Trade show models can be a great addition for any convention or trade show, but you want to make sure they are the right fit for your company. There are two main factors to consider here; one, you must weigh the cost versus benefit, and two, you want to make sure the models portray your company in the right light. The cost versus benefit will be discussed here.
Cost Versus Benefit:
In other terms, the ever valuable (ROI) return on investment. In some cases this decision will be made very easy. If your company is on the East coast, and you have an expo to attend in Las Vegas, then convention models may be beneficial. After calculating the cost of the plane tickets, the hotel rooms, the food, and time and money lost by pulling the employees out of the office, you may be surprised just how much this adds up to.
Then take a look at the cost of hiring trade show models. For about $45/hr per model, one can expect to pay $1,500-$2,000 for an entire 3 day event. This is about the same as the plane fairs and hotel rooms only. All talent is local, so there are no boarding or travel expenses.
The more difficult decision will be whether or not promotional models will bring in the same amount of leads as if you had your own employees present. If you have a very technical product that must be fully understood to convey to potential buyers, it will be too much to expect a promo girl to relay this all to your booth visitors.
However, often times highly technical employees are not exactly the most outspoken individuals, and will have trouble attracting anyone into your display. Here it may be worth hiring trade show models to entice visitors to stop at your booth, then have a system in place where the model can hand the visitor off to a more knowledgeable member of your staff.
It is very important not too just jump into the trade show scene without ample thought and planning. These can be a huge source of business for your company, or they can be a huge drain.
