Stands at US trade shows: what differs

1–10 days

on-site build time, to which US handling services are added

Stand types

Freight and customs included

the scope we carry on transatlantic projects

Exhibition stand services

The general contractor system

At US shows the organiser appoints a general contractor, and most exhibitor services run through that firm: carpet, furniture, electrics, material handling, cleaning. The order forms live in their manual and carry deadlines.

Do not be put off by the size of the manual; the part you must read is small. Booth rules, the material handling tariff, labour rules and the order deadlines. Mark those four sections and the rest stays as reference. The manual is published months ahead and revised, so work from the current edition.

You can usually build your own stand with your team, but that normally requires advance notification and a certificate of insurance. Some services remain exclusive to the general contractor, with electrical connection and material handling at the top of the list.

That structure builds the budget differently from Europe. Production cost may be unchanged, but in-hall services form a separate total. Within our scope of services we manage those orders on the exhibitor’s behalf.

Material handling and the warehouse

Getting the freight to the venue is half the job. Moving it from the dock to the booth, storing the empty crates through the show and bringing them back for tear-down is a separately charged service, calculated on weight.

Where the empty crates live during the show is part of the same service. They are labelled, collected and returned to the booth at the end. The order in which they come back follows the hall programme, and if yours arrives late the strike finishes late. A legible label matters more here than people expect.

There are two routing options: send the shipment to an advance warehouse before the show, or deliver directly to the hall. The warehouse route fixes a delivery deadline and reduces dependence on show-floor traffic, at extra cost.

To keep this line from surprising the budget, work out the weight early. Timber is heavy; for a transatlantic show, aluminium structure and lightweight panels cut both the freight and the handling charge.

Dimensions, power and local rules

Booth space in the US is given in feet and inches. Converting a metric design accumulates small discrepancies; the right method is to check the drawing in local units from the start and set the panel module accordingly.

Standard booth sizes differ as well. In-line booths at US shows are commonly set out on a ten foot depth, with back wall height and side line-of-sight rules defined against it. A layout drawn with European habits does not map onto those rules cleanly.

Electrical supply differs as well. Check the operating range of any equipment brought from Turkey; incompatible items need a transformer or a local equivalent. That check matters most for light fittings.

In some cities, local labour rules govern who may carry out particular tasks. The show manual states which work falls where, and it varies by city. Read that section before drawing up the build plan.

Is it better to build the stand in the US?

For a one-off standard booth, usually yes: freight and handling fall away. For a bespoke stand that will be reused, producing in Turkey still makes sense.

Why is a certificate of insurance required?

Liability cover is a condition of working with your team. The certificate is prepared before the show; it cannot be produced on site.