EMT #45 with Stephen Benedetti - Exhibiting Across Borders: What U.S. Marketers Can Learn from Europe

In this episode of Event Marketer’s Toolbox, hosts Chris Dunn and Dana Esposito sit down with Stephen Benedetti, International Business Development Director at Heilmayer Messe Design in Munich, Germany, to discuss what it really takes for American exhibitors to succeed in Europe.

Stephen has lived and worked on both sides of the Atlantic, helping brands translate their trade show strategies for an entirely different landscape. From construction rules and costs to design philosophy and cultural nuances, this episode breaks down the why behind the differences — and how understanding them can make or break your next international activation.

1. Design philosophies are fundamentally different.
In the U.S., exhibitors design for efficiency, modularity, and speed. In Europe, design is an art form. Booths often use real materials — wood, glass, metal — with higher craftsmanship and integrated hospitality spaces. Stephen explains how these elements shift both expectations and execution.

2. Labor, rigging, and electrical costs operate on a different model.
Unlike in the U.S., where union rules dominate show floors, European venues take a more streamlined approach. “There are no electricians in the halls here,” Stephen notes, explaining how this flexibility can lead to more creative and cost-effective builds — if teams plan correctly.

3. Sustainability isn’t a selling point — it’s the standard.
European exhibitors approach sustainability as the default. Components are reused, rental systems are optimized, and the entire process focuses on longevity. Stephen highlights how this mindset not only reduces waste but often saves money over time.

4. Cultural fluency is key to success.
Language, communication style, and work culture all influence how international projects unfold. Stephen stresses the importance of trust and collaboration: “Give your local partners the freedom to work to their strengths. Don’t just send your design and say, ‘Build this like we did it in the States.’”

5. Experience and hospitality drive engagement.
Trade shows in Europe are as much about relationship-building as they are about sales. Exhibitors invest in welcoming lounges, espresso bars, and conversation spaces. It’s not just about attracting attention — it’s about creating connections.

Exhibiting internationally is more than just a logistical challenge — it’s a mindset shift.

This conversation with Stephen Benedetti pulls back the curtain on what makes European shows tick: deeper craftsmanship, flexible operations, and a genuine culture of sustainability and hospitality.

Whether you’re planning your first overseas activation or refining your global event strategy, this episode is packed with actionable insights to help you design smarter, build stronger, and connect deeper with audiences around the world.

👉🏼 Join us for more insightful discussions like this by tuning into 'Event Marketer's Toolbox,' where industry leaders share the tools, tactics, and trends driving success in the event world.

This Show is sponsored by Blue Hive

📅 Join us LIVE every Thursday at 12 PM ET on LinkedIn

Follow Us on LinkedIn and YouTube

Subscribe to our Newsletter!

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome & introductions
• 5:39 Stephen’s journey: from the U.S. to Munich
• 10:39 Key design and build differences between U.S. and Europe
• 18:39 The truth about electrical, rigging and labor costs abroad
• 27:39 Why raised floors and craftsmanship define European design
• 38:39 Sustainability as a cultural standard
• 47:39 Communication, culture and collaboration across borders
• 56:39 Two golden rules for U.S. exhibitors in Europe
• 1:00:39 Wrap-up and final insights

Transcript

0:00:01

(Chris Dunn)

Hey, hello, and welcome to the Event Marketers Toolbox. I am Chris Dunn. I'm with Blue Hive Exhibits. I got some friends with me today, and we're going to chat about exhibiting in Europe and the things that might be different between doing it in the United States, North America in general, and in the European marketplace. Joining me, as she often does, Dana Esposito. Hey, Dana, how are you? 

0:00:24

(Dana Esposito)

Hey guys. So yeah, I'm Dana Esposito. I work at Blue Hive Exhibits. I've been in the industry about 30 years, both as an exhibit designer, creative director, and corporate strategist. And we're excited because we're here today with Stephen Benedetti. Benedetti? 

0:00:41

(Stephen Benedetti)

Benedetti, you got it. 

0:00:43

(Dana Esposito)

I've known you for a long time, Stephen, so it's great that I just massacred that, but I'm famous for massacring words. A little dyslexic in there makes things fun. So Stephen, you want to go ahead and introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your background? 

0:00:55

(Speaker 16)

Sure. 

0:00:55

(Stephen Benedetti)

So. As mentioned, my name is Stephen Benedetti. I work at Heilmayer Messe Design in Munich, Germany. I'm American. I grew up in Massachusetts, not far away from Blue Hive. I got into the trade show industry in the late 90s, living in Prescott, Arizona, for a small boutique house called Dietergen Ball, which coincidentally was a German man that ran it. 

0:01:20

(Stephen Benedetti)

And I came to Heilmayer in 2001, before the Euro happened. And so I've been there a long time, almost 20, April will be 25 years in Germany and at Heilmayer. I was for a long time, mostly a project manager. But since about 2019, I've phased out of that and moved more into business development, international business development, and that side of the business while still being internal support for our project managers. 

0:01:51

(Speaker 23)

Awesome. 

0:01:52

(Chris Dunn)

Well, thanks for joining us. We'll get to a fun little story of how Stephen and I met coincidentally, not coincidentally. But before we do that, we're going to talk a little bit about our sponsors. So Blue Hive, both Dana and I work for Blue Hive. We're a 20 -year -old creative agency. We're based here in Worcester, Massachusetts, which is about an hour outside of Boston. 

0:02:18

(Chris Dunn)

A couple of years ago, we formalized our actual brick and mortar location in Las Vegas. We'd been working there for several years through groups. And then we opened our shop, our warehouse. So we just expanded that again, because there's so much going on there. We've got 50 ,000 square feet of warehouse shop and office space in Vegas. And we handle really kind of all of our West Coast activity out of that space. 

0:02:43

(Chris Dunn)

I think we're a really well -rounded you know, right -sized group for a lot of companies that are out there. We're bigger than a boutique agency. So we bring more resources to the table. And at the same time, we are not one of the real big giants where most companies get lost and become just kind of a number, unless you have a multi, multi -million -dollar program. So we're, we're super creative. We're great on the customer service end. 

0:03:08

(Chris Dunn)

And I think we bring a lot of great things to the table. Uh, we have great partners like Steven, uh, over in, in, uh, in Europe as well, when we expand more globally. Uh, in addition to that, we have a group, uh, an agency called fist bump and these guys help us produce this podcast. Uh, the story with that is I got involved with the owner a couple of years ago. Uh, it was really more of kind of, uh, helping with my LinkedIn presence and personal brand. And then that spilled into like, how do we help blue hive? 

0:03:37

(Chris Dunn)

And at the end of the day, you know, the conversation switched from. personal brand to like, you know, there's a lot of thought leadership that could happen within your industry. And a great vehicle for that is producing a podcast. So this is exactly how this whole thing has come about. Um, here we are staring, you know, closely into 2026. We've been doing these, uh, shows and podcasts for, uh, you know, since the beginning of the year. 

0:04:04

(Chris Dunn)

And we're just having amazing conversations with so many industry and event and. trade show type of leaders learning a lot. And then we get to take that content and we get to share it out. So thanks to the folks at Fist Bump. Juana's behind the scenes today. She's a fantastic producer and she's going to keep us between the sticks, I'm sure. 

0:04:23

(Chris Dunn)

So having said all that, I'm going to kick it back over to Dana and we'll start with our questions for Mr. Benedetti. 

0:04:30

(Dana Esposito)

Sure. So my first question actually is kind of just me being nosy. So you've been in Germany 25 years. 

