Hire Promotional Models – 5 Tips for Selecting the Best Event Staff

One of the most important factors to consider when exhibiting at a trade show or promotional event is hiring promotional models and event staff to promote your brand effectively. Having the right event staffing team by your side can make or break your success and ROI. But, saying you need to hire the best and most effective promotional models for your booth is one thing and actually doing it is another. So, how can you ensure that you hire promotional models that will increase trade show leads, sales, and your overall ROI at your next trade show?

Here are 5 tips for hiring promotional models or event staff for your upcoming trade shows and promotions.

5 Tips for Hiring Promotional Models

1. Experience Level –

One of the most important aspects to consider when hiring promotional models is their experience level in comparison to the needs of your event. If you are simply seeking an extra body to pass out promotional materials, an extra smile to attract attendees, or extra staff members to help support the booth, then promotional models that are new to the industry might be just what you’re looking for. But, if you’re looking for an experienced promotional model to present information about your product or a product demonstrator to host a demonstration at your booth then consider hiring an experienced promotional model that has been working in the trade show industry for many years and has an extensive and impressive resume. These promotional models have the skills and experience to take your booth to the next level.

2. Education –

Do you have a product or service that is in a specific or highly technical industry? Then education is an important factor to consider when narrowing your trade show modeling search. For highly technical or specific industries, consider hiring promotional models that have above average intelligence and have graduated or are currently enrolled in graduate school or have a PHD. Hiring promotional models with a higher level of education will ensure that your brand, service, or product is being showcased in the best possible manner. Not to mention, promotional models that have a higher level of education will be able to better interact and build relationships with attendees because they will not be intimidated by an attendees intelligence. Instead, these promotional models will be able to have in-depth and intellectual conversations with them.

3. Phone Interviews –

Account Executives across the country are going to kill me for suggesting that exhibitors request phone interviews with promotional models, but I’m going to suggest it anyways – bring on the heat, Account Executives; I can take it! If the event staffing company provides the opportunity to speak with promotional models on the phone for phone interviews, then I highly recommend taking the 5-10 minutes to have a brief (and I do mean brief) phone conversation with the promotional models you are considering. Phone interviews help exhibitors get a feel for how friendly, conversational, and well-spoken a promotional model is. And, in all reality, what’s a 5 minute phone interview out of your already very busy day going to cost you? Especially if it saves you from hiring promotional models that don’t meet the expectations of your brand.

That being said, I feel it is also important to note that while phone interviews are highly recommended, interviewing an excessive number of promotional models or speaking with each promotional model on the phone for more than 5-10 minutes is unnecessary. Promotional models are busy people that are taking time out of their day to be interviewed for an opportunity that they may receive other offers for. So, be reasonable. Keep your the questions and phone interview short (ideally under 10 minutes). And, let’s be honest, you should know within the first 5 minutes whether or not someone has the personality, intelligence, and speaking skills that your brand is looking for to help promote your brand.

4. Video Reels –

If conducting phone interviews isn’t a possibility or you’re considering more than a few promotional models for the job, then I highly recommend asking for video reels. The video reels can be of the promotional in action on the trade show floor, acting in a commercial, or simply speaking to a camera and explaining her experience level. These videos will provide you and your team with the material necessary to determine which promotional models have the right personality for your brand and who would be the best fit. Unfortunately, not all promotional models have video reels of them working at a trade show or promotional event, so don’t be discouraged if the only videos you receive are acting reels or candid videos of the model speaking to a camera. Any of these materials should help you to make the best decision for your brand.

5. Event Photos –

Another important factor to consider before hiring promotional models is requesting to see multiple photos of the model(s) working at a variety of promotional events or trade shows. Not only will this help to solidify the fact that the model(s) have worked other trade shows or promotional events in the past, but it will also give you the opportunity to see a variety of photos of the model in different settings. It is also unlikely that the event photos will be photo shopped, so asking for recent event photos will give you a better idea of what the model actually looks like. This is especially important if the trade show exhibitor is hiring promotional models with a specific look, gender, or age. If the promotional models are unable to provide additional event photos, then this is a red flag and they should be reevaluated before hiring.

Looking for other ways to increase your trade show leads and sales? Check out our blog on 50 Ways to Generate More Trade Show Leads.