Eating and getting meals (dos and don'ts) while working a tradeshow event.
Face-To-Face Interview with Robin Bell We chat about; booking via agents, booking direct, and via referrals, what you need in promotion materials, photos, videos and your own tradeshow marketing website
Robin also tells us about Researching and scripting for her live presentations, and the difference between Demos of physical equipment or products, and powerpoint slides with an ear prompter.
Face-Palm story about a brand ambassador caught in a Jacuzzi with a client!
Eating and getting meals (dos and don'ts) while working a tradeshow event.
Face-To-Face Interview with Robin Bell We chat about; booking via agents, booking direct, and via referrals, what you need in promotion materials, photos, videos and your own tradeshow marketing website
Robin also tells us about Researching and scripting for her live presentations, and the difference between Demos of physical equipment or products, and powerpoint slides with an ear prompter.
Face-Palm story about a brand ambassador caught in a Jacuzzi with a client!
Intro 0:05
Face the events from brand ambassadors and event stoppers to magicians and presenters. It's the one and only podcast to introduce the faces in and around the tradeshow
and events industry. And here's our host Scott Tokar.
Scott Tokar 0:24
Hello and welcome to face the event. My name is Scott Tokar. I am your host this is our second episode of season number one. I hope you enjoyed our first podcast and I hope that you are clicking that SUBSCRIBE button so we can keep this podcast going. Today we're going to share with you first off a little bit about eating on the trade show floor where to get food why not to buy food from the vendors there at the show floor and some tips and tricks to save you a lot of money followed by a face to face interview with Robin Bell Robin is a live presenter now, but she's pretty much done at all in the industry. She's going to tell us about the difference between health care conventions and builders, conventions and users group conferences. She's going to tell us about researching and scripting her very own presentations. And what's the difference between a PowerPoint slide presentation and physically working with a company's products or doing a live demo, she's also going to tell us about the ear prompter as well as how to properly promote yourself in the tradeshow world. She's going to give us some tips on photographs, as well as tips on websites and videos that you need in order to be a success in this world. She's going to tell us about also how to get a tradeshow marketing website up and get those referrals coming in. And to close out the show. Our typical facepalm is from Becky Joe Schwartz of seeeeee talent. She tells us Have an indecent exposure in a Jacuzzi. After a trade show from a bank with a brand ambassador. It's definitely a facepalm to end all face palms. Well, let's get right into the show. Here's our first subject. Today it's eating on the trade show floor.
Jennifer Canale 2:20
Eating and food, that's all to be taken care of when no one sees it. Bottled water at minimum with the clients permission is the only thing that the client should ever see you with on the show floor. No food ever in the booth. No drink ever in the booth especially if the client has a white carpet. So obviously if you're working along day, food is going to be important. Food however should not be consumed in the booth. It should be done. Either before you get to the booth during a break. And or you know after the show. You do not have time to stand in line for 40 minutes on your 45 minute break. To eat a $12 piece of crappy pizza, always bring your own food. Always bring your own snacks lines. If you're planning on just getting food there at the tradeshow floor, it could be very long,
Alexis Baize 3:10
you're going to find that it's going to take a lot longer if you don't bring your food with you.
You're going to use most of your break standing in line and trying to figure out where to eat. Well tradeshow
Robin Bell 3:21
food conventions for food is usually not very good. So I usually bring power bars always bring some food just in case you're you have to work your lunch.
Veronica Tevelde 3:31
So make sure you bring food to snack on in case you cannot get to the food that might be being sold. I always have almonds, maybe cranberries mixed in there. Of course a power bar. You never know. One of the things that I try to do is get either a big cooler that I can put ice in or I go to the grocery store in the morning. Also keep in mind if you're on your lunch break and you're going to have a you know grilled cheese and onion sandwich Which your breath could, you know have some difficulties when you get back so if you're going to eat garlic, onions, you know something like that. Make sure you have your toothbrush with you so that you can, you know, take care of that issue.
Alexis Baize 4:17
Try to find an exhibitor lounge to go sit at an eat, or sometimes you're just stuck on the stairs,
Veronica Tevelde 4:24
usually some type of caffeine, maybe a Redbull some type of an energy thing cough drops, you have to have those. Keep your voice going. I don't know you never leave without something and the lines for food at the shows are so long so wouldn't even think of going to those. And alternatively, make sure you're not eating anything that is going to spill all over you. If you're going to have a hot dog with no ketchup and mustard and relish or if you're going to eat something that you know bring a bag or something so you don't feel all over.
