| “Diversity is the one true thing we all have in common. Celebrate it everyday.”
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| Lots of Rules! |
It is really quite simple – compared to the laundry list full of rules and regulations in the USA, international shows have very few regulations. First and foremost, with the exception of some of the clothing shows and house wares shows in the USA, booth space regulations are steadfast. One exhibitor’s booth may not block the viewing of the neighboring exhibit. The only freewill space is an island (not a peninsula) – and even there you will have height limitations. In international venues you can cover the entire booth space with walls if you will and a doorbell at the front!
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In most USA venues you must deal with unions that have signed contracts with both the convention centers, as well as the show management. The only freight that an exhibitor can bring into the hall must be carried or wheeled, such as a pop-up case. Everything else enters through the freight door. If your exhibit cannot be installed within 30 minutes then union contractors must be hired for installation, as well as dismantlement.
Internationally speaking you can bring ten laborers, or twenty or thirty, from the street corner to set your exhibit. They can come with nails, hammers, wood and paint and build right on the floor. This does not happen in the USA. Exhibits, in almost every case are prefabricated and set together on the showfloor. If an international exhibitor wishes a yellow wall, because the green wall doesn’t look right – in come the painters. That rarely happens in the USA as changing one small wall with paint could cost thousands of dollars.
Last to consider – USA shows last 2-4 show days, even the biggest. International shows can easily go from ten days to two weeks. Most every international client rents for a fresh new look every year. Renting has just become a popular choice in the USA in the past seven to ten years. Significant differences, a wide range of labor costs, throw-away exhibits, all make the USA, and in most cases Canadian, shows much more difficult than those elsewhere.
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The high cost of exhibiting at a tradeshow in the USA is certainly a justifiable complaint. This especially becomes a problem for international clients. It is important that we look at these costs individually to see why it is so. The first element is the cost of the bare, naked concrete – there is no changing that price – it is set by show management and your association and everyone pays the same price per square foot.
The exhibit itself comprises a number of elements. The hardware which you can buy or rent is a high percentage of the money spent. If you rent a preexisting package exhibit meant to rent more than once your costs are lower than a custom designed exhibit. In between there are systems with custom elements – these are a good way to be distinctive and cost effective. Shipping to the show may be included in your pricing – if you don’t see it separately on a proposal then it is buried within the cost of the hardware.
And then there is I&D – installation and dismantle. If your show is anywhere but the southern United States, excluding Miami, you are in for a ride. Rates for show installation and dismantle, even at straight time, can be exorbitant and vary per show. Please visit our sister company website, www.absoluteiandd.com and read about show rates. Further, there is no getting around these facts. Most shows require union labor for exhibits that take more than 30 minutes to set-up. No matter how large your show, or if all union labor is exhausted – you could easily be the one case where your booth space is right across from a show desk on the floor or a union steward might decide to camp across from your space.
So you must be prepared and understand the situation beforehand. If you come from abroad you can consider sending your exhibit – however for every success story there are horror stories of lost exhibits, still-on-the-boat exhibits, or the worst situation – caught in customs. Once foreign built exhibits arrive on the showfloor – can American union labor assemble your exhibit? If you purchase a sale or rental booth from a customhouse or a smaller exhibit house, who will I&D your exhibit? Do not take the word of your sales person that they are a member of a particular city’s union force – ask for proof. There are many hidden costs – do a little snooping and become educated. This will save you allot of surprises and some money at the end of the day.
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| Multiple Criteria for Picking the Right Show ... |
Research consistently indicates that tradeshows rank second only to direct sales calls as the most effective marketing approach. The winning technique is to learn the difference between spending smart money and wasting dollars. Most exhibitors never learn the difference. You must know the real objectives of a particular tradeshow. Exhibitors often regard their tradeshow as a compulsory social occasion where you take people golfing, run into the hospitality suites, and give away personalized piffle in the exhibit. That may have been the case twenty or thirty years ago, but not today.
The single purpose of a tradeshow is to sell or reduce the sales cycle, which is the time needed to close the sale. If your target customer does not attend the show, you are at the wrong show or you need to redefine your target. More importantly if the sales cycle is not the central point of all planned activities, you are wasting money. If everything that you do at a show is based on the fact that attendees expect it you are squandering allot of funds. Think about this: if you do what everyone else does, how can you possibly stand out from the crowd?
Attendees walking through the tradeshow aisles rapidly begin to suffer from sensory excesses. The colors, the signage, the demonstrations are all screaming for attention and then there is the noise that hangs everywhere Attendees see a mass of exhibits and notice few individual exhibits. These same people rush to the hotel to hit the huge parties, barely noticing who the sponsors are. A week later, nothing succinct is remembered. What do they remember six months or a year later? Is this a sales-worthy expense?
Reconsider – pick the right show based on industry and your target clients. Invite everyone that you want to see in your booth space with pre-show invitations. Don’t give everyone a $2 something just for showing up. Give value in your giveaways; make them want to earn them. Parties are great but intimate one-to-one time is far better. Spend your money wisely, and last but not least follow-up all leads right after the show – that is not the time for a self-congratulatory vacation. Strike while the iron is hot.
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