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The Teamwork AlphabetWhat differentiates a great trade show exhibit from a so-so one? The booth staff! The best displays are manned by a coordinated team working together to ensure the exhibit’s success, rather than a haphazard handful of employees who happened to be available that week. How do you transform your staff members into a strong team? Just remember your ABC’s.A: Assign creative, intelligent, and enthusiastic people to trade show duty. B: Begin early to be adequately prepared for the show. C: Create goals and objectives for the show. D: Determine benchmarks for the show, both for individuals and for the entire team. E: Establish a time-frame for each of the benchmarks. F: Find ways to make the trade show fun and exciting for all staff members. G: Get upper management involved to make the show a success! H: Highlight each team member’s strengths with appropriate job assignments. I: Identify how team members can support each other to reach team goals. J: Justify all trade show activities: Are they helping your team achieve their goals? K: Knock off any practices or behaviors that keep your team from succeeding. L: Last minute contingencies require advance planning and coordination. M: Maintain a chain of command. Every staff member needs to know who is in charge. N: New ideas are valuable: Encourage, capture, and implement the best. O: Open your mind to creative, innovative displays and approaches. P: Plan how to convey essential information and skills to your staff members. Q: Question your staff. What do they know? What do they need to learn? R: Recognize the need for training. Ensure your staff is adequately prepared. S: Success is quantifiable. Decide how you will measure yours. T: Time tables and schedules help keep the team on track. U: Understand what kind of teamwork will be necessary to put on a top-notch show. V: Vying for prizes motivates many staffers. Offer great rewards as incentives. W: Watch out for trouble: Identify where the project can go wrong and plan accordingly. X: Examine the decision making process: Is it clear and efficient? Y: Yes men don’t help: Encourage independent, autonomous capable staffers. Z: ZZZZZ: Trade shows are very long. Adequate rest before the show is imperative! About the author: Written by Susan A. Friedmann,CSP, The Tradeshow Coach, Lake Placid, NY, author: “Meeting & Event Planning for Dummies,” working with companies to improve their meeting and event success through coaching, consulting and training. For a free copy of ExhibitSmart Tips of the Week, e-mail: susan@thetradeshowcoach.com; website: http://www.thetradeshowcoach.com Circulated by Article Emporium
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