Robin Bell 4:57
But I will say that in Louisville, Kentucky. Have these food trucks outside? So good. If you're ever on that trade show floor, go outside for lunch. It's great.
Scott Tokar 5:10
We want to thank Jennifer canali, Becky, Joe Schwartz, Alexis Bay's Robin Bell and Veronica to belty for their tips today. Alright, so I'm out on a trade show floor. There's all sorts of different people you're going to meet, run into and see. And obviously the presenters, there's many different types of presenters, obviously, I'm the magician doing the magic tricks, but a lot of times there's that information that's goes a little bit deeper and has a maybe a little bit more presentation style to it. And there's a few people in this industry that I think of and immediately I think of Robin Bell, she's been in this business at least as long as I have and I've seen her at all these different shows, and I'm always impressed in her delivery and her friends. professionalism. So I thought I'd bring her on here. Let's, let's welcome Robin bell. Hi, Robin, how are you?
Robin Bell 6:06
I'm good. Thanks for that intro. That was pretty nice.
Scott Tokar 6:09
Oh, well, and it comes from the heart because there's people that well, we are we're like a family. We've said that in past podcasts. There's a family element here. We're all stuck out there on the road off often and you know, our family is back at home someplace, but we know we can in a pinch rely on each other out there. So you're one of those people that is certainly in that group.
Robin Bell 6:33
We definitely have a trade show families the familial connection that's really think that's one of the things that captivates me.
Scott Tokar 6:39
Yeah, exactly. Now, um, do you remember your first trade show?
Robin Bell 6:45
Oh, gosh, that's going back. Yes, I do. Tell me about it. It was, I was actually a I was a presenter talking about a Ford van. And it had been converted into a flower shop. And there were flowers in there as a demo. The show was five days long by they never changed the flowers. The flowers were dying. By the end of the week, I opened up the van doors and outgrow these little bugs on the last day to show and I still had people coming up and saying, Do you do weddings? You know, you know, you're supposed to say these kind of stories for our facepalm at the end of the show. That's, that's funny. That's funny. I that's the first one was that. How did you get that gig? How did you end up in trade shows? I got that job through an agency. Friend of mine had said that they were doing auditions at an agency to go audition. I did. And they hired me right away for five shows. And I've been doing them since what
Scott Tokar 7:54
kind of agency was that was like because sometimes there's modeling agencies out there. those specific like trade show agencies and that kind of thing. What kind of agency was it?
Robin Bell 8:06
This was a trade show marketing company. So their their main focus was was trade shows and providing talented trade shows. And then they embellish that as time went on to help the company with other messaging. But But yeah,
Scott Tokar 8:21
I think I know what company you're talking about. Can you do you want to say the name of the company?
Unknown Speaker 8:25
Probably not. Okay. All right.
Robin Bell 8:28
There's some infamy in that company, too. So that's probably the real insiders, the folks that have been in the business for a really long time probably know what we're talking about. But I have to say I have high regard for that, that group of people and that was where I moved from Los Angeles to Chicago. And there was not a lot of whole family kind of feeling in the industry, the music industry where I was involved in out there, but when I came here and the trade show industry and that was one of the things going back to your point about the family We feel I was so blown away by that connection. So yeah, I think that agency was my introduction to it. I still work within and they're wonderful group of people.
Scott Tokar 9:12
So, typically I see you doing presenting what what kind of products what kind of companies have you represented in doing presenting?
Robin Bell 9:23
So, healthcare in the healthcare industry, medical industry have done conferences, as well as trade shows overseas and here in the US, commercial printing overseas and here in the US. Let's see, oh, a user group. shows like Oracle OpenWorld, Microsoft Ignite, Cisco Live those kinds of shows. I've worked with Ford Motor Company for a lot of years doing a wide variety from builders shows to concrete shows to Waste Management. I mean, there's a large variety, a pizza Expo. I mean, that was great
Scott Tokar 10:06
for me in that show, too.
Robin Bell 10:08
Yeah, a lot, a lot of food consumption at that show from this redhead.