0:04:37

(Stephen Benedetti)

Whereabouts in Germany? Sitting right in the middle of Munich, Germany, which is in the southern part of the country. We're a good distance away from Frankfurt and Berlin and the Köln -Düsseldorf area, where those are the major hubs for trade shows. 

0:04:53

(Dana Esposito)

Munich is a little bit isolated from all of that, but we're our own thing down here. I'm obviously familiar with Düsseldorf because of Euroshop. 

0:05:00

(Stephen Benedetti)

So how long would it take you to get from where you are to Düsseldorf by car or train? If the train runs smoothly, it's about a four hour train trip. 

0:05:10

(Speaker 4)

Ours, between four and five hours, depending on traffic. 

0:05:13

(Dana Esposito)

Okay. Okay. I'm an American still. So like I do everything by how long does it take? 

0:05:17

(Stephen Benedetti)

Not if I have many miles or kilometers. Yeah. And also being in Germany that long, are you able to speak German as well? Yeah, that was one of the main reasons I took this job offer in 2001. I liked the idea of learning a new language. If I had known how difficult German language was, I don't know that I would have come. 

0:05:40

(Stephen Benedetti)

It is an incredibly difficult language to pick up as an adult learner of languages. But the company I work for is a small family -run Bavarian company. 

0:05:50

(Dana Esposito)

Bavaria is the state in which Munich is. And I'm the only English speaker there. Other people have it as a second language. 

0:06:00

(Stephen Benedetti)

So you had to sink or swim. Right, let's go. 

0:06:04

(Dana Esposito)

That's probably the best way to learn it. Yeah, they provided one -on -one tutoring for the first six months that I was there, and then they paid for language lessons continuing for the next number of years. And so I did get a lot of support from the company. 

0:06:18

(Chris Dunn)

I adore it when people can speak more than one language. I love it. All right, that was just me being nosy. If I could parlay on that a couple of things. So Stephen is one of our partners and we do a lot of work back and forth together. One of the things that makes working with Stephen so easy is that as an American, somebody who knows the business in the U . 

0:06:40

(Chris Dunn)

S. and then went to Europe, you've got kind of a foot in both camps. So you kind of know what we're dealing with over here. We're going to get a lot more into that, obviously, today. What are the similarities? What are the differences and so forth? 

0:06:52

(Chris Dunn)

I don't know. A few months ago, we were working on a project and we were on a call much like this, a Zoom call or a Teams call. Stephen just started speaking in German and he didn't realize it until, until basically he's looking at me like, Chris, why haven't you answered me? 

0:07:09

(Stephen Benedetti)

And I'm like, yeah, for the last five, 10 seconds, you've been rambling in German. I don't know what you're saying. 

0:07:17

(Dana Esposito)

So, um, I've always found that. when I'm speaking English and I'll suddenly use a German word for something, it'll just sort of like trigger the German language and it'll just start coming out without me being aware in any. So if it happens during this conversation, I apologize. Well, don't apologize. And here's funny. So, so I deal with, I deal with some college students, part of the EDPA mentorship program. 

0:07:40

(Dana Esposito)

And there are some of them who English is a second language for them and they're still working on it. a little bit trying to polish it up and every now and then they'll trip on a word. I remember there was one young woman from Moldova And she's very talented. She's from Bemidji State University. And she said she was nervous to speak or present in front of people because her English she felt like wasn't very good. Although for me going, this is your second language you're doing brilliantly. 

0:08:06

(Dana Esposito)

And so I said to her before she went to do her portfolio presentation, I said, you have to remember that for most of us in the States, not all, we don't have a second language. So when you, when you pause and she's like, what if I have to stop? I said, that's okay. 

0:08:20

(Speaker 22)

Be like, Oh, I'm thinking what's the word for, I said, we find it charming and adorable. 

0:08:24

(Dana Esposito)

Like, so you're panicking and we're going, Oh my God, like, this is adorable. 

0:08:29

(Stephen Benedetti)

Like, can you imagine she's so she's like, Oh, that made me feel so much better. So yeah. 

0:08:35

(Dana Esposito)

So don't ever apologize. 

0:08:37

(Speaker 15)

And much in the same way that we as native English speakers find certain accents attractive or cute or sophisticated, the American accent in German has its own charm for the native Germans. 

0:08:50

(Chris Dunn)

So I use that to my advantage sometimes. 

0:08:53

(Stephen Benedetti)

That's good. 

0:08:53

(Speaker 21)

Yeah, yeah. 

0:08:54

(Chris Dunn)

You speak German with an American accent? Oh, an incredibly strong American accent. 

0:08:58

(Stephen Benedetti)

Okay. So people know right away. 

0:09:00

(Speaker 20)

They're like, oh, Americano. 

0:09:01

(Dana Esposito)

They know English right away. They don't always get American, but they know English. Okay. Oh, sorry. 

0:09:11

(Speaker 19)

Back to, all right. 

0:09:12

(Dana Esposito)

So I'm going to start us off and I know you're going to have a lot of, we'll probably get sidetracked with a lot of stories, partly because we all know each other, but also because you're, you have a lot of just legitimate examples you can give, um, to help people understand some of these things. So I'm going to kick it off by talking just in very general, um, you know, exhibiting in Europe versus the United States and just help set us to state, help us set the stage on understanding why U . 

0:09:37

(Stephen Benedetti)

S. trade show experience doesn't always true. overseas? Yeah, Yeah, probably the biggest reason that it doesn't translate 100 % easily are some standard rules and regulations. When we're talking before we started, you mentioned the cubic concept where you can use the complete all wall space that you've rented. to design your booth. 

0:10:05

(Stephen Benedetti)

In America, it's a very difficult thing to do. You usually have to have setbacks and open areas for sight lines and all of that. And we don't have that as a rule. Actually, anywhere in the world, that's a fairly unusual thing, much like using inches and feet. It's a very American thing. So that affects the design right off the bat, that we can build higher and to the aisles all around. 

0:10:32

(Stephen Benedetti)

So immediately an American design saying, hey, could you reproduce this, you know, 20 by 30 for us in Europe, the design doesn't translate 100%. We already have to begin changing it right off the bat. 

0:10:48

(Dana Esposito)

So it's difficult to do that, to reproduce 100 % what somebody is already being successful with in the States. And that's difficult to do. bring over to people who are new on the international scene. When I'm wearing my designer hat, when I first encountered that years ago, for for like an American designer, we love that. Like, oh, I get to use full cupid content because we're so used to from show to show, not only having rules or certain shows like NRF in New York City has really strict rules. It's not just like the height of the sign, or maybe some shows have like the distance between the bottom of the sign and the top of floor -based components. 

0:11:33

(Dana Esposito)

And then there's setback rules or some rules versus traffic line rules. And so, as a designer, especially if you're designing a show in the States and they say, oh, you're a full cubit contact, that designer is doing like cartwheels on the inside of their brain. They love it. Um, cause it's just not something we normally get to do. And we get to not only really use the client's, um, uh, dollar as, as efficiently as possible. 

0:11:57

(Dana Esposito)

We get to make an exhibit that stands out beautifully, but yeah, it is definitely tricky trying to have like the same exhibit look, look the same, uh, structurally. overseas in the states and there's usually like say in the opposite direction say an international company wants to exhibit in the states and they'll say we already have a design if they've never exhibit here before we have to explain you know, some of the cost differences and why and which things we need to get rid of right off the bat to save them a lot of money. And they're like, why can't I, I want a raised floor. I want a complex ceiling. It's not that they can't have it. It's that some of the rules and regs won't allow them or they're going to use up a lot of their budget on that. 

