Okay, I admit it. I am a corporate presenter and I like my job. When I first started in the business, I would be sitting on an airplane heading for a job and invariably, the person next to me would lean over and ask, “So, what do ya do?” I’d say, “I’m a corporate presenter. I work at trade shows.” A fog would immediately descend over their eyes. So, I would say, “I’m an actor.” Ah, their eyes would light up, “so what movies have you been in?” Ah well. Listen, what I do, and my colleagues do, is an art form.
Have you ever walked around a trade show floor and noticed a really interesting demonstration? You stop and say to yourself, “Wow, that IT guy can really communicate his product well.” Well, chances are that IT guy is a corporate presenter who has expertly morphed into the IT role of the company he or she is representing.
I have been a corporate presenter for about 15 years. I have been a doctor, an IT expert, a golf pro, a game show host, even a surfer. Where else would I get to wear so many hats, meet so many wonderful people and learn about cutting edge technology before the vast majority of the public?
Trade show presenters know a whole lot about a little slice of what a company does. When I am asked an especially technical question (which is all the time), I smile and say, “What a great question. That’s not quite my area of expertise, but I can find someone to talk to you, follow me.” We are both the front man and tour guide.
I teach folks about public and interpersonal communication. I am constantly amazed at the number of people who would rather web-cast, e-mail, text, blog or twitter than have a one-on-one personal conversation. That is the strongest and purest form of communication and it is what my colleagues and I bring to our trade show clients. We bring products to life right there on the trade show floor, five to ten minutes at a time, fifteen times a day. So, I say long live one on one communication and long live trade shows. Maybe some day, someone will make a movie about corporate presenters and I can star in it. Book my flight!
David Nisbet and his wife are corporate presenters living in Chicago with their two boys. Visit their web site at www.jdnisbet.com.
