So, you’ve signed up to exhibit at a careers fair – now what?

Careers events are a great way to showcase your business trade and the industry, connect with emerging talent, and inspire the next generation.

However, preparation is key to making sure you get the most from attending.

This simple step-by-step guide will help you to prepare, engage, and maximise your impact as an exhibitor.

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Understanding the who, what and where

First things first, you need to be clear on what it is you’re hoping to achieve from attending the careers fair – often that falls into three categories:

• Recruitment – Do you have vacancies to fill now?
• Information – Do you want to capture contact details for future roles?
• Inspiration – Do you simply want to raise awareness of careers in your trade?

Being clear on your aim will help you focus your stand and conversations. Speak with colleagues to get a clear understanding of how your attendance can best support your organisation.

Know your audience

As part of this, it’s important you know who you can expect to get through the door on the day. Is the event targeted at school leavers, graduates, or career changers? Will parents or teachers be in attendance?

Perhaps it’s targeted to former offenders or those leaving the armed forces.

Knowing your audience will allow you to prepare materials and information that’ll resonate most with them, making the experience far easier and more enjoyable. And, it’ll help you prepare for the conversations you may have on the day.

If you’re unsure, speak with the event organiser. Use the opportunity to also ask if they can provide advice on what has worked well with the audience at previous events and what to avoid.

Finally, be clear on the event location, parking and unloading arrangements, set up time and any other logistical considerations, for example:

• The exhibition space and your exhibit location
• Passes to gain entry
• Event start and end times, agenda for the event
• Attendee numbers
• What set up will be provided on the day – for example, a table, a screen, electrical socket?

Make your presence engaging

Careers events are busy, so think about how you can stand out on the day. The best way to do so is to prepare interactive activities.

Simulators are a brilliant way to attract a crowd. There are many fantastic examples of this within the home building industry – for example, machinery simulators that allow attendees to try their hand at crane operation or digger driving.

However, these activities can be expensive to bring in. There are many alternative low-cost ways to engage your audience – why not give one of the below a try?

• Quick career quiz for attendees to complete and submit for the chance to win a prize
• Guessing challenge, for example, guess how many screws in a bottle
• Speed challenges related to your role, for example the fastest to evenly paint a wall section or hammer nails
• Leaderboard games, for example tallest tower with bricks within a given time or who can put on PPE the quickest
• Spin-the-wheel conversation starter, featuring different job roles to learn about
• Small hands-on demos (safe and practical) to show off your skills and/or give the attendees an opportunity to try it for themselves

Consider providing a small prize to up the ante and motivate attendees to get involved.

Make sure you run demos or bulky activities (like simulators) by the event organisers – particularly if there are any health and safety or logistical considerations.

Prepare materials and merchandise

Think about what you’ll need to promote your trade and jobs available and make your stand inviting. Common merchandise to consider bringing along include:

• A pull-up banner to grab attention. Usually these are 800mm wide, though you can also get wider backdrops.
• Flyers or brochures that contain more information about your business and careers available
• Career pathway posters to show routes into your trade
• FAQ sheets with advice on applying for roles
• Branded freebies (pens, tape measures, key rings – or something connected to your trade like a carpenter’s pencil)
• Practical kit/simulator video
• A contact form so attendees can sign up to updates. This could be a paper form or a digital form linked to from a QR code or available on a digital tablet on the day
• Sweet treats are always an inexpensive hit that’ll naturally bring people to your stand. These can be branded – but supermarket-bought goodies work just as well

Top tip: Remember, you’ll need to allow time for branded merchandise to be designed and printed. Timelines vary from organisation to organisation, so be sure to ask the question up front – and make sure you allow plenty of time for delivery.

Organising your stand

Your stand doesn’t need to be fancy – simple, tidy and approachable works well.

Consider the items you will be bringing with you and how you will display them. If you’re bringing merchandise to hand out, for example, you will need a pot or similar to display them in.

If you have a budget, you may choose to buy a branded tablecloth and/or branded pull-up banners that include a link to careers information on your website.

You may find it helpful to write a checklist so you don’t forget anything on the day, key items to consider include:

• Banner and posters
• Flyers/brochures
• Business cards
• Pens and sign-up sheets (or a tablet for digital sign-ups)
• Freebies and prizes
• Extension lead/charger if you’re using digital tech

Delivering on the day

It’s important that you feel comfortable and confident on the day, so make sure what you're wearing will help you to do so.

There’s no need to dress up for the occasion. Wear clothing that represents your industry or opt for business casual. You want to relate to the attendees... who will be in everyday wear.

Be approachable

The unwritten rule of presenting at a careers event is that it’s down to you to engage the attendees – not for them to approach you.

Often attendees will be nervous, particularly younger audiences as it may be their first time at such an event. Consider how you can put them at ease and engage them.

Here are some simple tips to engage your event goers:

• Stand in front of your table, not behind it
• Smile, greet people, and make eye contact
• Use simple conversation starters like:
  • “What are you studying at the moment?”
  • “Have you ever thought about becoming a [your trade]?”
  • “Want to hear a bit about my experience in the trade?”
  • “How much do you know about [industry/trade]?”

Importantly, relax and enjoy the day. The more at ease you feel, the easier it’ll be to connect.

If you have any questions or would like additional advice on exhibiting at a trade fair, contact our team at skills@hbf.co.uk