Register
Register

As a Quirk’s Event attendee, you’re probably familiar with the Quirk’s Q-Mandments, our list of guidelines that we ask speakers to adhere to when presenting at a Quirk’s Event. Based on feedback from client-side attendees and our own experiences attending decades of presentations, the Q-Mandments were our effort to gently urge presenters to deliver the most interesting, objective and educational talks possible. In that spirit, we are offering up our Exhibitor Q-Mandments, all of which spring from comments received in post-event surveys and in conversations with event attendees.

Thou shalt be welcoming. Smile! Make eye contact! And pick the right people to work your booth. Your brilliant-but-introverted data scientist? Maybe leave him or her back at the office. Instead, bring along your people-people, your good conversationalists, your good listeners.

Thou shalt be respectful. No one wants to be accosted by a pushy salesperson. Don’t use aggressive sales tactics or assume that every visitor to your booth has a blank check from the procurement department in their pocket. Understand that most attendees are there to learn, gather information and make new connections. When it’s time to buy, they know how to contact you.

Thou shalt be fun. Use a little creativity to come up with interesting reasons for visitors to stop by your booth, whether it’s a game, an unusual tchotchke or an immersive way to experience your latest product or service. These tactics make interaction with your team less intimidating and put attendees at ease.

Thou shalt be present and aware. You spend a lot of money to exhibit, don’t blow it with off-putting behavior. Don’t leave your booth unattended for long stretches of time. And, when at your booth make sure you aren’t too busy eating, chatting with co-workers, or staring at a smartphone to engage with visitors.

Thou shalt not tear down early. Some attendees are so busy attending sessions the only times they can get to the exhibit hall is early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Tearing down early makes attendees feel unwelcome and denies them of the opportunity to meet you. In addition, it is disrespectful to other exhibitors that want to make the most of the event.