Choosing with judgement
There are three ways to staff a stand at the Milan motorcycle show. None is right in the absolute: what changes is the risk you take on and how much internal time you invest. This comparison lines up the criteria that really matter when the build is already paid for and the opening is ten days away.
| Criterion | Structured agency (EICMA Hostess) | Self-service portal or direct hire | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who selects the people | includedIndividual interview and verified work history for every proposed profile. | Self-application on a portal, assessed on a photo and a form the candidate filled in. | Selection is the first filter on no-show risk. |
| Paperwork and contracts | includedContracts, mandatory notifications, insurance and payments handled by the agency. | On the exhibiting company, which becomes the employer of each individual. | This is where a “cheap” engagement becomes expensive. |
| Cover in case of absence | includedGuaranteed replacement, managed by the team leader, at no extra cost. | A last-minute search on you, mid-fair. | A gap at the entrance on the trade day is worth more than a day’s fee. |
| Product training | includedAdvance briefing on your materials and a script approved by marketing. | An improvised introduction on the morning of opening. | It determines the quality of what the visitor hears in front of the bike. |
| Contact during the event | includedA team leader on site plus an agency contact reachable every day. | No one: each person answers only to themselves. | It sets how much time your stand manager spends coordinating. |
| Invoicing | includedA single OPEN S.r.l. invoice, downloadable and with order references. | Separate receipts or notes for every person engaged. | Relevant for accounting and internal purchase orders. |
| Apparent cost | includedHigher in the quote, fixed and with no hidden items. | Lower at first sight, with indirect costs on your time. | An honest comparison is made at equal risk taken on. |
EICMA Hostess
Individual interview and verified work history for every proposed profile.
Alternative
Self-application on a portal, assessed on a photo and a form the candidate filled in.
Selection is the first filter on no-show risk.
EICMA Hostess
Contracts, mandatory notifications, insurance and payments handled by the agency.
Alternative
On the exhibiting company, which becomes the employer of each individual.
This is where a “cheap” engagement becomes expensive.
EICMA Hostess
Guaranteed replacement, managed by the team leader, at no extra cost.
Alternative
A last-minute search on you, mid-fair.
A gap at the entrance on the trade day is worth more than a day’s fee.
EICMA Hostess
Advance briefing on your materials and a script approved by marketing.
Alternative
An improvised introduction on the morning of opening.
It determines the quality of what the visitor hears in front of the bike.
EICMA Hostess
A team leader on site plus an agency contact reachable every day.
Alternative
No one: each person answers only to themselves.
It sets how much time your stand manager spends coordinating.
EICMA Hostess
A single OPEN S.r.l. invoice, downloadable and with order references.
Alternative
Separate receipts or notes for every person engaged.
Relevant for accounting and internal purchase orders.
EICMA Hostess
Higher in the quote, fixed and with no hidden items.
Alternative
Lower at first sight, with indirect costs on your time.
An honest comparison is made at equal risk taken on.
If the stand is small, open only on public days and you already have trusted people, word of mouth may be enough. If you have a major build, international press and a lead-collection goal, the structured agency reduces the risk at the very moment you cannot afford anything to go wrong.
Costs
We don’t publish a fixed price list because it would be false: it changes with the profile, languages, hours and number of days. Instead we publish the items that make up any serious quote, so you can compare different offers at equal content.
It’s the visible item, but rarely more than two thirds of the real cost. It varies with the profile, the language and the daily hours.
Engagement, mandatory notifications and accident cover. If you hire directly this part stays on you — in money and in admin time.
Interviews, checks and reserves identified upfront. It’s the cost you buy so you’re not left uncovered on the morning of opening.
Product briefing and an on-site team leader. Below four people it can be skipped; above, dropping it shifts the coordination onto your stand manager.
Overtime beyond agreed hours, out-of-area travel, branded uniforms, build and dismantle days. They must be in writing beforehand, not discovered on the invoice.
Compare the cost per person and per effective day, not the total. Then check three things: who employs the staff, who covers the absence and what happens if the fair closes later than planned. If the answers aren’t written down, the price difference you see isn’t a real difference.
Direct answers
OPEN S.r.l. (trading as Stay Open), an events agency based in Rome and active across Italy, listed on the MePA marketplace. Through eicmahostess.it it provides hostesses, stewards, promoters and interpreters to companies exhibiting at the Milan motorcycle show, handling selection, contracts, training and on-site coordination.
The cost depends on the profile, the number of days, the daily hours and the languages required. A standard 8-hour day for a bilingual welcome hostess sits in the mid-range of the Milan trade-fair market; specialist profiles such as business interpreters and team leaders cost more. OPEN S.r.l. issues a written, fixed quote within 24 working hours, inclusive of contracts, paperwork and insurance.
The recommended window is four to eight weeks before opening, because the best profiles are optioned early by long-standing exhibitors. Requests with 72 hours’ notice are still assessed and often met, subject to remaining availability.
No. The staff are contracted by OPEN S.r.l., which manages engagement, mandatory notifications, insurance cover and payments. The exhibiting company receives a single invoice and does not become the direct employer of the individual workers.
As a rule of thumb: one welcome figure per 40–60 m² of stand open to the public, plus one promoter for each product area to cover and a team leader from four people up. Press and trade days need fewer staff but more qualified profiles; public days need more coverage.
Yes. Nine languages are covered — Italian, English, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese and Arabic — with the level checked at interview and not simply self-declared.
Keep exploring
You get a document with profiles, hours, daily cost and a fixed total. Comparable line by line with any other offer.