Setting up celebrity meet-and-greets at trade show booths

Bringing celebrities to trade show booths has become a popular way for brands to gain media exposure and boost attendance. Actors, singers, and athletes are nearly as likely to show up at trade events as buyers and the media—all in the name of posing for photos, signing autographs, and rubbing elbows with VIPs. Aside from the obvious benefits, exhibitors are finding that well-executed celeb appearances can help encourage attendees to return to their booths multiple times during an event. Of course, bringing a celebrity to a trade show can pose a few red-carpet challenges. Six tips to make the experience go smoothly.

1. Find Logical Tie-ins. Even if you’re welcoming Academy Award-winning thespians, it’d be nice if stars don’t have to merely act interested in being there. So working with stars who are genuinely enthusiastic about your product can make a big difference. When Yahoo! was planning its display for January’s Consumer Electronics Show, the Internet giant chose celebrities who are interested in technology, says Bennett Porter, Yahoo!’s director-buzz marketing.

2. Understand Their Roles. It might be tempting to have a willing celeb shill for you, but it might make more sense to just use their star power to attract attention, says Rick Deneau, Chrysler’s director-product and brand promotions. “It’s a credibility issue. We’re not looking for pitch people, but instead just interaction with the media and having [celebs] affiliated with the product.”

3. Stagger the Schedule. Instead of hosting a bunch of celebrities all at once, plan for them to come throughout the day for short periods of time. “You are trying to create noise and awareness, so shorter appearances are better than longer ones to create excitement,” Sanderson says.

4. Plot Troop Movements. When megawatt stars are involved, it’s crucial to plan every step they take. At CES, Yahoo! had Tom Cruise visit its exhibit—which was in a tent outside the convention hall—after the actor appeared on the conference’s main stage. “We had everything routed beforehand so there wouldn’t be any problems and we knew what to do,” Porter says. (It’s the next level up from the planning event teams do around their own execs and VIPs—especially if they’re going from speeches to meetings to photo ops.) Hire extra security if needed, too. Yahoo! hired five additional security guards to secure the tent to make the VIPs feel safe.

5. Think Beyond Your Schedule. Find out when keynote speeches are and when other exhibitors are having special events. “Do your homework to know what’s going on so you’re not competing with other talent and announcements,” Sanderson says.

6. Brief and Rehearse. While many brands have celebrities appear at their booths purely for photo ops and autographs, others give them a more active role. At Detroit’s North American International Auto Show in January, DaimlerChrysler used celebs to help draw media attention to certain vehicles. Eva Longoria of TV’s “Desperate Housewives” didn’t have a chance to rehearse in advance and flubbed a small part of the script. “Brief [the celebrities] on what they’ll be doing and build in time to rehearse so everyone is comfortable,” Deneau says.