- Everyone should be fully briefed on the event itself, it’s purpose or goal, it’s target audience and sales or other brand awareness opportunities to look out for.
- Everyone should be fully aware of the schedule, clothing requirements and relevant meeting points.
- Additional information a hostess should have to hand is a campaign overview and detailed knowledge about any promotional materials they will be using.
- If a large part of the attendees are non-native English speakers, it’s highly beneficial to have multi-lingual event staff on the team as well.
6. What is, in your own opinion, the most difficult part of working at a trade show? What are the advantages?
Probably to most difficult part of working a trade show for an exhibitor is simply, all the planning involved. From ascertaining the right level of staffing for the event, deciding which promotional materials to use and how they will be shared with visitors, determining a dress code, and briefing promotional staff to organising the rota and break schedules throughout the event, there’s a lot to think about.
The benefits of participating in a successful trade show however, like face-to-face contact with your target audience, creating brand awareness and collecting vital customer details your company database to use in future campaigns (as well as networking opportunities to unearth other business-to-business opportunities) far outweigh the difficulties of organising the affair.