0:12:39

(Stephen Benedetti)

And we're trying to put the money into other things. 

0:12:42

(Dana Esposito)

Um, so there's definitely kind of that translation at the end of the day, a United States designer can still take that design and they will look they won't look like twins, but they'll definitely look like siblings or cousins, right? 

0:12:55

(Stephen Benedetti)

So it still has strong brand continuity and function. 

0:13:00

(Dana Esposito)

But that's, yeah, I would focus on the branding, the color schemes, the logos, but not on the, not on the physical shapes. Exactly. That's the part that gets, where you lose some value by trying to stick too close to the American design. 

0:13:16

(Stephen Benedetti)

What are some of the other things when you have a company from the States who wants to exhibit over in Europe? What are other things that are differences that, especially if someone hasn't exhibited over in Europe yet, what are some of the things you find are right off the bat, you need to explain to them so they can have a really successful exhibit and show. One of the big changes in terms of everything that will go into creating the stand and the budget for the stand is the idea of what is possible to do on the show floor in Europe in general or in the world in general. In America, venue to venue, it's very dependent upon how strong the union is in that city or in that hall, doing your own electricity, doing your own rigging, those sorts of things. have a lot of cost attached to them in the States. 

0:14:07

(Stephen Benedetti)

In Europe, or in most of the world as far as I know, electricity is a good example. You order from the venue a main line connection, 400 volt, and that's all you order. You say, I want this in the corner of my booth, and you come and that will be there. Then our team, the team that's building the booth, will come in with a distributor box, connect it, and then lay out all the cables that you need themselves. It doesn't need to be planned in advance with a strange team, with Sparky. So you can lay them wherever you want. 

0:14:48

(Stephen Benedetti)

And then the double floor that goes on top of that allows us to hide all wires without having bumps and people walking over it and cut cords and fire hazard and all of that. So that's one very big change, which really enables an exhibitor to have as much electricity on the booth as they want. As many small plugins without having to worry about, oh, that's going to cost me $120 to put a point there, $120 to put a point there. We can run an extension cord if it's a last minute thing. It's not a big deal. The second one would be rigging. 

0:15:25

(Stephen Benedetti)

is a good one. A rigging team in Chicago. I think I want to say it's like $700 an hour for straight time, which is with the cherry picker, a man up top, and one or two spotters on the floor. In Europe, you would order your hanging points, which can be expensive. There's cost involved. But when our team shows up, the wires are hanging down where we want them. 

0:15:53

(Stephen Benedetti)

We can put our own pulleys onto them if we have them, or we can have rented motorized hoists or whatever it might be. build our truss, hook it up, raise it up, put our hanging sign on there, raise it up, and there's no third party involved. 

0:16:09

(Speaker 18)

It's just having the hanging points where they need to be. 

0:16:13

(Dana Esposito)

And so those are the things that enable a much different overall look. When you can have a booth lighted from truss above with a hanging sign that doesn't involve electricians or riggers, you have a lot more opportunity for expression. So, yeah. 

0:16:34

(Stephen Benedetti)

So let's, to show the vast contrast in that, if, if I'm like, say someone's listening to this later, like on YouTube or what have I, what have you, and they're international and they're like, oh yeah, of course, that's how we do it here. You know, why, what, what, how do they do it in the States? 

0:16:50

(Chris Dunn)

Do you want, can you want to explain more of the, even from the other side of things? 

0:16:56

(Dana Esposito)

Well, I think you guys should explain the American side more than I, because I've been over here to almost 25 years now. 

0:17:02

(Speaker 5)

So things may have changed since I was there. 

0:17:05

(Chris Dunn)

What he sees every day is the norm, as opposed to what this insanity that we're, that we do here. All right, Chris, you're on. All right. So, actually, Stephen, you and I were talking about this a little bit earlier. Let's, before we do that, let's start with you painting a very specific picture. 

0:17:23

(Chris Dunn)

So in the United States, we built a booth, we load a truck, it's shipped off. From our shop standpoint, those guys are done. They're pretty much done, right? They've packed it up, they put it into the crates, into crates, not on skids typically, into crates and put it in a truck. That hits the dock at the show hall. Teamsters or whatever, you know union controls that they unload it. 

0:17:47

(Chris Dunn)

They take it to the uh to They they take it somehow it costs as much to ship it across the country as it does for a fork truck to grab a truck The crate take it off put it on the dock and then bring it to your booth space So in the u . s. We call that material handling or we call it dredge one in the same pretty much for the most part um And that's why things in the US, there's so many parties that touch an exhibit. There's so much that's out of the control of the exhibitor or out of the trade show exhibit house. And a lot of times this is where the European exhibitors who are coming over are like, why are you guys so expensive? And we're like, you don't understand. 

0:18:26

(Chris Dunn)

We can't control the costs that are coming from the show hall. So there's that drage piece, which is big. It's a big number. By the way, dirty little secret, when the show organizer, the association or whoever it is, goes to the GC and says, we would like all the signage. We would like our reception area. We would like our registration desks. 

0:18:46

(Chris Dunn)

We don't want to pay anything for that. And the GC goes, absolutely. Of course, we're going to work that in. You know where that number goes? That goes into the dreyage. So ultimately, the exhibitors pay for it. 

0:18:56

(Chris Dunn)

It just doesn't show up as necessarily as a line item. Pre -COVID, we would deal with $75 to $100 per 100 weight or something like that. Now we see charges that are $200 and $300 per 100 weight. So that cost has literally tripled in some areas. And again, these are all aspects that are really important. in the United States expensive, for good, bad, or indifferent. 

0:19:21

(Chris Dunn)

So obviously, so you got the unions that are involved in most of the cities. At the very least, I'm not getting on a fork truck and I'm driving it around. So the pieces, even in non -union cities like in Orlando or Atlanta, New Orleans and so forth, that piece comes to me. And that's, again, that's drainage material handling. We have electricians unions or groups, and then you have carpentry and you have decorators and you have riggers and you have all these other entities that you guys don't have over there. I guess on the good side for an exhibitor is like the exhibit company doesn't need to send in a team to do this. 

0:20:02

(Chris Dunn)

There are people who are employed on site that can handle all of those things. You don't need to have a team flown or driven in and staying in hotels because the guys or gals who execute these services are resident in that hall. The electricians They have a presence there. There are electricians. You go to the desk, I need an electrician to plug in some stuff and hang a TV or whatnot. 

0:20:26

(Dana Esposito)

Same thing with the builders and the riggers who hang the signs and everything. 

0:20:32

(Speaker 17)

That just is the way that it works predominantly in the North American marketplace. 

0:20:38

(Chris Dunn)

I've been to a few spots in Canada who have done this. 

0:20:46

(Speaker 4)

I can't see anything and I think I'm gone. 

0:20:49

(Stephen Benedetti)

No, we can still see and hear you. 

0:20:51

(Chris Dunn)

Okay, all right, great. I can see nothing. This is fantastic. Okay, but you're still there. 

0:20:56

(Stephen Benedetti)

Okay, great. All right, so folks who are exhibiting in the United States on a regular basis, that's kind of what they see, right? So we know this to be kind of our norm, right? Let's have you kind of walk us through what does that look like from the european standpoint um you've got a shop your guys are are building um the exhibit for the exhibitor what happens once they're done building that what does that process of going forward tend to look like okay so we don't tend to have uh like walls ready made walls that we take out of crates and just cam lock together anything like that everything is built more on site, things are packed on skids or pallets that can be collapsed once they're empty in order to save space. In the warehouse, it works the same though. 

