· know your brand: Like ANY and ALL promotional modeling and brand ambassador work, educate yourself about your brand before arrival. This means researching the brand, reading the decks sent by your booking agent, and learning everything you can about the product or service and its clientele. If you work as general staff for the venue and won’t represent a brand as much as the event as a whole, research the event, the type of vendors that will be there, and who the target audience is. You will be interacting with both vendors and customers; if you know what they’re looking for, you can be much more helpful!

· know your audience: Who will come to the fair? Business men and women? Makeup artists? musicians? Tech investors? Each trade show will have its own very clear and concise environment, so be a chameleon. If it’s BeautyCon, even if you don’t really like makeup, you like it today! If it’s NAMM, you better check out the industry leaders in the production of musical instruments and sound equipment. If you happen to be at E3, grab a video game console and learn how to use it! Giving the impression that you know nothing about the products and experiences at the convention will not only look unprofessional, it will also be embarrassing and will make everyone, including the brand you represent, look bad. And no matter what, never say “I don’t know, I just work here.” Instead, redirect answers you don’t know to something like “That’s a great question, let’s ask Bill and learn together” or “I’m not entirely sure, but Bill, one of the developers, can answer your question in great detail.” “. Let’s introduce you both!” Find out early in the day who to contact if you have questions, so you know who will be available and trained to answer them.

· know your outfit: Clothes can vary a lot at trade shows. While you should always have a good business casual look ready, many shows will ask you for a specific outfit, such as a uniform or dress that they provide. A must-have item for job fairs is a good pair of black pants. Not dress pants, but good black jeans, like skinny or bootcut jeans for women and black jeans for men. Many brands will bring shirts that they want their models to wear, so if you know it’s going to be one of those situations, wear a clean, nice, unbranded black shirt when you arrive, until you have a chance to change. For women, it’s smart to wear a thin black tank top as well, in case you don’t have a good place for privacy to change into required clothing. Always be prepared for the unexpected! For example, if your manager doesn’t have clothes for you or if he brought the wrong size. Bring something business casual that looks good and can pair well with any of the other styles your uniforms may have, something like a white blouse and black skirt is always good to have on hand!

· Take into account the layout of the place: Convention centers and concert arenas are HUGE! The booth you’re working in can be difficult to find, so be sure to check if maps were sent to you before the event, showing how to find your booth or where to meet a team leader or contact. Take note of where the parking facilities will be if you are driving, where you will enter the building, and where that entrance is located at your booth location.

· Have your team leader or contact on your phone: A good rule of thumb is to reach out to a team leader or on-site contact the night before, and let them know you’ll see them tomorrow! In this way, both have the numbers of the other and have been in contact. Make sure you have the cell number of your contact or team leader on your phone before you leave for the event. You may not be able to check your email when you get there, due to the metal buildings and poor cell signal. Double check that you are communicating with the team leader and not just the reservations agent. While they will most likely still help you, if a team leader and their contact information was included in your pre-event paperwork, it will come across as unprofessional, and this booking agent is someone you want to hire again!

· Come prepared for a long day: Carry a small bag or backpack with what you might need for a long day. This includes, but is not limited to: snacks and/or lunch, any medications you may need, makeup and hair products to freshen up, etc. Sometimes they will give you supplementary meals if you work long hours, but you can never count on this, and it’s not because of the employees. Bring an unbranded black jacket or sweatshirt in case your work environment is chilly. However, always ask first before wearing anything that isn’t uniform. Customers may ask you to wear it under a branded shirt, or not to wear it at all, but you can wear it on breaks or time away from the booth.