We hope to exhibit internationally in 2021, and we'd like to leave our custom property at home. What are the bare-bones basics I need to know about renting exhibits internationally?

Growth for U.S.-based firms often means extending their marketing reach to other countries, and trade shows are a logical option. Exhibit rental, then, can be the best way to get started with international expansion.

First, space and size configurations at overseas shows vary considerably compared to standardized U.S. footprints. Your space could be an unusual size (e.g., 9-by-23 feet) that you'd almost never see in the States. Plus, you're dealing with the metric system almost everywhere else on the planet. A 10-by-10-foot exhibit you own here may not fit into a commensurate metric-based space at, say, a European show.

Second, the cost to ship your booth overseas can be exorbitant, and once it gets to its destination, it could need significant modifications to meet strict material and safety regulations of the country or venue. What's more, there also will be import taxes and customs duty fees. Renting an exhibit locally eliminates almost all of these costs.

In addition, you want the person handling your exhibit to be up to speed with the host country's labor policies, language, and culture, and working with a supplier in each country is far easier than trying to educate a U.S. exhibit house. Some American exhibit builders have offices around the world, and others have global partners they can connect you with to provide exhibit-rental services. Therefore, renting from an in-country exhibit provider, perhaps with the aid of your U.S. agency, is the easiest route to exhibiting abroad, especially if it's the first time your marketing program is crossing the border.

Given the benefits of international rental, it's a popular choice for U.S. companies. However, it has its quirks. Here are two key differences between U.S. and international rental practices.

Lead Time
When exhibiting abroad, you usually need to allow a minimum of three months to complete your rental design and get it approved by various authorities. Rental providers (along with custom builders) are required to submit designs for approval to the organizer and in some cases the venue. Required documentation can include risk assessments, methods statements, and health and safety declarations. Plus, some venues and countries require a list of all materials used in construction along with fire certificates for each one. When shipping an exhibit from the United States, some materials are restricted because they will not meet local fire regulations. And if you're using wood crates or pallets, these must have heat-treated stamps and certifications.

Bottom line: Rental designers need time to create your design and prepare the required documentation and approvals necessary to erect an exhibit. Plus, you'll lose a little time simply given potential time zone and language differences.

Turnkey Proposals
International exhibit-rental proposals are far more turnkey than their U.S. counterparts because the methods of delivery are different. In most cases, your exhibit provider will design the exhibit, purchase any materials necessary to construct it, transport it to the venue, deliver it to the space, and install and dismantle it. This same company's crew will run wiring for lighting, install monitors, and hook up any products you might have sent in advance. The company will also send a project manager or foreman that speaks English (although the crew may not all be English-speaking). Typically most international exhibit-rental arrangements are designed so all you must do is pop in a day or two before the show opens and then jet out of there at closing.

The few tasks not included in a turnkey proposal are on-site services. You may need to order the main power connection for the booth and secure services such as cleaning, Wi-Fi, catering, suspension wires for hanging signs, and waste removal. If you're shipping things such as products, literature, or equipment to the site, you'll also have to work out arrangements with a freight contractor, and you may need to pay for empty-container storage during the show. However, some rental providers will place all of these orders on your behalf, and often, they will store empty cases for products.

Of course, international exhibit rental varies considerably country to country and continent to continent. However, across the board, lead time and the scope of proposals are probably the most common differences between renting in the United States and renting abroad.