0:21:46

(Stephen Benedetti)

We prepare the booth to be shipped, loaded, and gets loaded onto a truck at our warehouse. The truck drives to the venue. There is like a marshalling yard they need to check in. Often you have to book a slot. Maybe a slot will cost 50 or 75 euros, but often it doesn't cost anything. You park, you call a phone number, and the companies who run the forklifts on site, you can't bring your own forklift, but there's companies that will come and they'll unload your truck. 

0:22:16

(Stephen Benedetti)

Usually one to two hours to unload a truck at 75 to 100 euros an hour. And that's about all of the material handling costs that there are for that. If you come with a, if you have a smaller booth that you have a truck with a, with like a gate lift on it, you could unload it all yourself if it's set up for that with a, with a hand jack and a pallet jack and just bring it all in yourself. You don't have to work with the forklifts if you don't want to. And if the booth is capable of it. After that, like I said earlier, the electricity, the main connection should be there. 

0:22:52

(Stephen Benedetti)

So you begin laying out your electricity yourselves. Your team unpacks all the electrical that you sent, because we have to send all the electrical with, all the cords, all the power boxes, all the multiplugs. all the lights. They begin unpacking all of that. If there's something to hang, they'll begin building the truss and the lighting rig and the hanging signs. you don't have to deal with anybody else on site. 

0:23:21

(Stephen Benedetti)

It's just the teams who, and as a rule, they're teams that you know, like we know the people building it. In our case, there's companies that we've, there's a couple of builders that we've been working with. We subcontract them out. They're independent contractors, but we've been working with them. They were working for Heilmayer before I showed up in 2001. That's how long we've been working with them. 

0:23:46

(Chris Dunn)

So in advance, we'll have sit down meetings with them to go through the plan so they know everything that needs to be there. 

0:23:52

(Stephen Benedetti)

If it's a complicated build, as anybody in the industry knows, there are more and less complicated builds. If it's a complicated one, it's a good chance that they will have participated in the packing and the organizing of it. So they know everything that's there and that it's there, which is, we've all had that happen. It's really handy to have all your stuff. Yeah, and it isn't 100 % given that it's all there, but it'll all get there. And then, yeah, and then the booth gets built without, like I said, without having to deal with any other subcontractors that are part of the venue. 

0:24:28

(Stephen Benedetti)

The one part that we have that is and is a cost factor that is not in the States is the storage of empty crates during the show on site costs quite a bit of money and it can easily run into a couple thousand euros. 

0:24:47

(Chris Dunn)

It's done by volume. So how big are the are the crates that you're storing each one is measured ladder is measured, all of these sorts of things. And that's why we try to pack in crates that are collapsible, because then you can stack pallets on top of each other. And it's better than having these big crates that are standard in the US, because you don't get charged by volume. 

0:25:15

(Speaker 12)

Right. 

0:25:15

(Stephen Benedetti)

We just pay through the nose for the drainage from the start. So I mean, they get you coming and going for sure. So will you guys typically, or often anyways, Let's say it's just more pallets, it's a smaller booth and you're able to wheel things in on carts and pallets with pallet jacks and so forth. Will you tend to put those back on the truck so that there is no charge or does it really vary depending on if you own the truck or if you've hired that truck? 

0:25:46

(Speaker 16)

Right. 

0:25:46

(Speaker 5)

You could do it if you had your own trucks, but it gets, it gets difficult because it's the end. 

0:25:53

(Stephen Benedetti)

And so, uh, everybody wants to get out of there. It's hard to get your trucks back in there. Um, so it's possible with some smaller shows where you can load everything in a, in a small truck with a power lift, then yeah, it'll all go back into the truck afterwards. 

0:26:08

(Speaker 7)

Gotcha. 

0:26:09

(Chris Dunn)

Okay. And sometimes even on bigger builds, some will go into the truck and some will go to storage. Just, you know, we want to get the truck out of here, but we still have another day of work to do. So the final things go into storage on site. Right, right, right. You know, I haven't done myself. 

0:26:28

(Chris Dunn)

I have not done a ton of shows in Europe, but I've done several. And I actually love the built up floor, the raised floor. I think just gives you so many options, especially you guys have a lot of peninsulas and double wall peninsulas is what we'd kind of call basically you get neighbors on the backsides. And a lot of times that that means that you're building a wall. Right. And I love the idea that you can you can sort of 

0:26:55

(Chris Dunn)

or bolt your walls to the floor. 

0:26:58

(Stephen Benedetti)

You can't do that in most situations in the US because we're talking about either vinyl or pad and carpet on a cement concrete floor. So we're not like bolting into that. But when you have a raised floor, you can attach things to it. It just gives you extra added stability for those walls without having to add in lots of jogs and other kind of panels that come forward to go backwards or whatever. So just add the ability to kind of have more stability and keep it super clean and straight without creating a lot of jogging back and forth and stuff. And not just that, Chris, which is true and exactly what you're saying is true, but the double floor allows for base plates to be used for real extra stability. 

0:27:43

(Stephen Benedetti)

So one time we built a two -tiered glass tower out of three foot by three foot glass panels. It was six feet wide, two in the front, two in the back, and then 18 feet high. And it was based, it had just two module like octanorm pillars that everything was attached to. That was all that was visible. And underneath we had underneath our double floor, we had base plates that weighed like 1000 pounds each to keep it all stable. 

0:28:20

(Dana Esposito)

But and so what appeared on the floor looks super clean. Yeah, right. Was this a super clean glass tower that went up? And you can't do that with without a double floor. And so it gives other building opportunities. 

0:28:35

(Chris Dunn)

Absolutely. And design -wise, I know designers, we love the look of that, you know, and if we tried to achieve that in the States without the double floor, we would have a base plate, a big base plate that would either be under the carpet or some sort of riser that would be seen, it'd be exposed so it wouldn't have that really clean look. Even just having super clean kiosks on one little post coming up from a raised floor, it's so slick. and just visually appealing, and we can't always get away with that without a raised floor structure. 

0:29:14

(Dana Esposito)

A question I have. 

0:29:16

(Chris Dunn)

If I could just clarify that for, again, mostly for folks who are maybe newer, is we can do raised floors in the United States, and we do them. We don't do them at the same percentage as the Europeans do. That's kind of the default, pretty much. Unless you say no raised floor, you're going to get a raised floor there. It's almost the opposite with us. Agreed. 

0:29:36

(Dana Esposito)

And for that reason, most Americans aren't paying attention. And I do notice that when we do have raised floors, there's a major tripping hazard because people are not used to stepping up and into a booth. So I think I've seen, especially with the advent and widespread usage of LED inexpensive LED tapes and so forth and lighting, you can run, you know, a lighting piece around the perimeter of that raised floor and really illuminate the heck out of that. And hopefully, if people aren't just staring at their phones while they're walking along, they will see that, that piece. 

0:30:11

(Stephen Benedetti)

So anyways, just, just heads up to to those folks who are who are newer to the American, you know, North American exhibit marketplace, we can do race for us. They're just they tend to be more expensive. Yeah. So Stephen, can you tell talk a little bit about like, I remember years ago, when I first started in the industry, I was always surprised. When they talked about building on show site so because from my experience building a show page site really meant assembling the exhibit on show site where overseas building on show site literally could sometimes mean like there's a saw and there's spackle and there's paint. 

0:30:48

(Stephen Benedetti)

Can you talk a little bit about that? You're exactly correct. There isn't the control of the union stewards or unions saying who is allowed to do what. We built a small stand in January, which had a truss, a pro -light truss frame, and then we built a wooden framework around it on -site, cut to form in order to fit exactly 12 -foot high, 10 -foot wide, curved sliding glass doors. there's no, and the glass doors were only delivered, like we didn't, we couldn't pre -fit them. They were only delivered to show site. 

