While it would make life much easier for exhibit managers, there aren’t any global standards for exhibiting. In fact, every country has its own exhibiting rules and practices, and sometimes, regulations even vary from venue to venue. But here are six international-exhibiting quirks that come as a surprise to most rookies. Tuck this bit of knowledge under your beginner’s belt, and you’ll be ahead of the curve when it comes to international exhibiting.
1. Raised Floors — Outside the United States, fire codes often prevent exhibitors from running cables and cords (such as those for electrical, audiovisual, and Internet) under their exhibit carpet. In such circumstances, you usually need to hide your cables under a raised floor. Normally made of wood and measuring roughly 4 inches tall, the flooring is then covered with carpet or laminate. Note that a built-in wheelchair-accessible ramp may be required.
2. Labor — International show contractors typically don’t have a large pool of laborers on hand to install and dismantle your exhibit; plus, there are no unions overseas. So if your exhibit is relatively small, you can install the entire thing yourself or hire the show contractor for minimal assistance. Just about the only tasks you can’t complete yourself are plugging in your main power board to the convention center’s system and driving a forklift. If your exhibit requires considerable labor and equipment, however, you’ll likely need to hire a local custom-build firm or a U.S.-based exhibit house with international experience to coordinate and oversee your I&D labor.
3. Side Walls — At most U.S. shows, line-of-sight rules stipulate that for the first 5 feet of your space, side walls can’t be more than 4 feet tall so other exhibitors’ booth spaces remain clearly visible to attendees in the aisles. However, this rule exists in few places outside the United States, so side walls in foreign countries can usually extend all the way to the edge of a space. If you do not construct your walls to the full allowable height and extend them to the edge of your space, the unsightly and often unfinished back side of your neighboring exhibitors’ side walls may be visible, and it will be up to you and your exhibit builder to hide this unattractive mess. You can try to head off this issue by asking show management for your neighboring exhibitors’ booth drawings prior to the trade show.
4. Credit Cards — In the United States, you can practically buy a mortgage via credit card, no questions asked. However, the rest of the world is not as trusting, and getting show services billed to your credit card can be a hassle. Many times, even if you have pre-approved your show-services order and the amount you want billed, your card will not be charged until you reach the show floor and the suppliers track you down to view the card and obtain your signature. If you are not on show site, numerous e-mails or phone calls indicating your desire to place your charges on your credit card may be required before vendors will actually run your card. Thus, for most international shows, you’ll need to track outstanding costs. If you don’t follow up on these charges, you could receive invoices including late fees several weeks or even months after the show.
5. Drayage — In most international venues, drayage doesn’t exist. It is, however, making inroads in Europe, where organizers have realized its money-making potential. Still, in many venues, you’ll pay for forklift rental to unload and load your exhibit components. The same companies that offer this service will typically store empty crates during the show and return them when the show closes. This forklift and crate-storage service tends to be bundled with the offerings of the official freight forwarder.
6. On-site Orders — At most international shows, placing an on-site order for services and equipment is a crapshoot at best. All advance orders receive priority over your on-site order, so you frequently won’t know whether your order will be filled until just before the show opens. Bottom line, it’s best to place all show-related service orders prior to installation if possible.
Certainly, each country and sometimes each venue has its own rules and regulations. But armed with the knowledge of these six international-exhibiting oddities and ways to deal with them, you’ll look like a veteran globe-trotting exhibitor, even if it’s your first trip across the pond.
original article can be found here
Looking to purchase a portable exhibit, but not sure where to start? Here’s a guide to the four basic types of portables available.
Rookies and budget-conscious exhibitors alike often make their trade show debuts with portable exhibits. Their thinking: Start small and work your way up. There’s nothing wrong with that philosophy, as long as you have a strong marketing plan and realistic expectations for the outcomes. Case in point, you’re probably not going to make much of a lasting impression on attendees at a huge show like, say, the International Consumer Electronics Show with a modest portable exhibit — especially if you’re new to the scene. However, that portable property might at least introduce your company to attendees.
To help ensure your success, then, you need to understand the world of portable exhibits. Let’s start with the basics — what, exactly, are portable exhibits? They’re exhibit properties that are generally small enough to be transported in a car, as airline baggage, or by a small-package carrier such as FedEx Corp. And since portable exhibits are lightweight (typically weighing less than 100 pounds), they can usually be moved into the exhibit hall by the exhibitor, rather than by the show’s material-handling personnel.
