Trade Show Issues

Proactive Preparation
Form, Fit, and Function

  Trade shows are difficult to license for marketing purposes because there is no guarantee who will attend, what branch of their government they will represent and what they will want to discuss. Those folks that work a trade show must remember to keep track of who they talk to (collecting business cards is an excellent way to manage this or having a sign in log in your booth), what they discuss and if they have authorization to discuss technical information with that foreign party.

The general rule of thumb for those folks that are working the show is to stick to form, fit, and function of your product or service and to put off any technical discussions for a later date when the proper authorizations can be made. Having cleared your materials in advance will allow you to provide as much information as possible to attract the interest of a potential customer, without crossing any export/import regulations and racking up costly violations.