Wonolo
Don’t believe the title? Think you need to put on a dog and pony show with amazing light and sound, splurge on the extra plush carpeting and form fitting chair covers, and have the most memorable swag bag ever? I am willing to bet you are wrong. All that you need are some smiling faces to remind people they made the right decision to attend your event.
The person who perhaps did more good for humankind than any other, Mother Teresa, once said “I will never understand all the good that a simple smile can accomplish.” She wasn’t being facetious – she probably wasn’t even capable of being facetious. Think back to high school – how much a first smile from a friend or love interest meant. Do you have kids or spend any time around them? They smile on average 20x more times per day than adults. Their smiles and laughter are contagious. In fact, science says smiles truly are contagious. “Smiles are evolutionarily contagious and we have a subconscious innate drive to smile when we see one,” says Ron Gutman.
So why is this important? Because for business events, companies often focus on the wrong thing. Whether it is the lavish expenses mentioned earlier or the loathsome practice of “booth babes,” many of us just don’t get it. We don’t need to spend money on those practices – we need to spend money on competent people who can smile.
Wonolo is an on-demand staffing platform where we don’t put all our emphasis on prior experience – from which school your graduated or how many years of event experience you have – these data points are very weakly correlated to performance on the job as staff at an event. What matters are character traits including professionalism and positivity – or more specifically, your ability to spread your contagious smile. That is what we focus on. We help businesses running or attending events find the help they need to insure their visitors leave with a smile on their face and a great impression in their mind.
Don’t take our word for it. This week at an event in New York the organizer had this to say about the value Wonoloers brought to the event. Focus on what she says in this 22 second video. “So positive when they came in they set the tone for the entire show.” How could 10 people out of huge collection of staff and thousands of attendees set the tone? Because smiles are contagious. Charles Darwin – yes the theory of evolution Charles Darwin – had another theory. It was called the Facial Feedback Hypothesis. His findings were that the act of smiling actually makes us feel better. So if smiles are contagious, then happiness is contagious, too.
Another recent event in NYC that was staffed by Wonoloers was Techweek. They are running another event this week in LA, of course, also staffed by Wonoloers. Techweek understands the power of a smile and has Wonoloers manning the front entrance – handing out lanyards and ushering people in. Why this job? Because greeting the guests with a bright yellow shirt and a big red smile is a surefire way to get the event started right for attendees tired from travel and hotel rooms and just trying to get their bearings. Sure, Wonoloers will do other jobs at the event but strategically locating your smiles is the sign of a smart event planner.
If all of this hasn’t sold you on why Wonolo believes so much in the power of a smile, maybe this will. Penn State did a study that proved what we have believed all along. They found that people who smile appear to be more likeable, courteous. and even competent. Yes, competent. So, you can either waste time & money searching for staff who you believe are “qualified” to do the job but mope around all throughout your event, or you can open up Wonolo and get a smile with the tap of button. While everyone might not be as experienced as the mopers, just like Penn State found, perception is reality. And a smile will go a long way in making your event the best event attendees visit all year.
