International Trade Show Marketing

International Trade Show Marketing: Part 3 – Trade Show Booth Logistics
By Sandy Flom
CEO, Extraordinary Show Productions Ltd.
August 2005

Planning and coordinating logistics for your trade show display in another country is frequently more complicated requiring a good deal of patience and flexibility. Communication is challenging due to extreme time changes as well as language and cultural differences.

Although English is spoken at most international venues, and even if your show management contact person speaks what seems to be perfect English, there can be misunderstandings. Be sure to follow-up with a letter or an e-mail to confirm any verbal agreements made by telephone or in person regarding your booth space or any services or rental items for your trade show booth.

Trade Show Services

Typically trade show services must be ordered from several providers. Individual contacts and order forms are included in the exhibitor manual. Quantities are often limited so ordering early is always advisable.

There are very few unions, if any. So far. While the main booth power supply or plumbing connection still must be ordered from the trade show organizer, most, if not all work within the stand (booth space) can be done by the stand (booth) builder. This includes utility wire distribution (electrical, phones, computer networking); plumbing; and hanging graphics.

Although some tradeshow venues seem to be catching on to U.S. methods, drayage is still basically an unknown. Typically, if your booth ships from the U.S., the freight forwarder handles the offloading, delivery to the stand, and booth crate storage during the trade show. If the exhibit is being provided by a local display house, they handle the offloading, delivery to the stand, and booth crate storage.

Booth Electricity

There are many variations in power supplies. Electricity can be alternating current (ac) or direct current (dc). Frequency can be 50 or 60 hertz (Hz) or cycles per second. Voltage also varies – even within the same city or country. Finally, there are 12 types of attachment plugs in use around the world and several countries use more than one type.

Electrical equipment or lighting shipped with your exhibit from the U.S. will likely need transformers or converters that can be very expensive to rent. It is usually simpler to rent equipment locally – especially office equipment such as fax machines, copiers, and computers. Shipping a U.S. exhibit with multiple electrical requirements can be a budget buster due to the high cost of renting transformers.

Inadequate or improper power supply can spell disaster for products and demos.
It can also interfere with the proper operation of lighting fixtures.

Electrical power to your booth may not be available 24 hours a day and may even be shut off at show closing. This means that computers and other sensitive equipment must be powered down before the show closes each day.

Booth Audiovisual Equipment

Ship from the U.S. or rent on-site? While cost comparisons should be considered, perhaps a more important consideration is compatibility. If renting on-site, U.S. videos probably need to be converted to local color standards. If available, multi-standard video players should be rented locally. Once the specifications of the country are determined, a U.S. video production house can handle the conversions.

Booth Installation and Dismantle

Rules differ from country to country. Many countries do not have unionized labor and some may not even offer services that require skilled labor. Usually the display house that provides the exhibit also provides I&D labor including hanging graphics and connecting electrical outlets, lights and plumbing within the booth space.

Trade show move-in and set-up times are usually longer – typically a week. Work ethics vary and people usually work at their own pace taking time out for tea breaks, naps, or even beer breaks. It is important to respect the work ethic. Attempts to speed up the process may result in a rebellion against the pushy American.

Even if forklifts are available, local culture may dictate that more traditional methods be used such as manual labor to move and position exhibits. At the end of the trade show, it is not unusual to work through the night to break down a show and move it out.

While tools and methods may be significantly different from what we are accustomed to in the U.S., the job always gets done.

Booth Shipping

International shipping is certainly more complex and can be very expensive – especially air freight. Ocean freight takes time and requires pre-planning. Additional documentation is required and proper and complete documentation is critical. Language differences, political considerations, and cultural differences can affect shipments. Some countries require payment of high import fees even if the exhibit will be exported following the show. Shipping costs and import fees frequently make it far more economical to build a booth locally.

SHIPPING LEAD TIME

Ocean – 3-4 weeks
Air – 7-10 days
Surface – depends on distance from port of entry to destination and time required to clear customs

International freight forwarders are specialized service contractors who transport freight from pick-up point to drop-off point. They also act as general customs brokers and insure that either the freight is on an ATA Carnet or a Temporary Import Bond has been posted. They also typically handle the on-site work that drayage companies in the U.S. handle (offloading, delivery to the stand/booth space, removal and storage of empty crates, etc.).

Because this is a critical role, it is very important to work with a freight forwarder that has credentials and is experienced. They need to be familiar with the country’s customs procedures as well as freight facilities at the exhibit hall and on-site storage.

Documentation & Approvals

With longer lead times, it is essential to document meetings, discussions, approvals, and action items and their owners. It is important to follow time lines and due dates established by the trade show organizer. Approvals for conceptual design, physical construction, fire and building codes can take several weeks. Allowing sufficient time and providing detailed drawings are critical and help avoid last-minute or on-site changes to the exhibit due to non-compliance with codes and regulations.

Never assume anything | Proper pre-planning is critical
Ask questions | Submit requests well ahead of time
Read the exhibitors manual | Don’t be caught by surprise

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