Free tool
Booth staff calculator.
Staffing is a sum, not a guess. Start with the conversations the show has to produce, and let the hours and pace set the number of people.
People on duty at once
3
- People on the rota
- 4
- Staff-hours needed
- 50 hours
- Floor for those staff
- About 15 m² of open floor
Six conversations an hour is an assumption, not a benchmark. Change it to suit how long your conversations really run.
In short
Divide your target conversations by the conversations one person can hold in an hour to get staff-hours, then divide by the hours the show is open to get people on duty. Then allow for breaks. A target of 300 conversations over 24 show hours at 6 per hour means 2.1 people, so 3 on duty and 4 on the rota with a 25% break allowance.
How the sum works
Target conversations ÷ conversations per person per hour = staff-hours. Staff-hours ÷ show hours = people needed on duty, rounded up.
People on the rota = people on duty ÷ (1 − time off the floor), rounded up. Time off covers breaks, lunch and follow-up.
The floor figure allows about 5 m² of open floor per person on duty, so that staff are not standing shoulder to shoulder across the entrance. If the number does not fit your plot, change the target or the stand, not the staff's patience. See how to staff a stand.
How to use it
- Set a conversation target. Take the leads you need and work back to the conversations that produce them.
- Enter the show hours. Add up the opening hours across all the days, using the organiser's published timetable.
- Set your pace. A quick qualifying chat might take five minutes, a technical demo twenty. Use your own figure.
Next
Questions
01How many staff should be on a stand?
Work from the target. As a sense check, one person per 5 m² of open floor stops a stand feeling crowded by its own team. A 3 × 3 m stand rarely carries more than two.
02How long should a booth shift be?
Plan shifts of about two to four hours on the floor, then a real break. Concentration falls long before the show closes.
03Should sales or technical staff work the stand?
Both, if the product needs it. Put someone who can qualify at the front, and someone who can answer the hard question within reach.
04Why plan for time off the floor?
People need lunch, breaks and time to log leads. Without an allowance, the stand is empty at exactly the moment the hall is busiest.
Planning arithmetic from ExhibitionBase Studio, not engineering or a quote. Confirm anything that matters with your stand builder, supplier and the exhibitor manual.
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