Trade Show Staff Management in a Virtual World

Posted by Bill Barrett in Planning, Tips, Trends

Exhibit managers are often required to manage trade show staff from their office desks instead of the show floor. Rarely seeing each other face to face can be one of the pitfalls of trade show staff management. Kevin Eikenberry, chief potential officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group in Indianapolis, has 4 tips for leading your trade show team in a virtual environment.

1. Build solid relationships. Take the time to foster long-distance relationships and promote ongoing relationship-building efforts. Relationships are the foundation of an effective and strong trade show team.
2. Manage meetings. Stay organized and keep meetings short by having clear agendas, directing side discussions offline, and including everyone in the conversation.
3. Use personal communication. Communicating electronically can seem to cause misconceptions and false assumptions. Regular Skype and phone meetings create more understanding among team members.
4. Have faith in your team. Sometimes you can’t operate by the rule that trust is earned. State your expectations, communicate often, and trust your team from the get-go. Micromanaging may make them less effective.

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