Scott Tokar 10:14
So tell me when when I do presenting, it's not just like, say, look at this pen, and then you make up stuff about it. There's a script isn't there?
Robin Bell 10:24
There's a script, always given a script. And typically for me, I make it my own. I will rewrite scripts with the with the approval of the client. I will do a lot of research. So I know what I'm talking about Jeff not up there just reciting I think it's part of the responsibility of the presenter to know what it is they're talking about. And to know what it is you're talking about makes it more exciting. So for me I love to learn this is a great opportunity for me to use that that that passion of mine to love learning and doing research and also tell you some of the medical shows watching YouTube videos on placement of hernia meshes and stuff. It's, it's pretty fascinating. So So yeah, I think the research and the preparation and to know what it is you're talking about to talk to the writers of the script.
Scott Tokar 11:20
Do you write the script or have someone write it for you and and that guy? Well, yes,
Robin Bell 11:24
I actually have written scripts and co written. Typically, I'm given a script, and then I'll take it and make it my own making conversational. There have been scripts that have been written by some clients that I have overseas, Belgium and Germany and England, and the scripts that have come from Germany or from Belgium. Sometimes it's the translation. What I have to ask them sometimes is, is this what you meant to say because that's what you're saying? And overseas. There is a Surprisingly, there's a need for English speaking presenters.
Scott Tokar 12:05
Yeah, I know some people in Dubai specifically the expats that move there just that they can do a lot of presenting real. Yeah. Just Just because they need a clean English speaking person to deliver some of this stuff for that market. Huh?
Robin Bell 12:24
Yeah, yeah, that's
Scott Tokar 12:27
a beautiful place. I could totally hang out there anytime. So you have to memorize these scripts. I mean, how long are they and because my memory sucks.
Robin Bell 12:43
Yeah, well, we do have something that helps the memory. But what happens when it's cold in your printer, and I'll tell you about that here in just a moment, but I will tell you that there is a process when you're working on a script, and you're spending hours and hours and hours before you even go At the trade show floor, you are well versed in what this script is. And it's a funny thing that the brain does. It kind of takes over. And sometimes will when I'm doing a presentation in front of a live audience, my brain will will rework what the content is. Because I it makes more sense to me. Now that I'm around and I'm seeing it, I'm touching it, I'm learning more about it from the engineers or the salespeople on the tradeshow floor, then I find another way to to present that to audiences. So yes, there is a level of memorization that kind of happens. And there are some companies I've been working with for years. I know their products inside and out, and it's learning about their new products or services that they want me to present. So those are added to it. And there are times when the script is presented, and there's a particular audience that might be really interested in another product offering and it's just In this script, I will add that because I think that's adding value to to the client and also for for those who are listening,
Scott Tokar 14:07
I think that's what really sets you apart from folks that are solely on here and only can repeat that and work hinting on something that I don't know if it's really a secret. It is for some, I'm a magician. I want to I want to honor any secrets here. But I personally, I personally use it here occasionally. And it's a skill. You want to let on what we're talking about a little bit here. What is ear?
Robin Bell 14:38
Yeah, so it's called, it's called an ear prompter and you'll see on newscasts, you'll see a device
Scott Tokar 14:44
in person B sometimes there.
Robin Bell 14:47
Sometimes it's IFV. I've done infp but most of the time they're being it's like a producer was talking to them and giving them direction through an ear monitor. For presenters, a lot of presenters There's a lot of times when we memorize and then there and it makes sense to if you're doing a game show, you really have to be memorized. Or in the case of Ford Motor Company for me, I know their products inside and out, and I can talk to them and about them till the cows come home. But there are some products and maybe technology where the the presentation is 20 minutes long, and you're relying on your memory. Sometimes that's not always the way that you can do this, or things change last minute, which happens frequently. They may say we're taking that out legal hasn't allowed that to be presented or we can't show this now it's changed. So we have a thing called an ear prompter and you record the script on a device, a little recorder and then it's transmitted to your ears. So you set it at your pace and in the way that you want to to speak Then a second, a fraction of a second afterwards, you're repeating this. Now when you become really good on the air and you don't just put it down on a tape recorder, put it in your ear or on a digital recorder, we use digital recorders, put your monitor in your ear and then go and do it. It takes rehearsal with that, so that you become smooth so that what you're presenting to the audience they think is flawless and clear. And you're just talking off the top of your head, maybe with cues from a PowerPoint.
