Visiting a show as a group can multiply the value of the trip, or simply multiply the cost for nothing. The right team size does not depend on how many people you have available, but on what you are coming to do. Here is how to size and build the group you send, without wasting anyone's time.
The Hidden Cost: A Team Away From the Office
Before deciding how many people to send, remember what each participant truly costs. Beyond transport and accommodation, the heaviest item is invisible on the invoice: employees who are away from their desks for one to three days. Sending five people to a two-day show mobilises the equivalent of ten person-days. That trade-off needs to be justified by a proportionate return.
Sizing According to the Objective
The basic rule: one person per distinct objective. If you are coming to source suppliers for a specific need, one competent person is often enough. If you are combining several missions (technology watch, meeting partners, attending specialised conferences), each mission justifies a dedicated participant; otherwise, a single person ends up running everywhere and doing everything poorly. Conversely, exceeding the number of real missions only inflates the bill.
Building the Team: The Right Profiles
The choice of roles matters as much as the headcount. For sourcing or negotiation, it is better to send someone who can commit the company, or at least seriously pre-qualify a deal. For technical monitoring, a hands-on profile able to judge the real relevance of solutions. For specialised conferences, the subject expert rather than a generalist. A pairing of an executive and a subject-matter expert is often formidable: one opens doors, the other assesses the substance.
Assigning Roles Before You Leave
An effective team does not wander from stand to stand as a tight-knit group: it spreads out. Assign each person their stands, conferences and meetings in advance, then plan a check-in point, a team lunch for example, to compare notes. Two people covering the show separately see twice as much as two people who stay together.
The Case of the Small Show
At a modest, specialised show, a single well-chosen person is generally the right format: the show can be covered in a day, and sending a full team adds nothing. Reserve larger delegations for big, multi-hall shows where the ground to cover and the density of meetings justify splitting up.
In Summary
The right headcount is the number of real objectives for the trip, no more and no less, with roles matched to each mission and a clear division of labour decided before you leave. A large, unplanned delegation costs a lot and delivers little; a tight, well-orchestrated team makes every person-day pay off. Our listings help you judge in advance the scale of a show and the density of relevant exhibitors, two factors that directly determine the team size you should plan for.