admin

A Checklist for International Exhibiting

One of the dicey aspect while exhibiting is when it comes down to international exhibiting. While exhibiting in another country, even the people who are experts in exhibiting and have gained years of experience sometimes lag behind and fall short of success bar. You will have a pre-conceived notion that since you know all the basics, you will be able to manage it. However, that is not the case with international exhibiting. So, you need to manage this out by checking out on the checklist that we have given you. If you can keep a straight check on these aspects, you will be able to manage the show successfully without any blunders.

International Exhibiting Checklist

Check our International exhibiting checklist for your reference:

1. Timeline: First and foremost thing when it comes to foreign exhibiting is the fact that you must prioritize and manage your work progress. Always know beforehand how you will be managing everything operational for your convenience. That is also important because until and unless you are not at the right place at the right time, how are you going to manage everything else moving forward? So when planning on the timeline, keep in mind these major aspects:

Passport and Visa: Your basic travelling documents should be ready at least 2 weeks before the show, and you must ensure that it is up to date without any kind of lag.

Airline and Hotel Reservations: Most of the exhibitions give you their timings and dates almost a year ahead, so you must book the flight tickets well in advance. Reserve yourself an accommodation which is closer to the exhibiting venue so that in the case of any emergency; you can be available at the location at the earliest.

Exhibit Transportation: Shipping of the exhibit to the venue is another daunting task that is taken care by the exhibit designer. But you must ensure that the exhibit shipping is well managed and handled by the exhibit house, and you must keep an eye on the procedure.

• Available Exhibition Services: You must know, what are the services that the exhibition organizer will be giving. So that you steer clear of those tasks and concentrate on other things that you have to do.

2. Budget Issues: With the dates nearing on the calendar and having prioritized your work, now you must get down to the task if managing the cost of the excursion. During exhibiting, most of the companies give the exhibitor a fixed budget which includes all the overall expenses and it is not as if it will be a free flow of money. So you must give your company an estimation of the expected budget for your convenience and for the company to arrange the funds timely.

Hidden Taxes and Service Charges: In advance, already ask your exhibit designer all the charges including VAT, service tax, shipping charges, the cost of the designs, drayage, etc. to ensure that there are no hidden costs.

Inclusive Pricing Details: Know every detail of the included services in the pricing details shared by the designer. Ensure that you know what all services you can avail so that when you are going out to pay, the designer does not back out of the services he promised.

Currency Fluctuations: Always ensure that you cut slack for the possibility of currency fluctuations and give your company a disclaimer in advance that there is a possibility of the fluctuation to happen in order to make them prepared in advance.

3. Exhibit Setup: Aim to make your exhibit design a rousing success in the exhibition and that will truly be achieved only when the design set up is perfect and seamlessly organized. Ensure that you make the right choices of having either the custom exhibit design or modular exhibit design and depending on your choices, finalize on the complete setup.

International Vendors: You must lay emphasis on outsourcing a team in the place where the venue of the exhibit is located. This is highly crucial to ensure that the designers know and understand the protocols and norms of exhibiting in the particular country and at the same time in case of any urgency, the situation can be handled by the in-house team then and there.

Shipping Costs: Even if you plan to build your exhibit in the foreign land, chances are you’ll be shipping some items from your country too. But whether it is your booth, demonstration equipment, product samples, or collateral literature, packing up your goods and sending them out into the world of exhibiting is a terrifying endeavor. Fortunately, this is one area where help is readily available.

Vendor Contracts and Deadlines: Always ensure that you work with the vendor on formal contracts with specified deadlines. There are a lot of times when your exhibitor designer might see some bumps in the road and decide to flee away; however a binding contract prevents such a situation.

I&D Crew: Your I&D crew must be vigilant and ready at the exhibit venue and in case if you have built & designed the stand on your own, then your crew must be available as soon as you reach the destination. So make advance bookings for that too.

Product Knowledge: Cram up your pitch and every detail about your product to ensure maximum ROI and sales.

So, once you have dotted a tick on each of these checklist points, you’re all prepped up for international exhibiting.