0:31:37

(Dana Esposito)

So there was no way to not build it conventionally on the show floor to make sure everything fit to the millimeter, which it needed to do. And that there was painting and there was spackle and there were saws. And it, it's a normal, it's a, it's an easy thing to do. It's a, it's a standard thing to do, but it's becoming less and less the, the norm because of sustainability issues. When you do that, it's not reusable. It all gets broken down afterwards. 

0:32:10

(Dana Esposito)

Sustainability is worldwide a big topic in basically every branch. Yeah, yeah. Well, and even just think of so I know in the States, we have more room to store things, right. And we're, we're often like, always trying to look out for the client's interest of not just sustainability, but like cost efficiencies, and things like that, or much something's custom, but it's very modular. So whether we're using traditional wooden laminate panels with rotor locks, using some sort of extrusion like, you know, Alley Vision B -Matrix, what have you, we're always planning to reuse those again later. 

0:32:48

(Dana Esposito)

So whether the client owns them and they're going to use them or they're rental, or your booth could, your stand could be a hybrid of some of your existing components that you own and some rental components, the thought is always to use them again later. And so unless the client says to us, like, price this like it's an event and never gonna be used again, we also don't typically value engineer in that way. So like a really good example, when I was at Euroshop, I was not just looking at the exhibits, I'm like bending around to see like with a seam and how things are put together. And there was this large fabric wall printed, it was really beautiful, had lighting inside. And when I kind of deliberately, you couldn't see unless you were looking for it, like I was doing that. I was trying to see how it was assembled and the fabric was just stretched around the wood. 

0:33:36

(Dana Esposito)

The wood was painted on the front and spackled. So that means when it got taken down, it couldn't be used again, at least in that form again. The fabric was stretched around and stapled on the back. So it didn't have like a finished edge or what have you. And then there were lights that you could see if you went looking for them or in the States that would have been built as like a complete fabric structure where the fabric was meant to like slide on, zip, you know, unzip off or have a seamed edge with like a silicone edge graphic, like a little. could be used again later. 

0:34:08

(Dana Esposito)

The wall that it was in could be used again later. The lights were more hidden. And there's nothing wrong with that either way. It all depends on what your need is post -event, if you need to use it again. And in the States, if someone has said, I don't need to use it again later, it still probably wouldn't have been as inexpensive to build because there are certain things like we don't spackle on show site here that I don't know that that would even be allowed, right? But it's just really interesting to see how things are executed. 

0:34:41

(Dana Esposito)

And I also I had over here in the States, not only do we try to repurpose things later, like rental such a big thing with us, and it's not even, honestly, I don't believe it was born from sustainability, although that's an awesome thing now. It's just, it was really probably born out of just being efficient, right? And if I can build it to be used over and over again, there's a cost savings there for everybody. But I had asked someone overseas before and said, you know, what do you guys do about the rental version of things. And I'm sure you're going to know much more than I am. But one person answered it more like in Europe where like hospitality is much a larger part of the exhibit experience. 

0:35:25

(Dana Esposito)

In the states, like states you might have a coffee bar or snacks. They literally almost turn into a little bit of a restaurant sometimes, right, with the amount of seating and running water and all this. So they explained it like they have in their rental inventory a bunch of custom carts that they had built on wheels. And they're meant to be used over and over again. They're built very durable on wheels. And they have a whole fleet of them that are identical. 

0:35:51

(Dana Esposito)

And they're white, so they're very user -friendly. But the sustainable or reuse part was, they said, see that wall right there? This back along that wall. 

0:36:03

(Stephen Benedetti)

So that wall, when it comes down is not going to be able to be a wall again, but we will take this back and we'll, you know, cut it into strips on our saw. And those pieces will become pieces that you can't see like underneath the floor. So we'll reuse it, but it's not rental. Like I used it like this. I'm going to put it away, take it out, use it like this again, but branded differently. Right. 

0:36:26

(Stephen Benedetti)

So can you speak to maybe just the world of something like the in rental in the States maybe versus how overseas you guys treat rental, not even sustainability, just maybe rental? So yeah, so a typical trade show stand that we build at Heilmeyer would be 90 % or more rental slash reusable materials. The exceptions The one big exception we always say is graphics. We plan on graphics just being a one -time use thing, mostly because no two builds, even for the same company year after year, tend to be the same. So you would have different sizes. 

0:37:13

(Dana Esposito)

And second, they often have holes in them for graphic mounting or product mounting or monitor mounting. or messaging changes. So we plan on graphics to be a one -time thing, and that's our biggest waste per show. After that, the structure is extrusion, like you were saying, usually Alluvision at our company, but there's also some others that we use. Flooring is the double floor is as you were just saying it's it's a it's a plywood that is reused again and again a little bit there's always loss every time but 90 % of that can be reused. The covering, we tend not to use much carpet here. 

0:38:02

(Dana Esposito)

I know in America, is it still a thing? 

0:38:05

(Stephen Benedetti)

You buy carpet and use it again and again and again for the same booth? 

0:38:09

(Dana Esposito)

You can. It all depends on how many holes they're going to be making, how often they use that carpet. So carpet and pad are usually our default because we can also channel the pad to hide the wires so there aren't bumps. So carpet is still sort of the most automatic, but it's also a little bit more or a one -time use or a one -time use but then there are sustainability options past that depending on what company you're working for. So I'd say first and foremost people use carpet and then second would be vinyl flooring. 

0:38:40

(Dana Esposito)

The rollable vinyl flooring that looks like wood grain or what have you with like the thin pad underneath that. Is that reusable? It falls into the same category. It depends on how you use it, how many times you use it, how many holes you make in it. They all are reusable to some degree. Some of the carbon is sustainable, meaning it came from, maybe it started its life as plastic bottles. 

0:39:07

(Dana Esposito)

And that's where it was born from. And then it can be a full life cycle and turn into other things. Again, it all depends what company you're working for. Like to give props to say like Brewmark, I know they have a whole full life cycle. 

0:39:19

(Speaker 16)

I'm not saying other carpet companies or flooring companies don't like Brewmark. 

0:39:23

(Stephen Benedetti)

They can like have some of a line of their carpet that comes from like say plastic bottles and go all the way around where they have a program at the end where I think you pay a little extra but it gets turned into an energy source here in the States. So that's just a really good example. Just like a lot of the Aluminum extrusion systems, whether it's all sticks of aluminum or their frames in like very common metric sizes. There are a lot of great companies that have, you know, those as an offering. And so companies in the States and I'm assuming Stephen that's probably similar to you because you were mentioning There's one that you typically use like we we invest a lot in one particularly company like we have a lot of B matrix It doesn't mean it's the only system that we use are familiar with and a lot of the system companies now are aware of that that like we might have an exhibit house might have a big stock that we've Spent a lot of money to invest in but I'm assuming might have different systems that we need to so they'll make it so the systems can work together. 

0:40:26

(Stephen Benedetti)

So like you know there's and they're all great you know they're all just it's kind of what you have the most in but you become fluent in a lot of them so there's B -matrix and Alluvision, Octanorm and Agamm and Modul and I'm sure there's others I'm forgetting but yeah. Right. Yeah. So so I think we're on the same page in terms of most everything is reusable. Another big difference. There's two things I want to say, if I can quickly. 

0:40:49

(Stephen Benedetti)

One is that the rental options for furniture and equipment for trade shows here in Germany, there's a much wider range of choices here than I've experienced in the States. It's just it's a it's a smaller country for one. So things can get delivered from Berlin to Stuttgart, which is across the country in a day. easily. 