Furthermore, portables generally don’t require hand tools for assembly, and take about 30 minutes or less to put together. In other words, a portable exhibit can be picked up, carried, lugged, pushed, shoved, or dragged onto the trade show floor and to your booth space by a single exhibitor. (But before you go dragging any old thing onto the floor, note that this general definition is subject to the rules of the show’s venue and its labor unions.)
Of course, determining the right portable for your program depends on a slew of variables, including your budget and exhibiting needs, whether your staff is going to set up the display or you’re going to hire an I&D crew, how you plan to transport it (hand carry versus shipping), and the brand image you want to project to attendees. With those variables in mind, here’s a rundown of the four different types of portables available.
1. Pop-Up Exhibits
Pop-up exhibits are the most common type of portable exhibit and comprise a collapsible, lightweight framework truss (usually a combination of aluminum and plastic) that literally pops up to form a curved or straight back wall. The structure is then covered with hook-and-loop-compatible fabric, magnetic wall panels, or stretch-fabric “pillowcases” that simply drape over the pop-up’s frame.
Pop-up exhibits are generally sold in 8-foot and 10-foot widths. When determining which size to purchase, consider the size of the pipe and drape that might border your booth space at the show. For example, you may have a 10-by-10-foot space, but the pipe and drape take up a few inches of that real estate. I learned that lesson the hard way when the 10-foot-wide pop-up I brought to a show didn’t quite fit inside my 10-foot-wide space because the pipe and drape took up about 3 inches.
Pop-up exhibits feature a range of optional accessories, including conversion kits to transform your shipping case into a counter, wall-washer or spot stem lights to illuminate exhibit graphics, connector kits to link multiple pop-up exhibits into a single in-line back wall, and upgraded shipping cases with additional padding and sections to protect your exhibit, graphics, and accessories.
Considering the accessories and functionality of pop-ups, they’re an inexpensive alternative to custom exhibits. However, the lightweight aluminum frame that supports most pop-ups is susceptible to bending during setup and teardown. So check the strength of the frame and determine whether the warranty covers replacement and repair before you buy.
Despite the general fragility of the frame (and the fact that many pop-ups aren’t designed to support anything hanging off the back wall) pop-ups are quite versatile. For example, fabric wall panels are compatible with hook-and-loop fasteners, making it easy to switch out graphics. Also, since pop-ups are lightweight, easy to transport, and a snap to set up, you’ll likely save big money on shipping, material handling, and I&D.
2. Banner Stands
Banner stands are a type of portable display comprising a metal base housing one or more roll-up tension graphics suspended from a segmented pole. Picture an upside-down window shade that retracts into a small metal base that sits on the floor, with a thin rod or X-frame that keeps the banner taut when it’s extended. Some types of banner stands feature a T-shaped base and stretcher bars at the top and bottom of the banner (or an X-shaped frame on the back) to hold the banner in place. The graphic banners are typically 30- to 36-inches wide and can telescope to various heights, from 3 to 8 feet, depending on whether the stand sits on the floor or a tabletop.
Banner stands are petite enough to be stored at your office, and shipping costs are minimal since they can be shipped in a small case. Banner stands are also a great solution if the size of your booth space fluctuates from show to show, as you can place multiple banner stands side-by-side to create a custom back wall in an in-line exhibit space, or use individual banner stands as freestanding displays within a larger booth space.
And the customization options don’t stop there. Some banner-stand bases hold removable and/or multiple cartridges, giving you the ability to swap out graphics as needed. Plus, banner stands can be either single sided or double sided, and some offer motorized scrolling of multiple graphic banners, creating a more dynamic display. Optional accessories include lighting, literature racks, and shelves that fasten to the base of the banner stand. What’s more, banner stands are one of the most flexible and lightweight portables available. You can basically create an entire exhibit using them, by simply placing multiple banner stands next to one another.
3. Modular Exhibits
Featuring interchangeable rigid or flexible panels and connectors, modular exhibits can be reconfigured into different exhibit shapes and sizes. I think of them as Erector Sets for exhibitors. The panels are constructed of lightweight materials, e.g., aluminum, metal composites, corrugated cardboard, foam, hard plastic, or a combination thereof.
In addition to being lightweight, modular exhibits can be used to create a variety of exhibit components, from back walls and freestanding product-display towers to counters and even kiosks. Modular exhibits are fantastic for companies that frequently have different booth sizes at different shows, as converting a 10-by-10 to a 10-by-20-foot exhibit — or even a 10-by-30-foot exhibit — is relatively simple. (Of course, use anything larger than a 10-by-10 and you’re moving out of the portables category, since such exhibits will require additional setup time — and potentially labor — and weigh well over that 100-pound limit.)
