Shipping a Trade Show Stand to Orlando from Europe: What Changes When You Cross the Atlantic

Shipping a Trade Show Stand to Orlando from Europe: What Changes When You Cross the Atlantic

A stand that works perfectly in Hannover, Barcelona or Stockholm does not automatically work in Orlando. The design might. The logistics almost never do. Between the European exhibition model and the American one there are four or five differences that catch first-time exhibitors every year, and every one of them is a cost, a delay, or both.

This is the plain list of what actually changes, written for companies exhibiting at the Orange County Convention Center or anywhere else in Central Florida for the first time. H2: 1. Booth sizes are in feet, and the grid is different

European stand space is sold in square metres. American floor plans are laid out on a ten-foot grid, so every standard booth is a multiple of ten feet: 10x10, 10x20, 20x20, 20x30, 30x30, 30x40. A 10x10 is about 9.3 square metres. A 10x20 is about 18.6. A 20x20 is about 37.2.

The practical consequence is that a stand built to European module sizes rarely maps cleanly onto a US footprint. Panels end up an awkward distance short of the boundary, and the gap is visible from the aisle. It is usually cheaper to rebuild to the US grid than to adapt. H2: 2. Electricity is 120 volts at 60 hertz

European mains power is 230 volts at 50 hertz. American mains is 120 volts at 60 hertz — commonly referred to as 110 volts. Anything you ship from Europe that plugs into a wall needs either a transformer or a US-specification power supply, and the frequency difference matters for anything with a motor in it.

Screens and laptops with universal power supplies are usually fine with a plug adapter. Demo equipment, machinery, lighting rigs and anything custom-built generally is not. This is worth checking item by item before anything is packed, because discovering it on the show floor means renting a replacement at show-floor prices. H2: 3. Material handling — "drayage" — is a line item you have never paid before

In the United States, moving your freight from the loading dock to your booth space, storing the empty crates during the show and bringing them back at the end is a separate billed service called material handling, or drayage. It is charged by weight, usually per hundredweight, with a minimum.

It is frequently the largest single surprise on an American show invoice, and it is charged on what you ship, not on what you use. A heavy crate of structure that could have been built locally is paid for twice: once to get it across the Atlantic, once to move it the last two hundred metres. H2: 4. Temporary import usually runs on a carnet

Exhibit goods entering the United States temporarily are normally handled under an ATA Carnet, the international customs document that lets goods enter and leave without paying duty, provided everything that goes in comes back out. The carnet has to be arranged in the country of origin before anything ships, and the list on it has to match what is in the crate.

Things that are consumed or given away at the show — brochures, samples, giveaways — generally cannot travel on the carnet and are handled as a separate import. Getting that split wrong is one of the more common reasons freight sits in customs while a show opens. H2: 5. Labour rules vary by state, and Florida is more flexible than most

American show labour is governed partly by the venue, partly by the show organiser and partly by state law. Florida is a right-to-work state, which in practice means exhibitors in Orlando generally have more freedom over who installs their stand than they would in some northern US cities where jurisdictions are tighter.

That said, the show's own exhibitor manual is always the final authority, and it is published months in advance. Read the manual, not the general advice — including this article. H2: 6. Timelines run earlier than you expect

Industry practice on a US show is to have the design settled around twelve weeks out and fabrication under way by roughly eight weeks, leaving room for graphics approval and for the floor plan to change. Add transatlantic freight to that and the real decision point moves earlier again. Ocean freight is weeks; air freight is expensive and still not instant. H2: The alternative most European exhibitors end up choosing

After one show, most European companies exhibiting regularly in the United States stop shipping structure across the Atlantic. They ship people and product, and they have the stand built and stored in the US.

That is what Nordic Precision Exhibits does. We are an Orlando exhibit house backed by Exhibit Experience, Inc. and a quarter century in the business, with a 30,000 square foot fabrication facility in Orlando and another in Las Vegas. Structure is built in our own shop. Large-format graphics are printed in-house through Factory of Graphics. Installation and dismantle at the Orange County Convention Center is handled by our own crew, and the exhibit is stored with us between shows rather than crossing an ocean twice a year.

No carnet. No transformer. No transatlantic drayage on a crate full of aluminium. Your team flies into Orlando and walks into a finished booth. H2: Frequently asked questions What voltage do US trade shows use?

120 volts at 60 hertz, commonly referred to as 110 volts. European equipment built for 230 volts at 50 hertz needs a transformer or a US-specification power supply. What is drayage at a US trade show?

Drayage, or material handling, is the billed service of moving your freight from the venue's loading dock to your booth, storing the empty crates during the show and returning them afterwards. It is charged by weight and is separate from shipping. Do I need an ATA Carnet to exhibit in the United States?

Exhibit goods entering the US temporarily are normally handled under an ATA Carnet, arranged in the country of origin before shipping. Items that will be given away or consumed at the show usually have to be imported separately. How do European stand sizes convert to US booth sizes?

US booths are laid out on a ten-foot grid. A 10x10 is about 9.3 square metres, a 10x20 about 18.6, a 20x20 about 37.2, a 20x30 about 55.7, a 30x30 about 83.6 and a 30x40 about 111.5 square metres. Is it cheaper to rent a booth in Orlando than to ship one from Europe?

For companies exhibiting more than once, usually yes. Renting removes transatlantic freight, carnet paperwork, transformers and drayage on imported structure, and the exhibit is stored locally between shows.

Compare Orlando booth rental sizes, review a 10x20 trade show booth rental in Orlando, or speak with our European exhibitor team before deciding whether to ship or build locally.