Trade Show Issues

Proactive Preparation
Marketing Materials

  Will your organization display equipment? Is that equipment controlled by the State Department or the Commerce Department? Do you intend to provide brochures about your product and services? If so, you may need to consider if your brochures are providing technical data. If you choose to provide technical specifications or technical details about your products and services you may need to clear your marketing materials through the Office of Security Review. Even displays and graphics can be considered providing too much information. Your compliance professional will understand the requirements for obtaining all the authorizations needed and will ensure that your marketing materials are cleared to provide to Foreign Nationals — preventing any unnecessary violations.

In addition to concerns about your marketing materials and displays and graphics, you must be aware of what you can and cannot say to Foreign Nationals regarding your products and services. It is easy to provide too much information when discussing a product or service with a Foreign National that seems to be well informed about what you are offering. Those individuals from your organization that intend to work a trade show must understand the difference between providing basic marketing information and providing too much information that would require an export license.