What’s more, many modular structures also allow exhibitors to easily reconfigure elements to change the look and feel of the space, or to simply switch out damaged components with replacement pieces on the fly. I even had one modular system with panels that were gray on one side and blue on the other side, essentially giving me two exhibits for the price of one.
4. Fabric Options
One of the more recent — and innovative — variations on the portable exhibit comes in the form of fabric structures. There are two basic types of fabric structures currently making waves. The first comprises 8-by-9-foot panels of wrinkle-resistant, tensioned fabric stretched over an aluminum frame, and typically zipped into place. As with all portable options, flexibility is key, and tensioned-fabric exhibits don’t disappoint. Using frames and even truss systems, you can create virtually any shape, from regular old square panels for back walls to 3-D cubes and circles to add visual interest.
The second type features fabric panels that hang from the existing pipe used in most linear exhibits (picture a bed sheet attached to the frame by rope loops on each of its four corners). Because the fabric doesn’t hang taut from the pipe, it’s important that you choose high-quality, wrinkle-resistant fabric. These simple fabric panels create back walls that are undeniably basic, but look a lot better than exposed pipe and drape.
Generally weighing less than 5 pounds and folding up neatly into their own bags, these inexpensive fabric options are the ultimate portable exhibits. However, hand tools may be required to assemble some tensioned-fabric structures, which means you may have to hire labor.
Size Matters
Whether you choose a fabric structure, pop-up, banner stand, or modular system, the physical weight of the exhibit dictates its portability, so buyer beware. I’ve seen wheeled molded-plastic exhibit cases large enough to hold 3-by-4-foot panels for an 8-by-10-foot back wall that weighed in at around 100 pounds and were billed as portable. But the term “portable” becomes a misnomer after you’ve schlepped these allegedly portable cases across any distance. So when you’re shopping for your next portable exhibit, keep the old adage in mind — good things do come in small packages.
By Candy Adams, Exhibitor Magazine
Engaging in conversations at an event is the reason a company takes the time, money and effort to participate in an event. The point of such conversation is to ensure that prospects or customers can share their business requirements and have exhibitors respond with appropriate information. You may ask yourself how often this kind of quality dialogue actually occurs. An even more important question is what is happening in the entire sales process in terms of communication between your company with customers and prospects.The communications with your customers and prospects, if it is judged effective, helps move a company towards a solution that is a win-win proposition for everyone.
The personnel who staff the booth must have the correct skills to engage and converse with the attendees as well as knowledge about their company. In our conversation he goes on to provide excellent pointers on how to initiate the conversation with the attendee. It is not with a generic opening line like “can I help you?” but rather one that elicits a thoughtful, informative response.
One of my colleagues was at an auto dealership show in San Francisco recently and I asked him to assess the way he was greeted by the exhibitors. I am sorry to report that the majority of the greetings were the kind where no connection was made between the attendee and the exhibitor. Below are some of the opening lines from the exhibitors:
- “Hi, how can I help you?” Merchandise aftermarket vendor
- “Are you gentlemen being helped here?” after 5 minutes standing in a 60×60 booth with 15 salespeople idling around
- “Hi, How are you? I’m Jenna, nice to meet you!!”
- “How are you?”
- When grabbing a complimentary coffee “Can I scan your badge?”
Here is a much better opening line: What conference session have you found to be the most interesting one, thus far? Or, what booth has attracted your attention as you walk the aisles?
We all like to talk about ourselves. And in this important booth exchange staffers must draw out the pertinent information that is on the attendees mind by asking “open-ended” questions. Let the attendee tell you about why they are at the show and what they want to accomplish. Then you can respond with the offerings your company has that addresses and meets those requirements.
Your booth staff needs to be constantly “ON” – you never know who you will meet and where you will meet them. It might be the booth, but it might as well be in the aisle, at a breakfast meeting, or cocktail reception. There are countless stories of chance meetings that have turned into the “biggest fish caught” stories – that million dollar deal.
I would like to hear more stories about such chance meeting at a show that turned into business. So please share your story with us.
written by Joyce McKeey for International Center for Exhibitor and Event Marketing http://blog.iceem.net/
Americans covetously scarf up the newest, trendiest, techno baubles and quickly discard them the moment something newer, faster, tinier, or techier becomes available. From iPads to smart phones, we instantaneously adopt any technology we can get our hands on and behave a little like tech-addicted teenagers with ADD.
