Nature abhors a vacuum. If you have a garage you know how true that is. If it’s not housing a vehicle it quickly fills up with all kinds of stuff.
A trade show booth works on this same principle. If it’s already full of your booth staff it can’t welcome in new attendees that could mean potential business.
If you are not scheduled to work the booth don’t hang out thinking you are being useful. This goes for you executives out there too. I get it if you want to be a team player and do your part. That’s great if you are short-handed, however if the booth is already congested it does more harm than good.
To the event managers out there, if people are not adding value, you need to send them away. If it’s your event, take control and take responsibility. If you have the company’s best interests at heart, your executive team will respect you for it.