Rather than waiting in your exhibit space for foreign show attendees it may be time to take your show on the road. The next big step to expanding your business into new foreign markets is exhibiting abroad.
A foreign based trade show is a great way to identify the need for your company’s products and services on a global scale, while also making new contacts with overseas industry leaders. You can join with the USA government through www.export.gov, and enter one of their mass marketing pavilions or you can bite the bullet and be a standalone exhibitor. However you do it, exhibiting abroad can be exciting.
Evolving your national trade show skills to the international market overseas is not as simple as you would imagine. The challenge of renting an exhibit thousands of miles away, coordinating show documents, customs forms, I&D instructions, with a non-English speaking exhibit house can be a potential nightmare. Now add in the many challenges that exhibitors face throughout a typical US trade show, which can only be enlarged when measured on a foreign scale. Exhibiting abroad is fraught with the potential for disaster, but you can avoid the pain if you prepare well.
You must prepare well in advance for exhibiting abroad and traveling internationally. Since a majority of international shows run on a bi-yearly basis planning starts at least one year ahead International shipping of exhibits, if you do not rent, your products must be done extremely early – we have had more than one client’s exhibit get caught in customs. And customs can be a hassle when exhibiting abroad.
If you’re able to function without your exhibit for a few months, shipping it overseas may not be a problem for your company. However, if you cannot afford the time or cost that shipping brings, a custom rental may be the best decision for your international trade show. Shipping an exhibit internationally can take up to 30 days or more when you include shipping, customs, travel and unloading. That could severely deplete your marketing budget for exhibiting abroad.
Business conducted outside of the USA is very different. You never want to arrive at a trade show and exemplify the “Ugly American” image. From handing and taking a business car in Asia, to not offering a beverage in Europe, there are certain expectations that if not met make your company look unprofessional. You should know the customs of the country you’re going to be exhibiting abroad at and act accordingly.
As a single source, Absolute Exhibits works with exacting trade show exhibit builders around the globe. We offer exhibit rentals with catering services, translators, and complete I&D teams to ensure your event is coordinated seamlessly and without worry. You simply need to work in our time zones as early as possible preceding the show, set your standards, and show up! We make exhibiting abroad that easy.
