How to prepare for an interview at your exhibition stand

Most stand interviews go wrong before the camera is switched on. The speaker has not been told what will be asked, the stand is at its noisiest, and the first answer runs to three minutes. None of this is hard to fix.

Decide what the interview is for

An interview that tries to cover the company history, the full product range and next year's plans will be cut down to almost nothing. Pick one subject: a product, a market you are entering, or a problem you solve. Everything else can be a separate clip.

Choose the speaker for clarity, not seniority

The best person on camera is the one who explains the product to customers every day. A managing director can add a short statement, but the engineer or sales lead usually gives the answer people want to hear.

Agree the questions in advance

Ask the interviewer for the questions the day before. You are not scripting answers; you are making sure there are no surprises about prices, client names or launch dates that cannot be made public.

Answer in short, complete sentences

• Keep each answer under a minute.
• Begin with the subject of the question, so the answer makes sense when the question is cut out. “Our new line fills 12,000 bottles an hour” works alone. “About 12,000” does not.
• Say one number, not five.
• Avoid abbreviations that only your industry uses.

Prepare the stand

1. Stand in front of a clean background with your logo at head height.
2. Have the product within reach, switched on and working.
3. Move away from loudspeakers and coffee machines.
4. Ask colleagues to keep the area behind you clear for ten minutes.

Pick the right moment

The first hour of the day is best. The stand is tidy, voices are fresh and the hall is quieter. Late afternoon on the last day is the worst.

Check the details afterwards

Give the crew the exact spelling of your name, your job title and the company name before they leave. A caption with a mistake is the most common reason a finished interview cannot be published.

A prepared interview takes fifteen minutes of your show time. An unprepared one takes the same fifteen minutes and gives you nothing you want to post.