Egan’s Entries On Exhibits & Events
We’re all interested in doing the best job we can when exhibiting at trade shows or producing events. It’s work that takes months of effort, piles of paperwork, site visits, negotiating with scores of vendors, as well as delegating (as much as we can) to assistants, other staffers and a boatload of vendors.
Then, “opening night” comes, and we’re thrilled to have pulled in off. We’re also anticipating the pleased reactions of our co-workers and event guests. And then it happens: a problem you thought you’d addressed months ago rears its ugly head and immediately threatens to throw a monkey wrench into your plan—or even shut it down!
It’s a Contract Calamity or a Dinner Disaster! So what do you do?
At this point, I’d suggest calling upon a Higher Power…but probably not the one you were thinking of. I’m talking about legal paperwork. And if you’re in this business, you should have reams of it—and it should be properly organized, just in case of an emergency like this. Having that paperwork handy can help minimize or eliminate the biggest potential problems you might be facing. Here are five areas where having your paperwork in order can save you sleepless nights and the potential for displeased guests or an unhappy client.
1. Contracts:
First, what do you need contracts for? Here’s a lengthy—but not exhaustive—list:
- Event Venue
- Caterer
- Decorator
- Staffing
- Security
- Speakers
- Valet parking service
- Transportation
- Entertainment
You might also want to think about insuring against strikes, shutdowns, acts of God, and inclement weather (do you have a back-up location if your event is planned for outdoors?). To parse it down even further, what about the control you have over the speaker or entertainment? Do you have the right to record their presentation or performance, and for what reasons? Do you need to provide additional tickets for their entourage? And one more thing: what happens if they cancel on you?
2. Liability:
How many guests will be attending your trade show exhibit or event: Hundreds? Thousands? More? What are you liable for? Someone taking a tumble in your booth? A guest who drinks too much and causes an accident after leaving your event? What would happen if a tragedy like the 2011 Indiana State Fair’s collapsing stage takes place? How about a simple dent on a valet-parked car? Who has coverage? Does anyone need additional liability protection? It’s much wiser to ask these questions well in advance of the show or event.
3. Insurance:
When you’re holding an event or inviting show attendees into your trade show booth, your company’s ordinary insurance coverage might not be appropriate for circumstances arising before, during or after. A simple slip and fall injury (or something inconceivably worse) could put your company at enormous risk. It’s also a good idea to get copies of your vendors’ insurance documents: venue, caterer, decorator, security, parking service, etc.
4. Trade Secrets:
How many times have you been involved with events or trade shows related to launching a new product, service or company? Plenty of buzz gets around prior to the date, and you have to ask yourself (and perhaps your boss), “What can we talk about?” and “Who can talk about it?” Will the press be invited? In press releases and other promotional efforts, is there any proprietary information that should be embargoed until the date of the event? Do you need to protect trade secrets among the vendors and staff helping create the event by having them sign non-disclosure agreements?
5. Copyrights:
In the trade show and event worlds, dealing with music is what people are most often thinking about when they consider copyright issues (because licensing fees and/or royalties must be paid to use music in a public setting). But there are also considerations about company logos (and how they can—or can’t—be displayed), graphics, photography at the event, or the use of copyrighted images on elements related to your show or event, like invitations or promotional materials.
If your approach to exhibits and events is essentially “we’re just throwing a party,” you are at serious risk for potential problems—and severe, costly problems, at that. Everything you’ve worked so hard to pull off can be undone in the blink of an eye by an unanticipated problem or a visit from a fire marshal who’s not happy with your layout or the fabrics you’ve used for decoration. But if you’ve got your paperwork in order, you can reduce your risk of overlooking a potential problem, and manage more capably if one should arise.
Disclaimer: I’m not an attorney, so I can’t advise anyone on specifics. I’ve seen the potential (and reality) of problems first hand, having been involved in numerous trade shows and events, from a corporate holiday party to a nationally touring “Ride and Drive” for a luxury car maker, to an NFL halftime show. In virtually all these experiences, I’ve seen things go wrong (sometimes terribly wrong), then watched what happened as professionals tackled resolving those problems. The ones who were most prepared—legally and organizationally—fared much better at keeping small fires from spreading. Let’s meet here again in two weeks.
Dave Egan is head writer at Writers Direct Group, a full-service outsource writing resource for live trade show presentations, event theming, product demos, website content and other written- or spoken-word business communications. Contact him at Dave@WritersDirectGroup.com or 877-7GET-WDG [877-743-8934].
