Of course your account executives need to be in your exhibit space. They are your bread and butter at the show, especially if they have spent their time pre-show marketing with phone calls and emails. However if they get their return on time invested then chances are that the first day of the show they will have appointments stacked up, with twenty five more drop-bys, and if really lucky the giant Big Box retailer all arriving in the first three hours. So who else needs to be in your space, especially the first two days – you must send friendly, personable people with a genuine enthusiasm for your company, its products and services. These may not be your most senior people: make your choices based on effectiveness, not seniority. The pretty face at the reception desk needs to know more than how to say hello and page the same person fifteen times. The president, vice president, managers all need to be available to take the overflow. The trade show is not a place for glad-hander’s, pretenders, or less than genuine staff. Pre-show meetings are a must for everyone in the exhibit space. Everyone has a role and everyone must be able to talk the company talk.