But as consumers rapidly adopt and discard various technologies, exhibit and event professionals are left desperately trying to keep up. Since most exhibits are designed and built over a span of several months, what’s considered “in” today is likely to be history by the time it actually makes its appearance on the trade show floor. And because most techno tools come with relatively hefty price tags, marketers have to be careful when selecting which high-tech, high-ticket items to put on their wish lists.
To learn how exhibit- and event-related technologies are impacting face-to-face marketers, EXHIBITOR issued the 2010 Marketing Technology Survey. The research, sponsored by Lynch Exhibits Inc. and Alliance Tech, sheds light on which technologies are being adopted by exhibit and event marketers, what corporate objectives they’re helping users to achieve, and which tools offer the most face-to-face marketing potential.
According to the survey, 82 percent of respondents currently incorporate technology into their marketing efforts,
with 72 percent using various technologies to specifically enhance their exhibit-marketing programs (compared to just 49 percent who report incorporating technology into their companies’ corporate events).
The most popular technologies used to enhance exhibit-marketing efforts range from social media and show-specific microsites to touchscreens and interactive kiosks. But a fair percentage of respondents are also exploring radio-frequency identification (RFID), mobile apps, 2-D barcodes (aka jag tags), interactive projection, and personal URLs (aka PURLs).
Just under a third of exhibit managers who are using these technologies proactively establish measurable objectives to gauge their effectiveness, but 77 percent of those that do report the technologies they used met or exceeded their initial expectations. Furthermore, respondents who have used various technologies to enhance their marketing efforts indicate that those technologies have led to increases in brand awareness, sales leads, booth traffic, and event attendance, as well as improved relationships with clients and prospects.
Those who are not currently harnessing the power of high-tech apps and elements report that a lack of internal resources (both in terms of manpower and budget), a lack of knowledge on available technologies, and a lack of time to explore those technologies is holding them back.
Still, despite the reluctance of some, respondents almost uniformly understand the efficacy of high-tech trappings. When asked how they personally view technology in the context of exhibit and event marketing, a whopping 98 percent indicated that technology has “limitless” or “moderate” potential. Furthermore, 79 percent expect the importance of technology as a marketing tool to increase “strongly” or “somewhat” in the coming year, and 54 percent anticipate spending more on marketing-related technologies in 2011 than they did in 2010.
By Travis Stanton of Exhibitor Magazine
 CHICAGO - McCormick Place officials unveiled Phase II reforms Oct. 21 for the convention center complex aimed at benefiting customers and keeping Chicago’s convention industry competitive.The reforms are designed to cut costs for customers and provide greater flexibility in doing business at America’s largest convention center. These are the latest round of reforms to be announced and are part of a series of changes that will be phased in as a result of the historic legislation passed by the Illinois General Assembly in May.“These are substantive changes that allow us to radically reform and improve how we conduct our convention business in Chicago,” said Jim Reilly, Trustee of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA), which owns and operates McCormick Place. “Our present and future customers will undoubtedly be the biggest beneficiaries of these reforms in terms of cost-savings and more flexibility.”The Phase II reforms were unveiled by McCormick Place General Manager David Causton.New Customer Initiatives include:· Free Wi-Fi is now available throughout the convention center, including all common hallways, exhibit halls, and meeting rooms. McCormick Place is the largest American convention center to provide this amenity.
· The parking rate will be reduced from $19 to $14 in Lot B (the surface lot) effective immediately. · Completion of the refinancing of MPEA’s debt will provide greater financial stability for the convention center, while funding an expansion of the on-site Hyatt Regency McCormick Place Hotel. · Hotel expansion is moving forward and MPEA has engaged TVS Design to assist in preparing the design and development documents. Anticipated completion date for the hotel expansion is December 2014. · There is a new competitive model for obtaining electrical services where companies may now compete to provide electrical services, as long as they are approved by MPEA. If a show chooses McCormick Place to provide electrical services, the facility must provide those services at cost. · A 23-member Advisory Council has been created to oversee and advise the implementation of reforms; the Council includes show organizers, exhibitors, labor, service and exhibitor contractors and MPEA and CCTB management. · Exhibitors can bring food into McCormick Place from the outside for consumption by employees. “These Phase II reforms will provide even greater cost savings for our show organizers, exhibitors and attendees,” Causton said. “We received much positive feedback about our Phase I reforms and anticipate that our existing and prospective customers will welcome this next round of reforms as well.” According to the Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau, the McCormick Place reforms have already resulted in nearly a dozen trade shows either re-committing to host shows in Chicago or committing to bring business to Chicago for the first time. Collectively, those commitments represent more than $1.6 billion in estimated direct expenditures for Chicago during the next decade. by Helen Holzer, Exhibitor’s Daily |
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