First of all, be a source of trust and focus on communication and transparency. In any project, you need to be transparent and keep the other party informed of your progress, what you’re able to achieve, what is and isn't possible, etc. Communicate with your client, and don't commit to impossible deadlines for instance. A commitment must be respected and your professionalism and reputation are at stake if you don't keep your promises. It's better to refuse an impossible commitment (because yes, some clients may ask you to do things that aren't feasible) than to commit to something that will be done poorly because you don't have the time, resources or skills to do it correctly. Therefore, you must be transparent when you talk about the financial aspects (cost of your service) or your availability and the time you’ll need to provide a service worthy of your profession.

Be flexible. The date of the event, which is fixed in advance, will rarely change but the client's expectations may vary between the moment they present their idea and D-Day! Because there may be: unforeseen logistical problems, the exhibitor or organizer may change their mind about certain things, a different number of participants compared with the initial estimate, etc. A whole myriad of small events that can change the basic plan and that you, as a service provider, will probably have to adapt to. So, anticipate changes, be prepared to make suggestions and know how to react quickly in case of the unexpected. This will be seen as an extremely strong mark of professionalism by your client, who won't fail to put you at the top of the list of providers they'll contact next time.

Be responsive! Responsiveness and flexibility go hand in hand. However, responsiveness will depend on your ability to quickly orchestrate peripheral - but necessary - aspects of your business. Payments, invoicing, direct communication with your client, etc., are all details that, when added together, can eat up precious time that you could be using to focus on other tasks closer to your core business. Today, in a world dominated by the internet, service providers are often juggling with multiple acquisition channels: online directories, social media, etc., which are all workloads that are necessary to promote your visibility. However, visibility aside, it's your competitors’ responsiveness and ability to be effective rapidly, without wasting time on "administrative" aspects, that will make them stand out. One of the easiest ways is to automate this: these days, software programs like BoothSquare help event service providers reduce costs and maximize the quality of their operations and business processes. Your time is precious, so use it to maximize your projects' success. Are you a service provider who wants to save time? Then test the BoothSquare platform now for free: https://boothsquare.com.