Think about it. Have you ever gone outside the U.S. as exhibitor? It’s challenging and scary! So, for a moment, put yourself in your international client’s shoes—traveling to another country (long plane trip, immigration, customs), communicating in another language and trying to comprehend the U.S. version of exhibitions.
 
Are we really that different here? In a word—YES! Some of the biggest differences include:

1. Booths are called Stands.

2. Pipe and drape are used in exactly 2 countries on the planet. That’s right, just 2! The U.S. is one. The other? Canada. Let’s face it folks, pipe and drape is UGLY.

3. Shell scheme or hard wall construction is used to make and divide booths everywhere else. Generally speaking, the walls between booths are 8 feet high and space is thought of in cubic terms, not linear.

4. The IAEE display guidelines and regulations are used only in the U.S. (and sometimes Canada). Don’t expect your international exhibitors to be familiar with them, or think they make sense! If your organization is big on enforcing sightline rules, make sure that they are written in simple, concise terms. Remember for many of your international clients, English is a second language.

A really simple, relatively inexpensive way to make sure your show’s rules and regulations are easily understood is to buy a non-tradeshow friend dinner or drinks—and ask them to review yours with honest feedback. (Be sure you save the drinks for post review analysis!) You may be quite surprised—not necessarily in a good way, but all your exhibitors will thank you for the subsequent revisions.

5. Drayage is unheard of in most parts of the world and, along with fast food, is not one of the U.S.’s better exports. Thankfully, it has mostly flopped where introduced. In offshore shows, freight forwarders provide most drayage. In Canada, drayage is charged by square foot, not weight.

Sometimes it costs more to move a display and its contents from the loading dock to the booth and back out than it does to ship the same stuff across an ocean. (And we wonder why clients are outraged?) To help out international exhibitors, think about drayage packages.

There is no downside to making the exhibiting experience easier.