Scott Tokar 16:33
So it's um, it's a little bit of like the game that you may remember playing in elementary school where someone would talk and you talk just past them or just beyond what they said. So it's repeating exactly yourself from yourself. I find it Zen like, there's actually a different place that my brain and my whole function goes to and frankly, for me When I'm on here, it's actually quite relaxing. It's something that that's a different skill set.
Robin Bell 17:07
It is a different skill set. For me, it's a little bit different because my, this is a cue. And I'm pretty excited. Every time I do a presentation is it's it's exciting for me. And the reason it's exciting for me is because every audience is different. And I like it when I see their eyes open just a little bit, or their head tip. Or maybe they lean forward a little bit, and they're really interested or they sit back and they smile, like they got it and they're like, Oh, that is really that's what I'm looking forward to give that messaging to them and for them to have it resonate with them. So for me, this is kind of a cue. And it's not, it's not necessarily a Zen thing for me. For me, it's, I can't wait to tell you about this, and I can't wait to see those responses from you. Because my job is to effectively get That messaging across. And, you know, after you've done, you know, I've done as many as 3637 presentations in a day, and they were five minute presentations. And that first one has to be as exciting as the last one. And it is when you are focused on them, not on your beer, not on the grocery list. For me, it's it's about getting that message across. And there's always some kind of interaction that I can have with an audience that makes me
Scott Tokar 18:28
think the more you get used to your script, the more times you do it, like I'd say about five times into the script, live on the show floor. Then I can start stepping away a little bit that sounds like you are you've got way more experience at that than I do. I don't usually work on an ear. So for me, it takes me a little bit probably longer to slip into that feeling but but it is it's really a an interesting place to be. How long, you've mentioned something as long as 20 minutes. That's a long presentation on average. How long Your presentations that you're doing on here?
Robin Bell 19:03
Well, it varies from industry to industry, the medical shows, they tend to be longer, they're usually it's heavier content. It's longer content content. And typically we're doing a demo. So we may be showing a new piece of equipment. And we're doing demos on it that I may be working with somebody else who's running the demo, while I'm introducing different aspects of it. So that can run 1718 minutes and a demo because something is moving moving parts people really like that. Because that is happening. It keeps them engaged. Typically, if you're just working as somebody who's just giving informational, and you've maybe got a PowerPoint to boost what you're doing and maybe some video, you try to encourage a shorter time, eight minutes is condensing very long. So typically, it's about Seven minutes. If it's too long, I tend to talk to the client about the same thing. We've got redundancy here, or may have a better way to say this, what do you think of this? So it tightens it up a little bit, so that you're being respectful of the time that the people who are attending your presentation have to give you and you want to give them your best message. So how do we go about doing that? And then if they want more information, or they want to see a demo, we can certainly get them into other areas of the booth for that.
Scott Tokar 20:31
So if you're doing these presentations, are you also responsible to get the people to sit down in the usually a theater sit down in the seats to watch you do or do you have crowd gatherers? How does that work?
Robin Bell 20:45
Well, it's wonderful when we have crowd get there's
a lot of the time especially those shows overseas, I do the crowd gathering on my own, so I'll do an on mic, I'll get out in the aisles and pull people in Invite them in to tell them approximately how long the presentation is what it covers, and invite them to to join us. Crowd gatherers do the same thing. They go out into the audience. And the the benefit of having the crowd gather is, once my presentation starts or any presenters presentation starts, they can continue to invite people in to see the presentation to learn more about what this company has to offer.
Scott Tokar 21:27
So are there any tricks to get people to sit down? I mean, I've got my tricks as a magician, you know, and as a magician, I don't know if you knew this or not, but there's two styles that I do. You may have seen me do a lot of aisle view presentations, but I also know that a theater style you might have seen me do that. Or I would cut a girl in half in the theater and do a little bit more in depth presenting. But but so I've got some mic tricks. Do you have any tricks to get the audience to sit down to join you that kind of thing?
