Preparing U.S. Exhibitors for Overseas Shows

By Jenny Tesar

"Our hotel was an hour-long train ride from the fairgrounds."

"If I were looking for distributors in the United States, I wouldn't take a booth at a trade show. But here it's the way to do things."

"When the weekend came, the doors were opened to the public. Attendance seemed to triple as students and consumers walked the show. Exhibitors needed to be prepared for this audience."

"In the United States, lights are turned off at closing time and exhibitors are out the door faster than visitors. Here, people don't leave at six. They stay in the booth and talk. People come by, socialize, perhaps do business. We're lucky if we get out at 8 or 9 at night."

"The audience really responds when you print things in the local language."

"You don't get an itemized phone bill -- you get a bill with a number on it, and there is no discussion. If somebody comes into your booth and asks to use the phone for a local call, you'd better watch and see what is being dialed."

"You have to try to think from the viewpoint of the customers, and you have to be able to adjust to their way of marketing. Each country is unique; the Spanish market is different from the German market, which is different from the Polish market."

If you're organizing overseas shows, these statements may have been made by your customers. Many of them are new-to-market exhibitors, venturing overseas for the first time. Some will come home with fulfilled objectives and positive feelings. Others will be totally disgusted, vowing never again to exhibit overseas -- at least not with you. After all, it was you who convinced them to go.

By and large, the key to happy, successful exhibitors is knowledge. They need to know what it takes to be a winner at an international show. More and more, organizations involved in taking exhibitors overseas -- show and pavilion organizers, freight forwarders, display builders, and so on -- are addressing this issue. "We're getting better and better as an industry in preparing the exhibitor," says Liz Hitchcock, Vice President of International Sales (Americas), Reed Exhibition Companies.

The international show
Exhibitors need a broad range of information about the event in which they'll participate. For many, their first overseas show is bigger than anything they've ever attended in the states. The shows may fill more than a dozen halls and attract half-a-million attendees. They may run a week or more. Hours are long, and perhaps very different from the exhibitor's body clock -- 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily are common show hours in Germany, but in Brazil many shows open at 2 p.m. and run until 10 at night.

"Because they're not used to shows of that size and duration, new-to-market exhibitors tend to underestimate their staffing requirements. They come by themselves and before long are exhausted," says Bob Lively, Vice President of International Development for The Interface Group. He recommends that there be at least two people staffing even the smallest booth, and that organizers encourage exhibitors to bring sufficient personnel so that no one needs to work the booth for more than two hours without a break.

"Protocol for selling to prospects is very different," says Bob Dallmeyer, President of RD International. "Many exhibits have an external area where products are displayed and you meet people. Once contact is made, you move into an enclosed area for discussions. Independent exhibitors have meeting rooms on their stands; pavilions offer special rooms that can be reserved by exhibitors."

Exhibitors should understand that a certain degree of hospitality is expected. Independent exhibitors have cafes on their stand, pavilions have shared lounges because it's common to offer beverages and snacks to visitors. In some venues, U.S. exhibitors can make a great impression by serving guests wines imported from their home states.

In the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Singapore, and much of the Middle East, English is all an exhibitor needs to conduct business. Elsewhere, organizers have to make interpreters available, either providing exhibitors with a list of agencies to contact or having interpreters onsite, as often happens within a pavilion. "Oftentimes, there is an assumption that people speak basic English. Not true," says Lively.

And certainly people want much more than basic English when they sit down to negotiate contract terms. "When I worked for United Technologies, I never exhibited at the Paris Air Show without having French students assigned to me for the duration of the show," says Dallmeyer. "They were necessary, even though I speak fluent French."

On the other hand, he points out, "don't ever assume you can speak English in front of someone 'because he won't understand.' If you think you can converse in English and no one will know what you're saying, you're crazy.

Graphics and literature should be translated into the host country's language. And someone in that country should double-check translations, to ensure that copy makes sense to the locals. For instance, a "white tornado" doesn't suggest cleaning power in England, because that country doesn't have tornadoes.

Recommend that exhibitors dress and act conservatively. And avoid wearing yellow in Singapore; it's for funerals.

Exhibitors also need to recognize that sexual roles are different in some countries. Generally speaking, in Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia, men are the dominant force in the business environment. "Sending a woman salesperson into that environment may not be the most effective decision, particularly when it comes to negotiations," says Lively.

"If women face problems in a country, I'd mention that right up front in the prospectus," says Dallmeyer.

Describe work rules. In many venues exhibitors can put up and dismantle their exhibits, hang graphics, install sound systems, etc. If applicable, prepare exhibitors for a different work ethic. "In some places, workers sit back and wait for exhibitors to approach them, and they expect financial tips," says Bill Langworthy, International Project Manager, LEP Fairs. "But in a place like Birmingham, England, our guys go out and look for exhibitors. They ask how they can be of help, and they don't accept tips."

Shipping and customs
In most overseas venues, there are anywhere from one to five on-site freight forwarders and service contractors. They perform not only freight forwarding services and customs brokerage services but they can also physically receive the freight and do deliveries to the booths, using their own fork lifts and other equipment. "The organizer needs to clearly spell out who the official forwarders and contractors are for a particular show," says Langworthy.

