Emilie Barta – Trade Show Presentation Specialist / Professional Trade Show Presenter – creating a clear, concise and consistent message to attract, engage, and interact with your audience

Now that you have decided that a Professional Trade Show Presenter will do a better job of drawing positive attention and potential customers to your booth than Mark from Marketing and Sally from Sales, how do you go about finding one? After all, many people call themselves Trade Show Presenters, but how do you know if they are reputable and good at what they do? It is not as hard as you think, as long as you are willing to take some time to research. After all, this individual is the first impression of your company, so you want to ensure that you make a perfect match!

Your Trusted Exhibit House
The first place to turn to is your exhibit house. Most exhibit houses have relationships with trade show presenters and/or trade show talent agencies. After all, you trust your exhibit house to design and build your booth, so why not trust them to help you find your presenter? They can contact the agency or presenter on your behalf and get the selection process started based on your wants and needs. They can also facilitate the interviewing and negotiating for you. Or they can just do everything and surprise you with their selection if you prefer.

A Trade Show Talent Agency
If you do not work with an exhibit house, you could turn to a trade show talent agency. If you do an internet search, you will find many types of agencies that say they have experience in booking talent on trade shows. Therefore you will have to do some research to ensure that you find the type of third party vendor that best suits your needs. Make sure that the agency you choose has been in business for awhile and represents presenters who have trade show experience. Take an in-depth look at the agency’s website and see if you like the image that they are portraying. Do an internet search to see about the reputation of the agency and if you feel comfortable with the way that they are portrayed online. Once you contact them, do they provide you the level of service that you expect, and do you like the way you connect over the phone? Finally do they listen to your description of your perfect presenter and help you narrow down the field, or do they send you everybody they represent because they do not care who you select as long as you select someone from them?

Your Personal and Professional Networks
If you do not want to work with a third party, ask for referrals from your network. Look to your network of colleagues, friends, and professional associates and ask them if they can recommend someone for you. Chances are they have run into a presenter in their trade show history and have their contact information on file. If not, they might know of another colleague who could recommend a presenter. Just as important is a recommendation of a presenter who you should NOT hire. Unfortunately there are more mediocre presenters out there than results-oriented presenters, so knowing who to avoid is a valuable piece of information as well.

An Internet Search
If you want to go at it alone, try an internet search. Search phrases like Trade Show Presenter, Corporate Spokesperson, and Trade Show Narrator to see who you find. After you weed out the trade show agencies and articles about trade shows, you will have a manageable amount of websites to view. When you look at their website, do you like the image of the materials they use to promote themselves? Do you like their look, their client list, and their demo? Does their image match the image of your company? Do you feel comfortable with the presentation style they portray in their demo? Do you like what their clients have to say about them? Do they have a long list of repeat clients, or are they never asked back for a repeat performance? Once you have decided this presenter is a possibility, do an internet search of their name in quotes and see what you find. Are you impressed with the amount and type of coverage they have on the internet, or are you finding things that tarnish their reputation? If you do not like what you see online, you will not like what you see in person.

Social Networking
And the newest way to find a Presenter? Social Networking! Many presenters have a presence on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and other social networking sites. So again, search for terms like Trade Show Presenter, Corporate Spokesperson, and Trade Show Narrator to see who you find. You can also take a look at who your connections are connected to and ask for an introduction. Or you can post a message stating that you are looking for a presenter, and see what response you receive. Social networking is a great way to access people you otherwise may never have met, and a wonderful way to get into a conversation with a presenter to see if you like their personality. Since social networking is somewhat less formal and more conversational than other online resources, you can get to know a presenter by how they conduct themselves on the site. If they are pushy, unprofessional, rude, or not interactive online, imagine how they will be in person!

So with just a little bit of research in a variety of different methods, you can feel confident that you will find the right Professional Trade Show Presenter for your company. Good luck!!

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