Staff the Stand for the Busiest Hour, Not the Average One

A UK event staffing agency puts the rule in one line: staff for the peak hour, not the average. The busiest spells are usually the first hour after opening, lunchtime and the period after a keynote, and a stand that is fully staffed at ten but down to two people at noon has the team in the wrong place. Most exhibitors fix the headcount when the stand is designed and never revisit it.

Count Conversations, Not Square Metres

No supplier guide offers a ratio that works everywhere. A Madrid stand builder says plainly that a fixed number of staff per square metre cannot suit every booth, and that a plot’s dimensions alone do not set a minimum. The better sum is conversations. Each visitor worth talking to needs someone free, and a demonstration ties up a person for far longer than a quick chat. Last year’s footfall, if the organiser shares it, shows where the peaks fall. A stand crowded with staff has the opposite problem, because visitors see a huddle and walk past, which is the point behind the open sides and staff posture post.

Build the Rota Around the Peaks

The UK guides agree on the shape of a good rota. Everyone is on the stand for the first hour and lunch, breaks sit in the quiet periods, and they are staggered so headcount never falls below the peak level. Someone owns set-up before the doors open and someone secures stock after close. On larger stands or longer shows, a team leader runs the rota and deals with the organiser. A team of two on a three-day show tends to be tired by day two, which is one of the points made in the first-time mistakes post, so a third person to cover breaks is often cheaper than a weak afternoon.

Badges deserve a check as well. The exhibitor manual sets how many passes a stand includes, who is eligible, the deadlines and the cost of extras, and an included allocation is not always a hard ceiling for the whole team.

Brief the Team for Ten Minutes

The staffing agency suggests a ten minute briefing before doors open: the target for the day, three product points to lead with, who covers which part of the stand, where leads are recorded and anything new, such as a demo time. It also suggests opening conversations with a question, agreeing three or four qualifying questions so every lead carries the same details, and writing notes alongside scans. That ties straight into the lead follow-up post. A UK supplier adds the basics of staff etiquette: no eating on duty, no phones, and no clustering at the entrance. The agency sells staffing, so treat its advice as a starting view.

Put It in the Brief

A good brief gives the likely peak hours, the number of people on the stand at each point, who leads, and whether the builder should plan storage, a counter and seating for a team that will be on its feet for days. If a show is coming up and the rota has not been written, get in touch with Stand Between and we will introduce builders who work from exactly this kind of detail.