Many forwarders are vying for exhibitor business. Langworthy and others who specialize in exposition freight forwarding stress that exhibitors should be made aware of the pitfalls of using alternatives to the officially designated firms. For example, a regular forwarder might get an exhibitor's freight overseas, but then it may sit at the airport, perhaps because the forwarder's agent there is not in a position to deliver it to the booth.

Goods can be temporarily imported to an overseas show site without having to pay duties and taxes, using either a carnet or a trade fair bond. "A carnet can be very cumbersome; the exhibitor has to get a bond established, usually for about 40 percent of the value of the goods they are sending," says Langworthy. "But most venues offer trade fair bonds, which are simple to arrange and can be easily changed if the exhibitor sells goods to buyers from the host country or even from another country. U.S. organizers should speak with the on-site contractors and ask if a trade fair bond is available to their exhibitors."

Some places charge duty on giveaways and printed matter. "If you ship $5,000 worth of printed matter into Egypt, they'll charge duty on it," says Jim Kelty, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, R.E. Rogers. "But if you ship in only $200 worth, they'll probably waive it because the amount would be so low."

The importance of getting freight to the forwarder on time cannot be overemphasized. Because of poor planning or because they didn't consider transportation a priority, many new-to-market exhibitors wind up paying thousands and thousands of dollars more because they have to air freight their shipments rather than ocean freight them.

The dates provided by a forwarder include not only shipping time but also the time needed for goods to get out of the port and clear customs. The end result is time frames that vary greatly from country to country. Kelty presents a few examples: "For most parts of Asia, an exhibitor needs to ship air freight about 14 days before the show opens, but countries such as Indonesia and India need more time. Sea freight takes 4 to 5 weeks from the West Coast, 6 to 8 weeks from the East Coast.

"In European venues like Paris and Hannover, you can clear customs within a day, sometimes even quicker. But in Cairo, 3 to 5 days is the minimum, and in Saudi Arabia, it's 10 to 14 days."

Each country is unique
Provide exhibitors with cultural, economic and other general information. Provide maps, banking hours, sightseeing possibilities, descriptions of local cuisine, currency and weather information, logistics of getting to and from the fair site, etc.

Outside the United States, the world is metric. Voltages may be different, which means exhibitors will need plug adapters. The video format may be different, so exhibitors wanting to show videos will have to convert them.

Making a faux pas overseas is incredibly easy, and newcomers to the international marketplace can embarrass themselves very quickly. "Most people are forgiving," says Lively. "They may laugh a little but dismiss the incident by saying, 'Americans!'"

Encourage exhibitors to purchase a basic travel guide and dictionary. Prepare a list of potential pitfalls. For example, the OK sign, with thumb and forefinger forming a circle, is impolite in Greece and downright obscene in Brazil. The left hand is considered dirty in Saudi Arabia, so one should never eat or accept anything with this hand. In Japan, greetings and leave-takings are accompanied by a bow. Don't bring chrysanthemums to a host in France -- they're funeral flowers. In Switzerland, don't give a knife -- it's considered bad luck. And if a Japanese person gives you a present, don't throw away or leave behind the wrapping, it's considered part of the gift.

Proper forms of address need to be stressed. For example, in China, the family name comes first, then the given name. Jiang Chan should be addressed as Mr. Jiang. In Spanish-speaking Latin America, many people have a given name and a compound surname consisting of the father's name followed by the mother's name. Eduardo Sanchez-Garcia should be addressed as Mr. Sanchez.

What things cost
Exhibitors need to know costs -- not only floor space, air fare, and lodging, but also interpreters and other on-site services, meals, all aspects of freight, etc. Costs change from year to year, and of course they're different even among neighboring countries. The exchange rate also affects budgets. Combine a devalued dollar with rising costs in the host country and a meal that cost the equivalent of $20 a few years ago may now cost $40.

Suggest that exhibitors budget for extending their visit by at least several days for post-show activities: following up leads, training new distributors, etc. The timing is right, and it's a lot cheaper than having to return to the country a month later.

Disseminating the information
Organizers can use a variety of methods to prepare exhibitors. Videos can show the site and typical exhibits, while previous exhibitors describe their experiences. Manuals, brochures, checklists and other literature can spell out everything an exhibitor needs to know -- though it's common knowledge that often exhibitors put these aside unread.

Some organizers have salespeople cover important information at the time that space is booked. Some hold seminars across the United States months before the event for both committed and potential exhibitors. They discuss not only the event itself but also logistics, market conditions, cultural aspects and so on. Additional workshops are held on-site immediately prior to the show, with Department of Commerce officials in attendance to explain how they can assist exhibitors.

Obviously, organizers cannot be responsible for providing all the information that exhibitors need. But by providing a detailed overview, coupled with a Rolodex of resources at government agencies, official freight forwarders, and other organizations, show managers can help ensure that their customers will be happy, successful and eager to return to the overseas marketplace.