0:41:11

(Dana Esposito)

It's a six -hour, eight -hour drive. We rent dishwashers and sinks and things like this are just standard rental inventory things. It's not exotic in any way. The other one I want to say, and I hope somebody out there is listening to me and that they will avoid asking for this or expecting this when they come to Europe, Pillowcase graphics do not exist here. There are no pillowcase graphics with zippers on the top. This is just something that... 

0:41:44

(Dana Esposito)

Moss is over here and I believe they've tried to introduce it and have had little to no success. And we often get the request for that because, again, that's what they know. 

0:41:56

(Stephen Benedetti)

Right. And we're like, but we could do something that's like with sharp edges and not rounded and not pillow casing and not hourglassing. So explain. So this is a good opportunity. So say someone, and we'll use just a square sign as an example to keep it really simple. Say someone in the States usually has like a six inch 

0:42:15

(Stephen Benedetti)

by 16 foot square sign above their exhibit. Over in Europe, how would you make something very similar? Like how would you build that? Cause it's not going to be pillowcase fabric on that. I mean, you could do it in elevation frames very easily. So that's one very easy way to do it. 

0:42:31

(Stephen Benedetti)

You could do it as a light box very easily. And again, There's no extra cost for the electricity. It's a light box is, you know, you, it's a standard plug in and it has almost no draw with the LEDs and we can build it and hang it ourselves. 

0:42:47

(Dana Esposito)

So there's just, there's tons of options. The weight doesn't much matter. The venue of course wants to know what it weighs just in terms of getting the distribution of weight in the hall, correct. And that you're not overloading a hanging point or anything like that. 

0:43:02

(Stephen Benedetti)

But in, but it isn't. it doesn't need to be the lightest thing ever made. And that's, again, that comes back to dreyage, where everything is designed in the States to have as little weight as possible. Here, we can build it a little more sturdy, a little more robust. And I think it has a nicer look. 

0:43:21

(Dana Esposito)

That's my European bias at this point. And then, and so let's say the client go ahead, they executed obviously as because you guys are the experts in that over there and so they're going to follow your lead, they execute that is, I'm assuming, because everything's more expensive pretty much in the States. the sign is going to be more expensive to build in the States. For them, let's say they're exhibiting at the Mesa in Dusseldorf, but they have multiple shows there, or it's going to travel around a little bit. 

0:43:50

(Speaker 15)

Do they rebuild that sign to look the same every time, or are they able to repurpose any of it? 

0:43:56

(Dana Esposito)

It depends on what we make it out of, you know, what we make it. So we have signs that we've done as, you know, hard boards with 3D logos on them that we've been using since 2018. 

0:44:10

(Stephen Benedetti)

We built them once, built crates for them, and we reinstalled them each time. It's very, very expensive the first time, and then it doesn't cost anything over the next 10 years. So there are options. Yeah, I can say I can absolutely understand your furniture comments because although we do have access to a lot of great furniture companies, it's obvious you guys have a much more of a vast selection to pick from because there are times that we just can't get certain things. Or if we, a designer, if we have a client who is like a certain brand flair and, or they really want furniture that stands out, sometimes they'll have to purchase that furniture with it. We're like, well, but in Europe this, and I'm like, I know, I wish I could get that like designer thing too. 

0:44:59

(Stephen Benedetti)

Cause the designer in me wants it really bad. Right. But yeah, that's, we're fortunate. We have a lot, but we, you guys have some great stuff right at your fingertips, which is wonderful. Right. And like I said, and not just furniture, the display, but the back office stuff. 

0:45:18

(Stephen Benedetti)

It's just, it's a different... So in America, there's a big movement by EDPA and actually your guest was talking about it, the invisible industry, right? In Germany, it is not an invisible industry. In Europe, it's not an invisible industry. So when you drive into a big city in Germany, there are signs posted outside of it, like this way to the downtown, this way to the convention center. 

0:45:44

(Chris Dunn)

And it's a permanent sign. It isn't just because there's a big event going on. 

0:45:51

(Dana Esposito)

It's a part of the city life. 

0:45:55

(Chris Dunn)

There are posters and advertisements for shows when they're opening. In Germany, I never have to explain what I do when I say, 

0:46:05

(Stephen Benedetti)

work in Messebau. 

0:46:07

(Chris Dunn)

Oh, really? 

0:46:08

(Speaker 9)

Have you done this? 

0:46:09

(Chris Dunn)

It's just people, they know it. It's part of the life here. 

0:46:14

(Dana Esposito)

In the US, that's a question that usually ends up in like, you mean like a wedding show or like a flower show? Like yes and no. No, not really. 

0:46:25

(Chris Dunn)

So that parlays me into a great conversation or a story. If I could take a pause, I want to talk a little bit about how Stephen and I actually met, how ironic it was. So as you mentioned - And just to be fair, Chris, we should say that anybody who reads your posts regularly on LinkedIn will know this story. That's true. That is true. And there are so many people who do that. 

0:46:50

(Chris Dunn)

So many tens and tens of people who read my posts on a regular basis. The tens and tens. I can't keep up. Honestly, I can't keep up with all your photos. It's pretty much one a day. So they do stack up. 

0:47:00

(Chris Dunn)

And if you miss a couple of days, then you got a lot to go through. I did post about this recently. So, but I just, I think it's such a, it's a, it's a really kind of a fun story. And I think if you, if you're in and around the event industry, you understand that as you travel and you go to these different venues and so forth. I mean, on one hand, the size and scale of some of the shows, you know, in Chicago, when you're filling all four halls in McCormick, and there's literally like a hundred thousand potential people and 5 ,000 exhibitors, you realize how crazy it is that, you know, you might end up in a weird proximity. At the same time, you know, when you start, you know, you're on these, uh, uh, on these, uh, kind of scheduled journeys, you're running into the same people all the time because they're doing the same shows. 

0:47:45

(Chris Dunn)

Uh, so long story short, I don't know, 10, 10 years ago or so, uh, I have a second cousin and her name's Pam. And she says, I have another cousin who is in the exhibit industry and he lives in, in Germany. And I was like, that's wonderful. I'll, I'll literally never meet her. but that's really interesting because it is kind of a small industry. Although Bob McGlinsey reminds us that it's, you know, multi trillions of dollars that ultimately passed through it in a global aspect. 

0:48:11

(Chris Dunn)

But long story short, I'm at IMTS. We're in Chicago. We're in McCormick West, which is kind of the newer of the halls. And my company that we're building for is actually a German -based company, or I'm sorry, they're a German company with a North American headquarters. We're building a stand or a booth for them. It's a big peninsula. 

0:48:33

(Chris Dunn)

30 feet deep, 60 feet long, something like that, sizable. We're building a big back wall. It's abutted against another German company. And in the setup process, I happen to kind of walking back and forth and doing things. And I get introduced or I see somebody that I know working in the booth in back of me. I get introduced, oh, hey, Chris, Do you know Steven? I don't know Steven. 

0:48:57

(Chris Dunn)

Hey, Steven, how you doing? Yeah. Hey, Steven is an American, but he lives in Germany. He's working for this, you know, this exhibit house. Um, and he's here, you know, working for this German company, helping them get the booth set up. That's wonderful. 

0:49:09

(Stephen Benedetti)

Steven, where'd you grow up? I grew up in Palmer mass. Oh my God. That's really interesting. Blue, you know, blue hives were located in Worcester. 

