German trade fairs for US exhibitors

Which German fairs matter for US companies

For many US companies, a German trade fair is the most efficient way to meet European customers, distributors and partners in a single week. Several German shows are central meeting points of their industry in Europe. The table lists German fairs for sectors in which US exhibitors are typically active.

Dates and cycles vary, and some of these shows take place every two years. Our trade fair calendar lists the next editions.

What differs from a US trade show

Exhibiting in Germany feels familiar in many ways, but a few differences affect how you plan photos and video:

• Vocabulary. In Germany and most of Europe, what you call a booth is a stand. Stand builders, exhibitor manuals and hall plans all use that word.
• Appointment culture. Many European visitors arrive with scheduled meetings and expect focused, technical conversations. Pictures of those conversations are valuable, but only if nobody is interrupted.
• Photo rules. Rules on photography, filming and passes for service providers differ between organisers. Check the organiser's exhibitor manual early.
• Privacy. European data protection rules apply to visitors in your photos and to interviewees. Written consent for interviews is standard practice here, and your legal team will probably ask for it anyway.

The big practical decision is whether to fly in your own crew or hire locally. Flights, excess baggage and several hotel nights for a crew add up quickly, and a local team already knows the halls. Our guide on a local photographer versus bringing your own compares both options.

Time zones: same-day content for US business hours

This is where Germany works in your favour. Germany is six hours ahead of the US East Coast and nine hours ahead of the West Coast. Photos sent at the end of the German show day arrive in the middle of the US working day.

Your marketing team in the US can publish the first photos on the same calendar day, during its own morning or lunchtime. Europe and the US change between summer and winter time on different dates, so for a few weeks in March and from late October to early November the difference is one hour smaller. Check the exact times if a launch post is scheduled for those weeks.

With delivery within 24 hours after the show ends, the edited highlight video is often ready before your team has flown home.

Releases, approvals and brand guidelines

US companies usually have a defined approval chain for published content: marketing, brand and often legal. Plan for it before the show, not after.

• Releases. Get written consent from interviewees and from customers who appear prominently, especially in testimonials. Our guide on consent for on-stand interviews shows a practical approach. If your legal team uses its own release form, send it before the show.
• Usage rights. Unlimited usage rights are included in our packages. If your legal team needs a specific rights clause in writing, send it with the booking.
• Brand guidelines. Fonts, lower thirds, logo placement and end cards: send your guidelines, and we build the edit on them.
• Approval rounds. Two revision rounds are included. Collect the feedback from all approvers in one list per round.

Testimonials are a particular opportunity: a satisfied European customer visiting your stand is an interview you would otherwise have to fly out for. Pixer has filmed a testimonial video for Humanscale, among others. Our guide to customer testimonials at the show covers questions and set-up.

US English, units and formats

Small details show whether content was made for a US audience:

• Spelling. Tell us whether subtitles and on-screen text should use US English (color, center) or British English. We follow your house style.
• Dates and units. Decide whether captions use the US date format and whether technical specifications appear in metric units, US units or both.
• Crops. LinkedIn, YouTube, your website and sales decks need different formats. Tell us where each picture will be used. Vertical 9:16 clips are included in every package.
• German versions. To reach buyers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, a German-subtitled version of the highlight video is easy to add at the edit stage, since we work in English and German.

Invoicing and payment for US companies

The US is outside the EU, so an invoice to your US company is issued without German VAT. Our prices are fixed and quoted in euros: Trade Fair Basic €990, Professional €1,490 and Full Day €1,990. Payment is 50 % on booking and 50 % on the show day.

US accounts payable teams often have their own onboarding steps for foreign suppliers, such as a vendor form, a tax form like the W-8BEN-E or a purchase order number on the invoice. Send these with the booking so that the first payment is not delayed. If your European subsidiary books instead, the VAT treatment follows its country: German VAT for a German company, reverse charge with VAT ID for a company elsewhere in the EU.

Travel within NRW is included. For shows in other German cities, travel is quoted once per trip and shared between exhibitors of the same show week, so the final invoice holds no surprises.

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