What is the most important thing in any relationship? Simply put-trust! Whether you're talking about a husband or wife, a doctor, or a home builder – you need mutual trust to build a good relationship.
Hiring a sample exhibitor really makes no difference. You and your partner must respect and trust each other for a successful relationship! After all, your relationship with your sample company should be planned to be built and maintained for years to come.
Know the trade show exhibit provider from the beginning
From the first contact with a trade fair exhibition partner, you need to explore not only the capabilities and achievements of the provider but also the personality of the people you work with. As with any relationship, you should prefer to work with everyone in your organization, from account executives to designers and administrators.
Knowing each individual you work with at the individual level can help strengthen your overall relationship. This allows both sides to be honest and candid. Also, knowing the teams you work with on an individual level can make doing business together more enjoyable and rewarding.
Access trade show partner facilities
The only way to find out which trade show team you are hiring is to visit the facility directly. By spending a few hours inside the wall, you can learn a lot about how your organization operates.
Do your employees interact well with each other? Professionalism, comrades, and so – is there trust among the employees themselves? And most importantly, do you feel like you're part of a team while you're there?
Your instinct tells you a lot about how your relationship develops.
Ask the right questions
During courtship, be sure to ask the trade show exhibit provider the correct question. The questions you ask and the answers you receive will greatly help to solidify your initial trust in the relationship.
As a mere sampling, be sure to ask the following related questions.
How does the design/build process work from start to finish?
Who do you work with throughout the process?
What kind of exhibitions are you working on in your industry?
How can you best introduce your product/brand in design and exhibition?
How do you get involved in the process and stay on top of the overall progress?
What are the logistics of booth and event storage, delivery, setup/dismantling?
How are change requests processed, implemented, and billed?
These are just a few of the pieces of information you need to get answers to, but they can be a great start to laying the groundwork.
When hiring a trade fair partner, keep in mind that you are in a relationship that will put a great deal of trust in the company of your choice. Do your homework and get to know them personally and above all – trust your instincts!
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