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Free practical guide

Preparing your team for a trade show: the winning trio

A simple framework to brief and align a small team at a trade show: the greeter draws people in, the host qualifies, the closer seals the deal. No more burnout or ignored visitors. Clear roles, short scripts, and a smooth handoff from one step to the next.

Did you know? According to a CEIR (Center for Exhibition Industry Research) study, 85% of exhibitors believe booth staff determine whether the event succeeds or fails. Yet fewer than a third of them train their teams specifically before the big day.

Source: CEIR - Staffing for Success

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    Clear roles and responsibilities (greeter / host / closer)
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    Ready-to-use scripts and tested opening lines
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    Useful materials for each role (props, mockups, sales tools)
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    Visitor journey: from the aisle to a booked meeting or a sale
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    Key KPIs and an on-site tracking sheet to measure effectiveness
Download the full guide ↓
Trade show team visual

What's inside this guide

Chapter 1: Set the goal of your presence (customer journey at the booth & KPIs to track).

🔗 Go further: For manufacturers, a trade show is often the time to showcase complex or made-to-order products. See how we help manufacturers digitize their production on our page dedicated to Odoo for manufacturing, MRP and production management.

Chapter 2: The greeter's role (how to draw people in from the aisle without being pushy or aggressive).

Chapter 3: The host's role (qualify the need, spark interest and filter out the merely curious).

Chapter 4: The closer's role (close, propose the next step and collect data properly).

Conclusion: From individual trio to team method (15-minute briefing included).

A trained team = Maximum ROI

A beautiful booth is useless if the team stays seated behind a laptop. Structuring your team is the first step, but it's part of a broader approach.

If you're preparing your next event, make sure you have the big picture by downloading our guide to the exhibitor's complete sales strategy (before, during and after the show).

And to give your booth "greeter" the best tools, discover our 26 techniques to draw attention to your booth without blowing your decoration budget.

🔗 The secret to follow-up: Don't let business cards gather dust in a drawer after the show. Centralize everything instantly in our CRM and sales management solution with Odoo.

They put it into practice

Real feedback after setting up the greeter, host and closer trio.

Camille R.
Sales Manager

“We clarified the roles and prepared two scripts. The result: far more people stepping onto the booth and much sharper conversations.”

Lucas M.
SME Business Owner

“The handoff from greeter → host → closer became natural. Everyone knows what to do, and we know exactly when to suggest a meeting.”

Sonia T.
Marketing

“The tracking sheet by role helped us see very quickly where we were losing people. Two small tweaks on day one changed everything.”

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Receive the guide by email, with role details and ready-to-use scripts.

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Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Straight answers, no jargon, based on field experience.

The person who draws people to the booth from the aisles. They use a simple opening line, offer a quick interaction (an object to handle, a mini-game) and hand off to the host. No long pitch: their goal is the number of contacts.
The host qualifies and builds interest: they answer first questions, show examples and reassure. The closer then secures the next step in a quiet setting: an immediate sale or a scheduled meeting, and clean collection of contact details. Two roles, two paces, one goal.
The trio works very well (1 greeter, 1 host, 1 closer). When traffic is light, two people are enough, alternating between approaching and closing. At peak times, add an extra person at the front so you don't miss anyone.
Present a clear offer and the next step naturally (an immediate purchase with a show discount, or a scheduled meeting after the show). Restate the need to confirm agreement, then wrap up without changing the subject. If it's too early, collect their contact details.