Nimlok Articles:
International Exhibiting Made Easy

You want to expand by tapping new markets, so you're considering exhibiting at a trade show abroad. But do thoughts of navigating your company through uncharted territory on foreign soil seem intimidating? How will you get around the language and cultural barriers? Can you really afford the higher costs?

Don't let any of these nagging questions stop you from growing your business. International exhibiting does not have to be a stressful and overwhelming experience. With proper planning, research, and choosing the right exhibit solution provider, exhibiting abroad can not only be less intimidating, but can also be more profitable and successful.

Choosing an International Trade Show

The first step in choosing an international trade show is to determine what your corporate objectives will be for the show. Then it's time to do some research to select the trade show that will meet those needs. There are many online web sites for researching international trade shows. Find out answers to questions such as: What was the attendance at the last show? How many exhibitors? What kind of exhibitors? What kind of visitors?

Simon Perutz, president of Nimlok, a leading global single source solution provider for the trade show industry, recommends first attending the trade show as a visitor.

"Attending as a visitor is a great way to gauge the market, to see who your competition will be, and to make a list of follow up contacts," Perutz said. "It's also very helpful to talk to non-competitive industry peers who've exhibited at that particular show to determine the overall show value."

Finding the Right Global Solutions

The key to making international exhibiting easier, is finding the right trade show solution provider, one with a global network of distributors and production facilities that also provides support services to clients around the world.

"When it comes to exhibiting abroad, you need a trade show solution provider that will not only show you where to go and what to do, but will also go there with you and do it for you," says Perutz. "By choosing a company with an established international network, you'll get the experience and resources needed to exhibit wherever you want to exhibit."

If you're going to exhibit abroad and you want to minimize costs, renting an exhibit is a smart option. Rentals are approximately 1/3 the price of purchasing an exhibit. Choose a company with rental hubs around the world that can provide rental stock virtually anywhere. This saves on shipping and drayage costs too. Nimlok has a rental hub in the Netherlands and makes rental stock available at nearly all of our 200 worldwide distributors.

It's important to make sure your exhibit company offers adequate support services as well. "If you're going to rent, choose a company that will provide the full range of services: installation and dismantle; storage, transportation, and turnkey management of exhibit programs. All you should have to do is show up," adds Perutz.

So, you've picked your trade show and your trade show solution provider. The next step is to familiarize yourself with what every exhibitor should know about successful international exhibiting. Here are key steps we provide clients:

5 Steps to Successful International Exhibiting

1. Plan Early With a Good Lead Time
   • As with any trade show, the key to success is planning, but when exhibiting internationally you need to give yourself some extra time. You'll need a good lead-time, six to eight weeks, for extra logistics such as shipping, customs clearance, and translation of text on graphic panels.
   • Most importantly, European venues don't offer pre-show warehousing; they won't store your exhibit before the show. As part of Nimlok's global support services, pre-show warehousing is available for clients. If you don't want this headache, make sure your exhibit company provides pre-show warehousing.
   • Todd Rudge of Orca Creative Group, a Nimlok distributor in Seattle, says that's how an international network saves time and money. "With an international network, we can design the exhibit in Seattle and produce it half way around the world. The time, energy, and money saved on shipping can instead be spent on creating an exciting design.
2. Research Your Venue
   • Trade shows are much larger and run longer in Europe, in fact eight of the 10 world's largest venues are found in Europe and exhibitors annually spend more than $19.5 billion exhibiting there.
   • Do your homework ahead of time and find out more about the country and culture where you'll be exhibiting.
   • Bruno Pignattelli, the North American Export Manager for Gruppo Cimbali, an Italian based coffee machine manufacturer, has exhibited both in the US and abroad. "In the US, exhibitions are more dedicated to selling, while in Europe, it is more for 'show.' It is important to approach any show in the US or internationally with meeting your customers' expectations, but without losing your own identity and unique characteristics."
3. Plug into a New Electrical System and Metric Measures
   • First, your exhibit space will be measured in meters, not feet. Second, electrical currents are different in Europe, so different light bulbs and different plugs are needed in different countries. And island exhibits must be on raised platforms to accommodate electrical wiring.
   • Choose a company that can handle these "differences" for you, a company that exhibits often in this country, that can design and quote in metric sizes and have the right equipment to meet foreign electrical standards.
   • When the organizers of the Washington State International Trade Fair rented a Nimlok pavilion for 10 Washington companies to share at the Paris Air Show, they took advantage of Nimlok turnkey management services to handle all these "differences."
   • "Our Paris Air Show exhibit was seamless for exhibitors. They literally just had to show up, and unpack their boxes which had already been delivered," says Robert Boyd, the fair's chairman. "The service included complete shipping coordination, so they didn't have to worry about customs, shippers, freight forwarders, labor supervisions, unions, or the Euro."
4. Prepare to Pay More in Europe
   • It's more expensive to exhibit in Europe. That $2 dollar gallon of gas in the US costs $7 dollars in the UK. The $25 per square foot of trade show space in the US can be as high as $70 dollars in Europe. In general, expect to pay double in the UK, and about 25% more in countries that use the Euro.
   • The freight and logistics of shipping from the US to Europe add up too. Shipping of display materials can take as long as six to eight weeks. You can avoid this delay and extra expense if you exhibit with a company that can build your exhibit in Europe. Imagine, cheaper freight costs, no import duty, and shorter shipping time.
   • Bill King of the Washington State Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development, helped coordinate the Washington companies that exhibited together at the Paris Air Show. King said renting a Nimlok pavilion for 10 Washington companies to share saved a lot of money. There were much lower shipping costs because the pavilion was constructed and delivered through a European Nimlok distributor. "The pavilion concept works very well, we share expenses for floor space and have a lot more visibility, and sharing a pavilion saved each company about $10,000," King explained.
5. Expect the Unexpected
   • Even if you don't expect the unexpected, choose an exhibiting company that will, one that's prepared to handle every last minute glitch for you from design to dismantle. Look for a company that can really hold your hand through the process and offers a lot of extras such as, an experienced team providing on site spare parts, an after hours help line, and communication in English.
   • One of our clients, Chicago based Entity Nail Couture, recently learned the importance of having an overseas support team prior to exhibiting at the Nails, Beauty, Tanning Show in London. Nimlok Chicago created a custom 20' X 20' exhibit for this show. As the show approached, it was discovered that the exhibit would be too tall for their assigned space. Instead of changing the exhibit and incurring extra fees and rush charges, we contacted Duncan Currie, Nimlok's UK & European Services Operations Manager. Duncan stepped in and worked with the show organizer to secure a different space in the hall with higher ceiling heights. He also commissioned an electrical technician for the day to fit the exhibit with the proper wiring and transformers that met UK standards.
   • "Nimlok Chicago did a fantastic job meeting our needs and specifications," reports Vicki Heller, chief operating officer of Entity Nail Couture. "The new space they were able to secure for us at the show worked out great, we received many compliments and the show was extremely successful."

With 35 years of experience, Fernando Cruz, General Manager of Smits USA, a Mexican based toy manufacturer, is a seasoned veteran of exhibiting in the US and abroad. "If you want to develop new markets, you must understand that every country has a different way of doing business. Some companies try to apply the same formula to different countries and fail," Cruz explains. "Investigate the costs, the idiosyncrasies, and be very flexible and willing to learn."

With proper planning and selection of the right trade show solution provider, international exhibiting can not only be hassle free, it can be downright enjoyable.

Peter Crouch is co-president of Nimlok Chicago, a Nimlok distributor, and a Nimlok certified global consultant.