0:49:17

(Chris Dunn)

I have a cousin in Palmer and Steven says, I have a cousin in Palmer also. And I said, Is her name Pam? And he said, yes. So here we are, two people from, you know, opposite ends of the globe on nearly chance meeting in Chicago, having been told that that we both exist, but never really thinking that we would actually meet each other. And we bumped into each other again at IMTS, which I don't know, 3000 exhibitors, 5000 exhibitors. There's a lot like you could have been anywhere. 

0:49:53

(Chris Dunn)

Chris had a slight advantage. over me. 

0:49:55

(Dana Esposito)

He had been told there's a cousin in the industry. I didn't even know that. So I was completely taken off guard. You were completely taken off guard. 

0:50:05

(Stephen Benedetti)

So we actually, I have, I have a video of Stephen and I having this conversation. 

0:50:10

(Speaker 9)

Thank you, Linda Wasson, who took that video. 

0:50:14

(Dana Esposito)

Since then, Stephen and I obviously have maintained a communication relationship, started doing some work back and forth together. And it's just been, it's been a great story. And he's been able to teach us a lot about, again, how things, you know, kind of work in Europe and how it's different. 

0:50:29

(Stephen Benedetti)

And then his clients have come over here and we get to explain why we're so freaking expensive compared to the rest of the world. And Stephen, Elise can say, I know these guys, I know it seems like they're literally dragging you across the coast, but that's just how it is. And it's not us, it's any company that you're going to partner with who's based in the States and exhibiting in the States. So you guys don't look anything alike. I was just watching you as far as DNA goes. It's true. 

0:51:01

(Stephen Benedetti)

Two different types of handsome. Absolutely. So I have a question. One of the things we had talked about earlier was mentioning some of the cultural and communication differences and how those could be some pitfalls or some strengths. So Stephen, do you want to give us some insight on, you know, how we can make sure we're communicating really well across different language or culture differences? The language, for most people who work in the international side of trade shows in Europe will speak English, so English will usually work. 

0:51:40

(Stephen Benedetti)

There are absolutely companies in every country who only work in their own language, so those are not always the best partners. They might do great work, but it's the communication is just not worth it. But the big thing is to try to avoid buzzwords and technical terms that are strictly in your venue or in your branch. Because that always, I don't know how many times, having been out of America for 25 years, even though I still speak English and read English media, buzzwords Like, I just, you know, I don't suddenly don't know what I can't think of anything off the top of my head, but they're, they're not helping out. So like lists point, like using lists with short phrases on them, you don't need verbs or explanations that it's just like sizes and, and, and, oh, size is a good one. 

0:52:36

(Stephen Benedetti)

So metric and feet and inches is another one that you have to make sure you're communicating one way or the other about them. The big thing is to have trust in the people you're working with. If they say that, okay, I understand that you're working with 112 inches by 48 inches. that's not a standard size here. It's going to end up costing more because we'd have to get something custom made, like let us do it at this size. 

0:53:08

(Chris Dunn)

And you have to give up a little of that control, a little of that exact what you've been doing and have some trust that it can still work on a slightly different matter. But that's true of any type of communication. You've got to trust the people you work with, so getting to know someone is always good. For me, the best thing that came out of COVID is this online technology improved so much. Now jumping on a video call with strangers feels so much closer to being in a group. 

0:53:45

(Stephen Benedetti)

with them than it did in 2017. And so you can really get a feel for people. And so I would say if you're looking for partners overseas and whether that's going to America or coming over here, have a conversation with them. Don't just do email and look at a website. Everybody in our industry can make both beautiful booths and beautiful websites. So you want to work with people. 

0:54:10

(Stephen Benedetti)

Another great thing about this medium that we have right here is something like this little step extrusion that's for a floor is really a bitch to explain. 

0:54:19

(Chris Dunn)

Like, how would I even explain that? But I can go, Stephen, we use this transition when we kind of have the, you know, the pad and the carpet or the floor kind of they fit in this end and then people don't trip. And you go, oh, yeah, OK. 

0:54:30

(Stephen Benedetti)

Other than that, I'd really have difficulty getting that information into your head. 

0:54:35

(Speaker 14)

Right. 

0:54:35

(Chris Dunn)

The other thing is, oh, it's Extrusion X25B from this company. And it's like, okay. Oh, we can do something like that. We have something that looks like that. And, and then you move on. Yeah, no, it's absolutely, it's absolutely a great way. 

0:54:52

(Chris Dunn)

I highly recommend, particularly before you really know the company to do some online. Right. Right. Cause we're, we're going to make, I think assumptions and I've been guilty of this, of thinking that you understand, and especially with you, Steven, again, you, you, You know, you're an American, you were here, but you haven't been here in a long time. But when I say, you know, I need a counter or I need a closet, and you guys actually call a closet a cabinet, I believe. Is that right? 

0:55:20

(Stephen Benedetti)

I'm not sure what you mean by closet at this point. Exactly. So simple stuff like that. We're speaking the same language, but it does have some cultural differences in different spaces. So that's a great kind of lead into, you're in Germany, but you guys do shows all over Europe, all over really all over the world through partners, in the Middle East and Asia and so forth. 

0:55:42

(Stephen Benedetti)

What's it like for you guys to, and I know now like the UK is a different story, right? They're not part of the EU anymore, but when you're moving around within the EU, let's say Italy, let's say, you know, a show in Spain and Barcelona, right? The big mobile world conference or something like that. What's it like for you guys to go and do shows in different countries? Kind of like we're here in Mass, but I'm gonna go to Chicago on Saturday and do a show there. It's no big deal. 

0:56:09

(Stephen Benedetti)

I know that the rules are a little different, but it's just, it's Chicago and it is what it is, right? So is it kind of like that or is it a bigger deal because you're moving between countries? No, no, you have it exactly right. 

0:56:19

(Speaker 13)

If it's anywhere within the EU, it's very much like moving around in the States. 

0:56:24

(Stephen Benedetti)

Switzerland and the UK are the two big exceptions here because they're not in the EU anymore. So that involves customs papers and customs inspections. And there's a lot that goes into that. We do more work in Switzerland than in the UK, but we border them and familiar with it. is exactly like going from Mass to Chicago. It's a good distance. 

0:56:51

(Stephen Benedetti)

The local customs are different than what you're used to. Each country's venues have their own sets of rules on how things work. 

0:57:02

(Speaker 12)

In the long run, it's all very similar. 

0:57:04

(Chris Dunn)

But it's not the same. And Italy, for example, requires payment in advance for some things which no other country requires payment in advance for. And they have some safety, health and safety forms that are much different than anywhere else. And you have to provide information about your company's health policies, which, again, nobody else requires it. They do. So it's just a matter of learning them and filling them out. 

0:57:35

(Chris Dunn)

And even if initial conversations can be difficult with the individual venues, in the long run, they're interested in it going well as well. And they understand, like we do, like you understand the shortcomings of working, coming to America to work. I understand the shortcomings coming to here. They understand the shortcomings. They know these questions are coming from a German company. They know these questions are coming from an Irish company. 

0:58:00

(Chris Dunn)

It's just, you get used to it. 

0:58:02

(Speaker 11)

So yeah. 

0:58:04

(Chris Dunn)

And that's again, let's let's kind of bang the drum on if you're an exhibitor. Like, don't try to do this on your own. You need you need somebody with local knowledge who has the institutional knowledge. We've executed a fair amount of shows together using Stephen's company in Milan. 

0:58:24

(Speaker 5)

That's there's a Milano is a big, you know, convention center space in the Italian market. 

