Decline of the Booth Babe
Booth babes are an institutionalized component of trade shows, but does their presence present more risk than reward to exhibitors?
The slang term ‘Booth Babe’ has occasionally been used to refer to a trade show model. The term focuses on physical appearance, or specifically on wardrobe, which, depending on the type of trade show, can be thematic or sexy. For example, at a builder’s convention a model may be dressed as a construction worker with cut-offs, tight t-shirt, tool belt, and hard hat. - Wikipedia
In my quest to provide Affiliate Summit exhibitors with the most productive environment possible, I set about to ask the question, “Does it impact your interest in a tradeshow booth if it is staffed by ‘booth babes’?”
I also asked the gender of respondents in the anonymous survey.
More than 180 conference goers submitted their feedback by choosing one of the following options:
- I am more likely to visit the booth
- I am less likely to visit the booth
- Doesn’t matter to me
Here are the results:
Wow. More than half of the people surveyed are less likely to visit a booth with booth babes, while just 15% are more likely to visit!
The respondents broke out by gender as follows:
Now let’s see how opinions break out by gender:
Female conference attendees are clearly repelled by booth babes at conference booths.
While that may not be earth shattering, I was a bit surprised that more male respondents had a negative view of booth babes than those who had a positive view.
My conclusion: staffing a conference booth with booth babes appears to be a calculated risk. Outsource your reputation at your own peril.