What is the Exhibitor Referral Program?

The Exhibitor Referral Program campaign was created to make it easy for exhibitors to promote their presence at SupplySide West and Food ingredients North America 2024. We’ve partnered again with Feathr to help you promote your participation at the event this year.

What is the SupplySide Compliance Program?

SupplySide events are international business-to-business entities with participants from many industries and countries. Attendees and members should be aware that not all ingredients, technologies, claims or practices are appropriate for all industries or geographies. All participants should be familiar with the laws and regulations applicable to their specific business.

The SupplySide Compliance Program provides tools to gain a greater understanding of some of the most common compliance issues within the industry and help support self-regulatory efforts. We provide compliance monitoring during the SupplySide shows, enforcement where necessary and education year-round. Our compliance policy and reviews are based upon U.S. federal regulations. Your product promotional materials should be compliant with these U.S. laws. If you have any questions about compliance with our program, please contact [email protected].

What is boothmanship?

Simply put, boothmanship is the way you conduct yourself when you are in your booth during show floor hours. It can go a long way in determining whether you have a successful show. Here are a few tips and ideas on how to make good boothmanship work to your advantage:

• It takes only 4 seconds to make a first impression — good or bad — on an attendee, and you only have one chance to make a first impression!
• The average number of contacts made by a salesperson working an exhibit is six per hour.
• 55% of communication at a trade show is nonverbal.
• 86% of what an attendee will remember about your exhibit is related to the booth staff's performance, actions and comments.
• Six weeks after the show, attendees won't remember your booth, but they WILL remember you!
  

Tips for a top-notch booth staff
Attendees have expectations when they come to your booth. To be memorable, be:

• Enthusiastic
• Professional
• Knowledgeable
• Friendly
• Courteous to your "guests"

Tips for booth etiquette

• SMILE! Have a positive attitude. How often do potential customers make a special trip to see you?
• Carry and use breath freshener spray or small mints (Tic Tacs vs. large, bulky mints). Shy away from spicy or garlicky food and alcoholic beverages..
• Avoid chewing gum, eating and drinking while in your exhibit.
• Keep your booth neat and tidy!
• While working the exhibit, don't sit in your booth or lean on the exhibit counters.
• Don't spend time talking on your cell phone, with booth neighbors or to your other booth staff.
• Make eye contact; never ignore a prospect, even if you're with another prospect (give them a nod and "just a minute" sign, or try to bring them into your current conversation).
• Greet attendees by name. If you can't pronounce it, ask!
• Place your watch face on the inside of your wrist to "sneak peeks" of the time. 

Move-out is often one of the most confusing and overlooked parts of trade show management. Each facility, contractor and show comes with its own unique move-out challenges. Read the move-out instructions included in the Exhibitor Service Kit for detailed information.

Here are a few notes to get you started:

• Prearrange your outbound shipping with a carrier who is familiar with trade shows.
• Plan ahead! Contact your client services specialist 6-8 weeks PRIOR to the event to discuss the move-out process if you have any questions.
• After emptying crates, place empty labels on all sides of your crates and cases. Remember to remove old empty labels. Additionally, the empty labels are sometimes color coded, so make sure you get the correct color and be sure your booth number is on each label. This will ensure no crates are lost or separated and will speed up move-out. Don’t forget to label your pallets if you need them back for return shipping. If they are not labeled, they will not be returned to your booth.
• Large shows take time for the crates, pallets and empty boxes to be returned to the booths for load-out packing. It can take four hours or more for empty crates to be returned to the booth — please plan your departing flights appropriately. Loose cartons and fiber cases will be returned first so you can start packing. Wooden crates and skids will be next. Material return is random and holding your empty crates during setup will not get your crates back to you any earlier. If you hold your empties, the floor manager will first warn you and then have your empties removed.

Additional tips

• Keep the total square footage of your booth space in mind when you order decorating items. Do not order more than will comfortably fit in your booth and allow you to do business.
• If you have multiple locations, please complete a new and separate order for each location (booth, meeting room, etc.).
• Take a company credit card to pay all balances due onsite at the show and for deposits on rental equipment.
• Work zone — The show site and surrounding areas are active work zones. You need to be careful, and agents and representatives are present at their own risk.

Make sure that you follow up with your booth leads within a week of the show. This will help keep your product fresh in their mind, show that you want to do business and get your leads into the next step of the sales process.

Evaluate the event based on your goals. What worked; what didn't?
 

Your client services specialist is available to assist you with any logistical questions you may have about the show — including questions about the Exhibitor Service Kit, booth rules and regulations, badge registration, etc.