ERE Expo – tales from the booth…

I was back in a booth at ERE Expo this year.  Which kind of sucks…you don’t get to go to the sessions and hear all the good stuff going on around you.  You miss a lot.  Like the fact that Laurie Ruettimann was announced as the Social Recruiting Summit’s Chair.

But that being said…who says you can’t make the booth babe experience work for you.  And I did.  And it was much better than I expected.  I am not a marketing genius…I just thought it through.  Here are some tips:

What bugged you at the last show…solve it for all of the attendees

In San Diego in March I had to walk off-site to the Marriott to buy a soda…and I’m a Pepsiholic.  Thankfully the Westin Diplomat in Hollywood, Fl is a Pepsi vendor.  It was heaven for me with soda an arm’s reach away in my booth (even though I’ve been trying to quit) and judging by the amount of soda we went through, it was a hit for many.

It’s hard to eat standing up so bring some chairs…and a compressor to blow them up.

If you’re going to be lonely…hire a friend

And if he wears your logo on his T-shirt all day, takes pictures, twitters, facebooks and does a live streaming show from your booth…all the better.  Not to mention the ability to be at 2 parties at once later that night.  While I was wine tasting and chatting it up…my walking billboard was at the Indeed party with my logo on his chest.  I’m guessing he needed to explain that some.

Think outside the booth

I’ve been to this show many times, I’ve seen many booths.  Most are pop ups with graphic panels and a podium.  The reason mine was so interesting is because it was not that!  My booth could have gone a whole different way.  It could have been totally cheesy.  I was a little concerned.  But once I saw the chairs and figured out the banner sign and Jason Sadler agreed to come and keep me company, I figured I could make it work.  Still the night before, looking at a very large trade show booth box in my living room I might have freaked out a little…or a lot.

And even when setting up the day before I was unsure if this would all come together.  Once set up, I literally had 4 blow up chairs and a banner stand…in a double booth!  Thank goodness for the catering staff at the Westin and the soda set up.  It turned out wonderfully.

Don’t be afraid to change the plan

I had no idea the blow up chairs would be such a hit.  Truly.  However my little one’s reaction should have tipped me off.  She is insisting one will live in her room forever now.  So when 3 or 4 people asked if I was giving them away…I decided to.  I had no intention of giving one away…but why not!

So what went on at the booth that has been called the “Expo highlight?”

• HireVue tipped over (it was a contest…and he went too far)
• People kept pulling the plug on the chair in the aisle so it would deflate as people sat in it
• Tried to pimp out my friend Shannon…she just moved to Miami from Boston and was in college recruiting…anyone in Miami looking for a great recruiter…anyone?
• Was way too wired on cold-caffeine and am pretty sure Mike Grennier thinks I’m cracked as I had Shannon stop him from leaving the soda area because I thought he looked familiar (he was a very popular speaker at ERE, duh!)
• We did a live streaming show for about 3 1/2 hours…about…nothing and everything as far as I can tell (Go Jason!)
• Learned The Recruiter Guy thinks big brother is watching…a lot
• Got my first video interview for this blog when Sarah White talked about her workplace flexibility (below)
• Was lucky enough to have most of these fabulous women hang out and talk with me
• Learned that popcorn cannot compete with alcohol and appetizers
• Talked about work-life balance and workplace flexibility with really interesting people who all have a story