Employer branding at trade fairs: team photos and recruiting clips

Why the show is a good set for employer branding

Recruiting material needs people who look real at work. At a trade fair exactly those people are in one place: sales, engineering, service, often trainees and managers too, well dressed, busy and proud of what they are showing. A separate shoot day at your company takes preparation and pulls people away from their jobs. At the show, the set is already built.

Candidates look at how a company presents itself before they apply. Photos of a team advising customers at an international trade fair say more about daily work and standards than a stock image of smiling people around a laptop.

For international exhibitors there is a second angle. If you are building a team in Germany or elsewhere in Europe, show photos tell local candidates that you are here to stay. At home, pictures of your people representing the company at a major European show can make roles more attractive to candidates who want international exposure. Either way, plan it before the show. Decide on the spot and you get random pictures and a stressed team.

The shots you need

Employer branding needs different pictures from sales or press. The focus is not the product but the people and what they do:

• Team photo: the whole team on your stand (booth), ideally on the first morning before doors open, when everyone is fresh and the stand is tidy.
• Individual portraits: calm portraits of individual staff with a little of the stand behind them, for your careers page, job ads and contact pages.
• Work in action: advising at the product, a demonstration, an engineer at the machine, colleagues in discussion.
• Behind the scenes: build-up day, morning briefing, a break in the stand kitchen. It shows team spirit without staged shots.
• Young talent: trainees or working students with a real task on the stand, not just as extras.

Line-ups and timing for the group shot are covered in team photo at the trade fair.

Recruiting clips: short, real, one question

A recruiting clip from the show does not need to be an image film. Vertical clips of 20 to 40 seconds in which one person answers a single question work well. Three questions are enough for a whole series:

1. What do you do here at the show, and what do you do the rest of the year?
2. What was your best conversation today?
3. Why would you recommend joining us?

Film these clips in quiet moments: early in the morning, shortly before closing or during a lull. In the middle of a rush nobody looks relaxed, and you pull your team away from customers. For sound, use a clip-on microphone, because hall noise drowns out any voice. Always add subtitles, since many clips are watched without sound; subtitles in English, German, Arabic or Persian let one clip serve several markets. The technical side of interviews is covered in on-stand interviews. If you want a longer film from this material, see our recruiting video service.

Preparing your people

Nobody should feel ambushed by the camera. Ask before the show who wants to take part and plan only with volunteers. Share the questions a few days in advance, but not scripted answers. Bullet points are enough; the rest comes out in conversation.

• Clothing as usual on the stand, no fine patterns; name badge deliberately visible or deliberately removed.
• No more than ten minutes on camera per person, so the stand keeps running.
• One person on the team coordinates who is on when and keeps things clear for the crew.
• If people prefer to speak their own language, let them. A relaxed answer with subtitles beats a stiff one in English.

Pixer works with a small crew of two to three people that does not interrupt conversations on the stand. We fit the recruiting shots in between customer visits.

Consent and use: settle it first

Staff photos and recruiting clips are often used for years. You therefore need written consent that states clearly what the material will be used for: careers page, job ads, social networks, trade fair and recruiting material. Consent is voluntary and can be withdrawn, so plan what happens if someone withdraws or leaves the company. Good consent covers:

• what is recorded: photo, video, voice, name and job title
• which channels and purposes it is used for
• what happens to published material if consent is withdrawn or the person leaves
• whom the person contacts with questions or to withdraw

HR and whoever handles data protection in your company should set the rules, and in Germany and the EU those rules follow the GDPR. More in staff in trade fair photos.

A practical tip: build recruiting material around several people rather than a single face. If that person leaves, you do not have to replace the whole campaign.

Where the material goes

Do not publish all the clips at once. One a week keeps the topic alive for months and gives each person their own moment. Name first name and role where the person has agreed. That turns a face into someone candidates can find and contact.

The short version

Related guides and services

Common questions