At trade shows and experiential marketing events, the difference between a booth that attracts attention and one that gets ignored often comes down to the people representing the brand.
I just got back from a trade show in Boston for automated medical equipment - SLAS 2026. Overall, a fantastic show, and Boston is a great city - though not the easiest to get around!
While I was there I met a lot of great brands, made some solid connections, and collected some pretty unique giveaways along the way. Everything you hope for at an event. But as I walked the floor visiting different booths, I couldn't help but notice one significant difference between the exhibits that were buzzing with activity and the ones that weren't. And it is something so simple that I think a lot of teams overlook it entirely when planning their event presence.
It's not what you think
You might assume it comes down to booth size, location on the floor, or the brand's profile in the industry. Those things matter. But the reality is the success of your event, and the experience attendees walk away with - largely comes down to one thing.
The people working your booth.
I walked past numerous exhibits and made direct eye contact with the staff. Nobody approached me. Nobody engaged. A few were looking at their phones. I was clearly displaying interest and it was not reciprocated. That is the last thing you want from your event team. The busiest booths had staff who were not afraid to engage - people who actively went out of their way to bring visitors in. The quietest booths had the exact opposite.
How B2B is a little different from B2C
When planning a B2C experiential activation, the staffing brief can be relatively straightforward. You need outgoing people who can deliver a simple brand message and get consumers to try something or think about something a different way. Think: "Hey, want to try this drink? Zero calories, still tastes great." Enthusiasm and personality carry most of the weight.
At a B2B event, you still need that outgoing energy. But this is where things get more complex. Your staff also need to be genuinely knowledgeable about your products. They have to explain the capabilities of your latest machine or platform - industry-specific information that is not common knowledge. You can’t just ire a brand ambassador for that. That combination of interpersonal skill and technical depth is not always easy to find.
The profile you are looking for
The right B2B event staffer brings together two things that do not always come packaged together:
Product knowledge: They can speak credibly to the specifics of what you offer, not just a surface-level pitch, but real answers to real questions from informed buyers
People skills: They are willing to approach strangers, start conversations, and bring visitors into the activation - without waiting to be approached first
You may have a product specialist on your team who knows every detail about your newest equipment. You may have a local employee who is convenient to deploy. But the question worth asking before your next event is: are they willing to talk to strangers and actively draw people in?
That balance - knowledge plus approachability - is what separates a successful exhibit from one that gets walked past all day.
Before your next event
Once you have locked in your booth layout, your giveaway strategy, and the products you plan to feature, spend equal time answering this question: who are the right people to represent your brand on the floor?
It sounds simple. But our research consistently shows that the human element of experiential marketing is one of the most important factors in event ROI. The people you choose will be the difference between a booth that generates real leads and one that generates nothing but overhead.
Good luck out there.
Want to understand how your event activations are landing with your audience? Start a conversation with the IMI team.