If you are a new Houston trade show client or you are new to the trade show circuit, then you may not realize that trade show theft is a common occurrence. In convention halls around the country, exhibitors lose their assets to thieves: from expensive electronics like laptops, to priceless intellectual property on flash drives. To prevent this from happening to you, follow these tips.
Keep things on your person. All booth staff should have their mobile devices in their pockets, rather than lying on a table. Female staff members should not bring their purses into the booth. Small flash drives are easy for an intellectual property thief to snatch up, and if you have competitors at the trade show, that is always a risk. Store flash drives carefully, perhaps in a locked box, unless they can be kept on a staff member. Investing in a holster-type belt for one or more of your booth staff may be a good idea.
Mislabel boxes intentionally. If high priced assets must be stocked inside the booth, they can be stored in boxes that are labeled incorrectly, sot that only your booth staff will know what’s really inside. You can put electronics (the #1 target of trade show thieves) in a box labeled “nametags,” for example. Inventory, which could also be prime loot for a trade show thief, can be in boxes labeled “brochures,” “bags,” or something else of low value.
Designate a staff lookout. Most trade show exhibitions have a staff member assigned to recruiting attendees to come to the booth, and other person assigned to demonstrating. Then, they may have someone assigned to sit down with serious prospects and close deals. Why not take it a step further, and assign a staff member to be your loss prevention person? If you just don’t have the resources for extra booth staff, you can have the people already assigned to other tasks take turns watching for thieves.
Part of exhibition success is making sure your assets stay protected, and we want our Houston trade show clients to experience success with every show. Follow these tips to prevent trade show theft from happening to you.