Robin Bell 21:58
Well, there are interesting premiums they're called premiums. Yeah, there are premiums and that sometimes if, if an attendee doesn't know what your, what your company is about what they offer, and you want to get them to come into the booth, you will have a premium. But a lot of the times if you tell them, You know what it is you're presenting, they will tell you a lot of shows they'll say, Well, you know, that's not my area, but but thank you for for for stopping or stopping me. Typically, it's the premiums that will get a lot of people in there. That's what crowd gatherers will use. But in the medical industry, you can't, you can't give away. There's legal, there's legal that says you can't give away gifts. Yeah, so get in there. Well, they're there for information before Monica guidelines
Scott Tokar 22:52
don't allow you to do that. But the the A lot of times you will do Like a drawing or something, right? Like, you'll hand people like a crowd gatherers often will be employed to scan badges, and then hand them like a like a raffle ticket or something like that. Is that the way that you've worked in the past? A lot?
Robin Bell 23:16
Yes. So and we've done some very elaborate giveaways car tickets to see Macy Gray and Barenaked Ladies and nothing just
Scott Tokar 23:28
your band there. Right. Yeah. Okay. Just want to make sure because that's totally different show for Barenaked Ladies,
Robin Bell 23:35
to those shows
can help you with that kind of No,
Scott Tokar 23:41
no, that's definitely a Vegas thing. I don't know. I
Robin Bell 23:44
say Yeah. And only January, I think
Scott Tokar 23:47
CES time. So how do you how do you work? Do you do you work all by yourself? I mean, are you? Are you booking these things yourself or as an agent Too are you going through a producer? How does that work with you?
Robin Bell 24:04
So yes to all of those things, word of mouth. So other presenters may have gotten a call to do a show that's happening at the same time. They're already booked. And they'll contact me and see if I'm available. It could be an agency could be a tradeshow agency could be a an exhibit house. It could be a marketing company. Somebody could have another company could have seen me on the trade show floor and said, Hey, can I get your card? We'd be interested in talking to you. So there are a lot of different ways of of this happening. Word of mouth is is great and seeing you on the trade show floor is great. And and at first for some, like brand ambassadors, some present presenters and models. People who booth staff, anybody that's doing that kind of work, hostesses, Those are a lot done through agencies, right? So
Scott Tokar 25:06
if you're a brand ambassador, if you're a hostess if you're a crowd gather or badge scanner or brand ambassador, all these different things, without a doubt you need photos, and you need a resume. But as a presenter, it's really important that you have a demo reel or a sizzle reel or something like that, right?
Robin Bell 25:27
Yeah, so really a demo reel. Now what they asked for is it saves the medical industry, they'd like to see three or four pieces, little short pieces in a reel that they can look at on a YouTube show. So you can put together a little reel and you can you can do that. For the computer industry, technology and services, it would be a little bit different you'd, you'd offer, you know, different, different pieces from that industry, if they want to see a variety of things that you've done before. Maybe you've done. You've done a game shows, or you've done some kind of elaborate show, we used to do a lot of very elaborate shows with dancing, I used to sing and dance and these shows. And if they want to see more of those kinds of things, then you piece together a demo that gives the shows what you're capable of presenting credibly, in the medical industry, or in a much livelier, let's get them in here. Let's have some fun, come on. And we're doing this kind of thing.
Unknown Speaker 26:29
In a more
Robin Bell 26:32
sort of party atmosphere, if you will, like some of the user group shows they they have some fun times, even though it's a party
Scott Tokar 26:37
atmosphere, though, when you show your your, your photographs, the photographs that you're delivering to these clients, you have to realize that they're in a corporate setting. They're looking for someone that looks corporate that's going to look like they fit in the booth that you're going to be working in so your photos have to look professional. Either done professionally. by a by a photographer or at least something that looks clean cut, you want to expound upon that.
Robin Bell 27:06
Yeah, so you probably need a variety of things. A headshot, it's not as as essential as it used to be. So some of your marketing tools, of course, are real, they're going to want to see you in action. A professional headshot, not a bikini, that's a different. That's a different. There are agencies that that want that or again, workout gear for different clientele, but typically you're not going to see bikinis on the trade show floor anymore. But definitely, you want to be relaxed and professional looking. It doesn't necessarily have to be a suit, but you should have professional shots, but you also want action shots. So you want photos of what you've done on the trade show for typically you want to get audiences in those in those shots. They want to see that you've had that that kind of big audience engagement.
