In life we know that two things are inevitable - death and taxes. As a meeting planner, you know one thing is inevitable - complaints about more exhibit hall traffic.
This is ALWAYS top of the list when it comes to satisfying your exhibitors and there is no magic button, but hopefully you have discovered that Ann and I are consistently working on trying to help you find new ideas to overcome these challenges.
So here goes...
There should only be three places DPMs can be found once the exhibit hall is in motion: (1) Lecture Hall (2) Exhibit Hall (3) Bathroom
What this means is moving all your staffed, information desks into the exhibit hall - obviously after initial registration. I know it's not really possible to close the registration desk because of late comers, BUT, that does not mean you have to answer any questions at the registration desk.
Set up an information desk in the middle of the exhibit hall where any and all of those random questions you already answered one million times can be answered again and again and again. It may be a hard habit to break, but use the registration desk for REGISTRATION ONLY. In fact, don't allow your most informed staff members to be at registration. Registration should be for getting a badge and a lanyard only.
If it's not possible - it's not possible. I'm simply throwing some ideas out there. Again, look for any and all opportunities to get traffic to your exhibitors by removing any areas that don't include lectures or potty breaks.
Thoughts? Questions? Email Me!
