Cultural Differences: Be Prepared to Enjoy

If you're a North American attendee or exhibitor in your first tradeshow in Germany, you need to know that things are different. However, the differences are nothing you can't cope with — as long as you're prepared.

Following are some suggestions about the what to do and expect when participating in German shows. They're from David Audrain, president of Messe Frankfurt USA, and Joachim Schafer, managing director of Messe Duesseldorf.

• Don't wait for your pre-printed badge to come in the mail. Most European shows use tickets.
• Find a contractor. German show managers do not have general service contractor arrangements as in the United States. Exhibitors in Germany make all their own arrangements for booth setup and almost everything else they need. In many cases, that even includes hiring their own caterers.
• Make your own hotel reservations, and be prepared to pay dearly for your room. There are typically no U.S.-style room blocks reserved for attendees in European shows. It's every person for him- or herself and, with the larger shows in the larger cities, accommodations can be hard to find if you don't plan far enough in advance. Even if you do, they can be quite expensive.
• Don't expect to see a floorplan before you rent booth space. In German shows, exhibitors apply for the amount of space they think they will need. Then, in due time, they receive a stand (booth) confirmation showing the size and configuration of their space, its location in the hall and its immediate neighbors.
• Take any deadlines you're given seriously, particularly for ordering booth space. For most shows the application deadline is absolute: If an exhibitor misses it, he has no chance to get in.
• Order some thick foam for the floor of your booth. There's no soft carpeting and rarely any cushioning for your feet in German shows. You must specify the number of inches of foam to get an American-style show carpet feeling. Otherwise, you'll get a thin layer of carpeting on bare concrete.
• Remember that Europeans use high-test electricity: 220 volts. If you don't prepare for that, you'll face the ultimate show-stoppers: fried circuitry, exploding demo products and bursting spotlights.
• Don't expect pipe and drape; it doesn't exist. Everything is hard-wall construction.
• Wear comfortable shoes. Some shows are large, spanning dozens of halls, millions of square feet and miles of aisles. Come prepared to be kind to your feet.
• Use public transportation. It works well, saves money and is an excellent way to get to know an unfamiliar marketplace.
• Forget everything you've just read when you exhibit at or attend a show organized by a German messe in another country. They faithfully follow local tradeshow conventions wherever they go.