Scott Tokar 28:00
Right. So what about the resume? What kind of things do you put on a resume? Is it is it just your name, height weight? Do you put I mean, what goes on a resume for the something like this?
Robin Bell 28:11
Again, it depends upon what they're looking for. But my resume does not have height and weight. It has my my union affiliation, sag AFTRA, my name it has that it has trade shows. It has the companies that I've worked for the trade shows that I've done. It has your prompter proficient, a special special Yeah, yeah. So it's a fairly simple you know, it's funny there there isn't really an ask so much anymore for headshots and resumes. They really want to see the video, the video that don't have no context. So we have already On the website, and we have all of the week, lots of pictures and there are video clips in there that gives you an idea of from this type of presentation to this type of presentation every and everything in between. From tutorials, and I'm certified in a software program. So I'm teaching on that. And there's a video of that.
Scott Tokar 29:20
So do you have if you're going to send someone a website? I think some people are worried Do you have an agent friendly website and a regular website? Or do you just have one website and and maybe I should explain agent friendly website. At least in the magic world, we would have a website that would be maybe just our name, and there wouldn't be any contact information on there. It's just a bio and that kind of stuff so that the agent can send them there knowing that they're going to go back to the agent to get booked. And then there's my own personal website that that has all of that information because I'm going to get booked by myself. You know, with my phone number and with my my information on there. Do you have both or Wonder what?
Robin Bell 30:01
No, just just one. If there's even, you know, you look at the website as your calling card, in a sense, you've got a business card, I still have a business card, or you can and people can scan it or they can take the business card and they they ask for the business card. It's funny, they stopped it, people stopped asking for my business card for a long time, and then they started asking for it again. So that seems to be a trend now where they're asking for asking for more. It is your calling card your website. It gives them a deeper dive if they want it. Agencies typically don't the one agency I deal with they use it because they trust that I'm not going to try to take any client from now I wouldn't do that. So they'll they'll use my website. If the client wants a more comprehensive look at what it is that that I'm able to do. Most of the time again, it's it's the Want a YouTube clip and they send that off to the client
Scott Tokar 31:03
even though you're working through agencies you really made this your profession, your business. It's It's not like you're relying only on agencies or other people to find you work. You're out there looking for the work yourself and you're hustling in order to get this work.
Robin Bell 31:18
Yeah. So so there's a thing that kind of happened. For me, reputation is really important. So, and to most of us, and we've been in this for a while and our reputation is is really key. So in order for somebody else another presenter to say, hey, I want Robin to fill in for me, I trust that she's going to do a really good job for the client and she's not going to try to take that client from me so you build a level of trust and reputation in your level of trust in your reputation. So word of mouth clients. I will get jobs from other presenters. I will get jobs from agencies Yes, I've been doing this a long time but don't go with just one thing. If you put all your eggs in one basket, that basket can empty out pretty quickly sometimes. So, so having a lot being signed in with lots of different agencies don't go exclusive, and doing making sure that you present yourself in a way that other people would trust for you to take over for them. And if the case ever happened, I'd the nugget you
Scott Tokar 32:27
just said to me is one of the most important things is don't go exclusive. And and the agencies out there, if you find an agency that is feeling insecure, with the fact that you're also available to other agencies and demanding something exclusive, that might very well be a warning sign Wouldn't
Robin Bell 32:46
it absolutely would be there it wasn't. There are a couple of agencies I deal with and they are not happy with each other. But they we have worked for both of them for a very long time. They are, they are respectful. Again, it goes back to trust. They trust that we are. We have their best interests at heart when we're working for them. We are dedicated to whatever project it is they're hiring us for. And so there's a level of even of meaning was a situation years ago, when one of the agencies said, Look, I really need you to do this show. And I said, Well, I'm already booked with this other agency. And they said, Please, we really need you. Could you could you ask them, I went to the owner of the other agency, and I said, Look, my first obligation is to to you guys. And I really would love to do this show. This is this is the situation I said, I would present it to you but I'm fully ready to do and meet my obligation ready to do the show. And the owner of the agency said, well, what's the benefit of you doing one Show me the other I said there's joy in doing either one of them. So, so whatever you decide is fine with me. And she said, go ahead and do the the one I can get somebody to fill in here. And
Scott Tokar 34:11
do you find that they get upset that sometimes you booked direct? Or is that just okay to
Robin Bell 34:17
know they don't, unless you're trying to take their client and that that's not a good idea. That's never a good idea because, again, reputation it'll follow you. But no, they never have a problem. If you have a client that's direct, and agency may come in and try to try to woo that client or offer them something. But that's that's a rare occurrence. Now that used to happen a long time ago.
