Everyone has a tight budget these days, but if you find your business in the position where you’re looking to expand your lead base and obtain new clients, you should definitely look into hiring a trade show planner or event coordinator.

Increasingly, these jobs are becoming more popular and more in-demand. That’s because businesses are finding more and more that reaching customers and clients face to face is often the most effective way to generate leads and make sales. And since most people view door-to-door sales as invasive, irritating, and unwelcome, trade shows and other corporate events have become a major avenue for the kind of interpersonal customer interactions that are so vital for businesses that are looking to grow.

So what, precisely, does an event coordinator for a corporate entity do? As with any job, the responsibilities vary, but mostly, they plan, organize, and execute trade show presence or other event coordination from the first step to the last. Trade show coordinators therefore are responsible for duties such as finding events where they believe their businesses or brands would be successful, budgeting event entry fees, securing venue space, renting or purchasing an event booth, and facilitating booth interactions during the show.

Of course, an event planner’s job duties also extend well beyond the administrative formalities. A coordinator, for instance, may be responsible for hiring event staff, training the staff, writing scripts for the event presentation, making hotel accommodations and transportation arrangements for trade show staff, renting any additional equipment needed for the event (included media screens, speakers, tables, and more), marketing and promoting the trade show event, and assessing the overall success of the event after it has taken place.

As you can see, an event planner has a lot on his or her plate. But when it comes to managing a company’s trade show presence, this role is vital and one that can make the difference between another so-so year and one that skyrockets your business into dramatic growth and success. While the trade show staff is responsible for actually interacting with consumers and generating leads, and while company sales representatives are charged with taking those leads and nurturing them toward sales potential, the event coordinator ultimately remains the key piece in the whole process.

So if you find yourself eager to grow and expand or if you think that exhibiting at trade shows is a waste of time and money, take a moment to reassess your position. You may find that going about the process with additional support is the key to success that you’ve been missing!