International Exhibiting Glossary – Part 2

Note: this text is just a para-phrase, please click on video to watch the entire demo

Last week we started talking about glossary or terms used for international shows. I am focusing on Europe more but they are pretty much the same in Asia, Africa and other countries/continents. We walked through seven last week, so let’s pick up another seven this week.

  1. Carnet – This is like a temporary import bond. These are going to be required if you have a shipment going overseas and which you want to come back as well. A Carnet is going to be more expensive than a temporary import bond which I am not going deep into but just be aware that you are going to need one or the other.
  2. Customs Broker – These people or companies can get things through customs. They do all the paperwork and look for any duty fees, charges etc. that have to be added and clear them through customs. A lot of times the customs broker or customs house can clear stuff right on the show floor. You will have to look into the show kit to get more information on this.
  3. Gangways – A basic term that we call aisles in United States is called gangways in Europe.
  4. Sling – This is a European term used to hang overhead signs. They will put slings in the air and charge by the sling to hang your overhead signs.
  5. VAT (Value Added Tax) – Mostly in England, a VAT can be pretty sizable which is around 17% over and above the cost of the item, so it is a value added tax over an item. Now if you are an international traveler and have a lot of costs like hotels, hospitality etc. you don’t have to pay this tax. To make this clear, you will have to pay it upfront but then you can apply, by filling out a form by a certain date, to have the tax returned to you.
  6. Duty Fees – If you are bringing your exhibit over to the show and taking it back but also have give-aways and/or literature that you are handing out during the show, you will have to itemize all these materials and put a value to them and pay a duty fee. Something that you bring into the country and leave there is going to be charged a duty fee or a tax.
  7. A day rate – In United States the labor is billed at an hourly rate but in some countries you will see billed at half day or a day rate.

These are another set of 7 terms used in international exhibiting, we will keep going next week with more terms.

As always, please respond with your questions or comments and let others know about EXHIBITOR LOUNGE.COM. We will see you next week. Until then, I am your host Michael Gray telling you to RELAX in the Exhibitor Lounge.