Scott Tokar 34:42
Do I remember that happening? Right? Yeah, but but now that when I am working for an agency, I can the agents card out. I don't hand my own business card out. Right, right.
Robin Bell 34:51
Right, right. Exactly. Exactly. So if I'm working direct for a client and somebody comes over, if it's a competitor to that client Then I then I respectfully decline and say I can't do that if this is a longtime client for me. But I say I you know, I can recommend somebody else to you if you'd like an agency Yes, I have at the agencies coming
Scott Tokar 35:15
up let's backtrack here just a little bit because that's an interesting thing. If you're in the exhibit industry, if you're building exhibits, it's not uncommon for an exhibit house let's say at Skyline displays that they that they might build a an exhibit for McDonald's, but also at the same time be building an exotic exhibit for Burger King and that's okay. Do you find that that the you mentioned competitor kind of situation, do you find that an issue as a live presenter?
Robin Bell 35:45
Rarely do I have that rarely is that an issue? And I know sometimes with most clients understand that, say an AV house or an exhibit house, they're going to have other clients and they're probably going to have them at the very start. Same show. There are some clients. There are some exhibit houses or agencies that want to keep them quiet more agencies, I think I've experienced that, where they don't really want. If there's a competition, it's more in the medical realm. And there's a competition, if that's a lot more territorial in that world, so maybe they won't say I'm also working for this company, but it would be it would be foolhardy to be working for a company in the medical industry, particularly the medical industry, to be working for them and then take a job with their competitor and work right across the aisle or even in another Hall. It would be foolhardy.
Scott Tokar 36:45
Yeah, I think that that particular medical shows are a totally different animal. Is auto shows are a different animal from b2b show. But in the medical shows, I think it goes into reps. Because if you're a medical rep, then you have to go to their boot camp on their drug. And you have to learn and they invest a lot in those people. And then they have to keep their numbers up. And at the same time in that industry, one drug companies always trying to steal the other drug companies, sales staff, the ones that are good. So I think there's a little more competitiveness in that. Yeah. Have you ever worked in auto show?
Robin Bell 37:29
No, never worked in auto show. But what I've worked is commercial vehicles. So those shows are different. So you're talking about and for Ford Motor Company. So you're talking about a very different, like the work truck show or something like that. Exactly. So you're talking about people who need commercial vehicles. I think
Scott Tokar 37:49
that's where we saw each other last with them. Yeah. So yeah. So let's um, let me ask you a more ethereal question. In here, Robin imagine you were just getting into trade shows today. And you had a mall the knowledge you now have with the experience that you have. What would you tell your young self? What is there any tips or things that you would want to tell your young self? Not to say that you're old now, just the your your last experience? I should reword that, that was so rude.
Robin Bell 38:24
Don't worry about it. Um, yeah, I think if, if, if I were to advise, and I do actually, I talk to younger people who want to get into the business or other presenters who have come to me and said, You know, I'm new to this, how do I, you know, where do I how do I do? Can you watch me and give me can critique me. And I will do that as long as they're open to what I have to say and I'm never going to insult somebody. But I'm saying Take this, in the manner that it's given. It's, it's meant to help you. It's my observation. You don't have to take What I say is as gospel, but for me, if I were talking to the younger me, I'd say, research, research research, make that client happy. Know what it is you're talking about, know what you're talking about. Don't just read a script, develop that relationship with the client, so that you're not doing a show. And then you're going off and seeing your friends or in search of tickets for whatever event they're going to have the last day or you want tchotchkes from the show, commit yourself to that client. Because when you do that, they will commit to you.
Scott Tokar 39:37
You know, that's my favorite question to ask everybody and I just kind of botched it in asking it the way I did to you, but but I think it really does give you insight because I think that's probably the most valuable thing you can know is is that you do need to make your client first and you need to make sure that they're happy. You know, is there is there anything that they thing you'd like to share with our audience that maybe I forgotten, ask, you
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