Suitcasing and outboarding

As defined by the International Association of Exhibitions and Events, suitcasing is a practice on the part of any attendee who is observed to be soliciting business in the aisles or other public spaces, in another company’s booth, or in violation of any portion of the exhibition policy.

In order to distribute information to and conduct business with attendees, you must have a booth on the trade show floor. All materials must be distributed from the booth and not in the public areas of the convention center.

Violations

First offense will require purchase of booth space for conducting business or immediate confiscation of show badge and removal from the show floor.

Forms of suitcasing

Suitcasing may also take the form of commercial activity conducted from a hotel guest room or hospitality suite, a restaurant, club, or any other public place of assembly. Also known as outboarded events, this type of activity seeks to capitalize on the investment of established exhibition organizations to drive attendance, build the show brand and attract exhibitors. The practice of suitcasing can range from the innocent notion on the part of an attendee that it is permissible to solicit business on the show floor from exhibition attendees, to the unauthorized use or rental of meeting space within the convention center or in a hotel or other offsite venue with the express purpose of engaging exhibitor or other attendees.

Outboarding diminishes the size and diffuses the quality of the audience that event organizers work very hard to gather, and reduces the value of an event for exhibitors and event organizers who likewise have significant resources invested in the event. Suitcasing and outboarding are unethical business practices. This behavior is detrimental to the exhibition because it carries with it the potential to erode the exhibitor and attendee bases and anger paying exhibitors.

Regulations