Know Your Brand

Unlike ANY and ALL brand ambassador and promotional modeling work, know well on your brand prior to arrival. This means analyzing about the brand, reading any decks sent by your booking agent, and knowing anything you can relate to the product or service and its clientele. If you are working general faculty for the venue, and will not be representing a brand so much as the event as a whole, research the event, the kind of vendors who will be there, and who the target audience is. You will be communicating with both vendors and patrons; if you know what they are seeking for, you can be much more helpful!

Know Your Audience

Who will be coming to the trade show? Business men and women? Makeup artists? Musicians? Tech Investors? Each trade show will have its own very clear and concise vibe, so be a chameleon. If it's Beauty Contest, even if you don't really like makeup, today you do. If it's NAMM, you better brush up on the industry experts in musical instrument production, and sound equipment. If you happen to be at E3, grab a videogame console and learn how to use it! Sounding like you know nothing about the products and experiences at the convention looks not only unprofessional, but will be embarrassing, and make everyone, which includes the brand you represent, look bad. And no matter what, never say "I don't know, I just work here." Rather, divert answers you don't know to something like "That is a great question, let’s ask Bill and learn together" or "I'm not completely certain, but Bill, one of the developers, can answer your question in great detail, lets introduce the two of you!" Find out early in the day whom you should come to with questions, so you know who will be available and known to answer them.

Know Your Attire

Apparel can vary broadly at tradeshows. While you should always have a nice business casual look ready, many shows will ask particular attire such as a uniform or dress they offer. A must have for working tradeshows is a nice pair of black pants. Not business slacks, but nice black denim, such as skinny or boot cut jeans for women and black jeans for men. Many brands will bring shirts they wish for their models to wear, so if you know it will be one of those situations, wear a clean, nice, unbranded black t-shirt upon arrival, until you have a chance to change. For women, it is smart to also dress up a thin black tank top, in case you don't have a good place for privacy to change into your required apparel. Always be prepared for the unexpected. For example, if your manager does not have apparel for you or brought the wrong size. Bring something business casual that looks nice and can blend well with any of the other models who may have their uniforms, something like a white blouse and black skirt is always good to have on hand!

Be Aware of the Layout of the Venue

Convention centers and concert arenas are wide. The place you are working might be difficult to find, so ensure to check if there were any maps sent to you before the event, showing how to find your location, or where to meet a team lead or contact. Make a note of where the parking facilities will be if you are driving, where you will enter the building, and where that entrance is in place to your booth.

Have Your Team Lead or Contact in Your Phone

A great rule of thumb is to reach out the night before to a team lead or on site contact, and let them know you will see them tomorrow. This way you both have each other's numbers and have made contact. Ensure you have the cell number of your contact or team lead in your phone before you leave for the event. You might not be able to pull up your email when you get there, due to metal buildings and poor cell signal. Double check that you are contacting the team lead and not just the booking agent. While they will most likely still help you, if a team lead and their contact info was listed in your pre-event paperwork, it will look unprofessional, and this booking agent is someone you want to book you again!

Come Prepared for a Long Day

Bring a small bag or backpack with whatever you might need for a long day. This inclusive of, but is not limited to: snacks and or lunch, any medications you may require, makeup and hairstyling products to freshen up, etc. Sometimes you will be provided complementary meals if you are working long hours, but you can never count on this, and it is not owed to employees. Bring an unbranded black jacket or sweatshirt in case your working environment is cold. Always ask first before wearing anything that isn't uniform, however. Clients may ask you to wear it under a branded shirt, or not at all, but you can wear it on breaks or time away from the booth.

Author Name: Rian Donatelli