If you’re used to exhibiting in the UK and Europe, but have never exhibited in the USA before, there’s a lot to learn as the differences are huge.

In this article we give you our complete guide to planning an exhibition in the USA and how to navigate the process.

Biggest Differences Between Exhibiting in the UK and the USA

The three most important differences to note are:

1. You usually have to use a local crew to install and dismantle your stand… and they will charge A LOT.
2. You pay a fortune to get the stand from the venue loading bay to your space on the exhibition floor… and the heavier your stand, the higher the bill.
3. Your budget isn’t enough.

In the USA the majority of venues have agreements with a local union to provide all labour services.  This means that you can’t just hire a build crew, you need to use approved union labour.  You pay them by the hour, and once it’s after 4.30 pm (or at any time in the weekend) they charge time and a half or even double.  To make things even harder, the labour can sometimes be unskilled.

You’ll also find that the builders can’t touch the electrics because union electricians need to do that. There are many horror stories about exhibitors building something themselves, then watching it be taken down and put back up again by union workers!

The local union also provides “material handling” (also called drayage) which is the service of unloading your stand from the truck and taking it to the show floor.  This is a chargeable service, based on weight.  A heavy, wood-built stand, the type often seen in the UK, incurs a huge (often five-figure) drayage bill.

What you’ll also find is that carpentry is very expensive in the USA.  Getting a nice stand custom-built in the USA will be way more expensive than in the UK or Europe.  Most US trade shows are filled with boring, modular, boxy stands that are lightweight and easy to build.

How to Stand Out When Exhibiting in the USA?

So, how do you stand out from the competition? Here are the lessons we have learned from over 15 years of building exhibition stands for shows in the USA:

1. Believe it or not, it’s way cheaper to build your stand in the UK and ship it to the USA than to build it locally.  Just allow 10 weeks for sea freight so the stand can make its way to the USA and pay for one of the carpenters to fly to the states to oversee the build.
2. Know the rules where you are exhibiting.  In some cities like Atlanta, you don’t need to worry about union labour.  In others, like Boston for example, you need to be really careful and do everything by the book.
3. We have developed a network of exhibition labour providers that deliver excellent quality build services at the same price as the less reliable on-site providers.  Our crews are all union members so they are allowed to work in the venues.
4. When working out the design we always consider weight as well as look and speed to build.  This can save you thousands on the overall costs.
5. Audio-visual elements are hard to ship from the UK. These are usually rented and the rental provider won’t want to lose them for 20+ weeks to cover shipping and the show, so they should be sourced in the USA.
6. If you are going to exhibit consistently in the USA then storage needs to be really carefully considered.  It’s so expensive to build that once built, stand items should be stored.  But, in turn, the USA is absolutely vast so choosing the right storage location is essential.  For example San Diego to Boston is 3000 miles or a 5 day drive!

Exhibit Successfully in the USA with Generation Exhibitions

The US market is incredibly lucrative, so it’s worth putting in the effort required to exhibit successfully. Bear in mind the following three rules of three and you should have a relatively stress-free experience:

• Start planning 3 months earlier than you normally would.
• Budget 3 times as much as you normally would.
• Spend 3 times as long on the design as you normally would.

If you’re still struggling to navigate the intricacies of exhibiting in the USA, we’re happy to help. With over 15 years of experience in exhibition stand design and build in the United States, we can expertly manage your project to ensure it all goes smoothly.

Contact us today with your brief and let us turn your ideas into reality!