Tips for accommodating vendors

Posted on Monday November 7 2016

Tips for Accommodating Health Fair Vendors

HR managers and benefits pros -- all vendors have different needs. In the example above with the cooking show demonstration health fair vendor, this vendor needs help bringing in his display, in addition to electricity, two trash cans, access to a sink, and plenty of space. Most companies have anywhere from 10 to sometimes 50 vendors for their employee health fairs.

It's important that you collect vendors special needs before the arrive at the health fair. As you might already know, Health Fair Connections (HFC) does this for you. But not so fast, there's more...

Here are 7 tips on how to accommodate a wide range of health fair vendors:

1. Review vendors request and special needs. It’s helpful to do this before vendors begin arriving and set up the health fair venue according to their needs. HFC provide you with a vendor details sheet with a breakdown of all the vendor's needs. HFC sends this to you 3 days before the health fair and you can also access it in your dashboard anytime.
   
2. Put up signs or have team members in the parking lot when vendors arrive. This ensures that vendors have guidance and know where to go
   
3. Ensure the front desk staff is alert or that there is staff inside the entryway of your building to be there for vendors. It’s helpful if vendors greeted, that they're not confused on where to go once inside the building
   
4. Ensure one of your fellow team members (or yourself) guides the health fair vendors to their booth. If it’s not a maze to your health fair, adequate instructions will work.
   
5. As vendors arrive, collect their raffle prizes or let them know what to do with them.
   
6. Ensure a fellow team member (or yourself) checks on the health fair vendors periodically throughout the health fair. Often, vendors may need assistance (i.e. for those vendors using trash cans, their trash may be full - and this is just one of the small request)
   
7. Point out the restrooms. Let vendors know where the restrooms are at preferably when taking them to their booth
   

Hope this helps. If you'd like to go over the top to ensure vendors have a good experience attending your health fair, feel free to provide vendors with food and refreshments, especially if you have a lengthy health fair.