Oracle OpenWorld Blog

What's Your Trade Show Team Wearing This Season?

We all know clothes make the person, but at a huge event like Oracle OpenWorld, they don't always make that person easier to find. That's why many of this year's exhibitors are experimenting with clever ways to outfit their company spokespeople. Instead of dressing their entire staff in the same pineapple-print Hawaiian shirt and letting everyone bunch together like a pack of Kameamea tribesmen, they're helping customers quickly spot the Big Kahunas among all the other kahunas.

Now ask yourself, 'Is our booth attire helping attendees identify the right person to speak to about issues as diverse as PR questions, beta programs, or networking opportunities?'

One way to make sure attendees find the right person quickly is to color-code your booth uniforms, creating a visual system that separates your staff by areas of expertise. For example, the tech gurus wear green shirts. The sales team sports teal blue. And the marketing folks are decked out in red. In this kaleidoscopic way, your key personnel can really stand out in a crowd.

O.K., so maybe a rainbow of polo shirts isn't what you consider haute couture (I see steam blasting from the ears of the brand police). Or perhaps your booth wear has already been ordered and long since distributed to staffers. If that's the case, you can still differentiate your staff with special name badges, lanyards, or sleeve insignia that accomplishes the same thing. Or you could poster-up a photo legend of the key staffers and their particular sphere of knowledge.

The bottom line: Don't make a person with questions work so hard to meet a person with answers. Making your booth wear more distinctive will make substance a part of your style.

P.S. Make sure to save your best party apparel for the Oracle OpenWorld 'networking events' (like the welcome party, appreciation events, etc.). You can find the info you need here.

Hellena O'Dell
Senior Director, Sponsorships Sales Management