0:58:31

(Stephen Benedetti)

And and we never would have been able to figure that stuff out. You get the time change and you've got the language barrier and all of those things that make it difficult for us, you know, to figure out what we're doing over there. 

0:58:44

(Speaker 10)

But we can, you know, with one phone call or one initial phone call, like engage a group that's familiar with that local space. 

0:58:53

(Chris Dunn)

We do a ton of shows in that area. 

0:58:55

(Dana Esposito)

We know what we're doing. 

0:58:56

(Stephen Benedetti)

Here are the things, here are the shortcomings. 

0:58:58

(Speaker 9)

We're going to have to, oh, this show is in September. 

0:59:01

(Chris Dunn)

Well, they don't work in August. Right. So we're going to have to get in front of this thing because that's just the local customs. They just aren't around. Right. So don't roll in, you know, August 20th thinking we're going to be able to pull this thing off for September 10 show. 

0:59:14

(Chris Dunn)

Um, so little, little details like that make all the difference in the world when you're, when you're trying to, you know, get organized and get all your ducks in a row. Absolutely. That's a good point. The, the vacation schedule is something that Americans are absolutely not used to. What do you mean? you guys get months, you know, weeks and weeks off? 

0:59:33

(Chris Dunn)

That's why you moved. That's not why I moved, but it might be why I stayed. Gotcha. Well, I am super excited to do a few things this February, one of which is go to Euroshop. So Dana, you've been, Stephen, obviously you've been several times. This is like the Disneyland of things, the Euro Disney, as it were, for exhibit people. 

0:59:59

(Chris Dunn)

The show happens once every three years. It's not just about exhibits by any means. It's it's massive. It's about everything shopping, right? It's like all retail and and it's in 11 different halls in Dusseldorf. 

1:00:11

(Speaker 8)

18 different halls, like it's a it's a massive undertaking. 

1:00:14

(Speaker 7)

But I'm super excited to be going over there. 

1:00:16

(Chris Dunn)

And again, while we're in Germany and it's an hour flight or a four hour train ride, if the trains are working properly, we're going to go from Dusseldorf down south to Munich and we're going to visit with our client. We're also going to visit Stephen. 

1:00:30

(Stephen Benedetti)

Excited to kind of see him on his home court, see his his establishment, meet some of the other folks that we've spoken to, project managers and so forth from from his company. So Looking forward to that trip. And again, it's always kind of fun to go visit Europe and do some exploring when I'm not working, which will be very few hours of the overall trip. So good stuff there. We are coming up on an hour. We try to keep our toolbox right at an hour. 

1:01:02

(Stephen Benedetti)

Oh, that was such a great conversation. Time just flew by. Other than that, a couple of times when my screen went black and I'm like, am I still here? Steven, at the end of our show, we try to do a little bit of a wrap up. If you had a suggestion, and it could totally be something we've already said, but just maybe put a little bow on it. U . 

1:01:23

(Chris Dunn)

S. based exhibit managers who are going to go do shows overseas, one or two little kind of nuggets that will just make their life easier, things to think about or to expect. Okay, I've Okay, I've got two if I may, and they're related in some way, but I've got two. The first one would be what we talked about earlier in terms of general design for a European trade show stand. If you're going to ask If you're trying to recreate the look and feel of what you've had in the States, and you're going to work with a European exhibit house, don't say, build this like we built it. 

1:02:02

(Chris Dunn)

Send plans from a successful build that you've had. Stress the points that are important. We need this color. We need this color combination. We need to avoid this. We need to have a a sign that can be seen from a long distance, but give as few definite building points as possible, but the important branding points. 

1:02:26

(Chris Dunn)

And we need a meeting room, or we definitely don't need a meeting room, something like that. 

1:02:32

(Stephen Benedetti)

And then let the experts in that area design something for you and see how it comes out. They'll be using your ideas and your colors and your pictures, but they'll build it according to what we build and it'll, it'll maximize efficiency and budget. And, and beyond, and beyond just the building aspect, the physical, like how are we going to build this and put this together? Another great thing to throw out there is like, Hey, you're familiar with this local market. Like, What do people expect there? What's the norm? 

1:03:07

(Stephen Benedetti)

If I'm an attendee in this foreign city, what is the expectation? 

1:03:12

(Chris Dunn)

And what's in my head is like the hospitality play, right? 

1:03:15

(Stephen Benedetti)

Over here, that very same booth maybe had no hospitality whatsoever, but in that city that you're in, to, hospitality is a huge piece. So let that local group say, listen, you're going to need coffee. You're going to want to serve beer and wine or whatever people are going to be expecting, right? It feels like you did your research and when you show up, you're not like a fish out of water. Like, oh, there's that American company who comes here and disrespects all of our customs, right? 

1:03:41

(Stephen Benedetti)

Instead, it's like, here's this global group that rolls in and they know how people want to interact in this city. And another small point to that about catering, you're absolutely correct about it. And another big difference is, again, there is no catering monopoly in the hall. So you can bring in your own keg of beer and your own tap and you can pour beer for the people. You don't need a bartender, you don't need to buy it at the venue, none of this. So it's just, again, the options are there to do more things that are simply not allowed in the United States. 

1:04:17

(Stephen Benedetti)

Also, alcohol not being as strictly controlled over here, there's nobody carting anybody. It's just a simple trick. I get carded all the time because I look so young. Those days are past for me. And then the second tip, if I may, the second thing I'd really like to say to anybody planning on maybe building something in Europe, send as little as is possible through international customs. Things get hung up in customs for reasons that nobody can explain. 

1:04:52

(Stephen Benedetti)

There's no way to get them out if they get hung up. 

1:04:56

(Chris Dunn)

you know, you can't call the ambassador, whatever, get them out. It gets every year, it's more and more difficult. The it gets more and more expensive. And so yeah, there are times where things absolutely have to be sent. There's a demo model that only exists in the United States. Or you've 

1:05:15

(Chris Dunn)

spent a great amount of money building some exhibit. There's one time we built, I think it was the time you and I met at IMTS, Chris. We had a model drill bit that was, I believe it was eight meters in diameter and about 20 feet long. And it was built specifically with the idea of sending it over. But that's the kind of thing you can't. It would cost more to reproduce than it would to send. 

1:05:41

(Chris Dunn)

Right. 

1:05:41

(Speaker 6)

But in general, in general, send as little as possible. 

1:05:45

(Stephen Benedetti)

Don't send over a booth to be built because the power is different over here. So if you have built in LEDs and all that might blow them out with our power, send as little as possible source locally. 

1:06:02

(Chris Dunn)

There you go. 

1:06:02

(Speaker 5)

I think that's a mic drop moment. 

1:06:05

(Chris Dunn)

wrapped it up. We're an hour and six minutes in. This has been an awesome conversation. Stephen, really appreciate it. I think this is a conversation we've been wanting to have for quite a while. Really appreciate you dropping in, spending some time with us, chopping it up and talking international exhibiting. 

1:06:22

(Chris Dunn)

So really fun. 

1:06:24

(Speaker 4)

Good stuff. Dana, thank you for for joining in. You've had some great insights and questions just from your own experience as well. So hopefully this is one, a real writer downer, as they say, a lot of good notes and some ideas that people can take and parlay into doing successful shows, whether you're European coming here or vice versa. Yes. Thank you for the invitation. 

1:06:48

It was a great joy to talk with you both. Yeah. Fantastic. All right. Well, Cheers to everybody. Happy eventing out there and everybody enjoy the rest of your week. 

1:06:58

We are the Event Marketers Toolbox. If you like what you heard or saw here today, tell your friends. Thanks very much. Take care, everybody. Bye -bye.