Trade Show Exhibit Display Booths

If customers complained about the odor of your business colleagues, how would you address it professionally?

I run a trade show and it is one of the exhibitors. He wears the same clothes for all 4 days of the show and smells really, really awful. Actually about 3 of them smell awful. We only do a show there twice a year, but this has been going on for years. I think it's time to address it, but I don't know how. Should I bring a bag of deodorant and put it behind their booth at the next show? Or should I write them a letter detailing the complaint? I just don't know what to do. It's a unique situation. I run a trade show and it is one of the exhibitors. He wears the same clothes for all 4 days of the show and smells really, really awful. Actually about 3 of them smell awful. We only do a show there twice a year, but this has been going on for years. I think it's time to address it, but I don't know how. Should I bring a bag of deodorant and put it behind their booth at the next show? Or should I write them a letter detailing the complaint? I just don't know what to do. It's a unique situation. **Just to clarify...the smelly people aren't members of my staff...they are paying exhibitors. I can't impose a dress code to a mass of exhibitors. The public attendance and fellow dealers are the ones complaining.

Public Comments

1. you could send a memo asking them all to please practice hygene before attending the show
2. I think a well thought out 'convincing' letter might be better than the bag of deordorant. In the letter you could include the reasons you think it is 'important' not to offend by your 'scent'. :) This is how I'd do it, if it was really as offensive, as you described. Most people these days wear deodorant when they are in public, so it is odd that they haven't thought of it. You might ask yourself why that is...so you can be sensitive to this in your letter. Sola
3. I think anonymous gifts of colonge, deoderant, soap, mouthwash, perfume, toothpast, etc., would get the message across - eventually. We had a guy like this in the military who actually had green teeth. After months of 'hints' he never quite understood, a couple of guys held him down and brushed his teeth with a brass brush. He finally got it. I used to work with a guy who had the worse breath - we used to leave mints on his desk all the time but he never got it. Some will understand - some won't.
4. Set up a dress code for your show - there's nothing wrong with expecting people who are working under your name to be presentable. Include proper clothing, shoes, facial hair, jewelry, and personal hygiene. It's pretty standard requirements, no torn jeans, flip flops, un-ruley facial hair, jewelry in your face or dirty or inappropriate clothing, etc. If they can't adhere then exclude them from the show.
5. They definitely need to be told.....whether you do it individually in person, by email or by staff meeting detailing the importance of hygiene at all times, especially when mixing with potential clients/customers and colleagues. It can certainly be done tactfully so that nobody is embarassed or offended. As far as the trade show....you could always get uniform type shirts with the company logo on them(even a golf shirt style) and get 4 different colours for each day of the trade show. Tell each guy you want navy the 1st day, green the 2nd day, red the 3rd day and white the last day (or whatever colours you choose). At least that way you know the shirts will be clean.
6. Wow that is a tough situation. I would send out a blanket letter to all of the exhibitors saying that there has been complaints in the past about hygiene. Stress how important it is for everyone to put on their best "game" attire, including clean clothes and clean bodies everyday. Stress that as an exhibitor their appearance affects their sells (current and future). I am sure the other exhibitors have noticed the same problem and will know whom you are speaking about. If you are approached by the person that has the problem you can then have a one on one discussion. This will also allow you to make it seem as if it is not just "them" with the problem.
7. If I were to see these people at a trade show I would wonder who let them in. The answer is you!!! My first question, is do you have standards for vendors at your shows? If you don't write them and include a dress code. One would think that basic hygiene would be a given but in my experience you cant leave anything to chance. Everyone attending your trade shows is a potential exhibitor and you want to put together the best show possible. Dirty exhibitors make your company look bad also. You are in a sense a partner with this company and for you both to get most out of the trade show, you should inform them immediately of customer complaints.
8. You could write him a nice letter stating that others are complaining about his smell. You could suggest he wears a different suit each day of the show. You could warn him that if the complaints occur next year, the year after that he will be stuck in the back corner away from everyone. Or if you want fix the problem quicker, you could simply deny his application to be an exhibitor at the next trade show. He will definitely seek you out and ask why, then you can tell him.